Masashi Kishimoto Returns for New Naruto Manga at New York Comic Con 2026

A new Naruto manga was announced at New York Comic Con 2026. It will be titled Naruto: Shadow Rising and set between the original series and Boruto. Fans also learned about a four-part spin-off anime crossover called Naruto x Ninkū.

The announcement confirmed that creator Masashi Kishimoto will write and draw the new manga himself. A trailer for the project premiered at the event to share this news with fans. This marks a return to his direct involvement after years of limited work on the franchise.

Kishimoto mostly supervised the sequel Boruto while another artist handled the artwork. Mikio Ikemoto drew the art, which some readers consider less detailed than Kishimoto's style. Fans are excited because Kishimoto is back doing both writing and drawing duties.

Visuals in the trailer confirm the timeline of the story through specific character ages. A shot shows Sarada as a baby, and she is known to be eleven years old at the start of Boruto. This places the new manga roughly a decade before the sequel begins.

The press announcement also notes that Naruto and Sasuke fight in the series. They share another punch-up despite ending their original conflict together at the end of the first story. Details about this plot point remain unclear until more chapters are released.

The anime news involves a crossover miniseries with a property called Ninkū. Many Western fans were confused by this title because the work is less known outside Japan. Kishimoto has stated that he created Naruto to see what happens after Ninkū.

He explained that without Ninkū, his main series would not exist. The connection is significant since the original Ninkū anime is considered lost media in the West. A 1995 English dub of the show has not survived for local audiences.

The first chapter of the new manga drops in 2027. Kishimoto seems very excited about the project and its roots. Fans will wait to see if the story matches their expectations.