Masashi Kishimoto is all set to return to Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine for the very first time in around 7 years. Kishimoto is the author of the legendaryNarutoseries, which is held in legendary light by fans all across the world.Narutois an iconic story that has not only inspired millions of people but also countless other series. As a global phenomenon,Narutowill truly never die, especially when the author of the story is so dedicated to his craft.
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Earlier this year, theNarutoanime marked its 20th anniversary, and with that, a global popularity poll was held – the very first of its kind. The winner of the poll would get a one-shot series dedicated to them, illustrated by none other than Kishimoto himself. Once fans completed the voting process,Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, emerged as the victor. As such, it was announced shortly afterwards that Minato would be getting a one-shot of his own in Summer 2023.
The Naruto Popularity Poll
The Naruto popularity pollwas held on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the TV anime. While there have been popularity polls in Naruto, that has never been a global popularity poll.One Piece,similarly, held a global popularity poll last year and it was incredibly successful as well.Narutofollowed that model and didits own global popularity poll to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the anime. Of course, the poll was incredibly successful, given that Naruto is extremely popular all over the world, with fans holding characters dear to their hearts even almost a decade after the conclusion of the main story.
The poll ran from June 15, 2025, to July 24, 2025 and, during this period, fans were able to vote every single day for their favorite character. At the end of this voting period, the votes were tallied and the results were officially out.Minato, the Fourth Hokage, ended up winning the poll by quite a wide margin, although, for a period, other characters were neck and neck with him in the race. Itachi Uchiha, one of the most popular characters in Naruto, was also in contention for the top spot, as was Sakura Haruno, the lead heroine of the story. Unfortunately for these characters, Minato’s popularity completely overshadowed theirs and he emerged as the official victor. Soon after, Kishimoto dedicated a color spread to the characters who took part in the popularity poll and finished high, and, at the very same time, announced that Minato would be getting a one-shot manga later this year.
Naruto Gaiden: Minato One Shot Release Date
Fans finally have the official release datefor the Minato one-shot manga.Earlier this year, it was revealed that the Minato one-shot would be released in Summer 2023. Fans did not know when exactly that would be and, finally, now, the official release date has been announced. It was finally announced that the Minato one-shot manga will be out in Issue #55 of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine. This means the official release date for the Minato one-shot manga is June 21, 2025.
Fans are incredibly excited about the return of Naruto and the focus being on Minato for the very first time in the story. As such, they have already marked their calendars in anticipation of Kishimoto’s grand return with his most popular work to date and it will be extremely refreshing to see this magnificent series running in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine once again, even though it won’t do so for long.
As mentioned by Kishimoto previously, the manga will be focusing on the life of Minato Namikaze long before the birth of Naruto Uzumaki. This means the manga is going to be a prequel to the original story. The events of this manga will also be completely canon as fans will get to see the rise of a legendary and the impact he had on the Shinobi World at the same time.
How Long Will The Naruto Gaiden: Minato One Shot Be?
Of course, fans will have questions about the length ofNaruto Gaiden: Minato One Shot.During the popularity poll, there were rumors that suggested this manga could go on for a couple of chapters, however, it was made clear very soon that it is only going to be a one-shot. As is obvious from the name, this manga will only have one chapter that is going to be bigger than the average chapter fans are used to seeing in Weekly Shonen Jump. This means that the chapter is going to be longer than the average 20-page chapter that fans see getting published usually.
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In fact, it was also announced that the Naruto Gaiden: Minato One Shot going to be 55 pages long. Sadly, there won’t be a sequel chapter to this one shot and fans will have to be content with what Kishimoto is offering right now. Of course, that certainly doesn’t mean that Kishimoto won’t return in the future. There are plenty of characters in the world of Naruto who he can draw a one-shot about. Or, perhaps, at some point, he might want to continue the story that he builds around Minato; the possibilities are endless. However, for now, the Minato one-shot is only going to be a single long chapter.
Regardless of the length of this one shot, fans are incredibly excited to see the legend of the Fourth Hokage unfold in front of their eyes. This legendary shinobi has been talked about for years in the original story and it was a shame that fans never got to see a proper look at his life during his prime years. Now, fans will have an opportunity to witness just that and see for themselves the rise of the legend of the Fourth Hokage.
The Plot Of Naruto Gaiden: Minato One Shot
While the exact plot of the Minato one shot has not been revealed to the fans, Kishimoto did drop promotion art for this series. As expected, Minato appears very young, which all but confirms that this story is set during his time before he becomes the Fourth Hokage. A blurb underneath indicated that this one shot is going to focus on the Jutsu that he developed. This could mean that the Minato one shot will throw some focus on him developing the Rasengan or the Flying Raijin. It must be noted that the latter was not developed by him but only perfected and improved upon. Meanwhile, the Rasengan is his own creation and possibly the most iconic thing that he is known for.
The legacy of the Fourth Hokage is the Rasengan and it has been passed down from one generation to another. Perhaps, that is precisely what this one shot is going to focus on. In a chapter with 55 pages, Kishimoto can illustrate a brilliant short story about Minato and his time in Konoha as a ninja before he became the Fourth Hokage, following the events of the Third Great Ninja War.
Fans could, perhaps, also see his dynamic with other characters being explored and that means more light could also be shed on the likes of Kushina Uzumaki, Jiraiya, and even some of his rivals such as Lightning Ay, among others. With the Minato one shot almost upon the fans now, the excitement is high and fans hope that Kishimoto delivers a memorable story.
Naruto Gaiden: Uzu no Naka no Tsumujikaze will be released on July 17th, 2023. Fans can read the chapter for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app.
