Naruto's father is about to launch his own spinoff
Naruto's father, the fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato, is about to get a spin-off manga as the current leader of Hokage's global popularity poll.
Naruto's father, the Fourth Naruto Namikaze Minato, is likely to get a spin-off manga. As the NARUTOP99 global popularity poll draws to a close, Minato is currently the leader, and if the result is finalized, he will be the protagonist of a short manga drawn by series creator Masashi Kishimoto himself.
The Naruto/Boruto panel at Jump Festa 2023 has announced an exciting initiative for franchise fans around the world. A popularity poll called NARUTOP99 was launched on December 17, 2022, open to fans from all countries, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the anime's premiere in Japan. Fans can vote for their favorite characters daily from a staggering roster of 488 characters to determine the top 99 favorites. After voting closes, on January 31, 2023 (results announced in April), the top 20 characters will be drawn by Masashi Kishimoto, and the first place winner will receive a special spin-off short manga. After more than one million votes came in, it seems that this honor will be reserved for the Fourth Hokage.
The official twitter accounts of Naruto and Boruto shared the provisional results of the Dec. 23 poll, highlighting the top ten spot. Namikaze Minato tops the list, followed by Itachi and Shisui, two members of the Uchiha clan. The protagonist of the series, Naruto, is only fourth, while Sasuke and Sakura are eighth and ninth respectively. While it's not surprising to see the ever-popular Itachi in the top three, it's less predictable for Minato to emerge as the leader. Perhaps fans really wanted to see more about the mighty legendary ninja who died before Hokage even started, thus making limited appearances in the manga.
Naruto Fans Deserve To Know More About The Fourth Hokage
The Fourth Hokage, known as "Yellow Shin", is one of the most powerful ninjas born in Konoha. He was considered a true child prodigy, in contrast to his son who often struggled to prove his worth. Minato and his wife Kushina Uzumaki were killed during the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha orchestrated by Obito and Madara Uchiha, sacrificing his own life to seal part of the Tailed Beast inside his newborn son Naruto Uzumaki. For most of the series, these events were mostly kept under wraps (even though fans quickly learned who Naruto's father was), adding even more mystery to Minato's image. when he temporarily from The Dead In the Fourth Ninja War, Minato's emotional reunion with Naruto immediately became one of the highlights of the entire story.
It's totally understandable, then, that fans would want to see more yellow flash. However, Hokage has no shortage of great characters (as this popularity poll shows), so Minato's victory is undecided. Itachi in particular is another possible candidate to win this match. Itachi's tragic story has always resonated with fans, who would love to learn more about his relationship with Shisui, the most surprising third on the list. It will be interesting to see if the fourth Naruto Namikaze Minato can maintain its lead, but no matter who wins this popularity vote, Naruto fans will be eager to read the spin-off manga created by Masashi Kishimoto.
Next: Naruto version of what if...? reveals the world his parents lived in
