NEWS WATCH: Masashi Kishimoto Takes Over as Writer for Boruto Manga

By Miriam Herrera

 on November 17, 2020

The official Twitter account for Masashi Kishimoto‘s Naruto franchise revealed on Monday that Boruto manga storywriter UkyKodachi will retire from the manga, and Kishimoto himself will take over as storywriter. The Twitter account stated that this change was “planned from the beginning.” Kishimoto will take over the role starting with the 52nd chapter, which Shueisha will publish in the December issue of V Jump on November 21.

Kodachi thanked fans on Twitter for following his work on the manga until now.

Kodachi and Mikio Ikemoto launched the Boruto sequel manga in Weekly Shonen Jump in May 2016, and the manga ran monthly in the magazine. The manga transferred to Shueisha‘s V Jump magazine in July 2019. Shueisha published the manga’s 11th compiled volume on May 13. Viz Media is publishing the manga digitally and in print.

The Boruto: Naruto Next Generations television anime premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo in April 2017, and originally aired on Wednesdays at 5:55 p.m. The series moved to a new timeslot on Thursdays at 7:25 p.m. in May 2018, and then moved again to a new timeslot on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. in October 2018.

Viz Media is simulcasting the series on Hulu as it airs in Japan, and Crunchyroll is also streaming the anime. The anime began airing on Adult Swim‘s Toonami block in September 2018. Viz Media is releasing the anime on home video.

Kishimoto launched the original Naruto manga in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, and ended the series in November 2014. The series has spawned multiple anime, anime films, OVAs, and game adaptations. The Naruto Shippiden anime series ended in March 2017. The manga is inspiring a live-action Hollywood film at Lionsgate.

Kishimoto and Akirakubo‘s Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru (Samurai 8: Hachimaruden) manga ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from April 2019 to March 2020.

Sources: Naruto franchise’s Twitter account, Uky Kodachi‘s Twitter account & Anime News Network