Every Dragon Ball Super Filler Episode You Can Skip According To Fans
Television shows can often feel like they are designed to eat up time. It is true that inventive and concise storytelling are important aspects to the writers and the viewers, and at the end of the day, it's not uncommon for these shows to provide high-quality entertainment without leaving fans hanging. Then there are times when a TV series can feel bloated — as if it was stuffed with enough empty calories to rival any fast-food chain around.
On the other hand, most anime series are designed to follow a singular story, to tell that story, and then to get out. Granted, those stories aren't really any shorter, but they're considered to be more focused in nature. That's why the filler content in anime feels like a cold bucket of water to the face. Much like parts of "Black Butler" Season 2, to cite an example, filler content can feel like a jarring, unexplained surprise that leaves the viewer confused and more than a little annoyed. Sites like Anime Filler List help unveil the mystery for the episodes so that viewers can know what's important to watch and what can be totally ignored. Via their metrics, it may be a good idea to look at which episodes are filler and which ones aren't before diving into "Dragon Ball Super," the fourth serialized installment in the "Dragon Ball" franchise.
Dragon Ball Super is 11% filler, and fans say Episodes 42-46, 69, and 73 are skippable
Of the 131 episodes in "Dragon Ball Super," 14 of them are considered to be filler, which functionally translates to 11% percent. A tenth of the content might seem like a lot for anyone unfamiliar with the medium but, in terms of averages, "Dragon Ball Super" has an incredibly low percentage. The episodes listed as filler are 4, 15, 42-46, 68-70, and 73-76. Per the core belief of the site, these episodes can be skipped wholesale without harming one's understanding of the true story. But what do fans think about these filler episodes?
According to this Reddit thread, most of the filler episodes are actually worth watching, but there are some that can be skipped. u/apalachicola4 opined that Episode 73, "Gohan's Plight! The Preposterous Great Saiyaman Film Adaptation," is "fun but skippable." u/anotherguyrighthere, meanwhile, mentioned Episodes 42-46, which make up the "Copy-Vegeta Saga," as an example of bad filler. This was a sentiment shared on another thread by u/Lennyoh, who specifically suggested skipping Episodes 44-46 due to the "boring" nature of the mini-arc. For yet another example of skippable filler, u/MercHots singled out Episode 69, "Goku vs Arale! The Earth Ends In A Wacky Battle!," referring to it as "pointless."
The rest of the episodes are divided into manga canon, anime canon, and mixed canon/filler. The difference between filler and anime canon is speculative, as both are content unique to the anime. That being said, story arcs considered anime canon better mesh with manga canon than the pure filler content does, which often feels self-enclosed, more like a one-off.