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What constitutes a filler?

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One of the age old questions of the Pokemon fandom is what someone believes to be filler and non-filler. So what do you personally think is a filler episode and what isn't a filler?

For me, anything that doesn't happen importantly plot-wise like a gym battle or a solid character development episode can be considered a filler. Usually these types of episodes have a COTD formula and a problem that is presented and solvable within the episode.

As a general reminder, this thread is merely to discuss what you feel is a filler and what isn't a filler.

Whether or not you think filler is important to the flow of the series should go in this thread, and the individual series' that you feel has the most entertaining filler should go in this thread.
 
Just anything that is not related to Gyms, the evil teams, tournaments as well as the beginning and the ending of the series. Special arcs like the recent Nyasu arc also don't really count as fillers, IMO.
 
Not just an entire episode but a number of scenes that can be called fillers. Hell, this whole series may as well be called "Fillermon" since it hasn't got a substantial storyline.
 
Any episode that doesn't amount to advancement of the plot or character development (gym matches, Pokemon bonding/training, etc.), has no captures, doesn't introduce any new recurring characters or strategies, or is never referenced again in any way.
 
I'd pretty much agree with everything said above, but that definition crumbles upon encountering some eps of BW where most of the ep is filler save for the fact it features a capture or other important aspects for a brief amount of time. Technically, it can't be called filler, since something happened, but everything else is of no consequence.
 
What constitutes a filler? An episode in which nothing or one has got no development or redemtion what so ever. Atleast that's my definition. However, there are fillers that have action, comedy and some sort of improvement of one's skill like a battle. But a filler is something that has gone off of the point of the actual plot is. For example, :Brock wants to enter a Pokemon diet cup. It's where you make the best food and if the pokemon likes it you advance. After that you battle. Then once you win three medialons or whatever the hell, then you get to competition at the national tornament.: Anything in between that that has nothing to do in helping him or the group in anyway should count as a filler. This should go for Bleach fillers too.
 
I'll say what were all thinking. What constitutes a filler? The majority of the Johto Saga.

Episodes that fail to advance the plot or add anything to the characters. As has been mentioned, a lot of the time it'll be a Character of the day type deal.
 
What is a filler? A miserable pile of what you do not like! But enough talk! Let's watch the show.
 
Fillers(fan made term)are episodes which dont advance plot i any way or help move forward current storyline. In other words they dont include:-character development
-gyms,contests or other side quests which push forward someone story
-pokemon captures,evolutions or learn of new attacks
-inclusion of game protagonists
-return of recurring members like rivals, regional villains or past main characters
Etc,etc.

Of course everyone have their own definition of filler, being hard to establish general consensus about this but i think majority of things mentioned above episodes have to contain to be classified as plot related.

Blue1225 said:
I'll say what were all thinking. What constitutes a filler? The majority of the Johto Saga.
Click to expand...

Not really, out of 158 Johto episodes around 65 were fillers not having anything relevant. Other episodes either contained character development, pokemon captures and evolutions, return of older or recurring characters(like Aya, Duplica, Todd or prof. Oak), plots about TR organization etc.
 
pokemon fan 132 said:
Fillers(fan made term)are episodes which dont advance plot i any way or help move forward current storyline. In other words they dont include:-character development
-gyms,contests or other side quests which push forward someone story
-pokemon captures,evolutions or learn of new attacks
-inclusion of game protagonists
-return of recurring members like rivals, regional villains or past main characters
Etc,etc.

Of course everyone have their own definition of filler, being hard to establish general consensus about this but i think majority of things mentioned above episodes have to contain to be classified as plot related.

Blue1225 said:
I'll say what were all thinking. What constitutes a filler? The majority of the Johto Saga.
Click to expand...

Not really, out of 158 Johto episodes around 65 were fillers not having anything relevant. Other episodes either contained character development, pokemon captures and evolutions, return of older or recurring characters(like Aya, Duplica, Todd or prof. Oak), plots about TR organization etc.
Click to expand...

A GOOD Portion of the Johto arc then. Nothing more to say.
 
Episodes that don't matter to the over arking story. Character develop and flaw reveals don't count and yes I also don't count multiparters. But there are a lot of core episodes that have are mostly filler like the Paras episode since it reveals Charmeleon's disobeince. One has to use one's own judgement on these borderliners. But I think I got it. An episode that was created for the sake of having another episode rather than the plot. Hence fitting the name filler.
 
Well filler scenes are obvious in main storyline episodes - for example, the random plots of Team Rocket during gym battles that take away from the action. Other than that, it's a lot a harder to pinpoint what's filler.
 
To me, a filler episode is where nothing significant happens to the story or the characters. It couldn't include things like Pokemon captures, evolutions, Pokemon learning new moves, important battles such as against main rivals, tournaments, Gyms, Contests, Leagues and Grand Festival, character development for the trainers or their Pokemon and information that advances a storyline and/or subplot. Basically, it's an episode that a person can skip and wouldn't be confused about future events of that series/saga later on.
 
This is a gold standard for making a filler..

COTD - check
POTD(s) - check
irrelevant plot eppy - check
little to no on screen training - check
No gym battles - check
No captures/releases - check
 
I am so glad someone asked this, there has been so many times I have wanted to correct people when they say an episode is a filler...

For example, I was watching BW089 recently, and someone in the comment box commented in reply to someones comment "yeah, its because its a filler". I dont know who or what he was replying to, but I wanted to tell him it was not a filler.

Why? Because I class a filler as an episode created for no significant event to happen and to show what the main characters do in between earning badges. A good filler normally includes a character of the day in it. So that is why I thought BW089 was not a filler- Iris caught a dragonite.

Reading Hidden mew's post I agree with all of what he said but personally, I dont think that a pokemon revealing that is has a new move that significant, but of course thats just me :)
 
I categorize fillers this way:

Fillers are episodes where there are no official battles (M10 Alamos Contest being the only exception) and no permament changes to the cast or their Pokemon (NOT the moves, aka BW087 was a filler!).
I sometimes consider story arcs themselves being fillers towards the rest of the series, Pokemon Summer Academy/Whirl Cup (the tournament only, NOT Misty's Corsola) being the most prominent of them. These kinds of things can be skipped without any plot inconsistencies.
There are also episodes where nothing important happens, yet they showcase a game location (most of the Season 6 Aqua/Magma episodes). I call those "semi-fillers", cuz they can be skipped without any inconsistency.

It's true that filler is difficult to define. It's up to any personal opinion to consider an episode filler or not.
 
BlueWartortle said:
I sometimes consider story arcs themselves being fillers towards the rest of the series, Pokemon Summer Academy/Whirl Cup (the tournament only, NOT Misty's Corsola) being the most prominent of them. These kinds of things can be skipped without any plot inconsistencies.
Click to expand...

If you ask me Whirl Cup wasn't filler because it dealt with Misty water master goal. Foreshadowing happened in "Around the Whirlpool"when they met prof. Elm again explaining about format and how to qualify for it giving to Ash and co insight in competition history and connection between Alpha Omega title winner achieves and water heroes(convoluted form of water pokmon masters) in past.

Although i can see from where your coming due to such plots not being connected with rest of things happening in show. However by my definition of what can be considered plot or non plot related episodes i consider episodes which are diving into someone past, provide character development for them, pokemon or deal with their careers having connection with them to be non fillers. Regardless of how inconsistent such things end up treated since they're still part of someone story.
 
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