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Masashi Kishimoto, Akira Ōkubo Launch 'Preview' of New Samurai 8 Manga on April 27 (Updated)
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
This year's 21st issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine revealed on Monday that the new Samurai 8: Hachimaruden manga by Naruto manga creator Masashi Kishimoto and manga artist Akira Ōkubo will have a "preview version" in the magazine's combined 22nd and 23rd issues on April 27. The preview will be four pages long, including one color page and three black-and-white pages.
Shueisha stated that the combined 22nd and 23rd issues on April 27 will be the final issue in Japan's Heisei era, and Samurai 8: Hachimaruden will be the first new serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in the new Reiwa era. The magazine did not reveal the specific premiere date for the full serialization, but the first issue in the Reiwa era will be the 24th issue on May 13.
Kishimoto is in charge of the original work, and Ōkubo is drawing the manga. Okubo is a former assistant to Kishimoto. Shueisha had revealed at the Jump Festa '19 event in December that the manga will launch in Weekly Shonen Jump this spring. During the event, Naruto voice actress Junko Takeuchi read a comment from Kishimoto, which stated that the new manga will combine his love for Japanese culture and clothing, and science-fiction.
Kishimoto ended his main Naruto manga after 15 years of serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in November 2014. He then wrote the one-volume sequel manga Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring. Kishimoto also worked on the script and character designs, and served as the chief production supervisor on the Boruto -Naruto the Movie- film sequel.
Mikie Ikemoto and Ukyō Kodachi launched a sequel manga to Naruto titled Boruto in Weekly Shonen Jump in May 2016. Kishimoto is supervising the series. The Boruto: Naruto Next Generations television anime then premiered in April 2017.
Update: The preview will be four pages long, including one color page and three black-and-white pages. Source: Comic Natalie
Source: Weekly Shonen Jump issue 21
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