The anime series “Naruto” is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary – and although it ended several years ago, it still plays a central economic role for TV Tokyo. We summarize below.
“Naruto” remains the most important anime brand
As TV Tokyo highlights in its current financial report for the past financial year (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026), “Naruto” continues to be one of the strongest sales drivers in the entire anime business.
According to the company, it is the most successful anime brand in its own portfolio. The franchise leaves behind numerous other well-known titles such as “Yu-Gi-Oh!”, “Bleach,” “Black Clover” and “The Apothecary Diaries.”
This is particularly notable because the original anime series ended over nine years ago and still continues to generate enormous revenue. According to TV Tokyo, much of its success comes from international business, particularly through streaming rights, merchandise and video games.
Focus on the 25th anniversary
With a view to the upcoming 25th anime anniversary in 2027, the Japanese broadcaster is now planning to expand the global presence of “Naruto” even further – including with new projects in the areas of video and games.
However, TV Tokyo continued to leave open the status of the new anime special announced in March 2023. Four new episodes were originally scheduled to air on Japanese television for the 20th anniversary in September 2023. However, these were postponed without specifying a new date.
While “Naruto” remains the focus of its international strategy, the company also aims to bring other anime brands such as “Bleach”, “Black Clover” and “Gintama” to a similar level of success in the long term.
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© Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha / Naruto Production Committee