Naruto fans, start stretching. According to Superhero Hype, Viz Media is expected to reveal details about a new animated Naruto movie at New York Comic Con, with the panel reportedly set for October 10, 2026, at the Javits Center.

No title, no studio, no release window yet. All of that should land at the panel, assuming the report holds. Until Viz says otherwise, what shape this thing takes is pure speculation on my part: a Boruto continuation, a proper Naruto sequel, or something weirder. I'm rooting for weirder.

The timing works, too. My read, from the couch, is that anime theatrical releases have been on a real run lately and Naruto coming back to the big screen fits right into that wave. Take it for what it's worth.

I keep coming back to my theory about franchises, the one I've been repeating all year: they get good again when they stop trying to top their greatest hits and tell smaller, weirder stories. Naruto is an interesting test case. It doesn't need to reinvent anything, the fanbase shows up, but the best Naruto material has always been the character-level stuff, not the planet-sized stakes.

Anyway, keep an eye on that October 10 panel. I'll be watching the news like everyone else, probably while a three-hour director's cut plays in the background, because that's how I do things.