Naruto Anime to Release Special Revival Episodes Soon: Report

Naruto’s 20th anniversary anime episodes could be releasing soon according to an update from a new report! As part of the celebrating of the 20th anniversary of the Naruto anime’s first premiere in Japan last year, the franchise returned for a massive celebration. Original creator Masashi Kishimoto not only returned to the series to share a new one-shot manga story all about Naruto’s father Minato Namikaze, but the Naruto anime shared all sorts of cool promos and other material showcasing the classic episodes in a whole new way. That was far from the end of the celebrating, however. 

As part of this milestone anniversary, Naruto also announced that the original anime would be coming back for a series of special new episodes following Team 7’s original incarnation on a new mission. But last Summer, it was unfortunately announced that these episodes have been indefinitely delayed without any new word on when they could potentially release in the future. But according to a new update from TV Tokyo exec Ichiro Ishikawa, these new Naruto episodes are still on deck for a release within the fiscal year. 

When Will Naruto’s Classic Anime Return? 

As spotted by @WSJ_manga on X, the recent TV Tokyo Financial Results’ Q&A session with Ichiro Ishikawa revealed that the Naruto 20th anniversary anime would be “broadcast during the current fiscal year to commemorate its 20th Anniversary.” While this is still a fairly large release window, this is the first major update on its potential release since it had gone on hiatus last Summer. But the fiscal year window is fairly wide as it could mean we’ll see the new Naruto 20th anniversary episodes airing some time later this year, or even before March 2025 when the current fiscal year actually ends. 

When it does premiere, there are still some big questions fans have about the new project. It was originally announced to be four special episodes scheduled for a release last Fall. Bringing back the original Naruto anime as part of this milestone celebration, previous teasers had touted it as such, “The pre-Shippuden Team 7 members—Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi—appear in the teaser visual! What kind of story will be told in this completely new NARUTO animation?! Stay tuned!” 

With both the Boruto and Naruto anime releases in the midst of a hiatus as of the time of this publication, a 2024 release for these new episodes would definitely be a big hit with fans. 

HT – @WSJ_manga on X