9 years ago, on March 23, 2027, Naruto and Sasuke officially bid farewell to all the fans across the world as the Naruto Shippuden anime series aired its last episode. The original story by Masashi Kishimoto ended here, and while the universe itself was expanded with manga series like Boruto, Naruto and Sasuke were never truly the same.
To the vast majority of the fans of these three characters all over the world, Naruto and Sasuke’s journey ended with the Naruto series. That is precisely why, ever since then, fans have been impatiently waiting for more exciting content from Masashi Kishimoto. Thankfully, their wishes have now been answered, as it has been officially confirmed that Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are set to make a comeback in an animated movie project, set to be announced next month, on October 10, 2026, on Naruto Uzumaki’s birthday.
On August 19, 2026, Viz Media officially confirmed to us that Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto franchise would be making an appearance at New York Comic Con 2026. This event will be held on October 10, 2026, which means that in about a month’s time from now, we will finally get access to some of the most exciting news to have come from the Naruto franchise in the last decade.
The initial announcement for the project came on August 19, 2026, and revealed to us that a new Naruto project would be announced in October. Now, it has been confirmed via a Viz Media press release, which came out on September 13, 2026, that Naruto is getting a new animated movie announcement on this date.
This should not be confused with the Boruto franchise, which is its own thing. This particular announcement is specifically for the Naruto franchise, which means that Studio Pierrot and Masashi Kishimoto are going back to the roots and delivering a brand-new, never-before-seen Naruto movie featuring the main cast, including Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake. It has also been confirmed that on October 10, 2026, Junko Takeuchi and Noriyaki Sugiyama, the voice actors for Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, respectively, are going to be present at the event as well, which makes things even more exciting.
Naruto Uzumaki And Sasuke Uchiha To Spearhead The New Naruto Movie
The news about Naruto getting a new animated movie was first broken by Variety, but now we have the latest Viz Media Press Release from September 13, 2026, which confirmed that this movie is indeed happening, and the major announcement and promotional content for it will be released on October 10, 2026. Unfortunately, right now we do not know what exactly this movie is going to be about and in what time period it is going to be set. What we can say with certainty is that both Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are finally coming back and leading this new project, much to the delight of the fans.
“Right now, miracles are happening to me, one after another. My work, Naruto, is truly, truly becoming a Hollywood movie! And an even greater miracle is that the film will be directed by the one and only Destin Daniel Cretton. I still cannot believe it! If so many miracles have already come together, then let us hope for even more. I am eagerly looking forward to the miraculous encounters that will bring us extraordinary and passionate actors! I cannot wait to meet my characters in the film!” — Kishimoto’s New Message
Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke have always been two of the most important characters in the entire franchise. Masashi Kishimoto has previously compared them to Yin and Yang, which goes to show that, despite not being the protagonist, Sasuke is just as important to Naruto Uzumaki. At the same time, Naruto himself has been absent from quite a lot of the Boruto manga as of late, and most fans are not happy with the treatment these characters have received.
More than that, fans crave more Naruto content, given that it is one of the most iconic anime franchises of all time and one that shaped the childhoods of millions. Now, finally, both Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke are going to return to spearhead this new movie, delivering exciting battles, revealing incredible new jutsu, and, above all, taking fans down memory lane once again.
What Will The New Naruto Movie Be About?
At this point in time, it is unclear as to what this new Naruto movie is going to be about. However, it must be remembered that in 2023, Studio Pierrot had announced four new Naruto episodes for the 20th anniversary of the series. These episodes were never delivered to us back then, but it is possible that, instead of being delivered as a TV anime, they were turned into a movie with additional polish and better content overall. If that is the case, then this movie is going to be set before the Shippuden era, and long before Sasuke Uchiha left Team 7. It would then also mean that Masashi Kishimoto’s involvement in the movie would be minimal. That is precisely why we do not believe that this movie is going to be simply a compilation of the four episodes that were previously announced.
It is highly likely that this new project that has seen the involvement of Masashi Kishimoto himself, will be completely separate from the episodes that were promised to us for the 20th anniversary of the anime. What fans want most of all is to see Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake return, but after the events of the Fourth Great Ninja War. In other words, most fans would prefer this movie to be a direct continuation of the Naruto anime that ended on March 23, 2017. That way, it could also open up the gateway for a new era of the Naruto series. It must be remembered that there is a 10-year blank period between the end of the original Naruto anime and the beginning of Boruto. This time period can easily be expanded upon, both in this movie and further new anime releases. Fans all over the world would rejoice at knowing that the Naruto series could make a potential comeback soon enough.
The good thing is that the wait until Naruto’s stage at New York Comic Con 2026 isn’t long. In just a few weeks’ time, we will finally find out what this new movie is going to be about and, most importantly, what time period it will be set in. Depending on that, the Naruto franchise could very well be due a revival, and Naruto and Sasuke’s adventures could finally continue. After the bitter taste that the Boruto series left in the mouths of many Naruto fans, it is about time that the original franchise gets revived on its own. In a time period where both Bleach and One Piece are delivering emphatic adaptations and expanding upon their story relentlessly, Naruto’s comeback is needed now more than ever.
All chapters of Naruto are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
