Exciting New Naruto Manga and Spin-Off Anime Unveiled at New York Comic Con

A new Naruto manga, set between the conclusion of the original series and the start of Boruto, was unveiled last night at New York Comic Con 2026. Alongside this, a four-part Naruto spin-off anime was also announced, but hold your excitement until you hear all the details.

The trailer for the new manga, titled Naruto: Shadow Rising, debuted at NYCC, and while there’s plenty to unpack, the most thrilling aspect is right in the title: Masashi Kishimoto will be both writing and illustrating it.

To give some context and explain the buzz among Naruto fans, Kishimoto is the creator of the original Naruto manga, but he primarily oversaw the production of its polarizing sequel, Boruto. Regardless of your stance on Boruto, it’s hard to deny that Mikio Ikemoto’s artwork doesn’t quite measure up to Kishimoto’s style.

The trailer also features a glimpse of Sarada, Sasuke’s daughter, confirming the timeline for Naruto: Shadow Rising. Sarada appears as a baby, and since she’s 11 at the beginning of Boruto, this places the new manga roughly a decade earlier.

We also catch a scene of Naruto and Sasuke engaging in yet another brawl, which the official Naruto website specifically highlights in their press release.

As for the plot, details remain scarce, so we’re all left guessing—especially since Naruto ends with the two characters reconciling, while Boruto kicks off with them as close allies. We’ll have to wait until the first chapter drops in 2027 to learn more.

And yes, there’s also a new four-part anime on the way. This crossover miniseries between Naruto and Ninkū is titled… Naruto x Ninkū. If your immediate reaction is “Who the heck is Ninkū?” you’re not alone; many in the Western Naruto fandom were puzzled by the announcement trailer.

Honestly, I like to think I know a fair bit about manga, and even I had forgotten about Ninkū. However, the connection between these two properties is significant, as Kishimoto has previously mentioned that Ninkū was a major inspiration for Naruto.

To back this up, here’s a direct quote from Kishimoto following the announcement of Naruto x Ninkū: “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.”

Interestingly, Ninkū is quite popular in Japan, but it never really caught on with Western audiences. This might be partly because the English dub of the original 1995 Ninkū anime is considered lost media. But hey, at least Kishimoto seems genuinely excited about it.