Soul Eater Filler Guide

In this guide you will discover how much filler is in the popular anime series Soul Eater. Soul Eater is an anime series and manga created by Atsushi Ōkubo. It aired on TV Tokyo from July 7, 2008, to March 30, 2009, for 51 episodes. Soul Eater is centered around three teams: the Shibusen Fight Club, the DWMA’s two Death Scythes, Shinigami, and Maka Albarn and her partners.

Soul Eater Plot

Maka Albarn works as part of a team with her partner Soul Eater to collect and destroy the souls of 99 evil humans and one witch, who are turned into “Black Blood”, a liquid substance that can be used as a powerful weapon against evil. Maka and Soul are students at the Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA) in Death City located in California.  The story follows these two partners as they collect witches’ souls with their fellow meister/weapon pairs. As they progress through their missions, they learn more about themselves and their objective in the world of witches.  Meanwhile, Shinigami (Death himself) sends his son Death the Kid to watch over them and keep them from going rogue as well as secretly help them overcome certain obstacles in their lives so that they may one day achieve their goal of becoming stronger than him.

How Much Filler is in Soul Eater?

The Soul Eater anime consists of filler episodes, which are considered non-canon to both the original manga and anime, and were produced solely to provide material for the English adaptation. The episodes are all adapted and translated by FUNimation and were produced by Bones Studio. During the show, there are a total of 17 filler episodes so about 33% filler. These episodes have been omitted from the list below as they do not contain any significant plot point that is relevant to the series as a whole.

Quick Filler & Canon Lists

Complete Filler List

Episodes 1-10

Episodes 11-20

Episodes 21-30

Episodes 31-40

Episodes 41-51

List of filler episodes for Soul Eater in chronological order – Learn if it is worth watching

Episode 7: Black-blooded Terror – There’s a Weapon inside Crona?

Maka and Soul are excited about their trip to Italy to see Crona, but when they get there, they find that someone else has beaten them to the punch. A Meister and Weapon team named Ragnarok has also come for Crona’s soul essence. This episode is not directly connected to the main plot of the series in any way. It introduces a new character – Ragnarok – and shows us that Maka and Soul have a rival team, but it doesn’t affect the overall story.

Episode 17: Legend of the Holy Sword 2 – Wanna Go Drinking, Gambling, and Playing?

Ox Ford is looking for the legendary sword Excalibur, but when he finds it, it’s not what he expected. Excalibur tells him to listen to its story and 1000 rules. This episode is wasted space between the end of the Chrona Arc and the beginning of the Millenium Swordsman Arc. The filler wasn’t really bad, but it was a waste of time. It was just a stupid story about Excalibur, but it had some funny parts. Like when Excalibur said he could never forgive Arthur for stealing his sword.

Episode 39: Crona’s Escape – Show Me Your Smile, Please?

While Crona is haunted by treachery against Death the Kid, Medusa brings Asura to Arachnophobia. Death the Kid questions what Joe Buttataki is doing in the Secret Vault. Crona attempts to escape Death City. Meanwhile, Medusa Gorgon comes to Death with a deal. This episode is mostly just a way to get Crona out of the way before the final battle. It’s also a way to show that Medusa is willing to make a deal with Death, even if it means sacrificing her other children for Asura. That’s pretty much it for actual plot development in this episode. The rest is exposition and showing that Crona was still haunted by the fact that they betrayed Kid and tried to kill him.

Episode 40: The Cards Are Cut – Medusa Surrenders to the DWMA?

Medusa Gorgon offers to betray both Asura and BREW if Death will spare her life. This is a filler episode because it happens outside the canon of the anime series and has no real bearing on the plot. Though Medusa’s offer to betray Asura does influence future events, this isn’t revealed until much later in the series. The only reason this episode exists is that it allows Medusa to be more developed as a character, and explain how she feels about the two organizations she created. It also gives us some insight into her relationship with Stein and how much he means to her, as well as giving us a chance to see some of her powers that we wouldn’t normally see in an action-based anime series.

Episode 41: Twirl ‘Round and ‘Round – A New World in Which the Doc Dances?

Franken Stein has escaped Death City. He’s heading to Medusa Gorgon, who will without a doubt turn him into a Kishin if he’s not careful. To prevent this from happening, Maka Albarn, Marie Mjolnir, and Crona each decide to head off and find Stein themselves before he gets too far from Death City.  While Maka heads home to get something (she doesn’t say what) from her mother, the rest of the DWMA are planning on how they plan on defeating Asura with their new weapon Joe Buttataki has invented. Death the Kid also warns his classmates that it’ll be dangerous to face Asura while he’s still in his “awakened state”. This episode is a filler episode because it’s a recap of events from the series thus far, with some minor changes. For instance, we see Franken Stein escaping Death City before he dies and we also see Crona going to find Stein before Maka does.

Episode 42: Charge Baba Yaga’s Castle! Things Are Kind of Gloomy?

In this episode, the DWMA prepares to battle Asura, but Maka is conflicted about it. She wants to help her friends but she also doesn’t want anyone to die. Death the Kid decides to go on a journey and get one last magic tool, so he leaves the battlefield. Meanwhile, Maka goes to help her friends who are fighting in the Amazon. This episode is a filler episode because it doesn’t add anything to the plot. Essentially, Maka is having doubts about the battle. It also shows a more human side of her and the person she is in battle.

Episode 43: The Last Magic Tool – Mission Impossible for Unarmed Kid?

