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The Naruto franchise had a very interesting boost with the Minato manga. Even though it was a spinoff that the Fourth Hokage earned through the Narutop99 voting process, it received a lot of hype. Author Masashi Kishimoto hadn't drawn and written a story related to the franchise since he ended the original, so there were a lot of doubts about what he could do.
The Minato manga didn't disappoint because it was classic Naruto - it had hope, a strong message of overcoming the odds, and Minato and Kushina's compelling love story. It was a mere one-shot and revived many people's interest in the franchise, which is why a lot of people have asked if there is a possibility of a sequel.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Naruto and the Minato manga.
Naruto and the possible continuation of the Minato manga
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Considering that the Minato manga directly resulted from his character winning the Narutop99, that already pointed out that the one-shot would have a lot of interest. People from all over the world voted for a character that would get a one-shot written and drawn by Masashi Kishimoto. The results were not disappointing, as it was the most celebrated canon product to come out of the Naruto franchise in recent years.
However, even though it had a very positive reception and proved that Kishimoto could still write and draw quite well, there is little chance that this spinoff will get a sequel. This is primarily because the author is currently working on the main series' sequel, Boruto. So, there is a slim chance of him juggling two projects of this stature.
On the other hand, there is also the element of burnout when it comes to Kishimoto, which was shown several times during the final years of the original manga. While the reception was positive, it is unlikely that he will commit to a long-term project or make a couple of regular one-shots with the character after almost two decades of drawing and writing weekly manga.
Potential areas to cover if Minato manga gets a sequel
The interesting thing about the Minato manga is that it wouldn't have to cover things from his life in a linear manner. If it was a one-shot, it could focus on several points of the character's life, which could expand the series' mythos, giving him the spotlight he deserves.
Minato was a key player in the Third Great Ninja War, was part of Jiraiya's team, became Hokage, and probably did a lot of dangerous missions that have never been mentioned in the franchise.
The series' world-building is so vast and rich that Kishimoto could focus on so many different places without making things overly complex, which could work in this day and age for the franchise.
Final thoughts
This one-shot only proved how popular Minato is as a character in the franchise, and Kishimoto still had it in him to write and draw a great story. Considering the recent hype that Boruto is getting with the time-skip, it can be argued that 2023 has proven to be a solid year for the Naruto franchise.
