Just when fans thought they could finally see new episodes of Naruto this September, the anime delayed the special’s upcoming release to a later date. The anime is celebrating its 20th anniversary with the release of four new episodes, but it looks like the series’ followers have to wait a little longer.
Based on Masashi Kishimoto’s manga, Naruto is one of the best-selling manga in history, with over 250 million copies in circulation worldwide. It was also adapted into anime in 2002 by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex with 220 episodes, followed by a sequel, Naruto: Shippuden, which premiered in 2007 and had 500 episodes.
The anime’s official website announced the heartbreaking news about postponing the broadcast of Naruto’s special four episodes. The special was scheduled to begin on Sunday, September 3, at 5:30 PM JST and would run every Sunday of September until September 24, but there would be a change of release now.
“We have made the decision to postpone the broadcast due to the further improvement of the quality of this work,” the announcement read, as translated into English. Considering it would be the first time in over six years that the anime would return to the small screens, everyone behind it probably wants to perfect its return with the highest animation quality possible.
“We sincerely apologize to all the fans who have been looking forward to the broadcast,” the statement continued.
When will be the new release dates of Naruto anime’s new episodes?
So far, there are no words yet on when the new release dates of Naruto anime’s latest episodes will be. However, the anime assured it would announce the special’s new broadcast schedule on its official website and social media platforms as soon as it was decided.
With the delay, it has been decided to release the “masterpiece selection” of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime instead in place of Naruto. “We will do our best to make a work that meets everyone's expectations, so we appreciate your understanding,” the notice added.
What are the Naruto anime’s new four episodes about?
Kishimoto and Studio Pierrot have remained mum about the plot of the upcoming Naruto anime’s new four episodes. However, based on the series’ key art, it seemingly teases that the special will take place in the Naruto timeline by featuring the appearances of Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi in the original Naruto series. That said, it might occur before the events of the sequel, Naruto: Shippuden. However, fans should take this assumption with a grain of salt, as nothing is confirmed yet.
Surely, fans will be patiently waiting for the release of the new Naruto episodes. Though the recent announcement has broken a lot of hearts, they will be on the lookout.
