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Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Boruto, and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex are all series that highlight the growth of young ninjas placed in extraordinary situations throughout the course of the manga and anime series. However, in the case of this sequel series’ second part, I’m starting to think it might be even better at highlighting that development. The way in which Boruto matured from the first half to the second is so striking, and the recently released second volume of Two Blue Vortex especially highlights different ways in which he’s grown up over the course of all these chapters.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 2 of the Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga below. 5u1s3p

Throughout the first volume of the Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga, we already started to see Boruto Uzumaki’s development. He’s working alongside Sasuke Uchiha to train. He’s understanding what’s happened in the world. He’s accepted needing to stay on the outskirts, even if it also means rushing in to help the people who falsely consider him an enemy. His thoughts on Kawaki’s motives and willingness to find a solution that could result in a situation that mirrored Naruto and Sasuke’s show it as well. But now that the second volume is here, it’s even more obvious how much he’s changed over the time-skip.

A big part of that comes up at the very outset of the second volume. We see an immediate parallel between his early training with Sasuke after the events in the first part of the series and the second. As the Divine Trees attack, he witnesses what happened to his master attempting to protect him. He made a commitment upon seeing his absorbed body. Especially since Sasuke asked him to protect Sarada. So at the very beginning, we’re seeing the level of respect he has for this man and the commitments he’s willing to make. 

Part of assuming that responsibility also shows the level of courage Boruto now possesses as of Two Blue Vortex. We always knew Naruto’s son was brave. However, at this point he’s willing to go to Konohagakure and risk attacks and capture so he can find Sarada and tell her what happened to her father. He is aware of the possible consequences. However, his relationship with the Uchiha family, assumption of the duty assigned to him, and respect for her and her father means he’s willing to risk it all. It’s quite telling.

So is the tact and intelligence he displays while there. Shikamaru Naru, the acting hokage following the incident involving Naruto, becomes aware of the effect of Eida’s Omnipotence and the fact that everyone’s memories has been tampered with. This is partially due to listening to Sumire Kakei and Amado Sanzu. He doesn’t behave rashly, and instead communicates in a mature fashion with Shikamaru. He takes the time to explain things, even if it might not make a difference. He’s never rash, showing how much he’s grown as an individual and over the course of the series. 

This extends to an encounter with Mitsuki. Mitsuki is enraged, due to Omnipotence and Kawaki’s influence. Boruto understands. He’s aware of it. He doesn’t behave in a hostile manner or go on an all-out attack in response. Instead, he’s extraordinarily kind in this encounter. He helps explain, even though Mitsuki is rightfully experiencing all sorts of emotions. He takes a chance and trusts him. 

In a way, I feel like these latest two volumes of the Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga are offering even more insight and explanation into how unique Boruto is compared to his father. His growth as an individual is extraordinary. I’d say he’s more mature at this age than Naruto ever was, partially due to the circumstances. But it’s also due to who he is as an individuals. It really helps define this second part of the series and character.

Volumes 1 and 2 of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex are available now, and Viz Media hasn’t shared a release date for the third volume of the manga yet.

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A second One Piece baseball game night is coming up, with a Los Angeles Dodgers game against the Chicago White Sox featuring the manga and anime characters. The tie-in happens at Dodger Stadium at 7:10pm PT on July 3, 2025. This time, the promotion is connected to the One Piece Card Game, with the free giveaway being an exclusive meant for players.

The official MLB site for Dodgers tickets brought up some of the promotions and special events tied to One Piece night. In addition to the card for the game, there will also be straw hats given away and a drone show will take place during the evening. While everyone gets one card per ticket, the hats are only for the first 40,000 people who enter. The cheapest price to get in as of time of writing is $99.10, which includes the $12.10 in additional feels. The most you could end up spending is about $317.10, which includes $22.10 in fees. 

While we don’t know what the hat will look like, Toei Animation showed what the card will look like. It features Monkey D. Luffy in a Dodgers uniform. He’s got a bat on his back, and a baseball cap on top of his straw hat. He’s in the midst of a pitch, which he’s throwing using his Gum-Gum Fruit abilities. It also has the “Don!! - 2” ability that kicks in when someone’s only played Straw Hat Crew .

