Naruto Shadow Rising: the return no one dared to hope for
Summary
A carved rock, a seventh face still unfinished. Twelve years after the final chapter, the dust settles over Konoha and the master’s pencil comes alive again. On October 10, the birthday of the blond ninja, Masashi Kishimoto announces NARUTO SHADOW RISING.
Vibe check: the NARUTO SHADOW RISING announcement shared by Ohta Media.
Naruto’s return at a glance
- Announcement: October 10, 2026, “NARUTO: What's Next?” panel at New York Comic Con
- Manga: NARUTO SHADOW RISING, written and drawn by Masashi Kishimoto
- Anime: NARUTO × NINKŪ, an unprecedented 4-episode crossover, Studio Pierrot Films
- ⏳ Last Naruto manga drawn by Kishimoto: completed in November 2014
- ️ Next event: Jump Festa 2027, December 19 and 20, 2026
Shadow Rising: Kishimoto picks up his pencil again, twelve years later
The New York Comic Con panel saved its surprise for last. A storyboard teaser, a title, a signature: Masashi Kishimoto is drawing it himself—both the story and the pages. The first time since the original manga ended in November 2014.
Since then, the sensei has never really left Konoha. He writes Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, but leaves the art to Mikio Ikemoto. His only attempt outside the ninja universe, Samurai 8, ended in 2020 after less than a year of publication.
That’s why this return carries so much weight. It’s not a spin-off entrusted to another artist. It’s the original art style emerging from its long hibernation—the one that shaped an entire generation of readers.
Just a few pages, and a timeline is already taking shape. The Hokage Rock displays its six historic faces, with the seventh still being carved. Naruto holds up the Hokage hat, Kakashi flashes a broad smile, and Sasuke stands tall.
Then come two images that change how you read it. Sakura leaning over a baby, her gaze tender. And a new clash between Naruto and Sasuke, as if their rivalry had never really gone to sleep.
Everything points to the transition period, after the war and before the Boruto era. Fans have been asking for this missing chapter in the story for ten years. Synopsis, magazine, format, release date? Nothing is official yet.
More than a crossover, a debt of honor
The second thunderclap speaks to the teenager Kishimoto once was. NARUTO × NINKŪ brings his work together with Ninkū, the manga by Koji Kiriyama that launched in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1993 and which he has always cited as his biggest influence.
The premise takes just a few lines. Team 7 goes on a mission without Kakashi, Naruto takes over as acting leader, and the trio is swept into another world. There, they meet Fūsuke, the frog-faced hero of Ninkū.
The staff has everyone covered. Noriyuki Abe, director of the Ninkū anime and later Boruto, is at the helm. Kishimoto and Kiriyama oversee every episode, and FLOW performs both the opening and ending themes. No release date has been announced yet.
Did you know?
Before Naruto, there was Ninkū. Koji Kiriyama’s manga was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1993 to 1995, then adapted into an anime by Studio Pierrot in 1995, already under the direction of Noriyuki Abe. Thirty years later, the same studio and director bring the two universes together.
Project Rasengan: why December will decide everything
These two announcements aren’t happening in isolation. They’re part of PROJECT RASENGAN, the franchise’s multi-year roadmap running through 2029. Also on the agenda: a Bandai card game set for a worldwide launch in 2027.
In Hollywood, Lionsgate’s live-action film is also moving forward, with Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) directing. The franchise is making moves on every front at once.
Our prediction: Jump Festa 2027, on December 19 and 20 at Makuhari Messe, will reveal the magazine and launch date for Shadow Rising. After a teaser like that, simply repeating the title would be a missed opportunity. Save the weekend.
KONOHA AWAKENS
Twelve years of sleep, a seventh face still trapped in stone, and a master picking up his pencil again. The shadow rises over Konoha, and the next chapter will be written in December.
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