User blog comment:Videogamep/Why Fillers Don't Work/@comment-972068-20140309065805

Well, I was going to make a really long and elaborate post about this. But thanks to a glitch that I'm putting the blame on this bitch for, I'm going to have to re-write the whole thing.

First of all, you can't really blame the filler episodes for causing plotholes like that. Before the Alabasta Arc, nobody knew that Zoro couldn't cut steel. Before the Thriller Bark Arc, nobody knew that the characters have never seen a dragon before. These were not plotholes when they first aired because as far as the story was at that point, there was no inconsistency caused by them. If Zoro had established that he never could cut steel beforehand, then it would be a plothole. So it's not exactly Toei's fault for not knowing what's going to happen in the future. If you are going to criticize them for that, I recommend you take out that Wood-Wood Fruit from your fanfic before Oda ends up having a treeman join the crew.

The main reason why I think people hate filler arcs is because they don't exactly accomplish anything. I don't mean going forward in the story; I mean with character development. The Davy Back Fight Arc isn't exactly a "progressive" arc, but it certainly favors in fleshing out the main characters. In my opinion, the anime actually improved on this, as they expanded the reaction and effect on Luffy by making them do an extra Davy Back Fight. Not to mention the fact that it was really fun to watch.

The most liked filler episodes seem to be the G-8 Arc and Episode 384. These episodes don't really have the crew going anywhere significant, but it creates great character development. Many of the other filler arcs do have character development, but they're usually for characters that are new and we don't really ever get a chance to care about them. Apis, Puzzle, Lina, and Lily Enstomach are examples of this. The arcs that these characters were in are completely forgettable, and I don't think that has to do with the writing or the plotholes. It's because these characters aren't fleshed out. Granted, they TRY to flesh them out, but due to the nature of it being a filler arc, they don't get a chance to do so because they have to get back into the main story sooner or later.

In my honest opinion, Episode 384 is one of the best stories in the entire franchise, manga or otherwise. Since right after Brook joined Oda went straight to the Sabaody Archipelago Arc, there was an entire saga where Brook didn't develop with the crew! Sure, he was a very fun, very lovable character beforehand, but before the timeskip, we only knew "Brook the Rumbar Pirate"; not "Brook the Straw Hat Pirate". The anime gave him a chance to flesh out a little more with the crew, since he really wasn't able to with the manga. Not only that, but the anime developed him AGAIN with alternate, yet faithful versions of the characters.

I don't really find any of these filler arcs to be as bad as so many people make them out to be. I just think that the main reason people hate them isn't because of the inconsistency, or the writing, or even the fact that it's filler; but because they don't build the characters as much as they should. In all reality, that's the most important part about any story. If you don't care about character development, your favorite movie might be The Amazing Spider-Man.