Shonen Jump released the first chapter of
Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru, all 72 pages, in English, yesterday. The long-awaited title was alluded to by series creator, Masashi Kishimoto, almost immediately following the wrap of his epic series,
Naruto. As early as August 2015, Kishimoto announced the plans for the new series and fans have been clamoring for it ever since. It's been nearly five years since the end of
Naruto, but the excitement hasn't quelled in the least.
Kishimoto has done his best to keep the fires alive, teasing details in almost every interview and dropping the official announcement at last year's Jump Festa. Finally, on April 27,
Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru was previewed by
Shonen Jump and has now offically released in Japan and the US. The new series is illustrated by Akira Okubo, an assistant on
Naruto for a decade, to stellar results.
Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru is available on the
Shonen Jump app for free to its English readers. New chapters will, in fact, be added weekly, a feat Kishimoto previously dithered over in earlier interviews, citing the strain he experienced working on a serialized
Naruto (
Anime News Network). Luckily, that tune has changed and fans of Naruto might just get what they need to fill the void our seventh Hokage left behind.
Are you planning to read
Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru or have you already started? Let us know what you think of Masashi Kishimoto's new series in the comments!