A new Naruto manga is officially on the way, and this one has a very big name attached: Masashi Kishimoto himself.
The project is titled NARUTO: SHADOW RISING, and according to Anime Corner, Kishimoto — the original creator of Naruto — is set to draw it. That detail alone makes this announcement stand out, because Naruto-related projects have continued for years, but a new manga drawn by Kishimoto hits different for longtime fans.
The reveal happened during New York Comic Con on October 10, where Naruto appeared with new updates for the franchise. The panel also featured two major guests: Junko Takeuchi, the Japanese voice of Naruto Uzumaki, and Noriaki Sugiyama, the Japanese voice of Sasuke Uchiha.
Anime Corner’s report also notes that the previously delayed four-episode Naruto anime special was confirmed as a collaboration with NINKU. The special had originally been planned to air across four consecutive weeks starting September 3, 2023, before being delayed to improve quality.
Why this is a big deal
Naruto is not just another legacy shonen title. Kishimoto’s manga first launched in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in September 1999 and ran until November 2014, ending with 72 volumes. Studio Pierrot’s anime adaptation began in October 2002 and ran for 220 episodes, before Naruto Shippuden continued the story with another 500 episodes.
That is a massive cultural footprint. Even if you discovered it through TV reruns, DVDs, streaming, manga volumes, games, or random AMVs back in the day, Naruto became one of those anime that basically trained a whole generation of shonen fans.
Analysis / Malaysia-SEA relevance: For Malaysian and SEA anime fans, the key point here is not just “new Naruto content.” It is that Kishimoto is directly drawing a new manga project. In a region where legacy shonen fandom is still strong, creator involvement can make the difference between casual curiosity and full-on hype. No local release timing has been announced in the source, so for now, this is one to watch rather than assume availability.
Naruto is also expanding in other directions
The manga announcement arrives while the wider Naruto franchise is still very active.
The sequel manga BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS began in 2016 in Weekly Shonen Jump before moving to V Jump in 2019. It was originally written by Ukyo Kodachi, with Kishimoto later taking over the story, while Mikio Ikimoto handles the illustrations. Its second part, BORUTO: TWO BLUE VORTEX, began in August 2023.
On the anime side, BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS started airing in April 2017 and went on break in March 2023.
Beyond manga and anime, Anime Corner also reports that a new Naruto Card Game TCG has been announced for 2027. There is also a non-verbal live-action show planned for Kyoto’s Minamiza Theater from February to June 2027.
Meanwhile, the Hollywood live-action Naruto film is still moving. The movie is being directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and a cast search has reportedly begun for Team 7’s Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
So yes, Naruto is very much awake right now. But among all these projects, NARUTO: SHADOW RISING is the one old-school fans will probably watch closest — because Kishimoto picking up the pen again is the headline.