• The forums' spoiler embargo for all content from Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC has been lifted! Feel free to talk about the new content from the expansion across the forums without the need of spoiler tabs!

    Please note that this lifted embargo only applies for the forums, and may still be in effect on other Bulbagarden sites.

Filler Episodes - Are they important?

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

The Puppetmaster

I'm Alive
Joined
Aug 1, 2010
Messages
2,075
Reaction score
1
A major topic of discussion around here seems to be that of fillers. What are your opinions on these types of episodes? Are they necessary, or are they just a waste of space? Do they offer anything of importance to the show? Discuss.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Re: Filler Episodes

I'm not a fan of them, but if they're as fun and entertaining as the Litwick episode, I'll love them.

But quite a few fillers feel like a chore to watch. I know they have to debut Pokemon, but even a little bit of plot would be nice and make it fit seemlessly into the story.
 
Many of them are wastes of space, with not only nothing really plot important happening, but with many of them following a set formula. There's a reason Johto is hated in the fandom. That's also part of the reason why I stopped watching the Anime.
 
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.
 
Re: Filler Episodes

Karamazov said:
But quite a few fillers feel like a chore to watch.
Click to expand...

But to be perfectly fair, a lot of the "important" episodes have that same problem.
 
Re: Filler Episodes

Dogasu said:
But to be perfectly fair, a lot of the "important" episodes have that same problem.
Click to expand...
*coughcoughBW030cough*

I don't see why they can't use fillers to develop (or at least show off) the characters a little more. The Archen filler gave us Tranquill, Emolga, and Roggenrola, for example.
 
I think fillers are important, not as important as episodes that drive the story but important to still be there every now and then. Without fillers there's no break from the main storyline and while storyline episodes are important I do like a break once in a while. Especially with Pokemon which is based around capture Pokemon, train and battle gym over and over and over.

A good deal of episodes that are my favourites are fillers.
While plot driven episodes are important and I do have favourites in there aswell I still think it's only part of the reason I watch the show. The amount of episodes that are my favourites that are fillers (or what i like to call fun episodes) are another reason I watch Pokemon.

Yes there are boring fillers but in my opinion there's also boring plot driven episodes aswell.

To me I don't usually split filler from plot driven however. I had to look up episodes and work out which was filler and which was not while posting this particular post to work out where my favourite episodes land just so I have my opinion on this particular topic. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered since to me an episode is an episode. If it's boring it's boring and if it's fun, it's fun.

Both are important in my opinion. It's up to the writer to write the episodes to make them fun and interesting. Bad writing can happen in both types of episodes (filler and plot driven).
 
well in the games there is time you have to train which is no fun. so i think fillers are ok in the anime
 
Eitaroo said:
I don't mind a filler as long as it's entertaining....so yeah, they can be important..as long as they don't suck..
Click to expand...

this.

some of the BEST EPISODES EVER are fillers, some of the WORST EPISODES EVER advance the plot.

entertainment value is all i need, really. in between episodes that advance the plot, of course.

fillers that show off other Pokemon = also awesome

like i'm sure no one will disagree with me when I saw that BW029 is one of the best episodes in BW even though it's "filler" in that no pokemon are capture, released, trained, etc. and the plot isn't advanced.
 
I rather have some fillers. There be people complaining if there is no fillers. Some of the fillers are comedy relief, while others are there, just to be there. I get tired if there are 6 or 7 capture episodes in a row.
 
My absolute favorite episode ever of the show is the Ponyta episode from kanto, where really nothing important at all happens, just because when i was a kid I found the race to be really exciting. On the other hand the Aqua/Magma climax was terribly poorly written and wasn't really worth being the climax by any means.


I don't think anyone sees it as just black and white, and that every plot episode is great and every filler is crap. It's a matter of the writing of the episode. Throwing a bit of plot into every episode, if done correctly, wouldn't ruin them, but having them slightly interconnected would alleviate their filler status. The show would be better off with better writing, but not necessarily with fewer fillers.
 
Last edited:
I am somewhat neutral on fillers. While it would be really nice that they could plot out a much larger continuous storyline, I am okay with fillers as long as they have at least some thought put into them.
 
In moderation, they have their uses. Too many of them, and the overall plot gets slowed down.
 
I can't see any difference between a "filler" to a "plot" episode... they both can be good or bad... what's important to me if a certain ep entertained me or not, and not if it was "important" or not
 
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
Click to expand...

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.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom