Highlights
- Naruto 20th Anniversary special confirmed for late 2026, ending a three-year delay.
- Studio Pierrot and Huahan Animation producing 4 cinematic episodes featuring Team 7.
- Release will create a Big Three reunion, with Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach airing in the same year.
After nearly three years of silence, the wait is officially over for the Hidden Leaf Village. The long-delayed Naruto 20th Anniversary anime special is scheduled to premiere in late 2026, finally ending the "indefinite delay" that has plagued the project since late 2023. While Studio Pierrot has yet to drop a specific calendar day, concrete production updates confirm that the four-episode return to the classic era is no longer stuck in development limbo. This release is set to create a historic "Triple Crown" moment for the anime industry, as Naruto joins One Piece and Bleach in airing new content within the same year, a massive convergence for the "Big Three" of Shonen Jump.
Evidence of Naruto’s return emerged from an official government update in Lijin County, China. The report revealed that a local studio, Huahan Animation, is actively working on the production. According to the post, the team is currently rushing to meet deadlines for major Japanese franchises, specifically listing work for both One Piece and Naruto.
This involvement of Huahan Animation is a massive indicator of the project's scale. The studio, which is the first South Korean-funded enterprise in the Lijin Data Industrial Park, is known for bringing together international high-end animation technologies. Interestingly, Huahan was also recently revealed to be involved with Netflix’s upcoming The One Piece remake, proving they are a go-to studio for high-stakes legacy franchises, as reported by CBR.
Studio Pierrot Targets Cinematic Quality
The three-year gap between the initial announcement and this upcoming 2026 premiere wasn't an accident; it was a strategy shift. Back in September 2023, the production committee pulled the episodes to avoid releasing rushed anniversary content and instead match the cinematic visual standard set by Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. During this hiatus, Studio Pierrot restructured its pipeline, moving away from the grueling weekly release schedules of the past to focus on polished, high-fidelity animation that can stand up to modern competitors.
According to Anime Cultivated, when the episodes finally drop, fans will be transported back to the "classic" era of the series. The story centers on the original Team 7, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi, set during the Part 1 timeline, long before the events of Shippuden. It promises a blend of nostalgia and modern innovation, featuring the beloved early 2000s character designs enhanced by contemporary compositing.
IMDb
While the primary focus is on these four anniversary episodes, the renewed activity has sparked conversation about the future of the franchise, specifically Boruto. The "new Naruto project" could theoretically also refer to the anime adaptation of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. The main Boruto anime concluded its first part in March 2023 after 293 episodes, leaving fans with a "See you again" message from scriptwriter Masaya Honda. Meanwhile, rumors are circulating that animator Chengxi Huang might be involved in Two Blue Vortex.
While an official release date remains a mystery, the confirmed production activity is a promising sign that the wait is nearly over. This return is expected to drive massive traffic to streaming platforms like Crunchyroll and Netflix as they vie for the viewership of this legacy title. For now, fans can rest easy knowing that the project is real, the animation is being polished, and the ninja way is coming back to screens very soon.
