'Boruto' Will Reportedly Air 1-Hour Special This Fall

A 1-hour long special episode of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is coming this month, and fans are already dying to know what it might be about.

An announcement on Animate Times, translated by Reddit user u/xj23z, states that the Sept. 20 episode of Boruto will be a 1-hour special broadcast. After that, the show will move from Thursdays to Sunday nights. Fans are looking ahead and speculating, wondering what this momentous event could mean for the story of the new Team 7.

Boruto will have a 1 hour special on September 20th. from r/Naruto

Currently, Boruto is in the midst of a few short, nearly self-contained story arcs. The latest episode of the anime focuses on Mitsuki, as the young Genin deals with a bit of an identity crisis. Fans are wondering whether the story might not go on for a couple more weeks, culminating in the 1-hour special or at least reaching its climax there.

Others assume that any "special broadcast" will be a departure from the greater story. They figure that the main plot will be temporarily interrupted for a one-off tale that starts and ends within the special.

"Hmm, the only time we get these double episodes are for random movie promos," one fan noted. "When The Last was coming out, we got two episodes about Hanabi. And when the Boruto movie came out, we got two episodes about Konohamaru learning the Rasengan. Hopefully these episodes will have some relevance to the Mitsuki plot."

"Not really we had special in Naruto vs Sasuke, Naruto transforming against Orochimaru, Kakashi gaiden, even tho I think the special is more because Pokemon is on a two weeks break more than anything," countered another. "If Mitsuki arc is as long as they say, that special is in the middle of the arc."

Boruto is still getting mixed reviews from the old-guard Naruto fandom, though a solid base of new followers is beginning to emerge. After winning back some hearts and minds with the climactic battle between Naruto, Sasuke and Momoshiki earlier this summer, the show has tread more carefully when it comes to balancing nostalgia with new blood.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations takes place years after the events of the original series. In it, Naruto is now the Hokage, while his son grapples with his role as the son of the village leader. It follows a mixture of quirky, childish antics and high-stakes, Ninjutsu-heavy battles for the fate of the world. The series airs every week on TokyoTV in Japan, and simulcasts in the U.S. on Hulu, Crunchyroll and Funimation.