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NARUTO x NINKU Crossover Anime Finally Revealed After 3-Year Delay
Naruto’s long-promised 20th anniversary anime finally has a name and a story. NARUTO x NINKU, a four-episode crossover with Koji Kiriyama’s 1990s ninja manga Ninku, was unveiled October 10 at the “NARUTO: What’s Next?” panel during New York Comic Con 2026, held fittingly on Naruto Uzumaki’s own birthday.
The project had been in limbo for more than three years. Originally scheduled to air on TV Tokyo across four consecutive weeks starting September 3, 2023, it was pulled shortly before broadcast so the production team could improve its quality, with no substantial update following until this week’s reveal.
A Mission That Goes Wrong in the Best Way
The story puts a young Team 7, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, on a mission assigned by Kakashi. Since Kakashi can’t join them himself, Naruto is appointed acting captain, and the group ends up accidentally wandering into the world of Ninku, crossing paths with that series’ protagonist, Fusuke.
It’s a crossover built on real creative history rather than just a marketing gimmick. Masashi Kishimoto has long credited Ninku as a direct influence on Naruto’s creation, and the new project’s teaser features a quote from him making that debt explicit: “Without Ninku, there would be no Naruto. I wanted to read more of Ninku, so I started drawing Naruto.”
Who’s Behind the Crossover
The anime is fully supervised by both creators, Koji Kiriyama and Kishimoto himself. Noriyuki Abe, who directed the original Ninku anime and currently serves as chief director on Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, is directing the crossover. Tetsuya Nishio, who has worked as character designer and chief animation director on both the Naruto and Ninku franchises, holds the same roles here, giving the project a direct link to both series’ visual identities.
Ninku itself began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1993 and ran for 55 episodes as an anime between January 1995 and February 1996, making it a direct predecessor to Naruto within the magazine’s history. Ahead of the crossover’s release, Studio Pierrot is streaming the first five episodes of the original Ninku anime for free on its YouTube channel, giving newer fans a way to catch up.
Part of a Bigger Naruto Push
The crossover reveal was one piece of a larger announcement slate at NYCC. VIZ Media also confirmed Project Rasengan, described as a multiyear global collaboration bringing new Naruto content to fans worldwide, alongside a Naruto Card Game launching globally in June 2027, plans to bring the existing Naruto mobile game to international audiences, and a teaser confirming Kishimoto is working on an entirely new manga.
No release date, episode schedule, or streaming platform has been confirmed yet for NARUTO x NINKU itself. For everything else coming out of this panel, our Naruto franchise news tracker covers Project Rasengan’s wider rollout as more details emerge.
FAQ
What is NARUTO x NINKU?
It’s a new four-episode crossover anime combining Naruto with Koji Kiriyama’s Ninku manga, sending a young Team 7 into the world of Ninku on a mission gone sideways.
When does NARUTO x NINKU release?
No release date has been announced yet. The project was revealed October 10, 2026, at New York Comic Con, with further details expected later.
Why was NARUTO x NINKU delayed for so long?
It was originally set to air in September 2023 but was pulled shortly before broadcast so the production team could improve its quality, with no major update until October 2026.
Who is directing NARUTO x NINKU?
Noriyuki Abe, chief director of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and director of the original Ninku anime, is directing the crossover.
What is Ninku?
Ninku is a ninja manga created by Koji Kiriyama that began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1993. Masashi Kishimoto has cited it as a major influence on his creation of Naruto.