Shonen anime is simply overflowing with incredible episodes and story arcs that helped define the entire industry. It also subjected viewers to some of the worst episodes that no one really wanted to watch. For every 10/10 episode, there’s a dud that fans would rather skip, and they often do. Anyone who watches episodes like these may feel cheated, or at least disappointed in an otherwise decent anime.
Interestingly, even some of the best-regarded shonen anime have some terrible episodes, including filler episodes, unwanted recaps, and bland episodes that accomplish remarkably little. One Piece has a whole handful of recap episodes that disrupt the already iffy pacing of that anime, and Naruto and Bleach are awash in filler content that just wastes everyone’s time. Other bad shonen episodes try to do something real, but end up botching the whole thing.
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“Long Time No See, Selkie” Was Unnecessary Setup For MHA’s Third Movie
The Beach Sequence Was Unbelievably Forced
As a whole, My Hero Academia fans weren’t entirely keen on Season 5. Even as the weakest season in the anime, Season 5 did deliver some goods, such as Tomura Shigaraki’s growth and the joint training exercise’s fantastic battles. Then there’s a blatant filler episode that tried to set up My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission in the worst way possible.
It’s not unusual for My Hero Academia to set up its canon movies in the anime itself, but “Long Time No See, Selkie” could have done a much better job. The second half’s action sequence was decent, but it was also forgettable, and Ochaco’s squad deserved better than an extraneous mission like this. Above all, fans raised their eyebrows at the wholly unnecessary beach scene.
“A Midsummer Christmas” Finally Made Food Wars! Too Weird
No One Needs Clown or Chainsaw Chefs
It’s saying something when a certain story arc or episode in a flamboyant, gratuitous anime like Food Wars! is simply too weird to accept. From Episode 1 onward, Food Wars! reveled in its goofy character designs and wacky humor, from silly tsundere antics to Soma Yukihira’s gleefully reckless attitude. Season 5 brought it all crashing down with the anime’s worst ac, including Asahi Saiba trying to marry his own half-sister, Erina Nakiri.
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If fans had to pick one true did in the season, it would be “A Midsummer Christmas,” the point of no return for Food Wars! nonsense. The characters introduced here felt like something from a filler episode, where anything whatsoever goes just to keep the anime on the air that much longer. Creative cooking styles are how Food Wars! delights its audience, but chainsaws and juggling clowns are just not needed.
“Ino Screams! Chubby Passion” is a Body Image Catastrophe
This Episode is a Product of its Time
The hit Naruto anime is notorious for its endless tide of annoying filler episodes that accomplish next to nothing of substance. One standout is “Ino Scream! Chubby Passion,” which just feels tacky and tasteless. Japanese audiences might not mind the narrative of an overweight princess worrying over her body image, though some Western fans may object a little more.
It simply feels mean-spirited for Princess Fuku to have a problem like this, of all things. Also, it’s uncommon for the Naruto anime to explore the quaint cultures of other lands and royal dynasties to fill in the worldbuilding gaps, and this is definitely not the way to do it. The episode has something of a happy ending for the princess and her betrothed, but that doesn’t save this from being Naruto‘s worst episode.
“Gohan’s First Date” is a Waste of a Gohan-Focused Episode
Gohan Has Better Girls to Spend Time With
Being a shonen anime for boys, it’s no surprise Dragon Ball Z vastly favors male pursuits and perspectives about action, competitive feelings, and the thrill of adventure. Matters of the heart are only gently sprinkled in, such as Goku’s marriage to Chi-Chi and Vegeta’s tsundere relationship with Bulma. Fans enjoy seeing Gohan with the charming Videl, though “Gohan’s First Date” is nothing of the sort.
This utterly pointless episode is a low point in Dragon Ball Z, since it does too little for the anime’s main narrative and doesn’t handle romance that well. In fact, the episode suggests that girls are often manipulative and fickle with Angela around, with her being a terrible date for Gohan overall. Dragon Ball Z already drops the ball with the female cast, and Angela’s character is just rubbing salt in the wound.
“Uron Mirage Chapter 119: The Phasey Hunt, Part 4” Commits the Sin of Being Simply Boring
Witch Watch Can’t Afford to Have Weak Episodes Like That
Already, the Witch Watch anime is only barely hanging on as a mediocre and largely forgettable shonen fantasy anime. Its blend of romance, high school life, witch antics, and pop culture jokes is only lukewarm, so the anime can’t spare any time for utter nonsense like its Uron Mirage episode. This is an anime in an anime, and it doesn’t work.
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While anime fans have seen this kind of thing before, Witch Watch miscalculates with this trope. The episode spends far too much time on the anime in an anime, to the point that the whole episode may confuse viewers on what it’s even about. Uron Mirage, the fictional anime, doesn’t have enough of a connection to Witch Watch‘s characters to mean much, so it might as well be cut entirely.
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Excalibur Really Weighed Down the Soul Eater Anime
Fans are already skeptical of the entire Soul Eater anime series, since it didn’t adapt author Atsushi Okubo’s manga that well. Making things worse are the Excalibur episodes, which are perhaps meant to be ironically terrible and annoying thanks to Excalibur himself. The most devoted fans of Atsushi Okubo’s works might appreciate that, but no one else will.
Soul Eater has no business spending an entire episode on Excalibur, the most insufferable character in the entire anime. Even if the American sequence is amusing to shake up the creative flow, it’s not what Soul Eater needs. Anime like Soul Eater and Fire Force stand out with off-beat humor, but there’s no denying that any Excalibur sequence is just a giant misfire.
