The Naruto franchise is getting a new television anime series — and Viz Media is saving the details for New York Comic Con. The publisher confirmed on September 28 that a new Naruto TV anime “limited” series is in the works, with the full reveal set for the “NARUTO: What’s Next?” panel on October 10.
That panel runs at 5:00 p.m. EDT (2:00 p.m. PDT, or October 11 at 6:00 a.m. JST) and will be livestreamed worldwide through the franchise’s official YouTube channel. Junko Takeuchi and Noriaki Sugiyama — the Japanese voices of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha — are set to appear, along with a Pierrot Films executive producer and a representative from Bandai.
The word “limited” is doing a lot of work in that announcement. It points to a short, self-contained run rather than the long-running weekly format the franchise used for most of its history, which fits the shape of the project fans have been waiting on for years.
What the new series is expected to be
Viz has not described what the new anime will actually contain. CBR reports that the limited series is expected to be the four-part 20th-anniversary anime project that was originally scheduled to premiere in 2023 and was postponed shortly before its debut, with no replacement date offered at the time. That framing has not been confirmed by Viz, and the October 10 panel is where the specifics are expected to land.
A separate report is also circulating. CBR notes that a Variety report suggested a new animated Naruto movie would be announced. As of now that is a rumour attributed to Variety, not a confirmed project, and it should be read alongside the panel rather than ahead of it.
Where the franchise stands
Masashi Kishimoto launched the Naruto ninja manga in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999 and ended it in November 2014. The series went on to spawn the Naruto and Naruto Shippūden television anime, original video anime projects, several anime films, spinoff manga, the Boruto sequel manga and anime, a run of novels, stage plays and video games.
That is the context that makes a new “limited” TV anime a notable event rather than a routine one. The main television continuity that carried the story for more than 15 years ended, and the franchise has since expanded sideways — into a sequel generation, films and stage productions — rather than forward. A new anime set within the original story is a different proposition, and the wording around the panel suggests the announcement is being treated as a headline reveal.
The live-action film is moving too
Separately, Lionsgate is producing a Hollywood live-action film adaptation of the manga. The official franchise website announced on July 10 that the project had opened a global casting search for Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, with other characters to follow later. Charles Melton (Riverdale, Beef) is in final negotiations to play the mentoring ninja Kakashi Hatake.
Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man: Brand New Day) is directing and producing the film through his company Hisako alongside Jeyun Munford. Arad Productions’ Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Emmy Yu as well as Jeremy Latcham are listed as producers.
Why it matters
For a franchise that has been quiet on the anime front, a new limited series is the kind of announcement that reshapes the calendar rather than fills a slot in it. If the project is the delayed anniversary special, it would close a loop that has been open since 2023 and give the original cast — Takeuchi and Sugiyama included — a formal return rather than a legacy appearance.
It also gives the October 10 panel real weight. New York Comic Con announcements are usually previews, but here Viz has already confirmed the existence of a new anime before the event, which means the panel is expected to deliver release information rather than a teaser that raises more questions. Fans who want the date, the format and the staff in one place will get their answer on October 10, and we will update this article when the panel does.
More 2027 anime continues to accumulate across the industry — see our 2027 anime releases guide for the titles already dated, and our Fall 2026 season guide for what is airing right now.
Source: Anime News Network · CBR
Featured image: Naruto Uzumaki in the anime, via CBR / Studio Pierrot.
