Are you interested in watching Adventure Time, but intimidated by the thought of watching 252 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 a request in the ATimers tag, I have compiled a 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).Â
I condensed the show down to 128 of the 10-minute episodes (69 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).Â
I hope this helps someone out since I spent three hours putting it together! Without further ado…Â
1 x 2 “Trouble in Lumpy Space” | Introduces LSPÂ
1 x 3 “Prisoners of Love” | Introduces the Ice KingÂ
1 x 5 “The Enchiridion”Â
1 x 9 “My Two Favorite People” | Introduces Jake & Lady Rainacorn (LR) arcÂ
1 x 10 “Memories of Boom Boom Mountain”Â
1 x 15 “What is Life?” | Introduces NEPTR + Ice King characterization
1 x 16 “Ocean of Fear” | Finn characterizationÂ
1 x 17 “When Wedding Bells Thaw” | Ice King characterizationÂ
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”Â
2 x 2 “The Eyes” | Ice King characterizationÂ
2 x 3 “Loyalty to the King” | Ice King characterizationÂ
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) arcÂ
2 x 15 “The Real You”
2 x 17 “Death in Bloom” | Establishes more of the AT universeÂ
2 x 18 “Susan Strong” | Introduces Susan Strong arc
2 x 20 “Go with Me” | Subtle Bubbline
2 x 24 “Mortal Folly”Â
2 x 25 “Mortal Recoil”Â
2 x 26 “Heat Signature”Â
3 x 3 “Memory of a Memory”
3 x 6 “The Monster” | LSP characterization/general cuteness (*)
3 x 7 “Still” | Ice King characterizationÂ
3 x 9 “Fiona and Cake” | Gender bending episode (*)Â
3 x 10 “What was Missing”Â
3 x 14 “Beautopia” | Susan Strong arc continuesÂ
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”Â
3 X 20 “Holly Jolly Secrets Pt. 2″Â
3 x 21 “Marceline’s Closet”Â
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 arcÂ
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 characterizationÂ
4 x 13 “Princess Cookie” | Generally cuteÂ
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 20 “You Made Me”Â
4 x 22 “Ignition Point” | Flame Princess ArcÂ
4 x 24 “Reign of Gunters”Â
4 x 24 “I Remember You"
5 x 1 “Finn the Human”
5 x 2 “Jake the Dog”
5 x 6 “Jake the Dad” | Jake/LR arc
5 x 5 “All the Little People” | Cool and very slight Bubbline cameoÂ
5 x 9 “All Your Fault”
5 x 11 “Bad Little Boy” | Gender bending + Marcy/Ice King development
5 x 12 “Vault of Bones” | Flame Princess arc
5 x 14 “Simon and Marcy”Â
5 x 16 “Puhoy” | Flame Princess arcÂ
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 21 “The Suitor”Â
5 x 22 “The Party’s Over, Isla de Senorita” | Ice King character development
5 x 23 “One Last Job” | Jake character developmentÂ
5 x 26 “Wizards Only, Fools”Â
5 x 28 “Be More” | BMO backstory (*)
5 x 30 “Frost and Fire” | Flame Princess arc
5 x 32 “Earth and Water”
5 x 33 “Time Sandwich”
5 x 38 “Red Starved”Â
5 x 40 “Play Date” | Finn character development
5 x 41 “The Pit” | Finn character developmentÂ
5 x 45 “Blade of Grass”
5 x 46 “Rattleballs” | Finn character developmentÂ
5 x 47 “The Red Throne” | Flame Princess arc
5 x 50 “Lemonhope Pt. 1″
5 x 51 “Lemonhope Pt. 2″
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 10 “Something Big”Â
6 x 12 “Ocarina” | Jake character developmentÂ
6 x 14 “Princess Day”
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 23 “The Pajama War”Â
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”Â
6 x 39 “Be Sweet” | Lich arc + LSP character development
6 x 42 “Hot Diggity Doom”
7 x 1 “Bonnie & Neddy”
7 x 4 “Mama Said” | Finn/Jake character development
7 x 5 “Football” | Adorable BMO (*)
7 x 6 “Marceline the Vampire Queen”
7 x 7 “Everything Stays”
7 x 9 “The Empress Eyes”
7 x 10 “May I Come In?”
7 x 11 “Take Her Back”Â
7 x 13 “The Dark Cloud”
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 21 “King’s Ransom”
7 x 25 “Flute Spell” | Introduces Huntress Wizard
7 x 26 “The Thin Yellow Line”
7 x 27 “Broke His Crown”
7 x 28 “Don’t Look”
7 x 29 “Beyond the Grotto” | Established more AT universe/cool (*)
7 x 30 “Lady Rainacorn of the Crystal Dimension” | LR backstory (*)
7 x 31 “I am a Sword”
7 x 33 “Normal Man”Â
7 x 35 “Five Short Tables” | Gender bending (*)
7 x 36 “The Music Hole”
8 x 3 “Wheels” | Jake characterization/background (*)
8 x 4 “High Strangeness”
8 x 6 “Jelly Beans Have Powers”
8 x 7 “The Invitation”
8 x 8 “Whipple the Happy Dragon”
8 x 9 “Mysterious Island”
8 x 10 “Imaginary Resources”
8 x 11 “Hide and Seek”
8 x 12 “Min and Marty”
8 x 14 “The Light Cloud”
Want to dress more like your favorite lesbian vampire? Follow Modern Marcy for affordable fashion finds inspired by Adventure Time (along with a lot of fanart, fan theory, and general posts about the show and its characters!)