Maka and Soul continue their search for Medusa’s lair, but when they reach the final tower, they are faced with a bunch of creepy monsters. But nothing will stop Death the Kid from finding out who his real father is. It doesn’t serve to advance the story at all. It’s a side-story that focuses on the Kid, which is nice, but it doesn’t progress the main story at all.

Episode 44: Weakling Crona’s Determination – For You, for Always Being by My Side?

Maka and Soul try to find Crona and Marie via Maka’s Soul Perception Ability, but Stein interferes, and Crona has to battle Medusa alone. Black Star’s journey to Baba Yaga’s Castle continues. The Black Star and Tsubaki story arc are over. The only reason this episode is filler is that it does not involve the main cast. This episode is important for the plot, as it foreshadows the eventual ending of the anime: Crona’s transformation into a Kishin with Stein as his/her weapon. This episode doesn’t have anything to do with the actual plot of Soul Eater at all, but it does act as a filler episode in that it has little connection with anything else.

Episode 45: Anti-magic Wavelength – Fierce Attack, the Anger-filled Demon Hunter?

It’s now or never for Maka and Soul, as they engage in the final battle against Medusa. They have to defeat Medusa and save Stein, but to do so they have to reach a level of power that could potentially kill Crona. This is a filler episode. It serves no purpose to the plot of Soul Eater aside from showing Maka’s emotional development from when she first began as a fledgling Death Scythe.

Episode 46: Warrior or Slaughterer? Showdown: Mifune vs. Black☆Star?

The two Warriors face off in a duel. Mifune asks Black☆Star to choose which path he will follow. Black☆Star is confused by the question, but Mifune reminds him that he might be able to choose his path if he thinks about it more. Later, Death the Kid returns with The Key and Demon Tool, but before they give it to Death and Buttataki, they want an explanation of why their parents hid a Demon Tool from them. This episode doesn’t seem to have any real relevance to the main plot. Even though one could argue that Black☆Star’s fight with Mifune has some relevance to his development as a character, it isn’t worth an entire episode.  The episode serves more as a reference to the events of the manga than anything else. The scene in which Black☆Star states that he will follow Mifune’s advice and travel abroad is something that happens later in the manga.  It should be assumed then that this episode is simply a way for them to include this moment in the show, rather than telling a story about what happens when Black☆Star encounters Mifune again.

Episode 47: The Miraculous Coffee Table Flip – Fly, Our Death City Robot?

After Black Star and Mifune’s fight ends, they gain a new ally. And when Death astoundingly uses BREW, he turns the tides of the battle against Arachnophobia. While it is a continuation of the previous episode, this episode’s events don’t add to the main story. The only connection this episode has to the main plot is that Death used BREW in the battle for the first time. When I say “main plot”, I mean that overarching conflict of Maka, Soul, and their friends trying to defeat Asura and Arachne. This episode does not affect that at all. No characters are introduced, and no new abilities are revealed. The events here do not affect the main story whatsoever (except for Death’s use of BREW).

Episode 48: Lord Death Wields a Death Scythe – Just One Step from Utter Darkness?

Asura and Death continue their battle with each other at the expense of Maka, Kid, Death Scythe, and the rest of the teams involved. This episode is a filler episode because it does not have any relevance to the main plot and it does not serve to advance the storyline. The entire episode is about a fight between Asura and Death. However, that’s not all of it. The filler episodes do have their own goals. They give the viewers a chance to watch characters they may not see much onscreen lately in action along with some humor-filled scenes. This episode again has both of those aspects.

Episode 49: Asura Wakes – To the End of the World?

The Kishin has made it to the top of Arachnophobia, but he is stronger than ever before. Black Star, Maka, and Death the Kid all attack with their weapons, but when Soul gets knocked out, they may lose! There are two reasons why I feel that this episode needs to be called a filler. First, Arachnophobia is a brand new group that has no ties to the original series. With this in mind, it seems silly to have an entire episode devoted to them and their motivations. The main story is about the Kishin, so it should be about him. Secondly, this episode doesn’t advance the plot of the series by much. Death the Kid and Black Star have been introduced earlier in the series, but they don’t meet Maka until now. That would be fine if they all got along and worked together against Crona or Asura, but that doesn’t happen here.  The personalities clash between Black Star and Death the Kid, while Maka is just there as the love interest for Soul Eater Evans (She isn’t even given her name in this show). Even Asura isn’t given much of a reason for being here other than “He wants to eat souls!”

Episode 50: Sink or Swim?! The Men Who Transcend the Gods?

Maka’s Soul Perception is not working. She needs to be able to do this to beat the Kishin, but she’s not able to do it. Meanwhile, Kid and Black Star are getting their asses kicked by Crona, and Maka can’t save them! There’s not a whole lot to say about this one, as it’s not really a filler episode, per se. It’s just kind of an episode that exists to show Maka struggling with her Soul Perception ability. We need Maka to be able to do this to defeat the Kishin, and at the moment she’s not able to because Medusa is in control of her body.  So, we’re going through some difficulties here. This episode also explains why Maka has been so depressed lately, as she knows that if she loses herself completely to Medusa then she will never be able to beat the Kishin. She’ll be useless as a Meister, which is something that Maka does not want, especially after all of the progress she and Soul have made throughout the series so far.

Episode 51: The Word Is Bravery!

With her friends fallen, Maka must face the Kishin alone. The world is in jeopardy and evil will surely win unless something stirs deep inside of her heart. The episode certainly is an important part of the series, but if you’re one of those people who skip over Filler episodes, then you can skip this episode. However, this is probably the only filler that I wouldn’t recommend skipping.