A planned 2027 Naruto manga has triggered an online canon debate, but the announcement does not confirm that Boruto has been removed from continuity.
A new Naruto manga sparks speculation
On 10 October, Naruto’s original author and illustrator announced Naruto: Shadow Rising, a new canon manga scheduled for release sometime in 2027. The project is welcome news for Naruto fans, although some readers have interpreted it as evidence that Boruto, the sequel manga illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto, has been discarded.
The speculation grew after Naruto: Shadow Rising was revealed at NYCC. Posts across social media attempted to present the announcement as confirmation that Boruto was officially non-canon, even though no such decision accompanied the reveal.
Misleading claims spread across social media
A viral post on X, published on 14 October and viewed almost five million times, claimed that Kishimoto had said “Boruto is an alternate universe” during a 2024 interview. A separate X post used a 2017 video of Kishimoto to suggest that he had officially confirmed Boruto was no longer canon.
The claims depend on comments being removed from their original context. One account later admitted that the material had been presented misleadingly, but the rumour continued moving through X, Reddit, Instagram and YouTube. Some fans even began calling Ikemoto’s manga Boruto GT, borrowing the name of the non-canon Dragon Ball GT.
The episode is a useful reminder of why careful source checking matters in fast-moving gaming and fandom news. A simple claim can travel widely before anyone examines the evidence behind it.
Why the theory sounds possible
There is a timeline detail that has helped the theory gain attention. Naruto: Shadow Rising appears to be set between the conclusion of Naruto and the beginning of Boruto. Promotional artwork shows Sarada as a baby, while she is 11 at the start of Boruto.
That gap gives Kishimoto room to tell another story, but it does not establish a replacement continuity. Some fans have also speculated that publisher Shueisha might want to reset the sequel because of its sales performance. That remains speculation rather than an announced editorial decision.
What the sales figures show
As of October 2025, Shueisha had confirmed that the Boruto manga had reached 10 million copies in total circulation in Japan, as discussed in a Reddit report. By comparison, the first 72 Naruto books had sold more than 250 million copies worldwide by 2023, including approximately 150 million in Japan, according to Oricon.
The comparison needs one qualification: those 72 books do not include sales of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which began publication in 2016. Digital manga reading has also become more common, meaning print circulation does not capture every measure of Boruto’s popularity.
Even so, the figures help explain why some observers are asking whether Naruto: Shadow Rising could redirect the franchise. They do not prove that Boruto has been declared non-canon.
Fans challenge the rumour
The claims have prompted a Boruto canonicity megathread on the r/Boruto subreddit. Other creators have also tried to correct the story, including a video that attempts to explain why the supposed confirmation does not hold up.
For readers who enjoy following long-running game and pop-culture discussions, RETROCADE also publishes arcade videos and practical advice through its arcade machine buying guide. In this case, the confirmed position is straightforward: Naruto: Shadow Rising is a new canon manga planned for 2027, while the available material does not confirm that Boruto has been removed from canon.
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