Naruto is getting its first official trading card game in over a decade

Bandai Card Games has announced a new official Naruto trading card game, set to launch globally in 2027 — the first time the franchise has had a formal TCG presence in over ten years. The announcement came alongside an original illustration by series creator Masashi Kishimoto, depicting rivals Naruto and Sasuke facing off across a card table.

Kishimoto offered a brief statement with the reveal: "I hope these cards can make their way into all of your hands and hearts. The world of Naruto continues to grow." The launch is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Naruto TV series, which began airing in 2002 — three years after Kishimoto's manga debuted in 1999. The original Naruto TCG, also published by Bandai, ran from 2006 to 2013, a solid seven-year run that outlasted most anime card games of that era. A preview of the new game is scheduled for late July at Gen Con in Indianapolis.

The gap since 2013 is striking given how dominant Naruto remains as a franchise, but the timing now makes more sense than it might have a decade ago. The trading card market has been in overdrive since the COVID pandemic, with Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering seeing inflated values, viral moments, and renewed mainstream interest. Other Shonen Jump properties have ridden that wave hard — One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh both have thriving card games right now. Naruto has been conspicuously absent from that space, limited to merch like t-shirts and headbands at card shop events rather than actual product on the shelves.

If Bandai executes this well, the timing could be ideal. The TCG market is crowded but hungry, and Naruto carries enough global name recognition to compete seriously. Details on gameplay and set structure haven't been revealed yet — Gen Con in July will be the first real look.