Seventeen years after the end of the original anime seriesNaruto“, and after its continuation “Naruto Shippuden”And the spin-off series“Boruto: Naruto Next Generations“, the series is scheduled to return sometime in the next fiscal year. The information was revealed in a Q&A session report on TV Tokyo’s financial results with Ichiro IshikawaPresident and Representative Director of TV Tokyo Holdings.

In early July 2023, the official “Naruto” Twitter account announced that four new episodes of the original anime series would begin airing later that year on September 3. These episodes were designed to celebrate the series' 20th anniversary, as "Naruto" debuted on screens in October 2002. However, on August 29, 2023, it was announced that the four episodes would be delayed indefinitely due to production quality issues. So far there has been no further news on the status of the new episodes, so the appearance of the new report is very welcome news for fans of the franchise who have been waiting with no end in sight for the seemingly indefinite hiatus.

In the TV Tokyo report, Ishikawa commented on the franchise: “The new Boruto series is currently on hiatus, but a new Naruto television anime is scheduled to air this fiscal year to celebrate its 20th anniversary. In terms of distribution, we are expanding worldwide, and we also work in Latin America and the Middle East, leaving Eastern Europe. We are in the final stages of negotiations to find a good partner to take care of the related business.». If aired according to this schedule, new episodes of Naruto could premiere any time between now and the end of the current fiscal year (March 31, 2025).

The four special anniversary episodes of “Naruto” were initially announced on the official website, along with a first video: «The members of Team 7 before Shippuden – Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi – appear in the teaser visual. What kind of story will be told in this new NARUTO animation? Pay attention!». Since the “Boruto” anime has not aired since March 2023, viewers have not received any new content for some time. The second part of the Boruto manga, titled “Boruto: Two Blue Vortex,” is also in the works, with very positive reception and strong sales in Japan.

The “Naruto” franchise began as a manga written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto and published in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999. It has since spawned the first “Naruto” anime series (2002–2007), a second anime series titled “Naruto Shippuden” (2007–2017), eleven feature-length films (the most recent of which premiered in 2015), and numerous video games, along with its aforementioned “Boruto” manga and anime iterations. Since 2015, Lionsgate has been developing a live-action film, which has the support of Kishimoto himself, although there are no further details yet.

Source: WSJ Manga

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