Thread: Filler Episodes - Are they important?

The only downside towards a filler is that they have no place in the plot whatsoever. To me its only if the episode is entertaining and well-written, other than that I really don't mind any episode.

I don't think anyone sees it as just black and white

lol puns :p

But anywhom, I think Pokemon would be a lot shorter and way more boring without the fillers. I mean imagine...Ash captures pokemon. Gym Leader. Ash captures 2nd pokemon. Gym Leader. Ash captures 3rd Pokemon. Gym Leader. Ash captures 4th Pokemon. Gym Leader. Ash captures 5th Pokemon. Gym Leader. Gym Leader. Gym Leader. Gym Leader. Pokemon League Tournament Thing. Oh no Ash lost. Move to new region. Repeat.

It'd be like watching someone play the video game...but with even less to see

Oxy has the best point. The fillers are what make the games into a TV show, otherwise we'd have a rather intense cycle emotionally and viewers would be burned out.

I do have to agree, however, that some fillers, if they hold an important character development plot (As in Trials and Adulations of Galactic Battles) or have a comedic feeling or have something exciting, then they are okay. But I have walked into plenty of episodes when I wake up only to groan to find yet another filler about who cares. Hold the Phione was one such episode.

Point being: Not all fillers are bad. Fillers as a whole are good and necessary for the story to run smoothly. BUT, too many fillers or of too dull a subject and then they become a chore and worthless.

P.S. I've never found a main episode dull or a chore like some have pointed out. And no, I'm not some young little kid who doesn't know what STAB is or what the idea of move priority is.

Fillers are type pf episodes which doesnt add anything to anime plot or advance it but thy serve their purposes of filling space between gyms and other side quests like contests making sure there is enough time left before new games come out.

Personally i like fillers or to be more precise no-plot related episodes as long they are entertaining and well written.Its good to have certain number of casual episodes which dont influence plot in any way giving us some good comedy and interesting storyline.
For example i really liked episodes about evil Togepi in Sinnoh,"Ancient Puzzle of Pokemopolis","Sick Daze","Unbearable"etc which didnt advanced plot but they gave us great humor and some enjoyable story behind it.

They may not be important but they can often be better than plot related episodes with some of best pokemon episodes in history being fillers.Having pokemon without them would make show rather boring and short if you ask me with no anime touch being added to it.

I agree with the stance that so-called fillers and plot-driven episodes are on equal ground, and it's whether or not they're entertaining that really matters in the long run.
Off the top of my head, I can recall several plot-centric ones that I'd never dream of wasting my time with again. Buoysel and Aipom trade? Screw that waste of 22 minutes. Pass the Shuckle juice.


Looking at it another way? I suppose it could be said that fillers allow these guys a lot more creative freedom. That's not to say they can't, or don't, have any during those which tie into an ongoing story, because that's far from the truth. But with filler episodes, they can literally do whatever the hell they want. They don't have to worry about tying things into the bigger picture and having everything add up; they can just cut loose and have a bit of fun with this stuff.

Originally Posted by Grave-E

Looking at it another way? I suppose it could be said that fillers allow these guys a lot more creative freedom. That's not to say they can't, or don't, have any during those which tie into an ongoing story, because that's far from the truth. But with filler episodes, they can literally do whatever the hell they want. They don't have to worry about tying things into the bigger picture and having everything add up; they can just cut loose and have a bit of fun with this stuff.

QFT. This is exactly what I feel. Fillers actually are to me an episode where the story is not obvious and is totally new and fresh (unlike Johto though). It keeps the viewer wondering what the conclusion of the episode's story would be whereas in plot-driven its quite obvious.

Personally, I don't know if I'd still be watching the show if every episode only advanced the plot.

I love how fillers create a lot of different situations that may not be possible otherwise; plus, it's fun to watch how members of the cast react to different things. Entertainment is the most important factor to me, and fillers definitely bring that into the show. I don't know why some fans are so quick to label an episode as filler before they judge what happened in the episode itself - whether they liked the episode or not. You can only go so far with wild catches and gym battles.

Fillers just need to be done right - give exposure to those who need it, make interesting interactions, and so on. But that's probably the formula for any good episode. There are annoying fillers out there that could've been better, I agree. But fillers as a whole are, imo, not a bad thing.

I've seen plenty of episodes that advanced the plot that bored me to tears. It all comes down to good writing.

Filler in other anime happens because it overtakes the manga, or to allow time for it to get a few chapters because it’s catching/caught up. Pokémon is not much different. Instead of a manga that updates every week or so, it updates every year or two with new games, and new ‘Mons every 3-4 years.

That said, since the series is merchandise driven, they have to exploit every. Single. ‘Mon. And if the formula for avoiding plot was, say, for Ash to catch one every time, some of us would be calling him a Marty Stu.

Meanwhile, what happens when there’s no plot left to write? We get Orange Islands. Battle Frontier wasn’t as bad as it was, yet again, part of advertising (for Emerald) and more happened in it. Keeping a steady pace is important.

To be honest, I think the filler might be what turned me off the anime in the first place. It's frustrating to have to sit through weeks upon weeks of forgettable CotDs just to see something remotely relevant to the plot happen. Of course, I haven't seen DP (which, according to some, actually has some good filler), so my sentiments may not be entirely informed, but it definitely was something I disliked about the series I did see.

It doesn't really matter to me. As long as the episode is entertaining and well-written, I enjoy it.

Originally Posted by pharaohyami5000

If they create importance and/or development to at least 1 of the characters traveling, yes. Otherwise it's trash, not given a mention to the further episodes either.

While I agree with you, I am still uneasy for some episodes that do this.

For example, there could be an entire episode that would be considered filler, but all of a sudden at the last five minutes one of the main character's Pokémon evolves, therefore making that episode "no longer filler". The episode itself could overall be considered trashy, but one Pokémon that evolves throws the entire fact out the window.

While I am uneasy on this, I probably do not mind it as much as others do. After all, it happens only rarely, not enough for me to warrant disgust.

Some fillers are entertaining to watch though and are really well-scripted. While rare and unimportant to the main plot-line, I am still glad that filler episodes like those exist.

whether the fillers suck or not, i'll stil lwatch pokemon in order, not skipping anything, although the pikachu specials I might get bored of.

Like it's been said, it depends on the filler. Not all non-fillers have the same fell as each other, and not all fillers have the same feel as each other.

Fillers don't have to be mindless and boring, and non-fillers don't have to be "plot=serious business"-like. I'm in favor of an arc without that many fillers, but at the same time, I like episodes like the one where Torchic evolved. It was funny and exciting. The episode where Charmeleon evolved was entertaining as well. Even if it didn't evolve, that episode still would've been entertaining to me.

In any case, Pokemon does need to have many episodes between generations. And I'm not gonna favor a boring episode that happens to have an evolution at the end of it over a filler that's of gold comedy and whatnot.

They are made to expand the time so that they finish the league at the same time the next gen is almost ready. But they could do stuff with that time like have 10 rivals at once (no I will never stop this idea) or new villains or SOMETHING

They're fillers; they're not important by nature.

They only serve as introductory episodes for new Pokémon.