Naruto: Kishimoto announces new manga and Project Rasengan

In one of the most impactful announcements in Japanese pop culture in recent years, the Naruto franchise revealed during New York Comic Con (NYCC 2026) the global initiative Project Rasengan, an ambitious multimedia expansion plan structured for the three-year span of 2027 to 2029. The highlight of the presentation was the official confirmation of a brand-new canonical manga written and drawn directly by the original creator, Masashi Kishimoto, titled Naruto: Shadow Rising. The author’s return to the drawing boards of his most celebrated universe ends a long hiatus and marks a new era for the work that redefined the ninja genre in anime worldwide.

The initiative goes beyond the new print publication. The roadmap released by publisher Shueisha and Bandai Namco spans four strategic pillars: production of an unreleased four-episode commemorative anime titled Naruto x Ninku, the long-awaited global launch of the acclaimed mobile fighting game Naruto Mobile and the worldwide debut of a competitive Trading Card Game (TCG) in June 2027, plus other projects in development to be detailed at upcoming international conventions.

Kishimoto’s return: What to expect from “Naruto: Shadow Rising”

Since the original Naruto manga concluded in 2014, Masashi Kishimoto had worked primarily as script supervisor on spin-off projects like Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, leaving illustration duties to his assistant Mikio Ikemoto. The news that Kishimoto will take up pencils and full inking again on Naruto: Shadow Rising caught fans by surprise and caused an immediate stir among collectors and comics enthusiasts around the planet.

Alongside the NYCC announcement, an enigmatic promotional video was released offering the first clues about the new plot’s timeline and tone. The teaser opens with a panoramic view of the Hokage Monument above the Hidden Leaf Village, showing the first six leaders carved in rock while the seventh face (Naruto Uzumaki’s) is still under construction. Then come nostalgic, unreleased sequences with the core members of Team 7:

• Naruto Uzumaki: Raising his ceremonial Hokage hat, pointing to a crucial period of political transition in Konoha.
• Kakashi Hatake: Wearing a serene smile in his final moments as Sixth Hokage.
• Sasuke Uchiha: Donning his traveler cloak and wielding his sword with solemn determination.
• Sakura Haruno: Tenderly watching a newborn in her arms, in a moving glimpse of the Uchiha family’s earliest days.

The clip ends with a dramatic clash of energies between Naruto and Sasuke, suggesting old differences or a new threat lurking in the shadows will test the unbreakable bonds the duo built over decades.

Although the detailed synopsis and release format (weekly or monthly) have not yet been made public, Shueisha confirmed the first pages and the official premiere date will be presented during Jump Festa 2027, set for December 19–20 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

“Naruto x Ninku”: The dream crossover with the classic that inspired the franchise

Another announcement that moved manga historians was the reveal of the special animated miniseries Naruto x Ninku. Made of four big-budget episodes, the production unites the Konoha ninja universe with Ninku, an absolute 1990s classic created by Koji Kiriyama. Both authors sign off as direct supervisors of each chapter.

The connection between the two properties runs deep and historic: as a young man, Masashi Kishimoto was a voracious reader of Ninku and has publicly stated in several interviews that the dynamism of the fights, body poses and the very concept of ninjutsu in his work were directly inspired by Kiriyama’s craft.

“I drew Naruto because I wanted to see what would happen next in Ninku, and I was deeply influenced by it. Without Ninku, Naruto simply would not exist. Finally making this meeting between the two works happen is the fulfillment of a dream I’ve nurtured my whole career.”

— Masashi Kishimoto, creator of Naruto

In the miniseries plot, Team 7 receives a special mission under Kakashi’s orders, with Naruto temporarily taking the team leader post alongside Sasuke and Sakura. While crossing a dimensional rift, the three are transported to an unknown world, where they cross paths with Fusuke, the frog-featured boy with legendary mastery of the Ninku martial arts. The project will bring back the legendary original voice actresses Junko Takeuchi (Naruto) and Rika Matsumoto (Fusuke).

Gaming expansion: Global Naruto Mobile launch and new TCG

The interactive universe gets heavy reinforcements too within Project Rasengan. Bandai Namco made official the worldwide launch of Naruto Mobile, the acclaimed 2D action-fighting game for smartphones originally released in 2016 in China by Tencent. Known for its fluid animations, technical combo gameplay and gigantic roster spanning the whole timeline from the classic series to Shippuden, the title was one of the international community’s longest-standing requests.

In parallel, the collectible card game market gets the Naruto Card Game in June 2027. The TCG will have simultaneous physical distribution in Japan, North America, Europe and Latin America, debuting with three ready-to-play Starter Decks based on Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara, alongside the first expansion set titled Uzumaki Naruto is Coming!, designed to attract both casual players and the professional competitive circuit.

The Leaf Village’s unshakable legacy

More than two decades after its first appearance in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1999, Naruto keeps proving its resilience as one of the biggest cultural phenomena in contemporary history. The Project Rasengan announcement and Masashi Kishimoto’s return to active drawing reaffirm that the Will of Fire’s flame burns brighter than ever, connecting generations of veteran readers to a young audience hungry for tales of overcoming and heroism.

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