It has been three and a half years since the last anime TV or movie release of any kind for the Naruto franchise. The most recent installment was Boruto: Naruto Next Generations episode 293, in which Naruto's son makes a miraculous return, but in exchange for him being changed forever on a DNA level. But yet, the latest confirmation of a new Naruto project to get further unveiling at New York Comic Con 2026 strongly suggests the original Konoha shinobi who started it all is getting a proper anime sequel. But as VIZ Media's press release, and further reporting via Variety suggested last month, the most concrete announcement so far was surprisingly for a new animated Naruto film.
Naturally, even a new Naruto anime movie would be thrilling news, especially as major movies set in massive shonen universes are dominating public discourse. One Piece is debuting two films including a closer canonical look at God Valley, and Demon Slayer has topped all-time box office revenue records twice now with (timed) theater-exclusive debuts of two major anime arcs ahead of going to streaming. A Naruto film would at least satisfy fan curiosity about what's next in the franchise, but as everyone knows, VIZ Media isn't the only company connected to the franchise leaving major hints about the October 10 announcement.
Speculation has been running high on just how the Naruto franchise could expand outward with its October 10 "NARUTO: What's Next?" panel at New York Comic Con 2026. It teases various surprise announcements regarding other media developments on top of news about its brand-new Naruto Card Game, with the Naruto film as a headliner confirmation ahead of the panel raises several questions. Will this film cover new territory? Where in the timeline will the next Naruto movie take place? Perhaps most crucially, though, it begs the question of what other affiliates are saying in addition to this. There's even debate about the conflicting wording or translation between trustworthy sources.
VIZ Media's press release hints at the following announcements to feature at Naruto's NYCC 2026 panel:
While VIZ is touting its film news front and center, the Naruto website's English news portal is intentionally vague and keeping fans focused on the simple truth that, film or TV show, this is a new Naruto anime. In addition to the Boruto 10th Anniversary's special site portal teasing another announcement, which could just as easily be another manga trailer, speculation is swirling as violently as a Rasengan, especially with various social channels and the event's upcoming YouTube livestream mentioning a "New NARUTO TV Anime Limited Series".
The short answer is there's no explicit confirmation that one possibility invalidates the other. In fact, a Naruto or Boruto anime announcement could just as easily have room alongside a film announcement, with "other media developments" fitting nicely either way. One can only hope, though, that the VIZ press release isn't a misinterpretation of Pierrot Films and production producer Yoshihiko Tominaga's presence on the panel as a confirmation of a movie rather than a TV show. Following ScreenRant's inquiry about this, VIZ confirmed that, beyond their current press release, there is no further point of reference or clarity at this moment. Any updates before October 10 will be reflected here.
Back on March 9, 2023, Naruto's anime announced as part of its 20th Anniversary celebration that four brand-new episodes would be released in September later that year. September came and went, along with three more years, and nothing ever materialized. But among its various teases, a new key visual of Team 7 was released on July 22, again in 2023, only for silence after its anticipated limited weekly run set for September 3.
That same key visual is now featured on the same news posting discussing the global reveal of a "completely new Naruto anime". It stands to reason that, should we indeed get a limited series among the announcements, this will be how those promised four episodes will release.
Jujutsu Kaisen represents the bold new world of shonen anime, but as a new Naruto series approaches, we may see this landscape change once again.
It'd be a stretch to go further by assuming that Naruto's length lends itself nicely to a feature-length premiere a la Dandadan: Evil Eye outright. But it's also not outside the realm of the possibility of re-cutting Naruto's four episodes into a movie, albeit a possibly disjointed one. But even this premiere would have Naruto fans happily seated, and with there already being confirmation of Boruto's anime return for quite some time at this point, alongside the new Naruto Card Game, more monthly chapters of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, and whatever other surprises may come on Naruto's birthday, the October 10 stream is a must-see event for anyone calling themselves a Naruto fan.
It's certainly still true that Naruto's franchise has been technically active since 2023. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex debuted later that year and has released regular monthly installments. Video games like Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections and Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker have continued to get updates as recently as the past two months, collectively. The Naruto Card Game will debut in 2027, and Destin Daniel Cretton's Naruto film will unite the fandom and likely brand-new audiences for the big screen. But even then, the fandom that latched on from the beginning will easily still get the most excited for more Naruto anime.
The various announcements teased at this event don't have to do much more than what's already recently appeared. Little Golden Books has even unleashed a ninja-themed alphabet book over the past month, and various voice cast members have discussed at varying lengths about their involvement in future Naruto projects. Pain's voice actor Troy Baker even recently confirmed to ScreenRant that he'd be open to returning if the right role comes along, in response to inquiries about whether he'd be interested in voice work for Boruto. But a major mainline Naruto anime announcement, plus whatever surprises may come, will be the keystone event making everything around it more meaningful by extension.
