Naruto might be one of the most legendary shonen anime of all time, but it's also a series notorious for its copious amount of filler. The sheer amount of non-canon content in Naruto is pretty immense and shows just how many times the anime had to halt its run so that Kishimoto could form a decent gap when it came to the manga.
Of course, there are times when the filler in Naruto can be slightly entertaining, at times. However, for the most part, Naruto's filler can be incredibly irritating to go through, especially when it introduces new elements that don't fit into the canon content at all. The following filler inconsistencies irk fans to no end, especially since the golden rule of filler is to never mess with canon material.
8 Naruto Throwing His Rasengan Like A Grenade
One of the most hated moments in the Naruto filler comes when the titular character throws a Rasengan to try and escape a haunted house. It's one of the stupidest moments in the show that commits a huge sin by letting Naruto turn the Rasengan into a ranged jutsu when it simply cannot work like that!
It's only after Naruto learns to throw the Rasenshuriken after acquiring Sage Mode that he manages to achieve this feat in the canon storyline. Even then, he has never thrown the base form of the Rasengan ever, which makes this part of the filler one of the most hated moments in the Naruto anime for many fans.
7 The Very Existence Of Sora As A Pseudo-Jinchuuriki
Sora is one of the many anime-only characters that is introduced during Naruto's numerous filler arcs. A monk-in-training at the Fire Temple, he ends up being revealed as a pseudo-Jinchuuriki who has a bit of Kurama's chakra sealed within him.
Suffice to say, this plot point makes no sense. If Sora actually had a substantial amount of the Nine-Tails' chakra, then he should've been captured by the Akatsuki so that this chakra could be transferred over to the Gedo Mazou. As things stand, Sora just makes an appearance in a filler arc before seemingly vanishing from existence.
6 Itachi Having A Partner Before Kisame
It has been clarified time and time again in Naruto that Itachi always started out with Kisame as his partner, before his death at the hands of his little brother. However, the anime decided to add a filler that fleshed out Itachi's time with Akatsuki...albeit with the addition of a character who adds a huge plot hole in the series.
Itachi is initially paired off with a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Juzo Biwa. They have a decent partnership before this character meets his end after trying to deflect a Tailed Beast Bomb. Speaking of which...
5 Yagura Fighting Against Itachi And Juzo Despite Being Under Obito's Control At The Time
Another thing that was established in Naruto was that Obito was controlling the actions of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, for years. This was the biggest reason why so many people consider Yagura to be evil when the truth is that his actions were completely out of his control.
So, it makes absolutely no sense that Yagura would fight both Itachi and Juzo seriously despite being under the control of Obito all this time. The fact that Juzo died in this encounter showed that Yagura wasn't messing about here, which means that either Obito was cold-hearted to the point of self-sabotage...or the anime just goofed up.
4 Mecha Naruto Being A Thing
It was only a matter of time before Mecha Naruto would be a part of this list. The filler episodes featuring this monstrosity are considered by many to be some of Naruto's worst episodes.
There are moments of hilarity in the Mecha Naruto arc, but the whole thing is nothing short of a waste of time. The fact that this filler appears in the middle of the Fourth Shinobi World War arc makes this filler even more nonsensical!
3 Obito Never Killed Izumi
In the canon timeline, Itachi was the one who took killed his love, Izumi Uchiha. However, before he took her life, Itachi used Tsukuyomi on her so that she would live out the rest of her years happily in her mind before being killed by her lover in the real world.
This is where the fillers make a massive mistake since they actually show that Obito was the one to kill Izumi in cold blood. Obviously enough, this little tidbit was forgotten and retconned pretty quickly, with the true nature of her demise being covered later on in the anime.
2 It's Impossible For Fugaku To Have The Mangekyo Sharingan
The Mangekyo Sharingan is one of the rarest forms of the Sharingan in the series. While a lot of characters get this special Sharingan in the series, it's still a sacred technique that shouldn't be messed around with.
So, it's rather odd to see that Sasuke and Itachi's father actually had a Mangekyo Sharingan of his own that he kept hidden from the clan. It's a braindead moment in Naruto's filler that is forgotten almost as soon as it's introduced!
1 Naruto Messing About With Meaningless Missions After The Sasuke Retrieval Arc
In the manga, Naruto is so determined to find Sasuke that he decides to leave the village and train with Jiraiya during this time. This makes sense, given that Sasuke has left to get stronger and Naruto needed to do everything in his power to keep up with his closest friend and rival.
Meanwhile, in the anime, Naruto messes about with a bunch of meaningless missions in the anime for what feels like ages. If he really took so much time to make up his mind and go train, then it's easy to see why he was nowhere near Sasuke's level when Naruto Shippuden started off.