Studio Pierrot producer: new Naruto anime has cinematic quality

Studio Pierrot producer Yoshihiko Tominaga said in an interview with Crunchyroll that the new Naruto anime will have modern, cinematic visual quality with fluid animation and character designs. Tominaga added that the improved quality is already visible in the anime's trailer, according to cbr.com.

The new Naruto anime is a crossover with Ninku and consists of four episodes. It follows Team 7 on a mission with Naruto as acting leader while Kakashi is absent; the team ends up in another world where they meet a frog-faced boy named Fusuke.

Tominaga said the story is set before volume 20 of the Naruto manga, before Tsunade returns to Konoha as the fifth Hokage. Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto, is supervising the anime along with Ninku creator Koji Kiriyama.

In 2023, the Naruto anniversary episodes were set to premiere but went on indefinite hiatus days before release so the animation quality could be improved. The new anime is part of the franchise's 25th anniversary and is believed to be the long-delayed 20th anniversary episodes, and it is the first animated Naruto release since Boruto: Naruto Next Generations went on indefinite hiatus.

In October 2026, Project Rasengan, a three-year initiative from 2027 to 2029, was unveiled at New York Comic Con, including a new manga titled Naruto Shadow Rising, a rumored anime film, a confirmed trading card game and the global release of Naruto Mobile.