Non-Canon

What is filler?
Filler is material that is combined with material of greater relevance or quality to "fill out" a certain volume.

In long running anime that are based on manga, filler takes the form of:
 * A Special episode made for TV
 * An extra storyline made for the show

How do fillers work in One Piece?
The anime sometimes catches up to the manga because a single episode usually covers more than one manga chapter. Because the One Piece manga comes out weekly, the anime cannot get ahead of the manga at any one point. This is the cause for filler episodes.

In One Piece, fillers take form of:


 * History on the characters that were never featured in the manga.
 * Scenes taking longer than they did in the manga.
 * Extra storylines that were not part of the original.

In One Piece, unlike many other series, some of the characters are designed by Oda himself. Some of the stories, such as the Loguetown arc fillers, were ones Oda himself wanted to include in the manga, but didn't in order to move the storyline along faster.

Did Oda have any part?
Despite the fact that some characters only appear in the anime, Oda has designed many of them for Toei (anime) and Bandai (video games).


 * Oda provided character designs for the first OVA characters. Sketches of these can be found in one of the early volumes.
 * A novelization of the Loguetown Arc written in 2000 had the story of Usopp's encounter with Daddy Masterson and his daughter Carol, explaining where he got his goggles. Oda stated that he did want to include this story in the manga but could not due to the pressure to start the Grand Line story around chapter 100.
 * The character Musshuru was created by Oda for the 9th One Piece movie as Wapol's brother. Due to many of the other changes in the story, including the inclusion of Robin and Franky to the story of the discovery and joining of Tony Tony Chopper, it cannot be considered canon in the continuity.

Is Filler treated the same as Canon?
Filler information is not always correct so it is treated somewhat differently.


 * Chopper ate many Rumble Balls during the filler Davy Back Fights, but in the manga it was stated he could not eat two in quick succession without causing problems.
 * Zoro stated he could cut anything during the Warship Island Arc and proceeded to cut chains which were apparently steel although he had not yet acquired the technique until the Arabasta Arc, where he stated that he cannot cut steel. During his fight with Daz Bones, Zoro went back remembering what he was taught about cutting steel, after that he applied it for the first time.
 * In the anime, Coby and Helmeppo went through the Reverse Mountain, but in the manga, they went through the Calm Belt to reach the Grand Line. However, in episode 315 of the anime Coby and Helmeppo explain to Luffy that they actually did go through the Calm Belt with new technology created by a marine scientist named Dr. Vegapunk.

If filler information is to be included on a page, it needs to be treated appropriately. Filler information may be treated as speculation if not handled correctly, so it is advised that you take time thinking about how to approach it before including it on a page. An "Anime and Manga Differences" section can be included on a page to cover extra filler information, while episode pages can detail more fully what hasbeen altered.

Overall, unless the manga mentions or shows something that appeared in a filler episode, adding filler information should be avoided at all costs. Filler information should never be used on personality, history or relationship sections of a character's page.

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