Naruto x NINKŪ Anime and Shadow Rising Manga Revealed

Naruto is preparing to open two new creative lanes at once. A new TV anime, NARUTOxNINKŪ, will bring Team 7 into a crossover with NINKŪ, while a separate manga project titled Shadow Rising is set to mark another Naruto manga from series creator Masashi Kishimoto. Both projects were unveiled during a Naruto panel at New York Comic Con, with the manga reveal held until the end of the presentation.

The announcements matter because they point in different directions rather than simply revisiting one existing Naruto format. The anime uses a crossover premise and places Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura together on a new mission. Shadow Rising, meanwhile, has been announced by title only so far. There is no confirmed story synopsis, format, release date, publisher detail or creative information beyond Kishimoto’s involvement in the material provided. More information is expected at Jump Festa 2027 in December.

What is NARUTOxNINKŪ?

NARUTOxNINKŪ is an anime television crossover supervised by Kishimoto and NINKŪ creator Koji Kiriyama. In a crossover, characters or settings from separate properties meet within a shared story. That distinction is important: this is not currently described as a standard continuation of Naruto’s primary story, and the announcement does not establish whether it will affect any other Naruto continuity.

The supplied premise starts with Team 7 receiving a mission from Kakashi. Because Kakashi cannot join the operation, Naruto is made acting leader. Naruto takes the responsibility seriously and is eager to prove he can lead the mission to success. The setup then takes an overtly fantastical turn: Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura become lost in another world.

There they encounter Fūsuke, a boy whose face resembles a frog’s. That character and the unfamiliar world establish the story’s direct connection to NINKŪ. Beyond that initial meeting, the announced material deliberately leaves the conflict and stakes open. Fans do not yet have confirmation of the mission’s objective, the nature of the new world, the extent of Fūsuke’s role, the anime’s episode count, its staff beyond the two supervisors, or a release window.

Why Naruto leading Team 7 is central to the setup

Naruto’s appointment is more than a reason for the trio to begin moving. It gives the crossover a clear character engine before the world-hopping element arrives. The mission puts Naruto in a position normally occupied by Kakashi, asking him to take responsibility for both the task and the group while travelling with Sasuke and Sakura.

That does not mean the anime has been confirmed as a leadership-focused story; it has not. But the official outline does make Naruto’s role as acting leader one of its first plot points. For viewers, that is a useful clue about what to expect from the opening: a Team 7 mission, Naruto’s enthusiasm, an unexpected displacement into another setting, and an encounter that connects the adventure to Fūsuke.

The supervision arrangement is also worth separating from more specific production claims. Kishimoto and Kiriyama are identified as supervisors, which indicates creator involvement in overseeing the crossover. It does not, on its own, confirm who is writing individual episodes, animating the series, directing it, producing it, or adapting the story. Those details remain unannounced.

Shadow Rising is a manga reveal, not yet a full roadmap

Shadow Rising was unveiled in a teaser at the close of the panel and is identified as a new Naruto manga by Kishimoto. That is the firm information currently available. Its title may naturally invite theories, but no supplied details define its protagonist, time period, place in the wider Naruto narrative, length, serialization plan, artist credits, or release date.

That uncertainty is especially relevant for anyone trying to determine whether the manga is a sequel, a side story, a prequel, a one-shot or something else entirely. None of those labels has been confirmed. The most reliable reading at this point is simply that a distinct Naruto manga project called Shadow Rising exists and is due for a fuller presentation at Jump Festa 2027.

Waiting for the December update is likely to be more useful than treating the teaser as a complete announcement. A title reveal can establish a project’s identity without revealing its story mechanics. Until additional material arrives, readers should distinguish between confirmed facts—the title, Kishimoto’s connection and the planned future information—and speculation about what “shadow” or “rising” might signify in Naruto terms.

The live-action Naruto film is still being made

The panel also included a message from live-action Naruto film director Destin Daniel Cretton. His update did not provide casting, a release date, story specifics or a production timetable. It did, however, reiterate that work on the film is continuing.

Cretton emphasized what he sees as Naruto’s defining dramatic quality: a character who can be underestimated, fail, and still keep pursuing his goals and protecting the people important to him. He also said the film team is approaching Kishimoto’s world, relationships and character journeys carefully. That frames the adaptation’s stated priority as preserving the emotional qualities associated with Naruto, rather than confirming any particular scene, arc or version of Team 7 for the movie.

Earlier this summer, the production began a worldwide search for Team 7. The new message refers back to that process but does not announce any performers. In practical terms, the live-action project remains a work in progress, and any claims about its final cast or storyline go beyond the information currently shared.

Adaptations such as this face a different challenge from an anime crossover. A crossover can use an explicitly strange premise—here, Team 7 entering another world—to let two sets of characters collide. A live-action feature instead needs to turn Naruto’s world and relationships into a single film narrative. Cretton’s comments suggest the production is centering Naruto’s perseverance and heart, but audiences will need to wait for future updates to see how that intent takes shape onscreen. For another recent piece of character-focused film coverage, see this look at Arabella Olivia Clark’s work on Other Mommy.

What fans can safely take from the announcements

Confirmed: NARUTOxNINKŪ is a new anime TV crossover supervised by Masashi Kishimoto and Koji Kiriyama.
Confirmed: Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are sent on a Kakashi-assigned mission, Naruto becomes acting leader, and the trio reaches another world where they meet Fūsuke.
Confirmed: Shadow Rising is a newly revealed Naruto manga connected to Kishimoto, with more details planned for Jump Festa 2027 in December.
Confirmed: Destin Daniel Cretton says the live-action Naruto film is actively being made.
Not confirmed: Release dates, platforms, episode totals, manga story details, film casting and the live-action movie’s plot.

The immediate result is an unusually broad Naruto slate: a new animated meeting between Naruto and NINKŪ, an as-yet-undefined manga, and a live-action film still progressing behind the scenes. Of those, the crossover has the clearest premise today. Shadow Rising is the bigger unknown, while the film update is a reminder that the screen adaptation has not gone quiet even without a new cast or release announcement.