Naruto Announces NINKŪ Crossover Anime, New Kishimoto Manga, and Global Game Plans
PROJECT RASENGAN brings a Naruto × NINKŪ crossover anime, new manga by Masashi Kishimoto, a worldwide card game, and plans for a global mobile release.
Key Takeaways
- PROJECT RASENGAN includes a four-episode Naruto × NINKŪ crossover anime and an entirely new Naruto manga drawn by Masashi Kishimoto.
- The Naruto Card Game is scheduled for a worldwide June 2027 release, with introductory events beginning in February.
- The Chinese mobile action game Naruto Mobile is planned for international distribution, but its launch date, supported languages, and regional availability remain unconfirmed.
Naruto is getting a major expansion across anime, manga, trading cards, and mobile games.
TV Tokyo announced PROJECT RASENGAN at New York Comic Con 2026, revealing a four-episode Naruto × NINKŪ crossover anime, a new manga by Masashi Kishimoto, a worldwide trading card game, and plans to bring an existing Chinese Naruto mobile game to international audiences.
The announcement was made on October 10 in New York, with TV Tokyo publishing its official press release on October 11 in Japan.
The projects are separate productions under a shared initiative, and not all of them have release dates. The Naruto Card Game is scheduled for June 2027, while the crossover anime, Kishimoto's manga, and international mobile release are still awaiting launch details.
Naruto and NINKŪ are getting a four-episode crossover anime
One of the biggest announcements is a completely new anime bringing together Naruto and NINKŪ, the manga created by Koji Kiriyama.
The crossover will tell an original story across four episodes, with both Masashi Kishimoto and Kiriyama supervising every installment.
The connection between the two works makes this collaboration particularly interesting. NINKŪ was an important influence on Naruto, and the project will bring the two ninja worlds together in a new story rather than simply revisiting footage from their existing adaptations.
Several familiar creators are returning to the production. Noriyuki Abe, who directed earlier anime adaptations associated with both properties, is participating as director. Tetsuya Nishio is also involved as character designer and chief animation director.
TV Tokyo's announcement describes the crossover as:
「両作品の世界が交差する完全新作ストーリー（全4話）」
Translated from Japanese:
"A completely new four-episode story in which the worlds of both works intersect."
The announcement confirms the episode count and creative supervision, but does not establish a premiere date, streaming service, or international broadcast schedule.
The official project website identifies the production as Naruto × NINKŪ. Further story and distribution details will be announced later.
Masashi Kishimoto is drawing a new Naruto manga
PROJECT RASENGAN also includes a new manga from Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto.
This is a particularly significant part of the announcement because the project is being presented as a new story drawn by Kishimoto himself.
The official English project hub describes it as:
"An all-new story drawn completely by Masashi Kishimoto!"
TV Tokyo's release separately confirms that Kishimoto will write and draw a new manga connected to Naruto.
However, neither announcement identifies the manga's title, serialization format, publication venue, chapter count, or release date.
It is also unclear whether the story will take place during the original series, after its conclusion, or at another point in the franchise's timeline.
Those details will need to wait for a dedicated manga announcement. For now, the confirmed news is that Kishimoto is returning to create new Naruto manga material under PROJECT RASENGAN.
Naruto Card Game launches worldwide in June 2027
Bandai is preparing a new strategic trading card game as another major part of the initiative.
The Naruto Card Game is scheduled to launch worldwide in June 2027 under the BANDAI CARD GAMES label.
Unlike the anime and manga announcements, the card game already has a preliminary rollout schedule.
Bandai has not yet detailed the game's rules, starter deck contents, booster sets, pricing, or the specific countries participating in the introductory events.
The simultaneous worldwide launch is the stated plan, but individual product availability and local event schedules have yet to be announced.
The official English project hub describes it as:
"A new strategic trading card game releasing worldwide!!"
Additional product details are expected ahead of the February promotional activities.
Naruto Mobile is expanding beyond China
PROJECT RASENGAN also includes plans for international distribution of Naruto Mobile (火影忍者 MOBILE), an existing smartphone fighting-action game currently available in mainland China.
This is an expansion of an established game rather than the announcement of an entirely new mobile title.
Bandai Namco Entertainment is among the companies involved in the wider global games initiative, alongside Bandai and BANDAI SPIRITS.
TV Tokyo confirms that international distribution is planned, but includes two important qualifications.
First, there is no announced launch date.
Second, availability and supported languages will differ by country and region. The announcement explicitly notes that the game may not be distributed in certain markets.
That means the announcement does not yet guarantee a release in every country, an English-language version in every territory, or a single simultaneous global launch.
For fans outside China, the key development is that an international release is officially being pursued. Regional launch schedules, platform listings, localization plans, and supported territories remain to be confirmed.
What is PROJECT RASENGAN?
PROJECT RASENGAN is TV Tokyo's new long-term initiative to expand Naruto across multiple forms of entertainment.
Rather than centering on a single anniversary production or game, the project brings together anime, manga, trading cards, mobile games, and merchandise under one international roadmap.
TV Tokyo says the initiative is intended to strengthen Naruto's presence in global markets and support the franchise's development over the coming years.
The company announced the initiative at New York Comic Con on October 10, 2026, bringing together the crossover anime, Kishimoto's new manga, the trading card game, and international mobile expansion in one presentation.
The official English-language PROJECT RASENGAN website now serves as a central hub for these announcements.
More Naruto announcements are planned for Jump Festa 2027
Fans won't necessarily have to wait until the individual projects launch to learn more.
TV Tokyo has confirmed plans to share further PROJECT RASENGAN information during Jump Festa 2027, scheduled for December 19–20, 2026.
The official project website also points visitors toward a Jump Festa stage presentation, with a livestream planned.
The announcement does not specify which projects will receive updates at the event, so new anime footage, manga publication details, card game reveals, or mobile launch information should not be assumed just yet.
For now, PROJECT RASENGAN represents several substantial additions to Naruto's future: a crossover with one of its creative influences, new manga directly from Kishimoto, a global card game, and plans to bring a Chinese mobile game to more players.
The next confirmed opportunity for additional information is Jump Festa in December.
