The last several years have seen Fortnite rise to new heights of popularity, aided by its incredibly prolific crossovers with other franchises and properties. Now, right after Fortnite announced plans for a crossover with the blockbuster anime franchise Naruto, what appear to be plans for Naruto-themed skins and cosmetics have been leaked.
Fortnite teased an official Naruto crossover by posting a still image of the sky bearing the announcement to the verified Fortnite Twitter account. While the image does not go into any real detail concerning what--or who--could be featured in the crossover, the same cannot be said for the leaked image.
Twitter user HYPEX runs an account dedicated to Fortnite leaks and news, so it may not be surprising that they pounced on what seems to be a Japanese ad for the Naruto crossover. The scan, which appears to have been taken from a magazine--possibly Shonen Jump--features two parts: a top image introducing the four characters who will apparently be added to Fortnite and a more detailed look at what players can expect from the crossover. Fans of the series will likely be pleased to learn that the Naruto Shippuden versions of main characters Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake have all been chosen as new Fortnite skins. Kakashi Hatake's grouchy ninken Pakkun seems to be accompanying them as an accessory.
Also featured as possible picks for accessories and pickaxes are the Naruto franchise's iconic sealing scrolls, giant shuriken, and kunai. Interestingly, the use of kunai as digging tools has its roots in historical fact--the kunai was originally used as a multi-purpose gardening tool by peasants. Like many famous ninja weapons, the kunai was an everyday object repurposed as a lethal weapon. The ad also states that the collaboration will begin on November 16 and seems to hint at further developments in the crossover by promising that it will include more features than just costumes.
As of writing, it appears that Fortnite fans are tentatively excited about the Naruto crossover. Several users discussed their plans to purchase the Naruto skins as soon as possible, while another noted that the renders shown in the magazine looked great. A number of users complained about the presence of Sakura Haruno, although one of them admitted that the annoyance stemmed from the changes made to her character in the anime. More than one conversation arose hoping that the crossover would bring more than just skins and pieces of backbling, especially when the Naruto franchise contains such a wide variety of creative items, costumes, and characters.
Fortnite is free-to-play on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.