Minato confirmed to receive his own spin-off manga following Narutop99 win

Kishimoto's Naruto franchise is one of the foremost things that comes to mind when one thinks of 'anime,' ensuring that the characters live on in the fandom even today via contests like Narutop99. Making a place in the hearts of both newcomers and otaku veterans, the underdog story of a boy ninja captured everyone's hearts with its vast array of major and minor characters.

However, even among these fan-favorite characters, there is one shinobi to rule them all. Minato won the popularity poll - news that came off slightly as a surprise considering his presence throughout the story was posthumous. Following his big victory in the celebration of Naruto's 20th anniversary, Minato is set to get his own spin-off manga that will likely celebrate a certain aspect of the Fourth Hokage's life.

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Minato's ranking in Narutop99 is completely justified

In Naruto, by beating a thousand shinobi from Iwagakure by himself, Minato concluded the Third Great Shinobi War. The Fourth Raikage and his sibling Killer Bee were defeated by Minato, aka the Yellow Flash, who was swift enough to blitz them both. It makes sense that admirers and Narutop99 voters would want to know more about his achievements and delve more into the journeys he undertook as a master ninja.

Minato received a lot of daily votes from fans and spent the majority of the voting period at the top of the Narutop99 voting poll. The Yellow Flash's triumph is amazing to witness and is a testament to Kishimoto's writing skills. Hence, it is justified that he will receive his own little spin-off manga series.

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What Narutop99 is about

In honor of Naruto's 20th anniversary and Jump Festa 2023, a worldwide survey of fan preference was announced. The character that receives the most votes in this competition will get their own spin-off manga series, which will be illustrated by Naruto author Masashi Kishimoto.

The first-ever global voting poll for the series began. The audience selected from more than 450 different characters. Beginning on December 17, 2023, and running through January 31, 2023, the voting session lasted more than a month.

Throughout Narutop99's month-long voting session, fans could follow the popularity poll in real-time on the official Naruto Twitter account, @NARUTO_info_en. Many fans enthusiastically engaged in the poll, voting each day for a month. From the initial million votes itself, Minato's popularity at the top, followed by Itachi and Sakura, ensured fans were leaning towards certain characters more than others.

However, during the voting session for Narutop99, Minato remained unwaveringly in the top spot, and it appears that no one has come close to matching the number of votes he has. He was hotly pursued during the Midterm Period by Itachi and Sakura Haruno, who defeated Naruto and Sasuke to win her spot.