The creator of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto, has given birth to numerous incredible characters who have been immortalized over the years throughout the run of the Naruto series. These include characters like the protagonist of the series, Naruto Uzumaki, the deuteragonist Sasuke Uchiha, and many other legendary figures that exist in the world, carefully crafted by Kishimoto, such as Itachi Uchiha and, of course, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Minato, in particular, is a very popular character among the fans. In the global Naruto popularity poll, which was officially held 4 years ago, Minato Namikaze was crowned the winner and was the most popular character ever created by Masashi Kishimoto. For winning this popularity poll, Kishimoto released a special one-shot for Minato, bringing him back one more time.
Now, the Fourth Hokage is set to return once more, this time through a collaboration between Kishimoto’s work and Studio Pierrot. On October 10, 2026, at the New York Comic Con, Project Rasengan confirmed to us that a new project involving the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, is being planned for a release at some point in the future. Through it, we will all get another look at our beloved Yellow Flash in full action, particularly leading from the front in the Third Great Ninja War.
Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto One Shot Manga On Minato Teased For Anime Adaptation
On July 18, 2023, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 33, Masashi Kishimoto released his Naruto Minato one-shot, which built upon the romance of Naruto and Kushina and showed us the creation of the Rasengan in the first place. This Naruto one-shot was absolutely brilliant and showed how incredible Kishimoto’s pen still was after years of being on hiatus. It is also what primarily led to many fans crying for more Naruto content from Masashi Kishimoto, which he has now successfully delivered in the form of a new manga titled Naruto: Shadow Rising.
This new project was announced on October 10, 2026, at New York Comic Con, where the Naruto franchise unveiled Project Rasengan, a new project aimed at a full revival of the entire franchise with multiple new releases. So far, a couple of upcoming projects have been confirmed to us, such as the release of a Naruto mobile game, a TCG, an anime special, and, of course, a new manga by Masashi Kishimoto. There are other projects that will be revealed to us at Jump Festa 2027 on December 19, 2026. At the same time, more announcements will follow into 2027, all the way up to 2030, which is something that we are eagerly waiting for.
One such project that was secretly revealed at New York Comic Con is an anime adaptation of the Minato one-shot. A sneak peek at the drafts of Studio Pierrot revealed to us that this project is currently in the works and might be in the pre-production stages. It is unclear as to when it will get its anime adaptation, but one thing that we can say with absolute certainty is that this anime adaptation is coming sooner rather than later. This means that we will get a proper look at Minato Namikaze in the Third Great Ninja War, leading from the front and earning the nickname of the Yellow Flash.
Studio Pierrot Will Adapt Minato One Shot Before 2030
As mentioned earlier, we do not have a proper release date for the anime adaptation of the Minato one-shot yet. However, Project Rasengan is set to run all the way up to 2030, which means that the vast majority of the projects that they have planned for the full revival of the Naruto franchise are going to be released by then. In other words, in the next few years, this new Minato one-shot anime adaptation will have been released.
One intriguing thing to keep in mind is that Studio Pierrot might already be working on the adaptation of this Minato one-shot. While it might not be in full-on production just yet, early production steps have already been taken. In other words, full work on this one-shot could be concluded at some point in 2027, which means that the release of the Minato one-shot could follow either in late 2027 or at some point in 2028.
Needless to say, fans all over the world would love to see the return of Minato Namikaze to the screens once again. Minato is the legendary Fourth Hokage of Konoha, whose legacy is far greater than that of any other Hokage, especially since he is also the father of the protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki. His contribution when it comes to saving Konoha and then the ninja world in the Fourth Shinobi World War only made the fans love him more. Hopefully, we will get to see more of this legendary figure soon enough.
More Information On Project Rasengan To Be Revealed At Jump Festa 2027
The anime adaptation of the Naruto one-shot has only been briefly teased, but more information pertaining to various projects for the franchise will be revealed at Jump Festa 2027. For years, Naruto was absent from Jump Festa because this franchise was considered good as dead, but 2026 marked a stark shift in the strategy of both Masashi Kishimoto and Studio Pierrot. It has now been confirmed that Naruto is on track for a full revival, which means we will see it at Jump Festa as a part of the biggest stage where major announcements will be made, that is, Super Stage Red.
Naruto’s stage will be held on December 19, 2026, and we will get a lot of new information pertaining to various projects, including the new manga from Masashi Kishimoto. It is also here that we will likely get our first look at the Minato one-shot anime adaptation, which hopefully follows at some point in 2027. It is also interesting to note that Minato Namikaze could potentially go on to make an appearance in the new Naruto manga as well. While it is set in the blank period after the events of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Minato could make his presence known through flashbacks, as he has done on various occasions in the past as well.
His influence on Naruto’s life and on Konoha in general ensures plenty of opportunities for Kishimoto to bring him back in some way or form, just like Itachi Uchiha. For now, all eyes are on Jump Festa 2027, where major announcements are set to take place. We absolutely cannot wait to see all these major projects coming to life and, most importantly, the brilliant characters of Naruto, crafted by Masashi Kishimoto, on our screens once again.
All the chapters of Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.