Naruto series creator Masashi Kishimoto will be releasing a 55-page one-shot about Minato Namikaze in this year’s 33rd issue of Weekly Shonen Jump on July 18. The Minato one-shot titled “Naruto Gaiden: Uzu no Naka no Tsumujikaze” will focus on him developing his own ninjutsu. A special illustration of Minato was released as part of the announcement, and you can check it out below:
The one-shot comes after Minato won the worldwide NARUTOP99 character poll that began during Jump Festa 2023. This will be Kishimoto’s first one-shot in seven years with the last being Naruto Gaiden: The Road Illuminated by the Full Moon, which acted as a “volume 0” to the sequel series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Fans can check out the celebratory illustration that Kishimoto drew for the occasion below:
Four new episodes of Naruto were announced to air later this year with the second part of Boruto airing at a later date. Studio Pierrot also released a 20th-anniversary tribute video to the Naruto series with new animation footage that you can watch below:
The manga series Naruto written and illustrated by Kishimoto was serialized from 1999-2014 in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. The series ran for a total of 72 volumes and currently has a total of 250 million copies in circulation, making it the 6th most successful manga of all time. VIZ Media acquired the English license in 2003 and has since published all the volumes, including 3 separate box sets completing the series.
VIZ Media licenses the manga in English and describes the plot as:
Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!
The Minato Namikaze one-shot titled “Naruto Gaiden: Uzu no Naka no Tsumujikaze” will release in Japan on July 18, 2023.
Source: Naruto Official Website
NARUTO © 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto/SHUEISHA Inc.
