During the ‘Naruto: What’s Next?’ panel at New York Comic-Con 2026, fans were treated to exciting announcements for the Naruto franchise. Chief among them were Naruto Shadow Rising, a new manga series drawn by original series creator Masashi Kishimoto; and Naruto x Ninku, a new crossover anime mini-series.
Naruto Shadow Rising
Fans were shown a teaser trailer for Naruto Shadow Rising, an upcoming spinoff manga featuring art by original series creator Masashi Kishimoto. While plot details were scarce, fans can expect to hear more news at Jump Festa 2026, which takes place in Japan this December 19 to 20.
Naruto x Ninku
Also announced during the panel was Naruto x Ninku, a four-episode crossover mini-series featuring Ninku, a popular Japanese manga and anime series originally created by artist Koji Kiriyama. The Ninku series has been credited as one of Kishimoto’s main inspirations for Naruto, which led to the creation of the upcoming mini-series.
An official summary reads: “Team 7 members Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are given a mission by Kakashi. Since Kakashi cannot participate himself, Naruto is appointed acting leader. As a result of this decision, Naruto is fully motivated to make the mission a success. However, on the way, Team 7 finds themselves lost in another world.”
“What appears before the bewildered trio is a boy with a face resembling a frog’s, named Fūsuke. What awaits them in this strange new world? A brand new story supervised by Koji Kiriyama and Masashi Kishimoto that combines two legendary series, Naruto x Ninku, begins!”
Project Rasengan
Finally, fans were also given a sneak preview of “Project Rasengan”, a three-year roadmap outlining ambitious new projects for the Naruto franchise.
Aside from the anime and manga series mentioned above, the roadmap also included plans for a global launch of Naruto Mobile and the Naruto Card Game, with four more unannounced projects in the works.
Which announcement are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments!
