Original Naruto Anime Will Release 4 All-New Episodes This Year

By Megan Peters

Believe it or not, Naruto has been around for a couple of decades now, and the anime continues to be a hit wherever it goes. From the series' earliest days to its most recent outings, the Hidden Leaf Village has experienced a ton with Naruto fans. Now, it seems the anime industry is ready to revisit Naruto's heyday for a special event, and that means its original anime is gearing up for a comeback.

Yes, you did read that right. The original Naruto anime is planning to return later this year long after its last episode went live. The 2002 series is going to release four new episodes this fall as part of an anniversary celebration.

The update comes from Studio Pierrot as well as Shueisha. The companies confirmed four "brand-new" episodes of Naruto are slated to debut this September. The Naruto anime is putting out these releases to celebrate the original show's 20th anniversary. And in the lead-up, Naruto will air select episodes of its original anime in Japan to hype audiences.

Of course, fans are eager to learn what these four Naruto episodes will be about. The original anime began in 2002, and as you can guess, the anime industry was very different back in those days. By the time the original Naruto anime ended in 2007, fans had gone through a lot with Team 7, and its heroes' journeys continued in Naruto Shippuden. These days, the franchise lives on through Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and the sequel is about to undergo a big shift.

After all, an update from the Naruto team confirmed the Boruto anime is about to end. This month will mark the finale of Boruto part one, and the anime's team has confirmed a second part of Boruto is in the works. At this time, there is no word on when Boruto part two will go live, but the project is expected to take some time to debut. After all, the Boruto manga needs to get some content under its belt for the anime to adapt, and the two series are neck and neck at the moment. Currently, new chapters of the Boruto manga are released monthly, and the series' latest arc seems poised to kickstart a long-awaited time skip.

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If you need to catch up on the original Naruto anime ahead of its comeback, it has never been easier to stream the show. Sites such as Crunchyroll and Hulu have the show available in its entirety. And of course, the Naruto manga by Masashi Kishimoto can be read in print or online through Viz Media. 

What do you think about Naruto's special anniversary project? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

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