Here’s the Luffy Dodgers One Piece Card Game card:

There have been three One Piece game nights already. First, the LA Lakers game against the Clippers honored the anime. In April 2025, the Seattle Mariners game against the Houston Astros involved the crew. The May 2025 Boston Red Sox match against the Minnesota Twins also featured the cast.

The Dodgers One Piece game night takes place on July 3, 2025. The first season of the One Piece live-action adaptation is on Netflix. The anime is streaming on services like Crunchyroll and Netflix. Viz Media handles the manga outside Japan. 

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There will be a new One Piece comic or cartoon project following Tony Tony Chopper called Chopper’s. The idea is that it will show what the character’s life would be like if he lived alongside us in modern times. The official site notes that Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, and animation company Maxilla are involved.

The first comic hasn’t appeared yet and there are currently no animations at time of writing showing what his adventures will look like in Chopper’s yet. However, the official site did share a key image and three sample images that suggest what the art style will look like and how it might go. The key image serves to only show a more muted, pastel, and cute design direction for Chopper. In the images, we see the character walking down the aisle of an airplane to head on a trip, doing some baking, and taking a selfie. 

Here is how all three of the initial images look. It suggests that Chopper might be the only figure in color, with other characters, items, and backgrounds being monochromatic.

As for where we can see these new adventures, they’ll be online daily on social media and video sites. The comics will be shown on their own Instagram and X. Only the key image is on both now. Meanwhile, it looks like these shorts for Chopper’s will be ed to the One Piece TikTok and YouTube s.

We’ve seen this character get his moments like this before. He appeared in a platformer focused on him, and the One Piece Tamagotchi involves raising him.

The One Piece Chopper’s comic and animated shorts will start running soon. The original One Piece anime is on streaming services like Crunchyroll and Netflix, the manga is handled by Viz Media in English, and the live-action adaptation is on Netflix. 

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Taito and Banpresto released a new One Piece plush, which recreates the Monkey D Luffy straw hat as a soft cushion. It will be over 16 inches long (42cm). It is currently appearing in actual arcades in Japan, as well as online crane games. It isn’t showing up in any 

As you’d expect, the One Piece plush of Luffy’s straw hat is yellow, with a red band around it. As this is designed to be used as a decorative piece and cushion, the brim is incredibly thing and small, and the crown is much larger than usual. 

The official Japanese Banpresto Crane Game image highlighting the plush also teased a second one. An Imu toy is in development. This character only appears toward the end of series. 

Here are the two official pictures of the new One Piece plush:

This is one of multiple One Piece pieces of merchandise and collaborations that launched in Japan recently. Another memorable one involved Baskin Robbins selling different kinds of ice cream based on the series’ Devil Fruit. 

The One Piece Luffy straw hat plush is in Japanese arcades now. The manga is handled by Viz Media outside Japan, and the anime is streaming on services like Crunchyroll and Netflix. Netflix is also the home of the live-action adaptation, and a second season of that will appear.

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Another Shonen Jump staple ended, as the final chapter of the Mission: Yozakura Family manga ran on January 19, 2025. Chapter 258 was called “Final Mission: The Yozakura Family’s Mission Continues On.” It is available in English via MangaPlus and Viz Media. The manga physical copies are still being published worldwide.

The finale of Mission: Yozakura Family actually started with chapter 256. That was a fast-forward epilogue set six years after the Teiou Academy battle with Asa, and it involved a two-part Cherry Blossom Vows banquet for Taiyo and Mutsumi. It involved important moments with not onlythem, but also Kyoichiro. The actual final chapter begins with more reuniting with old friends and family. 

While the Mission: Yozakura Family manga ended, there’s still more of it to come. The anime is currently running. The first 27 episodes of the first season are available now, and there is an English dub. A second season is in the works, but that won’t launch until 2026. Viz Media is also still releasing the manga series, with volume 15 due out in English on February 18, 2025.

The final chapter of the Mission: Yozakura Family manga is available worldwide now that the series ended. There’s no word yet on when the final volume will be available in Japanese and English. The anime adaptation is on Disney+ and Hulu.

