Fans of Naruto are in for a treat as manga artist Masashi Kishimoto will soon be back with a new manga. The new manga, titled Samurai 8: Hachimaruden, is one of the most eagerly anticipated titles this year and it is about to arrive this May. As the release date drew nearer, here's everything fans need to know about it, from the release date to the preview and plot.
Samurai 8: Hachimaruden is created and written by manga artist Masashi Kishimoto, while his former assistant, Akira Ōkubo, is in charge of the illustration. The manga's first chapter, which reportedly consists of 72 pages, will be out on May 13 through Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump.
Prior to that, a preview of the manga series will be published on Saturday, April 27. The special preview will be four pages long with three black and white pages and one in full color.
As for the plot, in-depth details of Samurai 8: Hachimaruden have been kept under wraps, but according to Masashi Kishimoto (via The Asahi Shimbun), it is a combination of his love for Japanese culture and science-fiction genre. He added that the new manga series is more interesting than Naruto as it will also feature samurai using futuristic weapons.
"The boy made a wish to the meteor hoping to eat ordinary food, and ordinary water, hoping not to be allergic to one of these things, hoping that he is not afraid of injections, hoping that he can walk without crutches, hope that one day can travel to the universe," the preview for the first chapter of Samurai 8: Hachimaruden reads. "But in the end, he only made one wish: to become a Samurai," it added.
Masashi Kishimoto is well known for creating the popular series Naruto, which was in serialization from 1999 to 2014. The said manga series - which follows a young ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, as he does everything it takes to become a Hokage - has sold over 220 million copies worldwide as of late 2015.
It has been adapted into two anime (Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring, Naruto: The Path Lit by the Full Moon), multiple films (such as 2012's Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, 2014's The Last: Naruto the Movie and 2015's Boruto: Naruto the Movie), video games, and related media.
Be sure to stay tuned to Business Times for the latest Samurai 8: Hachimaruden spoilers, news, and updates.
