VIZ Media has announced the October release of the final volume of Mashashi Kishimoto’s best-selling Naruto manga, as well as several related releases, ahead of creator Masashi Kishimoto’s appearance at New York Comic-Con.
The popular ninja series’ finale ran in Shueisha’s Shonen Jump magazine in Japan last November (see “'Naruto' Finale”), and VIZ has announced the final volume, Naruto Vol. 72, will debut in the U.S. and Canada in October.
VIZ will also release a new softcover art book, Uzamaki Naruto: Illustrations, in November, which includes the artwork and characters from the manga’s concluding story arc as well as commentary from the creator, a double-sided poster, and sticker sheet. MSRP is $19.99.
The final Naruto comprehensive manga box set, which includes volumes 49-72, will arrive in January 2016. MSRP is $195.99.
Also planned for November 2015 release is Naruto: Kakashi’s Story, the first of three new Naruto prose novels which will feature cover art from Kishimoto. Naruto: Shikamaru’s Story will follow in February 2016, and Naruto: Sakura’s Story will arrive in May 2016. MSRP on each novel is $10.99.
The Naruto spinoff miniseries, Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring, began running in VIZ’s digital-only Weekly Shonen Jump last month. VIZ began releasing Shonen Jump digitally here day and date with the Japanese release in 2013 (see "U.S. 'Shonen Jump' Goes Day & Date With Japan").
Kishimoto sensei’s visit will be his first international appearance outside Japan, and he will attend a special series of appearances at New York Comic-Con, including multiple autograph sessions and two panels. New York Comic-Con runs from October 8 -11.