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Jujutsu Kaisen anime news came up at Jump Festa 2025, with a compilation movie of Hidden Inventory / Premature Death and anime adaptation of the Culling Game arc confirmed. While there’s no date for the new season of the show yet, the omnibus movie will appear in Japan on May 30, 2025.

First, here’s the key visual for the Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Hidden Inventory / Premature Death movie. This is the prequel that covers Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto’s time as students and an event that shaped both of their futures. It came up on both Japanese and English social media s for the series.

As for the Culling Game arc of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, there’s just the promise that it is in development. A new key image appeared for it. It hints at things to come, with Yuji Itadori sitting on steps in front of a massive, foreboding image. This is the second to last arc of the series, with everything culminating in the Shinjuku Showdown.

There's also an update on the next English volume of the manga. Viz Media will release the 26th one on May 20, 2025. Gojo will be on the cover.

The Jujutsu Kaisen manga run ended, and the anime is continuing and available on Crunchyroll. The Culling Game arc is being developed. The Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Hidden Inventory / Premature Death compilation movie will come to Japan on May 30, 2025.

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According to a leak from Ryokutya2089, the mangaka behind Dr. Stone named Boichi is reportedly about to debut a new manga series titled Childhood's End in Jump Plus. The science fiction series is alleged to be officially announced on July 29, 2024. [Thanks, Ryokutya2089!]

The leak suggests that the work will be another science fiction series. Boichi’s writing is generally known for being well-structured and character-based. The key visuals that have surfaced seem to show two of the potential protagonists.

While details remain sparse and unconfirmed, the anticipation surrounding Boichi’s new project is significant. Dr. Stone garnered widespread acclaim for its stylistic fusion of science fiction and adventure.

This announcement follows the Dr. Stone spin-off manga that took place after the main story. Published in Weekly Shonen Jump back on November 6, 2023, the short series focused on Senku working on a time machine in a what-if scenario.

Boichi is not only the author of Dr. Stone. The mangaka is known for many other works. For example, he was behind the series Origin and Sun-ken Rock. Boichi worked on short one-shots as well, with one being a Trigun piece. In addition to manga, he worked on manhwa.

Childhood's End is expected to begin its Jump Plus run on July 29, 2024.

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The official One Piece social media shared a time-lapse video of Eiichiro Oda drawing a picture of Nami in a swimsuit for Weekly Shonen Jump 34. The teaser image doesn’t show the final version picture that appears in the issue debuting July 22, 2024. However, it does give a clear idea of how it will look. 

The video begins with Oda drawing a One Piece picture digitally that shows the wider cast. So at one piece, we see Luffy with a Going Merry replica, with Usopp and Chopper at his sides. Nami is also looking over them, and Sanji is coming with food from behind. At the 36 second mark, we get to see the initial planning work for the One Piece color pages of Nami wearing a swimsuit. Initially, there’s an outline set up. 

At the 49 second mark of the Eiichiro Oda video, it goes from a digital drawing to one made with pen and paper. The words with the title of the series appear on the left. There are also other Straw Hat characters nearby. For example, Luffy is clinging on to the ice cream cone Nami is holding in her right hand, while she’s holding Chopper in her left hand.

Here’s the full time-lapse video:

The One Piece anime is streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix. Viz Media handles the manga outside Japan. The live-action show is on Netflix, with season 2 in production.

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The Kaiju No 8: B-Side spin-off manga series is now running in Shonen Jump. Both MangaPlus and Viz Media have the first chapter available online in English for people to read for free.

The original Kaiju No 8 series follows Kafka Hibino, a man who gains the ability to turn into the kaiju he formerly would clean up after for the government. As a result, he gains the ability to transform into one and ends up the official Defense Force alongside a coworker named Reno Ichikawa that he met cleaning up after monsters. In that storyline, Soshiro Hoshina is a ing cast member who is also a part of the government division fighting kaiju. This new B-Side manga focuses on his swordsmanship and work with the Third Division. 

This story begins with Hoshina training with swords. After that, we see him take part in an interview about the new rookies in his division, during which he discusses Hibino. Later in the chapter, we also get to seeIchikawa, Hibino, and Hakua Igarashi in a training session with Hoshina. But once that segment is done, the first chapter seems to suggest that the rest of the series will focus on him when he first ed Third Division and started working under Mina Ashiro.

