Kishimoto to Work on First New Naruto Manga in Over Seven Years

Following the reveal of the 20th Anniversary poll results, it was announced that Naruto series creator Masashi Kishimoto is now working on a one-shot manga featuring Minato Namikaze.

This upcoming one-shot will be released in a Weekly Shonen Jump issue in Summer 2023.

While there’s no word yet on how long it will be and what exact date it will be published, this will no doubt pique the interest of many series fans.

Naruto 20th Anniversary Character Poll Results

To celebrate the anime series’ 20th anniversary, the NARUTO99 global popularity poll was made. This poll asked fans from around the world who their favorite character is from the series.

In previous Shonen Jump polls, Naruto and Sasuke are usually among the most popular characters. Though surprisingly, the two failed to reach this new poll’s top five.

Instead, Naruto only ranked sixth while Sasuke only reached the eighth spot. Interestingly, their fellow Team 7 member Sakura reached the third spot.

The character that took first place in the poll is Minato Namikaze, Naruto’s father and the fourth Hokage.

This was a surprise for many, especially considering that he has been dead since the series’ beginning.

Here is the complete list of the top 20 characters from the poll:

1. Minato Namikaze
2. Itachi Uchiha
3. Sakura Haruno
4. Shisui Uchiha
5. Kakashi Hatake
6. Naruto Uzumaki
7. Sakumo Hatake
8. Sasuke Uchiha
9. Madara Uchiha
10. Hinata Hyuga
11. Obito Uchiha
12. Jiraiya
13. Shikamaru Nara
14. Tobirama Senju
15. Gaara
16. Hashirama Senju
17. Deidara
18. Neji Hyuga
19. Sasori
20. Rock Lee

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Masashi Kishimoto Now Working on New Naruto One-Shot Featuring Minato

Aside from celebrating the series, the poll also has something special in store for fans.

As previously announced, the number 1 character in the poll at the end will receive a one-shot manga by Masashi Kishimoto.

While Kishimoto previously commented about the poll, it is now confirmed that he is working on the manga, with a targeted Summer 2023 release.

Given that Minato died in Naruto’s origin story, this one-shot will take place years before the main series began.

Kishimoto specifically revealed that it will explore how Minato developed his signature technique.

Along with exploring Minato’s past, this upcoming one-shot is significant as it’s the first Naruto work that was wholly made by Kishimoto in seven years.

While Kishimoto has worked on other Naruto projects over the years, most of those only had him work as a writer or illustrator.

This one-shot will be released sometime in Summer 2023, and it might also be released on international platforms such as Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump app.

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