A new Naruto manga titled Naruto: Shadow Rising, along with a four-part crossover anime, was announced Thursday at New York Comic Con 2026.
Naruto: Shadow Rising is set between the end of the original manga and the start of its sequel, Boruto. The most notable detail surrounding the project is that series creator Masashi Kishimoto will both write and draw it. A trailer for the manga premiered at the convention.
Kishimoto wrote and drew the original Naruto manga but largely supervised its sequel, Boruto, which has been divisive among fans—particularly over artwork by Mikio Ikemoto.
A shot of Sasuke’s daughter Sarada as a baby in the trailer indicates when the new series is set. Because Sarada is 11 at the start of Boruto, Naruto: Shadow Rising appears to take place roughly a decade earlier.
The trailer also features Naruto and Sasuke fighting once again, something the press announcement on the official Naruto website specifically highlighted. No plot details have been revealed beyond this, with the first chapter expected in 2027.
A separate four-part anime crossover between Naruto and Kishimoto’s earlier work Ninkū, titled Naruto x Ninkū, was also announced. The reveal confused many Western fans, some of whom were unfamiliar with the property.
The connection carries weight because Kishimoto has previously cited Ninkū as a key influence on Naruto. Following the announcement, he said: “I created Naruto because I personally wanted to see the continuation of Ninkū. I think many of you have already noticed, but Naruto was immensely influenced by Ninkū. Without Ninkū, Naruto would not exist.”
Ninkū is popular in Japan but never gained a foothold in Western markets. The English dub of the original 1995 Ninkū anime has been described as lost media.
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