Last updated November 11, 2026. Covers all 366 episodes of the original 2004 to 2012 series. Thousand-Year Blood War is covered separately below.
Bleach has the worst filler reputation of the big three, and the numbers back it up: almost half of the original run is anime-only. Four long filler arcs make up most of it, including the 45-episode Bount arc that starts right after the Soul Society arc ends. The canon story is strong, though. Skip the blocks below and the series moves at a much better pace.
Bleach filler at a glance
| Type | Episodes | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Filler | 163 (45%) | Skip |
| Manga canon | 162 | Watch |
| Mixed canon and filler | 41 | Watch |
Skip the filler and you're down from 366 episodes to 203. Original series finished in 2012; the Thousand-Year Blood War sequel finished its fourth and final part in October 2026.
Every Bleach filler episode
Here's every filler episode in one line, ready to copy into a watch list:
33, 50, 64-108, 128-137, 147-149, 168-189, 204-205, 213-214, 228-266, 287, 298-299, 303-305, 311-341, 355
Bleach filler arcs and runs
| Episodes | Length | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 64 to 108 | 45 | The Bount arc (Wikipedia seasons 4 and 5) |
| 128 to 137 | 10 | Anime-only side story |
| 147 to 149 | 3 | Anime-only side story |
| 168 to 189 | 22 | The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc (Wikipedia season 9) |
| 204 to 205 | 2 | Anime-only side story |
| 213 to 214 | 2 | Anime-only side story |
| 228 to 266 | 39 | Mostly the Zanpakutō: The Alternate Tale arc (Wikipedia season 13) |
| 298 to 299 | 2 | Anime-only side story |
| 303 to 305 | 3 | Anime-only side story |
| 311 to 341 | 31 | Mostly the Gotei 13 Invading Army arc (Wikipedia season 15) |
How to watch Bleach without filler
Skip the four big arcs and the short runs, and watch the mixed episodes. Then go straight on to Thousand-Year Blood War, which has no filler.
Mixed canon and filler episodes: 8, 27, 32, 46, 109, 111, 116, 119-120, 124, 141, 143, 146, 156, 160-161, 190, 193, 206-207, 209, 222-223, 267-268, 274, 276, 284-285, 288, 290-291, 295-296, 310, 342-343, 345, 347, 351, 357.
Does Thousand-Year Blood War have filler?
No. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War ran 50 episodes in four parts from 2022 to 2026 with no filler at all. Episodes 45, 47 and 49 are anime-original, and they expand on the manga's ending rather than padding it. Watch every episode.
How we classify episodes
Filler is anime-only material that doesn't affect the main story. Mixed episodes adapt the manga but add some original scenes. Anime canon episodes are anime-original but count as part of the story. Our classifications follow the community-maintained lists at AnimeFillerList, and we check episode totals against each series' official episode guides.