Understanding Filler In Anime

Anime filler is something that has become a bit notorious. While fans do understand that it’s important, they still can’t help but see it in a negative light as it takes us out from the main story. Even so without filler we likely wouldn't have many of the anime that we have today. With all of this being said, there are still some risks that putting in filler poses.

The main reason for anime filler is to give the manga/source material enough time to move on so that anime has more things to adapt. However, there’s no telling what can happen in this time. For one thing there’s the possibility of the anime being outright canceled after giving enough time for the manga to move on. Or even worse the manga itself ends right when the anime is about to rejoin with the main story leading to the anime either creating its own story or just ending with the filler it created. Either way makes it so the filler created was ultimately pointless.

One other issue is figuring out how much time is actually needed to let the manga move on or if there’s enough material at the time for the anime to adapt. Bleach is an anime so big that it’s become known as a member of the Big 3. However, every fan agrees that it suffers from the fact that it constantly put in filler at pivotal moments of the show. The Arrancar arc, easily one of the best, was unfortunately interrupted multiple times due to the fact that if the anime didn’t there wouldn’t be any else they could adapt. While nowadays you can just skip this filler, back then you had no choice but to either sit through the filler or take a break from the anime and come back later when the filler was finally done. This ended up ruining Bleach’s momentum leading to it after its next arc (though it did come back a few years ago to finish the story).

However, what’s easily the biggest risk is making it so the manga and anime can’t rejoin at all. When making filler you end up creating your own story with the characters. The problem this poses though is figuring out how much you want to change without taking away from the main story. If you aren’t careful then in the middle of the filler you might make a change that directly conflicts with something that happens later in the manga. In this instant it becomes no longer possible to rejoin with the manga as it will cause things to feel disjointed and make no sense. A good example of this is The Promised Neverland season 2, an anime which made so many changes that the second season became an entirely different show. However in rare cases the anime will try to force itself to rejoin the manga which will cause it to miss out on crucial lore in the manga, such as in the case of Tokyo Ghoul.

While anime filler does pose some risks, its benefits ultimately outweigh them. After all the only other way for an anime to catch up is to put it on hiatus which can lead to killing the anime. And it's not as if all filler is bad. One Piece and Naruto, two more series known for the filler, make sure that the filler they create is entertaining enough to keep viewers engaged and in some cases question if it is really filler. One Piece’s anime only G-8 arc is regarded as one of its best with fans considering it canon to the show. At the end of the day though, it’s up to the writers to decide how to best use filler in order to keep the anime - and in turn the manga - alive.

 

 

 

 

Logan Floyd-Mcgee | Writer
POP-COOLEDTURED SPECIALIST
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