Naruto and Ninku Crossover Anime Announced by Studio Pierrot

Studio Pierrot has announced a new limited television anime crossover titled "NARUTO×NINKŪ," bringing together Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto franchise and Koji Kiriyama’s Ninku manga. The project was revealed during the "NARUTO: What's Next?" panel at New York Comic Con on Saturday, following initial teasers from last month. Noriyuki Abe, known for directing Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and the original Ninku anime, serves as chief director. Tetsuya Nishio handles character design and chief animation direction, drawing on his experience with both series.

The story is an original narrative supervised by both Kishimoto and Kiriyama. It depicts Team 7, led by acting captain Naruto while Kakashi is absent, accidentally entering the world of Ninku. Voice actors Junko Takeuchi and Noriaki Sugiyama appeared at the announcement alongside executive producer Yoshihiro Tominaga. To promote the upcoming series, Studio Pierrot is currently streaming the first five episodes of the 1995 Ninku anime for free on its YouTube channel.