The Mystery of Naruto's Missing New Episodes: What We Know So Far

The Anticipation and Concern

Naruto's new episodes are still missing. The Naruto anime was set to release new episodes in September 2023, however, so little about the project has been revealed, especially after its postponement, that many fans are concerned. Naruto Shippuden concluded in 2017, and the story of Boruto has dominated the franchise's releases since. That all changed when a four-episode return of the Naruto anime was announced in Spring 2023. However, in all that time, there has been a concerning lack of information about the anime's anticipated return.

Naruto 20 anniversary anime official poster

Anime's most popular ninja, Uzumaki Naruto, recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the studio Pierrot's adaptation. It was a big year that provided a lot for Naruto fans to celebrate. Still, it could have been even bigger if new episodes of the beloved anime aired as originally planned. Days before the first episode was supposed to air, an official announcement on the Naruto website stated that the new episodes were postponed due to quality concerns. It's currently unclear if the writing or animation required more time. The fact that fans know so little about the project has caused speculation on whether one or both are reasons for the delay in the new anime episodes. While neither may be the case, the fact that the plot or even the animation studio behind the project is unknown has even longtime fans concerned about the lack of planning or attention the anticipated project seems to be receiving.

Colored image from Naruto chapter 181 shows a young Sasuke and Naruto glaring at each other with kunai held in front of their throats with creator Masashi Kishimoto.

Studio Pierrot's Role and Challenges

Studio Pierrot May Be Too Busy To Work On The New Naruto Episodes. Since animation studio Pierrot created the previous Naruto and Boruto anime series, it will likely be the one handling the four-episode specials. However, the talented studio has more than a few high-profile series currently in production that may be preventing the work from being done on new Naruto episodes. The stunning Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War captivated audiences and gave the end of Kurosaki Ichigo's journey the attention it deserved for years. And that barely scratches the surface of unannounced projects the studio is likely working on, like Season 5 of Black Clover, season 5 of Kingdom, and the return of the Boruto anime.

The first part of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations ended with a nail-biting cliffhanger when its final anime episode aired in March 2023. Much like the Naruto Shippuden time skip, the Boruto adaptation is vastly approaching its own, which sees a dramatic shift in its world in the story's narrative. Studio Pierrot is likely working on the second part of the Boruto anime. As the busy production studio is working on Boruto, the end of Bleach, and other projects like Kingdom and possibly the return of the Black Clover anime, Pierrot needs time and resources to release the specials with the quality fitting Naruto's 20th anniversary.

The Future of Naruto's Return

Naruto's New Episodes Should Be Coming In 2024. Although author Masashi Kishimoto took a very well-deserved break after completing the Naruto manga, he has become more involved with the Naruto and Boruto series in the last few years. Fans were spoiled by his incredible drawing talents and layered writing in the Minato spin-off manga, Naruto: The Whorl Within The Spiral, which was released earlier in 2023. Kishimoto has supposedly taken over writing duties for the Boruto series, meaning that he could be too busy to have input on the new Naruto anime episodes, if that's what he is planning to do.

Thankfully, the return of the Naruto anime has only been postponed and not canceled. It's encouraging that the latest message from the Naruto Anime Production Committee apologized for the delay and acknowledged that the specials planned to celebrate the original anime's 20th anniversary deserve extra care and quality to ensure they are worthy of the beloved series. For a franchise with more than its fair share of filler episodes, it sounds like those in charge of this return want to create something exceptional that will be worth the wait. Hopefully, the new Naruto anime episodes will air in 2024, giving fans a shortly-delayed 20th anniversary celebration worth of the series' legacy.