New ‘Naruto’ Anime Series and ‘Shadow Rising’ Manga Revealed
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The Naruto franchise is expanding with a new anime crossover series, NARUTOxNINKŪ, and a newly revealed manga called Shadow Rising. Announced at a New York Comic Con panel, the projects add to the franchise’s plans while details about the manga remain under wraps.
In the anime, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are sent on a mission by Kakashi, with Naruto made acting leader. The team becomes lost in another world and encounters a boy named Fūsuke, whose face resembles a frog’s; the series will be supervised by Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto and NINKŪ creator Koji Kiriyama. More information about Shadow Rising is due at Jump Festa 2027 in December, while live-action film director Destin Daniel Cretton said the film is in development and that further updates will come later.
- Naruto is getting an anime crossover with NINKŪ.
- A new manga, Shadow Rising, was unveiled.
- More manga details are expected in December 2027.
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Naruto is a long-running Japanese manga series that became one of the world's most popular anime franchises. The original story follows a young ninja named Naruto as he trains, makes friends and confronts enemies across a richly detailed world of ninja villages. Although the main manga series concluded years ago, the franchise has remained active through various spin-offs, films and other expansions.
The Naruto franchise regularly develops new content across multiple media formats, including anime series, manga publications and live-action films. These projects sometimes combine Naruto's characters and world with elements from other Japanese series through creative collaborations. Such expansions are typically overseen by the original series creator and other prominent figures in the Japanese entertainment industry.
The franchise continues to expand because it has maintained a devoted global audience since its creation decades ago. These projects matter to long-time fans seeking new Naruto stories and characters, whilst also helping to introduce the franchise to new audiences through different media formats and storytelling approaches.
Full account
The Naruto franchise has announced an extensive slate of new projects revealed at New York Comic Con, representing a substantial revival after a period of dormancy. These announcements are structured under the Project Rasengan umbrella strategy, with releases scheduled through 2029.
The primary new offering is an anime series created through a partnership with Ninku, the martial arts manga that provided early inspiration for Naruto's original author Masashi Kishimoto. Titled Naruto x Ninku, this limited series combines the two properties under oversight from both Kishimoto and Ninku creator Koji Kiriyama. The narrative follows the familiar Team 7 trio on an assignment from their instructor, with Naruto taking the leadership role. The plot takes an unexpected turn when the team is transported into a parallel universe populated by strange beings, including a boy possessing frog-like characteristics named Fūsuke.
Unveiled during the Comic Con presentation is Shadow Rising, a forthcoming manga series authored by Kishimoto. The Project Rasengan initiative encompasses additional ventures beyond the core anime and manga properties, including a globally distributed card game launching simultaneously in June 2027, an international release of the previously China-exclusive Naruto Mobile game, and the arrival of the Naruto Shippuden Symphonic Experience in United States venues. Additional merchandise partnerships have been announced in preliminary form, with more substantive details deferred to Jump Festa 2027 in December.
The live-action film project under director Destin Daniel Cretton continues development, with Cretton having outlined his vision of Naruto as a protagonist defined by underestimation and inner strength, whose determination and capacity for loyalty drive his character. The proposed slate indicates a minimum of eight distinct releases across multiple media before 2030, demonstrating the franchise's commitment to prominence during its 25th anniversary period.
Where outlets differ
Source 2 contextualises announcements within the Project Rasengan strategic roadmap extending through 2029; Source 1 does not mention this framework
Source 2 provides extensive detail on ancillary projects (trading card game, mobile game, symphonic experience); Source 1 omits these elements entirely
Source 1 emphasises narrative specifics of the crossover anime, including plot details absent from Source 2
Source 2 explicitly references the franchise's dormant period and celebrates the 25th anniversary milestone; Source 1 provides neither context
Source 2 establishes Ninku as the creative inspiration for Naruto's original conception; Source 1 does not mention this relationship