Naruto's 4 New Episodes: Everything We Know So Far

While the Naruto franchise has provided fans with a significant amount of content, setting aside the Boruto anime, it has been nearly a decade since the last release featuring a brand-new adventure centered on Naruto Uzumaki. Although the possibility of receiving new anime episodes once seemed remote, Masashi Kishimoto’s story is returning to the screen in the form of a limited series, giving fans plenty to get excited about. Originally announced as part of the 20th-anniversary celebration of Naruto's anime adaptation in 2023, the project faced a difficult path and significant delays, leading fans to believe it had been canceled entirely. Fortunately, new information has been revealed regarding the four-episode Naruto anime special, confirming that the project is well underway. From where it fits into the franchise's timeline and which characters will appear, to what to expect from the story and the release date, here's everything known about Naruto's major anime comeback. Naruto's Long-Awaited Anime Comeback Was Hit With an Unexpected Setback In a post on the official Naruto website in March 2023, four new anime episodes of Naruto were revealed to be in the works. On August 29, 2023, less than a week before the first episode was supposed to begin airing, Naruto's anime return was postponed. The sudden decision by the production committee was made in order to "create a work that meets everyone's expectations." The post on X from the official Naruto account was made with an apology to fans, stating, "We have made the decision to postpone the broadcast due to the further improvement of the quality of this work." At the time, the Naruto anime special wasn't officially canceled; however, in the years that followed, there were no further updates from Studio Pierrot, which created a great deal of uncertainty among fans about whether the project would ever be released. Fortunately, this changed at New York Comic Con 2026, where more details about the anime special were finally revealed. Naruto's New Anime Special Is a Major Ninja Crossover After three years without any updates, a major announcement regarding the Naruto anime special was made on October 10, 2026, during the franchise’s panel at New York Comic Con. Instead of a conventional anniversary project, Studio Pierrot is preparing a four-episode limited series titled Naruto x Ninku, confirming a crossover with Koji Kiriyama’s legendary anime franchise. Ninku is not only one of the major ninja-themed manga ever published in Shonen Jump, but it's also a work that Masashi Kishimoto has acknowledged as a major influence on Naruto. In a message shared with fans, Kishimoto expressed his joy about the crossover, revealing that he was the one who proposed the project. "I created NARUTO because I personally wanted to see the continuation of NINKU. I think many of you have already noticed, but NARUTO was immensely influenced by NINKU. Without NINKU, NARUTO would not exist. Simply put, Fusuke is Naruto’s secret mentor. Eventually, I began dreaming of bringing this master-and-student relationship out of the shadows, and into an actual storyline. Kiriyama Sensei, who is as much a mentor to me as Fusuke is to Naruto, graciously agreed to my selfish request. By meeting with me in person and with his extensive cooperation, he helped make my long-standing dream a reality." - Masashi Kishimoto The Ninku anime, which aired between 1995 and 1996, was also produced by Studio Pierrot. While this might have made it easier for the studio to handle this crossover at the request of the creator of Naruto, the creative process and logistics could have taken longer than anticipated, which would explain why the anime special was postponed. Furthermore, Naruto x Ninku is being developed by Pierrot Films, a sub-studio that wasn't established until February 2024. The Story of Naruto's 4-Episode Anime Special Although the plot details for the new Naruto episodes were initially a mystery, it was known that the special would be set during the period when Naruto Uzumaki and Team 7 were genin, with official art showing Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake. However, now as a crossover bringing together two classic ninja franchises, Team 7 will cross paths with Fusuke and his friends, Aicho, Toji, Hiroyuki, and Rihoko. Along with the announcement, a teaser was presented in which characters from both series can be seen meeting. The official Naruto website also revealed the synopsis for the limited series. Team 7 members Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are given a mission by Kakashi. Since Kakashi cannot participate himself, Naruto is appointed acting leader. As a result of this decision, Naruto is fully motivated to make the mission a success. However, on the way, Team 7 finds themselves lost in another world. What appears before the bewildered trio is a boy with a face resembling a frog's, named Fusuke. What awaits them in this strange new world? The crossover is directed by Noriyuki Abe, who worked with both franchises in the past, and the creators of Naruto and Ninku helped oversee the story, while Pierrot Films is handling the production. They were also responsible for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, a project that marked a significant leap in the studio's animation quality, so fans can look forward to plenty of ninja action. The official Naruto website features visual material related to the crossover, as well as detailed summaries of each series and its characters, which helps to fuel fans' interest in the new series. Naruto x Ninku's Release Date Is Coming Sooner Than Fans Expected There's currently no release date for when the Naruto x Ninku episodes will air. This crossover is part of "Project Rasengan", appearing on the series' roadmap for upcoming releases between 2027 and 2029. Although it lacks a specific date, unlike the Naruto Card Game, which is scheduled for a global launch in June 2027, its placement on the roadmap suggests that this special could be released during the first half of 2027. Luckily, fans won't have to wait too long for further updates since the release date for Naruto x Ninku is expected to be confirmed during the Naruto panel at Jump Festa 2027. The panel will take place on Saturday, December 19, 2026. In recent years, Studio Pierrot has had a rather packed schedule, with several major projects either in production or recently released. But perhaps the biggest obstacle to the return of Naruto's anime thus far has been Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, a series in which Studio Pierrot invested a significant amount of time and personnel to ensure a high-end adaptation. However, now that Bleach's anime has concluded, the studio’s most prominent series is Black Clover, which is also nearing its end. Given the popularity of Naruto, it is highly likely that fans will see its anime return soon. Naruto's Ninku Crossover May Be Just the Beginning of a Bigger Anime Comeback Despite the Ninku crossover not being what fans had expected, they probably have more reasons to be hopeful than not. Project Rasengan made it clear that this special is just the first step in the plans for the franchise, so fans can look forward to more anime content, including the continuation of Boruto's anime. Naruto is not some wildcard whose appeal or fanbase is unclear. The series represents one of the largest anime/manga franchises in the world. Naruto is the sixth best-selling manga of all time. If for no other reason, Naruto's popularity makes the anime's return feel bigger than ever. Signs are pointing toward good things in the future for fans of the biggest ninja anime in the world, both in terms of the manga and the animated format. A case in point is that Kishimoto is launching a new Naruto sequel in manga form, which could potentially be adapted into an anime. Another great story that new Naruto anime projects could cover is the short manga revolving around Naruto's mom and dad titled Naruto: The Whorl Within The Spiral. After winning the Naruto worldwide popularity poll, the Fourth Hokage and father of Naruto, Minato Namikaze, received his own short story written and even illustrated by series author Masashi Kishimoto. Minato's manga definitively proved that the Naruto series still has great stories to tell, and it would be a fantastic project to adapt into anime. How Naruto's Original Anime Grew Into a Global Sensation The original anime adaptation of Naruto premiered in October 2002 and ran for 220 episodes. The follow-up series, Naruto: Shippuden, aired shortly after the original series ended in February 2007 and ran until March 2017. While the series generally followed the plot of Kishimoto's original manga, there were a number of anime-only Naruto stories called filler by fans. During their run, Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden grew to become international hits and beloved pillars of anime fandom. The story of a young Naruto bootstrapping his way to success is a story that appeals to a wide range of people and cultures. The diversity and complexity of the Narutoverse also make it easy for fans to see themselves in many of its characters. With Boruto: Two Blue Vortex bringing new life to the sequel series and Naruto's anime set to return, it's never been a better time to be a fan of Masashi Kishimoto's ninja world. Creator(s) Masashi Kishimoto, Kōji Kiriyama