It seems the four special episodes of «Naruto», timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the anime, will finally reach viewers after a long delay.
After several years of waiting, «Naruto» fans have finally received a reason for cautious optimism. According to the insider channel Sugoi Lite, four anniversary special episodes of the classic anime are scheduled for release in late 2026. According to the source, Studio Pierrot completed production of all planned episodes this year.
The anniversary series were first announced in 2023 in honor of the 20th anniversary of the original series. However, just a few days before the premiere, the release was postponed indefinitely. The official reason given at the time was the desire to «achieve an even higher level of quality». After that, there was no news about the project for a long time, and many fans began to doubt that the special episodes would ever see the light of day.
It is assumed that the action of the new series will unfold before the timeskip and the disappearance of Sasuke — during the period when Team 7 was still operating under the leadership of Kakashi.
It was also previously reported that Lionsgate plans to begin filming a Hollywood film based on «Naruto» in 2026. The director of the project is Destin Daniel Cretton, known for the film «Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings». He is expected to be able to fully engage in the film adaptation after completing work on the film «Spider-Man: A New Day».
