Naruto Episode 188: Mystery of the Targeted Merchants
Filler/LOW
OSHIMETER
3.1
58 Fans
5
4
3
2
1
PacingVisualWritingEmo ImpactSoundtrack
OSHIMETER
3.1
58 Fans
5
4
3
2
1
PacingVisualWritingEmo ImpactSoundtrack
QUICK TAKES
zhyferox
Verifiedfiller flashback to naruto's training with jiraiya, fighting some random rain village rebels with a conch-based genjutsu - not the most creative setup but seeing the master-student dynamic is nice enough if you miss jiraiya, just nothing memorable here
taka_onna_temptress_26
That merchant princess was actually kind of a jerk for hiding the truth while people were literally dying to protect her, plus putting Hinata in charge of her own group felt like a weird move for the writers
uryu_archer_102
Why did they let Naruto explain the whole strategy using ramen metaphors when it just made everything ten times harder to follow and ruined the flow of the episode
casca_the_commander_190
I am still trying to wrap my head around that ramen explanation for the mission and why Naruto thought it made sense but it was just classic filler logic, and seeing that princess treat everyone like they were disposable really rubbed me the wrong way too, since her own bodyguard literally died for her and she just acted like it was nothing
yoko_littner_186
Hinata being the one to lead a separate group made no sense because she is not exactly the strongest choice and the ramen analogy plan was just way too confusing for a simple escort mission
prince_demande_379
Ugh, I seriously couldn't believe how casually that princess treated her bodyguard's death, then just used those merchants as bait. My blood was absolutely boiling right alongside Naruto's, it was such a gut punch to see someone in power be that utterly indifferent.
yoruichi_yukiko
Seeing this mission reminds you why people say to skip the filler because the writing for the new characters is just so weak and having a princess who treats people like bait is not entertaining
cilan_339
I checked the episode list and realized this was filler almost immediately, but the way they handled the princess reveal still managed to annoy me. Haruna is definitely one of the worst versions of that trope
subaru_sufferer
Choji and the rest of the group are doing their best with a bad situation and the scenery in the Land of Green is actually pretty decent for a filler arc even if the plot is slow
lille_xrays
Naruto keeps falling for the most obvious traps and his constant obsession with ramen even in his dreams is starting to get old and it makes this whole mission feel like a total waste of time
tigers_eye
That poor bodyguard deserved better than to die for a princess who did not even respect him and the way she just kept her identity hidden while everyone else took the heat was just cold
queen_nehelenia
I am honestly struggling to stay invested with all these filler episodes lately and this one was especially rough, mostly because Haruna is such an unlikable person. She basically treated her bodyguards and the other merchants like they were disposable trash just to save herself and it made it really hard to root for the team when they were protecting her
wanyudo_warrior
Putting Hinata in charge of her own group felt like a weird strategic move for this team but it was kind of interesting to see her away from the others and trying to handle things on her own
sailor_mercury_394
Haruna is such a frustrating character because she just used those merchants as decoys and did not even seem to care when people started dying for her secret and it makes her very hard to like
maki_maverick_137
I really wish they would stop making Naruto look so stupid because that ramen analogy dream was honestly one of the most annoying things I have seen in this show and it was totally pointless
korok
That merchant reveal was actually a bit surprising and finding out she is a princess changed the whole vibe of the mission and now the stakes feel much higher than just protecting some random goods
clarissa_ss
The way Haruna did not even care about using those merchants as bait, it made it really hard to want to see her get home safely.
rayquaza_306
The animation looked really rough during the fight scenes and the story about protecting these merchants is not interesting enough to keep you watching
menomaru
Haruna being a princess in disguise was a twist you could see coming from miles away, and it made the whole mission feel even more dishonest than it already did.
kamaitachi_killer_60
Choji and Naruto are just repeating the same jokes about food and it makes these side stories feel like they are dragging on forever
EPISODE CONTEXT
Sitting at episode 188 of 220, this is firmly within Naruto's extended filler run that bridges the gap to Shippuden. It continues the Peddlers Escort Mission mini-arc, picking up threads from episode 187's 'Open for Business! The Leaf Moving Service' and escalating the conflict by introducing new adversaries, directly setting up episode 189's 'A Limitless Supply of Ninja Tools.' None of this arc connects to the manga's core narrative.
