Naruto’s Worst Filler Exposes How Studio Pierrot Can Undercut Its Own Legacy
Studio Pierrot goes full sci-fi fever dream with Naruto Shippuden Episode 377, as Naruto vs Mecha-Naruto explodes into gleeful, off-the-rails chaos that makes you wonder what you’re watching—and why you can’t look away.
If you ever wanted proof that Studio Pierrot can take a grounded shonen and blast it into bonkers sci-fi, look straight at Naruto Shippuden Episode 377. The one literally titled 'Naruto vs Mecha-Naruto.' It is chaos on a conveyor belt, the kind of episode where you sit there asking, 'What are we even watching, and why?'
The Mecha-Naruto detour that swerves off the map
From the jump, it is obvious this thing is not interested in Naruto, Team Kakashi, or any current plot threads. It is a side trip, honestly a whole mini-arc, where Pierrot floors it and never checks the GPS. The episode is a highlight reel of everyone getting humbled by a metal tantrum machine wearing Naruto's face.
Roll call of who gets wrecked: Shikamaru gets pounded into the dirt. Choji gets treated like a bowling ball. Kiba and Akamaru fuse into their big two-headed wolf form... and still get folded like laundry. Even Naruto, Kakashi, and Neji get swatted aside by a glorified angry trash can.
Then the guest list spirals. Gaara drops in. Deidara pops up from nowhere. Orochimaru devours people with giant snakes. Jiraiya appears like he forgot he is canonically dead. Gamabunta winds up freeing everyone from snake-stomach jail. It honestly plays like one of those old Naruto movies where continuity takes a coffee break.
'Itachi reprograms a robot Naruto. In filler. With feelings.'
Yes, the big twist is that Itachi of all people reprograms Mecha-Naruto via emotional bonding. Not a Sasuke rivalry beat. Not a Team Kakashi moment. Itachi, in a filler storyline, turning a robot around with heart-to-heart firmware.
And then it escalates again: Mecha-Kurama. A full-on robotic Nine-Tails stomping through the Hidden Leaf like Transformers: Konoha Edition. At that point it stops feeling like filler and starts feeling like the studio loudly announcing they are in their 'try anything' era.
To be fair, Naruto filler can be great
The franchise does have legitimately strong detours. Kakashi's ANBU arc? Great. There are also warm little side stories that flesh out Team Kakashi, add world-building, and give underused women in the series a bit of spotlight. When the show nails filler, it really nails it.
And then there are the other ones...
- Episode 192 - 'Ino Screams! Chubby Paradise!': Somehow makes Ino look worse while Naruto cross-dresses his way into more chaos.
- Shippuden Episode 281 - 'The Allied Mom Force!!': Konoha's moms prep for an 'attack' that turns out to be literal sumo wrestlers.
- Shippuden Episode 313 - 'Rain Followed by Snow, With Some Lightning': The return of Yota tries to be touching but lands smack in the middle of the Fourth Great Ninja War like a tonal speed bump.
- Shippuden Episode 229 - 'Eat or Die! Mushrooms From Hell': Naruto and Guy get wrecked by poisonous mushrooms like they wandered into a cursed Mario level.
- Episode 185 - 'Animal District': The ninja ostrich episode. Condor talks, leads a team of ninja animals, and it all happens right after Pain's attack. Timing is a choice.
- Shippuden Episode 257 - 'Meeting': A recap installment that drags the pacing into the mud.
- Episode 208 - 'The Weight of the Prized Artifact!': Feels engineered to test your patience more than anything else.
Why Mecha-Naruto still wins the crown
Even with all those detours, nothing matches the sheer, unapologetic wildness of 'Naruto vs Mecha-Naruto.' Some fans remember it fondly because it is ridiculous and kind of fun. Mostly, it is remembered because Pierrot goes full throttle on loud, aggressive, no-rules energy and never looks back.
Which Naruto filler do you consider the absolute bottom of the barrel? Drop your pick in the comments and make your case.
If you want to revisit the madness, 'Naruto' and 'Naruto Shippuden' are streaming on Crunchyroll.