Hope you like Naruto, because you’re getting plenty of it before the 2020s are over. At New York Comic-Con, a panel for the franchise unveiled what’s next for the shonen hero on both the page and small screen.
To the latter, there’ll be an upcoming crossover anime with fellow shonen series Ninku. Set during Team 7’s early days, the kids are assigned a mission under Naruto’s leadership. En route to their destination, they’re transported to another world and meet Ninku protagonist Fusuke, a 12-year-old whose fighting style blends martial arts and kung fu. Both Naruto’s and Ninku’s respective creators, Masashi Kishimoto and Koji Kiriyama, are supervising this anime, with Pierrot handling animation after previously adapting both.
As for the manga, it’s called Shadow Rising. Currently, not much is known about it, but Kishimoto is returning to write and draw it. The trailer below shows the story takes place as Naruto is (or is about to) become the next Hokage, with Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi are present and accounted for. Naturally, the brief tease shows Naruto and Sasuke standing together ready to face off against a new enemy not featured. (Or maybe they’re fighting each other, since they love to do that.) Shadow Rising is due in 2027, while the Ninku crossover doesn’t have a release window.
And what about the live-action movie? Director Destin Daniel Cretton wasn’t at the panel, but he did send a video message talking about his excitement to adapt Kishimoto’s story. With promises of more info in the future, he discussed his affection for Naruto as “the character who might normally get sidelined as a sidekick. He’s excitable, he tries too hard, and people underestimate him, but he has an incredible heart.”
“We want to capture what makes this [manga] so special,” he continued. “We’re approaching this world, relationships, and journeys that Kishimoto-sensei created with a lot of care. […] Thank you for your passion, your patience, and for being along for the ride. I can’t wait for you to see what’s ahead!”
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