Naruto will be returning to our screens for the 20th Anniversary after all, as some form of new episodes of the beloved anime have been acknowledged by TV Tokyo.
It wasn’t long after debuting in 2022 that Naruto became regarded as one of the best anime available. The shonen series about a young ninja and his friends has become a massive franchise in the years since, with multiple anime shows and manga.
The original anime run ended in 2007 before moving onto Naruto: Shippuden, which ran from 2007 to 2017. Since 2022 marked the 20 year anniversary of Naruto ninja-running into our hearts and taking over anime conventions worldwide, a return to this era of the franchise was announced.
These episodes were due to start in September 2023, but got delayed in order to improve the overall quality. Updates became scant, until recently.
The Naruto 20th anniversary “new animation” will arrive sometime this fiscal year, meaning between now and March 2025, according to Ichiro Ishikawa, President & Representative Director of TV Tokyo. The comments were made during a financial results Q&A, as translated by Shonen Jump News.
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NARUTO TV Anime 'New Animation' would be scheduled to 'broadcast during the current fiscal year to commemorate its 20th Anniversary'.This is according to the latest TV Tokyo Financial Results' Q&A session with Ichiro Ishikawa held on May 21st, 2024.https://t.co/IfOTWfFIBV pic.twitter.com/qbKB4rrOOC
— Shonen Jump News (@WSJ_manga) May 26, 2024
Such a definitive release window is welcome news, since previously we knew they were coming with no ETA whatsoever. March 2025 might seem pretty far away, but it’s really only nine months. Ironically, we’ll be closer to the 25th Anniversary by then, but new Naruto is new Naruto.
We know the episodes will take place sometime during Naruto and Shippuden, but what that’ll entail remains a mystery. The anime covered the manga pretty thoroughly, creating some Naruto filler along the way. The likelihood is this will be a fresh story for fans, and probably something that’ll tug on our heartstrings as we try to avoid acknowledging we’re now 20 years older.
If you’d like to know what’s happening in the franchise right now, our guide to Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 11 will get you right up to speed, and we have a feature on how Boruto: Two Blue Vortex ruins the series’ best moment.