[UPDATED: Complete Guide] Are you interested in watching Adventure Time, but intimidated by the thought of watching 283 episodes? Have you watched the series before, but want to watch again without any filler episodes (unless it’s Bubbline, of course?) This is for you!
After seeing several requests, I have compiled the complete list of all the Adventure Time episodes that contain major plot, important backstory, major characterization, and/or Bubbline moments. I have also included optional episodes that I think will increase your understanding/enjoyment of the show (I put the reason next to it; if it says something about being an arc, backstory, characterization, etc., be warned that not watching may make the major plot points of the show a bit more confusing for you).
I condensed the show down to 153 of the 10-minute episodes (91 episodes if you don’t watch any of the optional episodes). Optional episodes are in italics. Episodes with Bubbline moments, characterization of Marcy/Princess Bubblegum (PB), or major backstory/plot related to Marcy/PB are in bold. Anything with a an asterisk (*) can be watched at any time (order doesn’t matter, though you may still want to watch it in the same season).
I hope this helps someone out since I spent hours putting it together! Without further ado…
1 x 2 “Trouble in Lumpy Space” | Introduces LSP
1 x 3 “Prisoners of Love” | Introduces the Ice King
1 x 9 “My Two Favorite People” | Introduces Jake & Lady Rainacorn (LR) arc
1 x 10 “Memories of Boom Boom Mountain”
1 x 15 “What is Life?” | Introduces NEPTR + Ice King characterization
1 x 16 “Ocean of Fear” | Finn characterization
1 x 17 “When Wedding Bells Thaw” | Ice King characterization
1 x 20 “Freak City” | Introduces Magic Man
1 x 24 “What Have You Done?” | Ice King characterization (*)
2 x 1 “It Came from the Nightosphere”
2 x 2 “The Eyes” | Ice King characterization
2 x 3 “Loyalty to the King” | Ice King characterization
2 x 6 “Slow Love” | Just a funny/cute episode (*)
2 x 7 “Power Animal” | Establishes more of Adventure Time universe
2 x 10 “To Cut a Woman’s Hair”
2 x 11 “Chamber of Frozen Blades” | Ice King characterization (*)
2 x 12 “Her Parents” | Jake and Lady Rainacorn (LR) arc
2 x 17 “Death in Bloom” | Establishes more of the AT universe
2 x 18 “Susan Strong” | Introduces Susan Strong arc
2 x 20 “Go with Me” | Subtle Bubbline
3 x 3 “Memory of a Memory”
3 x 6 “The Monster” | LSP characterization/general cuteness (*)
3 x 7 “Still” | Ice King characterization
3 x 9 “Fiona and Cake” | Gender bending episode (*)
3 x 10 “What was Missing”
3 x 14 “Beautopia” | Susan Strong arc continues
3 x 17 “Thank You” | Not vital to plot, but adorable (*)
3 x 18 “Apple Thief” | Not vital to plot, but a favorite (*)
3 x 19 “Holly Jolly Secrets Pt. 1”
3 X 20 “Holly Jolly Secrets Pt. 2″
3 x 21 “Marceline’s Closet”
3 x 25 “Dad’s Dungeon” | Finn and Jake background
3 x 26 “Incendium” | Flame Princess Arc
4 x 1 “Hot to the Touch” | Flame Princess arc
4 x 2 “Five Short Graybles” | Established more of AT universe (*)
4 x 5 “Return to the Nightsophere”
4 x 6 “Daddy’s Little Monster”
4 x 8 “Hug Wolf” | Generally cute (*)
4 x 9 “Princess Monster Wife” | Ice King characterization + great episode
4 x 11 “Beyond this Earthly Realm” | Ice King characterization
4 x 13 “Princess Cookie” | Generally cute
4 x 15 “Sons of Mars” | Established more of AT universe
4 x 16 “Burning Low” | Flame princess arc + PB characterization
