The Jujutsu Kaisen Filler List Situation Is Actually Pretty Weird

The Jujutsu Kaisen Filler List Situation Is Actually Pretty Weird

You're sitting there, ready to binge-watch Gege Akutami’s masterpiece, but you’ve been burned before. We’ve all been there. You start a show like Naruto or Bleach, and suddenly you’re eighty episodes deep into a story about a magical ostrich or a sentient mushroom that has absolutely nothing to do with the main plot. It’s frustrating. So, naturally, you’re looking for a jujutsu kaisen filler list to make sure you aren't wasting your time on fluff.

Here is the short version: there basically isn't any.

It’s rare. In an era where long-running shonen anime used to be packed with "anime-only" arcs to let the manga get ahead, MAPPA has taken a different route with Yuji Itadori’s journey. They’ve kept it tight. They’ve kept it lean. Honestly, if you’re looking for a list of episodes to skip, your job is going to be incredibly easy because there’s almost nothing to cut.

Why the Jujutsu Kaisen Filler List is So Short

Most anime get filler because the production catches up to the source material. Back in the day, studios would release an episode every single week, year-round. When the anime ran out of manga chapters to adapt, the writers had to make stuff up. Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't do that. It’s a seasonal anime. MAPPA produces a block of episodes, finishes the season, and then goes dark for a year or two while the manga builds up a massive lead.

This is why the jujutsu kaisen filler list is virtually non-existent.

The pacing is breakneck. If you skip an episode, you’re probably skipping a major death, a massive power-up, or a piece of world-building that becomes vital three seasons later. This isn't a show where characters stand around talking about their feelings for twenty minutes while the clouds move. Well, they do talk, but it’s usually while someone is getting their soul crushed by a Domain Expansion.

The One "Filler" Episode You Might Encounter

If we are being technical—and anime fans love being technical—there is exactly one episode that people point to when discussing a jujutsu kaisen filler list.

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It’s Episode 17.5.

It’s titled "Remote Control." It aired between episodes 17 and 18 of the first season. But here’s the thing: it’s not even an episode of the show. It’s a recap. It’s a literal compilation of things you’ve already seen, narrated to get people back up to speed. In the world of streaming, these are basically invisible. Crunchyroll and Netflix don't even count it as a numbered episode in the main sequence.

So, do you skip it? Yes. Absolutely. It adds zero new information to the lore. It’s the only true "filler" in the sense that it contains no new animation or plot progression.

The "Semi-Filler" Debate: Is Juju Stroll Canon?

Now, this is where things get a little bit blurry. At the end of most episodes in Season 1, there’s a little segment called "Juju Stroll" (Jujutsu Sanpo). These are short, comedic skits.

Are they filler?

Technically, yes. They aren't in the manga chapters. Gege Akutami actually wrote the drafts for these segments, though, so they occupy this weird headspace of being "anime-original" but "author-sanctioned." They show the characters doing mundane things, like Gojo messing with Megumi or the students arguing over what kind of food they like.

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If you're using a jujutsu kaisen filler list to save time, you can skip these 90-second stingers. But you’d be missing out on some of the only levity the show offers before things get incredibly dark. They provide character depth that the breakneck pace of the main plot sometimes ignores. They make the characters feel like real teenagers rather than just combatants in a supernatural war.

Season 2 and the Zero-Filler Streak

When we moved into the Hidden Inventory arc and the Shibuya Incident arc in Season 2, the "filler" content dropped to zero. There were no Juju Strolls. There were no recaps mid-season.

MAPPA realized they had too much ground to cover.

The Shibuya Incident is one of the most dense arcs in shonen history. Every second of screen time was precious. In fact, MAPPA actually expanded on some of the manga fights, like the absolute chaos of Sukuna vs. Mahoraga. Some purists might call "expanded fights" filler, but that’s a reach. It’s more like "enhanced canon." You’re seeing the same events, just with more budget and better choreography.

How to Watch Without Missing Anything

If you are a newcomer, the "watch order" is actually more important than the jujutsu kaisen filler list. Because the show is so linear, you don't have to worry about side stories, except for the movie.

  1. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 (Episodes 1-24): Pure canon. Every bit of it.
  2. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (The Movie): This is a prequel. It’s based on a four-chapter manga called Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School. It is 100% mandatory. If you skip this, you will be very confused when characters like Yuta Okkotsu show up later.
  3. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 (Episodes 25-47): This covers the Gojo’s Past arc and the Shibuya Incident. Again, zero filler.

The only "fluff" you'll find are the few minutes of comedic interactions. Honestly, after the trauma of the later arcs, you might wish there was more filler. A beach episode sounds pretty good when everyone you like is in constant mortal peril.

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Comparing JJK to Other Big Shonen

To give you some perspective on why JJK fans are so spoiled, look at the competition. Naruto Shippuden is roughly 40% filler. Bleach had entire seasons—years of television—dedicated to characters that never appeared in the manga. One Piece doesn't do traditional filler as much anymore, but it slows the pacing down so much that a single chapter can take two episodes to adapt.

Jujutsu Kaisen is the opposite. It’s dense. It’s fast. It’s almost too fast.

The lack of a substantial jujutsu kaisen filler list is actually a testament to how the industry has changed. Studios have realized that fans would rather wait two years for a perfect, 24-episode canon season than have a mediocre, 50-episode season filled with nonsense.

Misconceptions About Anime-Original Content

Sometimes people see a scene that wasn't in the manga and scream "Filler!" That’s not quite how it works in JJK.

Take the fight between Nanami, Maki, and Naobito against Dagon. MAPPA added a lot of movement and specific interactions that weren't explicitly drawn in the manga panels. Is that filler? No. It’s an adaptation.

The term "filler" should really be reserved for content that stalls the plot. In JJK, the plot never stalls. It’s a runaway freight train. Even the slower moments, like the "Evening Festival" mini-arc involving Mechamaru, are straight from the source material.

What to Do Now

Since you don't have to spend hours pruning your watch list to avoid bad episodes, you can focus on the actual story. The best way to experience the series is to watch it straight through, including the movie between seasons.

  • Skip the recap episodes: If your streaming service shows an episode "17.5" or a "Season 2 Recap," just keep scrolling.
  • Watch Jujutsu Kaisen 0: It is the only "extra" content that is absolutely required for the plot.
  • Don't skip the openings and endings: While not part of the "list," the visuals often contain subtle foreshadowing that isn't filler—it's storytelling.
  • Keep an eye on the manga: If you finish Season 2 and can't wait for more, the manga starts around Chapter 137.

The reality is that a jujutsu kaisen filler list is the shortest document in anime history. Enjoy the ride, because once the Shibuya Incident starts, you won't want to skip a single frame anyway. The stakes are too high, and the animation is too good to ignore. Just dive in. Start at episode one and don't stop until you're caught up. You’ll thank yourself later when you aren't confused about why a certain character suddenly isn't around anymore.