'Naruto' Creator Masashi Kishimoto Reveals New Series 'Samurai 8'

Masashi Kishimoto struck gold years ago when he made up a hero named Naruto, but the artist isn't done with his gig just yet. After all, the creator informed fans he was hard at work on a new manga awhile back, and fans just got their first-look at the series.

Recently, Jump Festa came to a close in Japan, and it was there Kishimoto revealed his new series. The project will see the artist partner with familiar talent to bring his story to life, and Samurai 8 has already caught the eye of fans worldwide.

So, if you are ready to see what else Kishimoto can do, then you'll be rewarded come 2019.

Kishimoto Sensei’s new manga will be drawn by Akira Ōkubo and written by Kishimoto Sensei. Samurai 8 will be a science fiction manga because Kishimoto Sensei really likes science fiction! Please look forward to it in 2019.

— Shonen Jump (@shonenjump) December 23, 2018

As it turns out, Samurai 8 will put a cyberpunk twist on a fantastical samurai tale. Kishimoto will write the new series while his former assistant Akira Okubo pens the art. Labeled as a sci-fi series, Samurai 8 will be Kishimoto's first entry into the genre, and fans are excited to see how it will differ from Naruto.

So far, there is no word on when this new series will debut, but Jump Festa did confirm it will be sometime next year. Kishimoto told fans he was working on this new title at the convention last year, and audiences were told it would be a sci-fi venture. Now, it seems the beloved creator is ready to step out with Samurai 8, and he will be doing so with some help from Okubo moving forward.

So, what do you make of this series so far? Will you be reading? 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.