4 x 18 “King Worm” | Serious foreshadowing
4 x 19 “Lady and Peebles”
4 x 22 “Ignition Point” | Flame Princess Arc
4 x 24 “Reign of Gunters”
5 x 6 “Jake the Dad” | Jake/LR arc
5 x 5 “All the Little People” | Cool and very slight Bubbline cameo
5 x 11 “Bad Little Boy” | Gender bending + Marcy/Ice King development
5 x 12 “Vault of Bones” | Flame Princess arc
5 x 16 “Puhoy” | Flame Princess arc
5 x 17 “BMO Lost” | SO ADORABLE. If you don’t watch you’re missing out (*)
5 x 18 “Princess Potluck” | Ice King characterization (*)
5 x 20 “Shh!” | Established more AT universe and is cute/neat (*)
5 x 22 “The Party’s Over, Isla de Senorita” | Ice King character development
5 x 23 “One Last Job” | Jake character development
5 x 26 “Wizards Only, Fools”
5 x 28 “Be More” | BMO backstory (*)
5 x 30 “Frost and Fire” | Flame Princess arc
5 x 40 “Play Date” | Finn character development
5 x 41 “The Pit” | Finn character development
5 x 46 “Rattleballs” | Finn character development
5 x 47 “The Red Throne” | Flame Princess arc
5 x 52 “Billy’s Bucket List”
6 x 2 “Escape from the Citadel”
6 x 4 “The Tower” | Finn character development
6 x 9 “The Prince Who Wanted Everything | Gender bending (*)
6 x 12 “Ocarina” | Jake character development
6 x 16 “Joshua and Margaret Investigate”
6 x 19 “Is That You?” | Flame Princess arc
6 x 22 “The Cooler” | Flame Princess arc
6 x 25 “Astral Plane” | Martin arc
6 x 26 “Gold Stars” | Lich arc
6 x 27 “The Visitor” | Martin arc
6 x 28 “The Mountain” | Flame Princess arc + Lemongrab characterization
6 x 29 “Dark Purple” | Susan Strong arc
6 x 32 “Friends Forever” | Ice King characterization
6 x 35 “Graybles 1000+” | Foreshadowing
6 x 38 “You Forgot Your Floaties”
6 x 39 “Be Sweet” | Lich arc + LSP character development
6 x 42 “Hot Diggity Doom”
7 x 4 “Mama Said” | Finn/Jake character development
7 x 5 “Football” | Adorable BMO (*)
7 x 6 “Marceline the Vampire Queen”
7 x 14 “The More You Moe, The Moe You Know (Part I)” | BMO arc
7 x 15 “The More you Moe, The Moe You Know (Part II)” | BMO arc
7 x 18 “President Porpoise is Missing!” | Adorable + Marcy cameo
7 x 25 “Flute Spell” | Introduces Huntress Wizard
7 x 26 “The Thin Yellow Line”
7 x 29 “Beyond the Grotto” | Established more AT universe/cool (*)
7 x 30 “Lady Rainacorn of the Crystal Dimension” | LR backstory (*)
7 x 32 “Bun Bun” | Finn + Flame Princess arc and characterization
7 x 35 “Five Short Tables” | Gender bending (*)
8 x 3 “Wheels” | Jake characterization/background (*)
8 x 6 “Jelly Beans Have Powers”
8 x 8 “Whipple the Happy Dragon”
8 x 9 “Mysterious Island”
8 x 10 “Imaginary Resources”
9 x 12 “Fiona and Cake and Fiona” | Gender bending (*)
10 x 02 “Always BMO Closing” | Cute BMO episode that is sort of important to this season’s plot but you will still understand what’s going on without it
10 x 03 “Son of Rap Bear” | Flame Princess arc fulfilled; fun episode
10 x 04 “Bonnibel Bubblegum”
10 x 07 “Marcy and Hunson”
10 x 08 “The First Investigation”
10 x 09 “Blenanas” | Finn characterization; brief appearance of PB
10 x 10 “Jake the Starchild”
10 x 13 “Come Along with Me”
Follow Modern Marcy for affordable finds inspired by Adventure Time (along with a lot of fanart, fan theory, and general posts about the show and its characters!) I’ll be opening up an Etsy shop next month with Adventure Time knickknacks and props from the show (and stuff from a few other fandoms!) so be sure to check back :)
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