Naruto returns to anime with a four-part miniseries after 9 years

What seemed impossible has just been confirmed: Naruto will get a new anime. TV Tokyo and Shueisha announced on October 11 at New York Comic Con a four-part miniseries that marks the ninja's return to the screen after nine years.

Masashi Kishimoto himself, author of the original manga, will supervise the project. He will be joined by Koji Kiriyama, creator of the manga Ninku, as artist. There is no release date or details about the animation studio yet.

A return to keep the franchise alive

Naruto was born as a manga in Weekly Shonen Jump and became one of the most important franchises in Japanese pop culture. The manga ended in 2014, and the last episode of Naruto: Shippuden aired in 2017. Since then, the brand has been kept alive with Boruto and other products, but without an anime starring Naruto.

The announcement makes it clear that this project aims to revitalize the franchise, which has reached more than 145 markets. The nearly decade-long screen hiatus makes any news about a return feel huge, especially when Kishimoto is directly involved.

Naruto also grows in video games and cards

The return is not limited to anime. Bandai announced on the same October 11 its plans for a global mobile game based on the character, following the success of its launch in China. The company is also preparing the international release of a card game for June 2027, with promotional activities and exclusive experiences.

All of this comes at a time when Japanese anime is generating more and more revenue outside Japan. According to the firm HumanMedia, overseas anime revenue would increase by 26% in 2024, reaching 2.2 trillion yen, almost 40% of the total international revenue of Japan's content industry.

The Japanese government wants global revenue from creative content to reach 20 trillion yen by 2033. With the return of Naruto and the expansion of its games, the franchise is shaping up to be a key piece of that long-term strategy.

What's missing now is the most important thing: knowing when we'll be able to watch this miniseries and whether it will reach Latin America with a dub. Expectations are sky-high, and for good reason.