This is one of two major updates for the series Kaiju no 8 in 2024. In addition to this new spin-off manga, there’s also a Production IG anime adaptation about to begin airing. It will appear on Crunchyroll in April 2024. In the series, Masaya Fukunishi will play Hibino and Kengo Kawanishi will be Soshiro Hoshina.

The first chapter of the Kaiju no 8: B-Side manga is available now, with chapter two set to appear on January 11, 2024. The original manga series is handled by Viz Media outside Japan. The anime will stream on Crunchyroll in April 2024.

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Ever since its debut in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Naruto has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. With its popular Shippuden anime adaptation and spin-off series consisting of decades of material, we wanted to discuss who we think is the best Naruto character in the entire franchise.

I feel like Gaara is such a cop-out answer because who doesn't like Gaara? But no matter how I rack my brain, I can't really think of a Naruto character I legitimately like more than him (I like Itachi too, but I feel like Itachi is also everyone's favorite). His character arc was really intriguing, his character design after the time skip was super nice, and Ishida Akira knocked it out of the park with his performance. My only complaint about Gaara is that I don't like to play as him in the Naruto games. — Stephanie 

I adore Kakashi and think he’s the best Naruto character. He’s a good teacher who cares about his students but isn’t above being a little silly and childish sometimes. Which is especially appreciated, seeing he can have those moments considering his past. I want only the best for him and all his dogs. — Jenni

Maybe not the most conventional answer, but my favorite character in Naruto is Hinata Hyuga. While the series has many great arcs, I really related to her journey from starting out as a shy person to becoming an absolute warrior. Considering she could only speak a few words when Naruto is first introduced to her, it's just incredible to see her fight alongside him as the series progresses. I think many people can relate to her story of being timid due to wanting to please others. That is why I found it so satisfying when she eventually finds her voice and becomes a formidable foe who can stand by Naruto's side. — Brent

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The next new Shonen Jump manga series is Kagurabachi, and it just made its debut. People can now read it on both MangaPlus and Viz Media. It is written by Takeru Hokazono, who won a Tezuka Manga Award for the one-shot manga Enten. This is the mangaka’s first series.

Chihiro is the son of Kunishige Rokuhira, a swordsmith renowned for the kinds of katana he forges. So much so that some consider him part of the reason the Seitei War ended, as his swords were so strong they helped bring peace to the land again. Kunishige is a lighthearted person when he’s not working, while Chihiro is always quite serious. From there, it flashes forward to the present. Chihiro is older, wielding the last katana his father made, and is looking for revenge while traveling alongside his father’s friend Shiba.

There’s one more new Shonen Jump manga series on the way. Two on Ice is set to show up on September 25, 2023 in Japan. As with the other two series, we should see it on MangaPlus and Viz Media after it debuts in Japan. 

Kagurabachi chapter 1 is available now, and chapter two is set to appear on September 24, 2023. 

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Shueisha announced Shonen Jump will get a new series of manga debuts, with MamaYuyu leading the charge. It is the first of three new stories. This one is by Yoshihiko Hayashi. It is the mangaka’s first full series, as previously the author released a one-shots like E ni Kaita Mochi wa Kaita Mochi. The first chapter is available to read for free online at MangaPlus and Viz Media.

MamaYuyu is set in a world with humans and demons coexist peacefully following years of war. This means the current 18-year-old hero Corleo, who is an orphan who had the sigil signaling he’s the new hero appear on his hand as a baby, really has nothing to do. He’s talking about this with the 38-year-old Demon Lord Mamama when discussing his future, with him thinking he should consider going into the military and her saying he should go to college. However, when a hero from another world called Evan All Green teleports to Corleo’s and says a Demon Lord is following him, everything is about to change.

We already know the names of the other new manga series that will be showing up in Shonen Jump in September 2023. Comic Natalie revealed Kagurabachi will be the second one to appear. It will be followed by Two on Ice. Each of the mangaka who penned these series won the Tezuka Prize.

Chapter two of the manga MamaYuyu will appear on September 18, 2023.

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