Filler episode
Filler episodes are used by anime and other TV shows to extend the time between the individual plot points of the major story arcs, or between the end of one major story arc and the beginning of another. A "Filler episode" is one in which nothing happens to affect the progress of the long-term story arcs or to develop the main characters, and no returning side characters, or other significant persons (other than the main characters), appear.
Any episode during a Filler arc may also sometimes be described as a "filler episode." A Filler arc is a storyline (often, though not always, shorter than the regular arcs) in which, over a number of episodes, an adventure is detailed that is unrelated, or tangental, to the main story arc(s); often, the "Filler arc adventure" does not derive from the original source material. Episodes in which permanent changes or character development occur can happen during a Filler arc.
Purpose
In manga-based anime such as Naruto, fillers have been used to put distance between the anime and its source material, preventing an overlap which would cause trouble for both forms of the series. Filler episodes may follow a formulaic (and often predictable) plot, loosely based on a main episode, which will either enter the backstory of a certain aspect of a show (such as Rainbow Crystal saga of Sailor Moon's first season) or tell a completely new tale involving the main or supporting and even one-shot characters from previous episodes. (The Garlic Jr. saga of Dragonball Z revisits the events that happened in its movie Deadzone.) Fillers also may introduce aspects that may complement or contradict the canon of the original source. It is not uncommon that whole story arcs comprised of filler episodes will be used within a series in order to fill an episode count and subsequently build up to a main story arc.
In Pokémon
In the case of Pokémon, the Orange Islands episodes are a filler arc, mainly used to delay the beginning of the Johto saga until Pokémon Gold and Silver had been released.
When the Advanced Generation series started, filler episodes were reduced due to the introduction of Pokémon Contests, causing many fans to declare it the best of the anime's arcs. As with the Kanto saga, however, Hoenn was followed by a filler arc, Pokémon: Battle Frontier, which built up for the arc corresponding to Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
With the Diamond & Pearl series on the air, some fans speculate that this arc will be another Johto-like arc, due to many filler episodes taking place, with Johto Pokémon being re-introduced and with Ash Ketchum having 7 badges and Dawn having 4 ribbons out of the more than 100 aired episodes so far in Japan. It can alternatively be seen that there have been relatively few filler episodes due to the vast supporting cast featured in Sinnoh, and the focus on character development in humans and Pokémon.
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