Escape vs. Pursuit
Episode 402 · Naruto Shippuden
SKIP
Filler or Canon?
No — Naruto Shippuden Episode 402 is filler. It's anime-original and has no impact on the main story. Safe to skip if you only want canon. A Chunin-Exams filler beat — a survival-stage chase; kinetic but non-canon and self-contained.NEXT CANON → SHP EP 414 · On the Brink of Death
Series
Naruto Shippuden
Episode
402 / 500
Status
Filler
Arc
2nd Chunin Exams
2ND CHUNIN EXAMS · EP 394–413 · 20 EPISODESYOU ARE HERE · 9 OF 20
Episode Summary
Escape vs. pursuit drives the filler Chunin Exams survival stage into a chase, candidates hunting and hunted across the trial grounds. The episode delivers the anime-original pursuit — strategy and speed as competitors evade and chase — within the sealed frame. Sealed inside its filler walls, it advances the tournament's survival phase. Competent and kinetic, the escape-and-pursuit beat is engaging in its bubble and outside the timeline, a diversion echoing the exam's tactical chases without canon weight.
Frequently Asked
What arc is it in?
It's part of the 2nd Chunin Exams arc.
Can I skip it?
Yes, you can safely skip it without missing main story.
2nd Chunin Exams · Ep 394–413 · 20 episodes
394The New Chunin ExamsFiller395The Chunin Exams BeginFiller396The Three ChallengesFiller397Shikamaru's DecisionFiller398The Night Before the Second ExamFiller399Survival BeginsFiller400Taijutsu UserFiller401The UltimateFiller
402Escape vs. PursuitFiller
403Unwavering GutsFiller404Tenten's TroublesFiller405The Two TrappedFiller406My Own PlaceFiller407The Yamanaka Clan: Secret NinjutsuFiller408A Cursed PuppetFiller409The Two Their BacksFiller410The Hidden PlotFiller411The Targeted Tailed BeastFiller412Neji's JudgmentFiller413Hopes Entrusted to the FutureFiller720 episodes — canon, mixed, filler and best animation moments.
Open Filler Guide →