In a recent popularity poll, it was revealed that the most popular Naruto character wasn’t the titular character or his son, the current star of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Surprisingly enough, a character that has been deceased for the vast majority of the franchise, Minato, was able to take the top spot. In honor of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto is creating a one-shot manga special that takes readers back into his earlier days and a release date has arrived as to when we can expect the manga’s arrival.
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The upcoming manga special will focus on Minato long before he became the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, exploring how he was able to learn one of his most powerful jutsus that netted him the nickname, “Yellow Flash”. Earlier this year, the creator of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto, had this to say when it came to the upcoming special, “Right now I’m working on the short manga for Minato who placed 1st. While trying to make a story that would match the expectations of his fans, I ended up with more pages than I had originally anticipated. Please look forward to the story behind Minato’s jutsu!”
Here In A Yellow Flash
The new chapter will arrive in the 33rd issue of this year’s Weekly Shonen Jump on July 18th. This upcoming special will be the first time that Kishomoto has drawn in the publication for over seven years. As both Boruto’s manga and anime are currently on hiatus, this will make for a welcome addition for fans who have been missing the ninja world.
While Studio Pierrot has confirmed that the anime adaptation for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations will be on hiatus for some time, the animation house is working on four new episodes of the original anime series that will arrive this fall. In terms of the manga, a release date has yet to be revealed for the anime’s source material, though it should be back some time this year. Based on how the manga and anime ended on some big cliffhangers, fans have been waiting with bated breath to see what the future holds in store for Konoha’s next generation.
What do you hope to see in this upcoming flashback special? Is the Fourth Hokage your favorite character that spawned from Konoha? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Konoha.