PROJECT RASENGAN: Kishimoto Returns with a New Naruto Manga and a Ninkū Crossover Anime
On Naruto's birthday at NYCC 2026, Masashi Kishimoto announced Shadow Rising a new manga he's writing AND drawing plus a four episode NARUTO×NINKŪ crossover anime. Here's everything announced under PROJECT RASENGAN.
October 10, 2026 — New York Comic Con
On Naruto's birthday October 10, Masashi Kishimoto dropped two announcements that sent the fandom straight into chaos. At the "NARUTO: What's Next?" special stage at New York Comic Con 2026, VIZ Media and the Naruto franchise unveiled PROJECT RASENGAN, a multi year roadmap for the franchise that includes a brand new manga written and drawn by Kishimoto himself, and a four episode crossover anime that brings Team 7 face to face with the series that inspired Naruto to exist in the first place.
Yeah. Let's break all of it down.
PROJECT RASENGAN
PROJECT RASENGAN is the umbrella name for everything the franchise has planned across manga, anime, gaming, and merchandise through 2029. It's the 25th anniversary push and instead of just a Blu ray box set and a theme park collab, they're actually making things. New things. Story things.
Two headline announcements:
- Naruto: Shadow Rising — a brand new manga drawn by Masashi Kishimoto himself
- NARUTO×NINKŪ — a four episode limited crossover anime series
There's more in the roadmap (a worldwide trading card game launch in June 2027, a global rollout of the Naruto mobile game, and a brief update on the live-action film), but these two are the ones fans came back from work early to talk about. So let's go in order.
Naruto: Shadow Rising
The teaser video all storyboards and ink sketches in Kishimoto's unmistakable hand confirms it plainly: "A new Naruto manga drawn by Masashi Kishimoto." And at the very end, the title drops in bold red brushstroke text: SHADOW RISING NARUTO.
This is not a spin off. This is not Kishimoto supervising someone else. He's writing it and drawing it the first time he's handled both duties on a serialized Naruto project since the original manga ended in 2014.
What do we know about the story? Not a lot yet that's mostly intentional. The teaser storyboards reveal:
- The stone faces of the six previous Hokage watch over the Hidden Leaf Village, with the Seventh's face still under construction
- Naruto is shown holding a Hokage hat, Team 7 is present as adults Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura
- Sakura is cradling a baby (presumably infant Sarada)
- The PV closes on a clash between Naruto and Sasuke
The working read from what's been shown: this is set in the Blank Period — the roughly 15 year gap between the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War and the start of the Boruto era. Naruto around age 21, transitioning into his role as Hokage, Team 7 still together in their prime. Kishimoto returning to fill in the years everyone always wished had been on page.
More details are locked in for Jump Festa 2027 on December 19–20 in Chiba, Japan that's when we expect a release window, a chapter count, and likely the first real look at the art direction.
NARUTO×NINKŪ
This one needs context if you're not deep in manga history, so let's give it.
NINKŪ is a manga by Koji Kiriyama that ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1993 to 1994. It followed a boy named Fūsuke, a former soldier with the face of a frog who channels his inner energy through martial arts. It's quirky, emotional, and ahead of its time. It's also the series Masashi Kishimoto has called a foundational influence on his career. He has said Naruto would not exist without it. He's even called Fūsuke Naruto's "secret mentor" saying he created Naruto because he wanted to see what a continuation of Fūsuke's journey would look like.
So this crossover isn't a marketing gimmick. It's Kishimoto finally closing a loop that's been open for over 30 years.
The Story
Team 7 receives a mission from Kakashi. When Kakashi can't join them on the ground, he assigns Naruto as acting captain. Things go sideways, and the trio ends up transported into another world, the world of NINKŪ where they cross paths with Fūsuke.
That's the premise. Four episodes. Studio Pierrot handling production. And before you worry about filler energy: the entire project is supervised by both Masashi Kishimoto and Koji Kiriyama. Both creators are hands on.
The Team Behind It
- Director: Noriyuki Abe — who directed the original NINKŪ anime (1995–1996) and the first 104 episodes of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
- Character Design / Chief Animation Director: Tetsuya Nishio — who worked on both NINKŪ and the Naruto series
These are people who know these characters from the ground up. That's a good sign.
Voice Cast
The original Japanese cast is back across the board:
| Character | Voice Actor |
|---|---|
| Naruto Uzumaki | Junko Takeuchi |
| Sasuke Uchiha | Noriaki Sugiyama |
| Sakura Haruno | Chie Nakamura |
| Kakashi Hatake | Kazuhiko Inoue |
| Fūsuke | Rica Matsumoto (reprising her 1995 role) |
| Aicho | Mitsuaki Madono |
| Toji | Jurota Kosugi |
| Rihoko | Megumi Hayashibara |
| Hiroyuki | Katsumi Suzuki |
Rica Matsumoto returning as Fūsuke is the detail that really seals it. She voiced the character in the original 1995–96 anime and is back to do it again which means whoever is writing the Japanese dialogue has to clear the bar of the original actress agreeing to return.
The Music
FLOW, the band behind "GO!!!", one of the most iconic Naruto openings is performing both the opening and ending themes. The opening is "GO!!! (20th Anniversary ver.)" and the ending is "Viva★Rock." If you need one more reason to care about this project, that's it.
No release date has been confirmed yet. The project has been in development since at least 2023 (it was originally planned for the 20th anniversary of the anime before production delays pushed it back), which means it's had time to cook. Whenever it drops, it's going to land with weight.
Everything Else in PROJECT RASENGAN
Beyond the two main announcements:
- Naruto Card Game — worldwide launch in June 2027, with starter decks and booster sets releasing globally at the same time (no regional delays)
- Naruto Mobile — the competitive action game that's been China-exclusive since 2016 is finally getting a global release
- Live-Action Film — Director Destin Daniel Cretton sent a video message to the NYCC crowd saying his team is approaching the production "with a lot of care" and will share more information soon
No trailer. No cast. Just vibes from Cretton but the fact that he showed up at all suggests the film is far enough along to stay on the radar.
Final Thought
This is not a "Naruto is back" announcement in the cynical sense, in the sense of slapping the logo on something and calling it a day. Kishimoto is drawing again. The crossover that got quietly delayed for three years is finally coming back with its original director and a voice cast that makes it feel like 2005 in the best way. And the roadmap stretches through 2029, which means this is just the opening move.
For fans who waited out the slow years of Boruto wondering if the original magic was ever coming back: it looks like Kishimoto heard you.
More details at Jump Festa 2027. December 19.
