New 'Naruto' Anime and 'Shadow Rising' Manga Unveiled at Comic Con

Masashi Kishimoto announced a new "Naruto" anime TV series and a new manga, "Shadow Rising," at New York Comic Con on Saturday. The reveal landed at the end of a "Naruto" panel that also carried a message from live-action film director Destin Daniel Cretton.

The anime, titled "NARUTOxNINKŪ," crosses the ninja franchise over with Koji Kiriyama's manga "NINKŪ." Both Kishimoto and Kiriyama will supervise the project.

What do we know about the crossover?

The official description sets the premise. "Team 7 members Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are given a mission by Kakashi. Since Kakashi cannot participate himself, Naruto is appointed acting leader," it reads. "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 Fūsuke. What awaits them in this strange new world?"

So the mechanism is straightforward: a standard mission gone sideways drops Team 7 into "NINKŪ's" world, with Naruto, not Kakashi, calling the shots. Fūsuke — the frog-faced boy from Kiriyama's series — is the point of contact between the two universes.

What is "Shadow Rising"?

The new manga announcement closed the panel via a teaser video. It confirmed that Kishimoto is writing another "Naruto" manga, but held back the substance: more details will arrive at Jump Festa 2027 in December. Jump Festa is Shueisha's annual fan convention, a standard venue for franchise announcements.

That's a long runway. Fans wanting story details, format (serialization or one-shot), or an artist credit will have to wait roughly two years.

The live-action film inches forward

Destin Daniel Cretton, director of the upcoming "Naruto" live-action movie, sent a message to the panel teasing the film's progress.

"When we kicked off our worldwide search for Team 7 this summer, I talked about what an honor it is to bring Kishimoto-sensei's incredible world and characters to life," Cretton wrote. "The further we get into making this film, the more excited I am about what we're creating. What I've always loved about Naruto is that he's the character who might normally get sidelined as a sidekick. He's excitable, he tries too hard, and people underestimate him. But he has an incredible heart. No matter how many times he fails or gets knocked down, he never stops believing in himself or fighting for the people he loves. That spirit is at the heart of the story we're telling."

Cretton added that the production is "approaching the world, relationships, and journeys Kishimoto-sensei created with a lot of care," and closed with: "We're hard at work and will have more to share soon. Until then, thank you for your passion, your patience, and for being along for the ride. I can't wait for you to see what's ahead!"

No casting was announced. The worldwide search for the three leads began this past summer, per Cretton's message.

What does this change for the franchise?

Plenty, on paper. "Naruto" now has three active projects running in parallel: a crossover anime supervised by both creators, a fresh manga from Kishimoto, and a Hollywood adaptation in production. The December 2027 Jump Festa date is the next hard milestone — and the place where "Shadow Rising" either becomes a full revival or a commemorative one-off.