‘Naruto’ Creator’s New Manga Reveals First Trailer, Stills

It looks like the creator of Naruto is ready to step away from his well-deserved break. After wrapping his infamous ninja title a few years back, Masashi Kishimoto is about to step out with a new series, and fans got a good look at the title at long last.

This weekend, Jump Festa took over Japan once more, and the annual convention dropped a big surprise. Kishimoto sent a sneak-peek of his new manga to the gathering, and fans are loving the look of Samurai 8 so far.

As you can see above, a short trailer was shared for Samurai 8, and the clip gives fans a look inside the manga’s sci-fi world. The clip begins with some text before moving into some montage sequences. The first piece of art to appear is that of what looks like a whale, and the creature is followed up with some character close ups.

It looks like the protagonist of Samurai 8 is a young boy, and his robotically augmented body matches those around him. In one shot, the boy appears to be pitted against an older cybernetic samurai, and the duo continue to show up around one another.

The reel doesn’t drop any specific details about Samurai 8, but it hones in on some intense action sequences. The trailer also confirms the new manga will drop in 2019, but no specific release window was given beyond that.

Shortly after the reveal went live, Kishimoto released a short statement about Samurai 8 and his hopes for the series. The artist will be penning the manga’s script while his former assistant Akira Okubo does the artwork. Thanks to translators like Organic Dinosaur, fans can read up on what Kishimoto has to say about his next project, and he hopes it will come to rival Naruto one day.

“I like Japanese-styled things: I’m thrilled about the culture and decor. I like sci-fi things too. I’m excited for this gimmick and it’s [sic] creation. Since I like both things, I’ve decided to mix them together to depict this work,” the artist shared.

“I’ll work as hard as possible to make it even more interesting than the Naruto series!”

So, how do you think this new series looks so far? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and features the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.