Gintama Filler List: Every Episode You Can Skip

Most filler lists exist to save you time. The Gintama filler list exists to make a point: filler doesn't mean what you think it means when the show you're watching is 80% standalone comedy regardless of whether it came from the manga or not.

Gintama ran from 2006 to 2021 across 367 television episodes, three movies, and a handful of OVAs. Out of that run, only 23 episodes are classified as filler, putting the series at roughly 6%. But that number is almost meaningless: the vast majority of Gintama's canon episodes are self-contained comedy sketches that advance the plot exactly as much as the filler does. The serious story arcs (Benizakura, Yoshiwara, Four Devas, Shogun Assassination, Silver Soul) make up maybe 20% of the series, and none of them are filler. Everything in between is comedy, and the comedy is the whole point.

So does Gintama have filler? Technically yes. Should you skip it? Almost certainly not. But you came here for a Gintama filler guide, so here it is.

Gintama Filler: Quick Stats

For context, Naruto sits at around 41% filler and Bleach at 45%. Gintama's 6% is low by any standard, but the comparison falls apart because in most anime, filler feels different from canon. In Gintama, it doesn't.

Gintama Filler Episodes: The Quick-Skip List

Here's every episode on the Gintama filler list in one clean block, every episode you can skip without losing a plot thread:

Episodes 1-2, 50, 57, 75, 106, 114, 124-125, 135, 137, 150, 155, 164, 166, 171, 173-174, 176, 185, 189, 209, 252

Twenty-three episodes out of 367. Before you skip all of those, three quick notes. Episodes 1 and 2 are the very first episodes of the entire series, and skipping them means starting a 367-episode anime on episode 3 with zero introduction (more on why you should actually do that below). Episode 135 is a filler episode where the characters break the fourth wall and discuss why anime has filler in the first place, which is so aggressively Gintama that skipping it feels wrong. And episode 252 is the legendary Gintama finale "We're Sorry," where the cast apologizes for the show ending, and the episode descends into increasingly unhinged chaos. It is technically filler and culturally essential.

The mixed canon/filler episodes (82, 111, 120, and 367) blend manga material with anime-original content and should be watched, especially 367, which contains Silver Soul finale setup.

Every Gintama Filler Episode, Explained

Because Gintama scatters its filler across 10 seasons rather than clumping it into arcs, the list below is long but each entry is light. Most of these are one-off comedy episodes that match the show's tone perfectly, and unless you're watching exclusively for the serious arcs, you won't notice a quality difference between filler and canon.

Seasons that contain zero filler: Gintama': Enchousen (253-265), Gintama° (266-316), Gintama. (317-328), Porori-hen (329-341), and Shirogane no Tamashii-hen (342-367). Once the series enters its back half, filler disappears entirely and the show locks into its most sustained serious arcs.

The Gintama Filler Episodes That Are Actually Worth Your Time

In most anime, "secretly worth watching" filler means a hidden gem buried in forgettable padding. Gintama inverts that ratio entirely.

Episodes 1-2: The Worst Starting Point (That You Should Come Back To)

"You Guys!! Do You Even Have a Gintama?" was a two-part premiere special for manga readers who already knew the cast. Characters appear without introduction, and jokes reference events that haven't happened yet. Every Gintama guide tells you to skip to episode 3, and they're right. But once you've watched 50 or so episodes and know who everyone is, coming back to episodes 1 and 2 lets you appreciate the jokes that flew past you the first time.

Episode 135: The Filler Episode About Filler

The characters discuss why anime has filler episodes, why studios produce them, and what it means for a show's future when the anime catches up to the manga. It's Gintama at its most fourth-wall-demolishing, and the fact that the episode itself is filler makes the whole thing land even harder.

Episode 252: The Legendary Goodbye That Wasn't

"We're Sorry" is the Gintama' finale. The cast apologizes to the audience for the show ending, the episode escalates into a gag about seppuku, and from there it spirals into increasingly unhinged absurdity before closing with yet another apology. Pure, uncut Gintama chaos, and the single best argument that filler can be art when the right show makes it.

The Real Issue Nobody Talks About

Here's what every Gintama filler list gets backward: the Gintama filler episodes are not the problem, and they never were.

The actual barrier for newcomers is the first 25 episodes. Gintama opens with slow, episodic character introductions that don't showcase the show's full range. The comedy is still finding its voice, the serious arcs haven't started, and the callbacks that make later episodes legendary don't have enough setup to land. Fans who stuck with the show universally say it clicks around episode 25 and becomes something entirely different by the Benizakura arc at episode 58.

Filler has nothing to do with that. The slow early episodes are almost all canon. Skipping all 23 filler episodes saves you roughly 8 hours. Knowing that the show transforms after episode 25 saves you from dropping it entirely.

And here's the deeper truth: the show is a comedy first, and around 80% of its canon episodes are standalone bits with zero plot advancement. A manga-adapted episode about Gintoki losing a bet to Hijikata at a ramen shop advances the story exactly as much as a filler episode about the same scenario. The filler/canon line disappears because Gintama's default mode is already episodic. The only time the distinction matters is during serious arcs, and none of the serious arcs contain filler.

Strawberry Milk and Silver Souls: The Complete Gintama Filler Verdict

Gintama left behind 367 episodes, and the Gintama filler list adds up to 23 that are functionally identical to the show around them. Skip them if you want a marginally faster binge, but know you're saving 8 hours out of a 150-hour series and potentially missing some of the funniest episodes it ever made.

The actually useful advice: start at episode 3, give the show until episode 25, and once it clicks, stop worrying about which episodes are canon and which aren't. The comedy is the canon.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Gintama have filler?

Yes, but the distinction barely matters. Gintama has 23 filler episodes out of 367, putting it at roughly 6%. Because the show is primarily episodic comedy, the filler episodes match the tone and quality of the canon episodes surrounding them, and most fans can't tell the difference without checking a guide.

How many episodes of Gintama are there in total?

The main television series has 367 episodes across 10 parts (2006-2018). Including the two Semi-Final OVA episodes from 2021, the total reaches 369. The franchise also includes three movies, additional OVAs, and Jump Festa specials.

Should I skip Gintama episodes 1 and 2?

Yes, for your first watch. Episodes 1 and 2 were created as a premiere special for manga readers and assume familiarity with characters who haven't been introduced yet. Start at episode 3 and come back to episodes 1 and 2 after you've watched around 50 episodes.

What episode does Gintama get good?

The comedy finds its rhythm around episode 25, and the first major serious arc (Benizakura) begins at episode 58. Most longtime fans say the show hits its stride in the second half of Season 1, roughly episodes 50 onward, though individual mileage varies depending on your tolerance for early character setup.

What is Gintama's filler percentage compared to other long-running anime?

Gintama sits at approximately 6% filler, compared to Naruto at 41%, Bleach at 45%, and One Piece at around 10%. My Hero Academia comes in at 2-3%, though MHA's much shorter run (170 episodes) makes the comparison less direct.