What Is Ninku? Naruto's New Anime Crossover, Explained

Published Oct 18, 2026, 3:30 PM EDT Since graduating from The Los Angeles Film School, Jason has worked as an editor for the local news, as well as a producer of several short films and podcasts. His extensive knowledge of film production and narrative storytelling has enabled him to travel the world, writing about the projects he is passionate about in the realms of film, anime, and gaming. "Every Day Is A Level Up" Details about the long-awaited Naruto anime return finally came to light in the form of a crossover that almost no one expected. The upcoming anime special will have a young Naruto somehow landing in the strange, yet familiar world of a series called Ninku. While it's a series that's nearly a complete unknown to Western audiences, it only requires a quick glance to see how much inspiration Naruto author Masashi Kishimoto gained from the series. The long-teased four-episode special centering on a young Team 7, before Sasuke's turn, has seemingly been on the back burner for years. Studio Pierrot (which produced the Naruto anime, as well as Ninku, and Yu Yu Hakusho to name a few) has been incredibly busy creating the amazing Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime arc, Black Clover, and others in a workload that has consistently impressed the world for decades. Now, after years of patience, the juggernaut studio is finally preparing to deliver more Naruto and Ninku…at the same time. Ninku Is A Story That Has Inspired Many The story of Ninku was originally created by mangaka Kōji Kiriyama and was published in Shōnen Jump during the 1990s. It contained around 80 chapters that focused on a strange-looking young boy named Fuusuke. His talents earned him a commanding role in a powerful rebel force of kung fu elemental power users. The group was called the Ninku, and the story takes place after a great war that nearly saw the land's repressive government destroyed by the group. However, the conflict mysteriously ended with the disbanding of the Ninku, and its surviving remnants being hunted by the government spreading misinformation. Much like Naruto, Ninku follows an unlikely protagonist who gathers a small group that develops into a cohesive and powerful force. Each team member has their own specialty and conflicting personalities that help create entertaining dynamics throughout the series. It doesn't take long to see how much Kiriyama's series inspired Naruto, especially when Fuusuke starts to demonstrate his considerable abilities. Without Ninku, There Would Be No Naruto Before Naruto became what many consider the best shōnen anime of all time, the general public's perception of a ninja was an intimidating warrior clad in black and especially talented with stealth. Naruto's loud demeanor and vibrant outfit are a direct contrast to that, and Ninku's Fuusuke also has an unassuming appearance that hides his true potential. While he prefers not to resort to violence, when push comes to shove, the small, frog-faced boy who can't keep his tongue in his mouth is capable of extreme speed, power, and using abilities that Naruto would become famous for. Fuusuke mastery of air manipulation is used with many creative facets involving both offense and defense. His signature attack, the Air Pressure Fist (aka Kuatsuken), sees the boy gather a concentration of air pressure within his fist in an attack that is clearly the inspiration for the now iconic Rasengan from Naruto. The young boy also uses a technique similar to Naruto's Shadow Clone technique by moving so fast that he creates what looks like multiple copies of himself. It's also similar to Goku's afterimage from Dragon Ball, but with many more illusory copies of himself. How To Watch/Read Ninku Before The Crossover While the series sounds like something that would air on Toonami along with Dragon Ball Z, Ninku's anime or manga was never officially distributed in the United States. Because a large portion of Naruto's English fans have never been introduced to Fuusuke or his world, they were perplexed by the announcement of the upcoming Naruto x Ninku crossover. Still, it's clear that Ninku played a huge role in inspiring Kishimoto's creation of his own beloved ninja tale, so it's likely a crossover he was more than excited to see come to fruition. After the four new Naruto episodes were announced to be a crossover special with Ninku, Studio Pierrot's official YouTube channel had the first five episodes of the Ninku anime uploaded to watch for free. The legendary anime production studio created both Naruto and Ninku's adaptations, with Ninku being directed by Noriyuki Abe after he finished the incredible Yu Yu Hakusho anime. The upcoming Naruto crossover has immediately increased the West's curiosity about Fuusuke's adventures; hopefully, it's enough to inspire an official release so that more people can get more excited for the crossover its creators are thrilled to pull together. TV Show(s) Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Video Game(s) Naruto: Clash Of Ninja Revolution 3, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja (2003), Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, Naruto: Rise Of A Ninja, Naruto: The Broken Bond, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, Naruto Shippuden Dragon Blade Chronicles, Naruto: Path Of The Ninja, Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections First Film Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow First TV Show Naruto Cast Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei Latest Film Boruto: Naruto the Movie