Naruto Star Pulls Out of Jump Festa Over Health Concern

By Megan Peters

In a few days, the anime industry will kickstart one of its biggest events of the year, and that means its top series are lining up announcements. From Chainsaw Man to Demon Slayer, industry execs are promising major updates at Jump Festa, and Naruto will be one of several IPs taking the stage. But according to a new update, it seems one of the show's top stars will not be attending the event.

The update comes from Jump Festa itself as the event used Twitter to share the schedule change. According to the post, the actress behind Sakura Haruno will not be attending the event. Chie Nakamura will sit out due to illness, and this bit of news comes weeks after the actress' agency announced Nakamura was going on hiatus.

Exiting Naruto

The surprising news went live as the fall season began, leaving fans of Naruto rather concerned. Nakamura announced their indefinite hiatus after a decline in their physical condition. According to her agency, Nakamura began medical testing as her condition declined, and doctors diagnosed her with ulcerative colitis. Now, the voice actress is putting her health first by going on hiatus, and that is why Jump Festa is no longer on Nakamura's calendar.

READ MORE: Naruto Proves Sasuke and Sakura Are a Dream Team in New Manga | Naruto Shares New Details About Sakura's Apprentice Years | Naruto: Sakura VA Chie Nakamura Announces Indefinite Hiatus Over Health Issues

Of course, fans are wishing the star the best, and Naruto is moving along without the star for now. That is no big deal as Sakura doesn't have a major role in the anime's current arc, but that could change before long. After all, the character does play a big role in recent Boruto arcs, and fans have been clamoring for Sakura to get some original storylines. If that were to happen, Naruto would have to wait for Nakamura's hiatus to end or even recast Sakura. But for now, it seems things are status quo behind the scenes.

Will you be checking out Jump Festa this week? What do you want to see from the event? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

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