Every Fairy Tail Filler Episode You Can Skip, According To YouTube
For any and all aspiring anime fans, few shows are as high on the list of popular essentials as "Fairy Tail." Hailed as one of the most influential and successful takes on the shonen genre, the series is at least worth one's attention and awareness for its impact on the medium. As such, if you haven't watched it yet, you might want to consider giving "Fairy Tail" a shot. However, there's only one problem taking on such a task, "Fairy Tail" has more than a fair(y) amount of filler.
For the uninitiated, filler in the anime context refers to stopgap episodes in between those that are part of the canon. Oftentimes, they are created when the original manga the anime is adapting goes on hiatus or when the manga studio catches up to where the ongoing source material left off and they need to buy the original author more time. As it so happens, the "Fairy Tail" anime first premiered in 2006, when the amount of filler in anime was at its peak. During this time, many anime released dozens, or even hundreds of filler episodes (looking at you, "Bleach") to meet their weekly broadcast schedule.
Now, filler isn't necessarily bad by default. Most filler-heavy anime come with at least a few good examples. Even so, time is money and many people would rather skip non-essential episodes if they had the chance. So, without further ado, here is every "Fairy Tail" filler episode that you can skip.
Fairy Tail has a fairly moderate amount of filler
Despite seeming like an obvious distinction, the difference between canon and non-canon episodes of an anime isn't always black and white, and "Fairy Tail" is no exception. Some episodes are semi-canon, some are only canon to the anime, and some are adaptations of side material created by the original author, Hiro Mashima. No matter the source, however, "Fairy Tail" isn't especially filler-heavy. High estimates only put it at about 19% filler (via Anime Filler List).
However, the anime YouTuber channel Hensama considers that number even smaller, counting only 51 out of "Fairy Tail's" 328 episodes (about 16%) as pure filler. They are episodes 19, 69 (though mainly the second half), 70-72, 74-75, 125-150, 204-218, 221, 225, and 268. Additionally, he counts adaptations of "Fairy Tail"'s "Omake" and light novel chapters separately. These episodes are 9, 20, 49-50, 73, 202-203, 219, 220, 222-224, and 226. Though these sections are written by Mashima, they often deviate from the anime's main plot. As such, fans can consider them optional.
Watching the filler still isn't a bad idea, though
Even though it's technically more efficient to skip filler episodes, that doesn't mean filler should be disregarded entirely. Some filler can be funny or inventive with the characters and world in ways the source material never explored. As a result, while they aren't essential in understanding the story of "Fairy Tail," value can still be found in watching at least some of the filler.
Of course, not all filler is created equal. In fact, it can be rather dangerous territory. More often than not, filler fails to meet the standards set by the main story. In "Fairy Tail's" case, many fans of Reddit stand by its filler episodes even if they aren't as entertaining as the main story.
In a separate post of the r/FairyTail subreddit, fans highlighted some of the series' best filler, including Episode 226, "Fairy Tail of the Dead Meeeeeeeeen," Episode 75, "The 24hr Endurance Race," and Episode 219, "What a True Heart Weaves." If you're thinking about getting into "Fairy Tail," and would consider enjoying some fun, yet optional content to go along with it, you can't go wrong by including these episodes.