QUICK TAKES
zhyferox
Verifiedfiller flashback to naruto's training with jiraiya, fighting some random rain village rebels with a conch-based genjutsu - not the most creative setup but seeing the master-student dynamic is nice enough if you miss jiraiya, just nothing memorable here
taka_onna_temptress_26
That merchant princess was actually kind of a jerk for hiding the truth while people were literally dying to protect her, plus putting Hinata in charge of her own group felt like a weird move for the writers
uryu_archer_102
Why did they let Naruto explain the whole strategy using ramen metaphors when it just made everything ten times harder to follow and ruined the flow of the episode
casca_the_commander_190
I am still trying to wrap my head around that ramen explanation for the mission and why Naruto thought it made sense but it was just classic filler logic, and seeing that princess treat everyone like they were disposable really rubbed me the wrong way too, since her own bodyguard literally died for her and she just acted like it was nothing
yoko_littner_186
Hinata being the one to lead a separate group made no sense because she is not exactly the strongest choice and the ramen analogy plan was just way too confusing for a simple escort mission
prince_demande_379
Ugh, I seriously couldn't believe how casually that princess treated her bodyguard's death, then just used those merchants as bait. My blood was absolutely boiling right alongside Naruto's, it was such a gut punch to see someone in power be that utterly indifferent.
yoruichi_yukiko
Seeing this mission reminds you why people say to skip the filler because the writing for the new characters is just so weak and having a princess who treats people like bait is not entertaining
cilan_339
I checked the episode list and realized this was filler almost immediately, but the way they handled the princess reveal still managed to annoy me. Haruna is definitely one of the worst versions of that trope
subaru_sufferer
Choji and the rest of the group are doing their best with a bad situation and the scenery in the Land of Green is actually pretty decent for a filler arc even if the plot is slow
lille_xrays
Naruto keeps falling for the most obvious traps and his constant obsession with ramen even in his dreams is starting to get old and it makes this whole mission feel like a total waste of time
tigers_eye
That poor bodyguard deserved better than to die for a princess who did not even respect him and the way she just kept her identity hidden while everyone else took the heat was just cold
queen_nehelenia
I am honestly struggling to stay invested with all these filler episodes lately and this one was especially rough, mostly because Haruna is such an unlikable person. She basically treated her bodyguards and the other merchants like they were disposable trash just to save herself and it made it really hard to root for the team when they were protecting her
wanyudo_warrior
Putting Hinata in charge of her own group felt like a weird strategic move for this team but it was kind of interesting to see her away from the others and trying to handle things on her own
sailor_mercury_394
Haruna is such a frustrating character because she just used those merchants as decoys and did not even seem to care when people started dying for her secret and it makes her very hard to like
maki_maverick_137
I really wish they would stop making Naruto look so stupid because that ramen analogy dream was honestly one of the most annoying things I have seen in this show and it was totally pointless
korok
That merchant reveal was actually a bit surprising and finding out she is a princess changed the whole vibe of the mission and now the stakes feel much higher than just protecting some random goods
clarissa_ss
The way Haruna did not even care about using those merchants as bait, it made it really hard to want to see her get home safely.
rayquaza_306
The animation looked really rough during the fight scenes and the story about protecting these merchants is not interesting enough to keep you watching
menomaru
Haruna being a princess in disguise was a twist you could see coming from miles away, and it made the whole mission feel even more dishonest than it already did.
kamaitachi_killer_60
Choji and Naruto are just repeating the same jokes about food and it makes these side stories feel like they are dragging on forever
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