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Published Jan 25, 2026, 9:30 PM EST
An experienced Editor representing Canada via Screen Rant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.
His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.
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Shonen Jump's near-endless pantheon of heroes and eccentric stars scored a true gem with 1999's Naruto, creating a globally beloved multimedia franchise that truly stood out. But while its sequel series, Boruto, is starting to find consistency in its monthly run, Shinobi Undercover, a late addition to Weekly Shonen Jump in 2024, has grown increasingly strong.
Written by Ippon Takegushi and illustrated by Santa Mitarashi, Shinobi Undercover is the duo's second outing following the short-lived Candy Flurry. But beyond ninja roots, Shinobi Undercover shines as a new torchbearer, mimicking or even at times matching Naruto's early hype. In fact, over a year later, Shinobi Undercover is shining among Shonen Jump's best new-gen manga.
Shinobi Undercover Is More Than the New-Gen Naruto
A Greater Focus on Martial Arts Than Ninpo This Time Around
Potentially ready to secure a place in the new-gen Big Three of modern-day Shonen Jump series, Shinobi Undercover has improved significantly in the year since its debut. It's impressive just how much stock the magazine places into the manga, shown in how many color pages it receives, a common indicator of editorial support in Weekly Shonen Jump.
Shinobi Undercover largely follows Squad No. 9, consisting of Yodaka, Hibari, Umineko, and later Suzume, who are assigned to protect Aoi Mukai, whose family, down to their blood, clearly have deep ties coveted and revered by the ninja world. Over time, Yodaka and Aoi develop a charming slow-burn romance as the story fleshes out its world and relevant players.
Mitarashi's charming character designs and wildly vibrant colors stand out in these color pages, but where it truly shines is its wild, frenetic action, rivaling the paneling of Jump veterans like My Hero Academia's Kohei Horikoshi. Beyond the insanely lovable protagonist, Yodaka, its expansive cast of ninjas, each given avian-inspired codenames, are loaded with visual style and personality.
Shinobi Undercover is not immune to imitating Naruto, or multiple Shonen Jump manga, really. Its power system even includes character-specific Kekkai, bestowing special powers to individual characters who awaken them (like Umineko in chapter #63), while functioning similarly (and being visually stunning with clear mutual Buddhist inspiration) like Jujutsu Kaisen's Domain Expansions.
However, to say that it's a Naruto clone would be rather reductive. Shinobi Undercover began its life as a quirky school-life/ninja action series, juxtaposing slice-of-life hijinks with the socially awkward Yodaka, before shifting to intense, breathtaking battles with superpowered shinobi bent on capturing an oblivious Aoi. It has significantly evolved since then, however.
Yodaka Is a Surprisingly Relatable Shonen Jump Hero
Athletic Yet Awkward and ADHD-Coded
One of the most striking qualities of Yodaka beyond the initial chapters' depiction of a more generic socially awkward shinobi is Takeguchi's later development of him as a character balancing a complicated mission. Not only upholding his peak performance as Squad No. 9's ace shinobi, Yodaka must protect Aoi, while allowing her to live a normal life.
This balance gets further complicated when his feelings for her become increasingly clear, at which point he is unable to compartmentalize tasks and focus on them individually like he used to. Shown in chapter #45 as him stacking metaphorical boxes while they begin to swell or even explode, it's a symbol of Yodaka's executive function, possibly indicating ADHD traits.
This is commonly seen as "hyperfocus", with chapter #47 pushing it to its breaking point when Yodaka is unable to keep up with a deluge of information and tasks, shutting down. While more literal than how ADHD operates, it creates a surprising, yet relatable protagonist who fits plenty of the common traits, while remaining a positive role model to readers.
This makes even the lighter moments such as depictions of school life more compelling. While certainly dismissable as "filler" by fans craving more action, these moments give strong insight into Yodaka, his team around him, and his dynamic with Aoi. It showcases how he strikes his balance, while coping with his executive function deficiencies, even if the ADHD connection's coincidental.
Shinobi Undercover's World Is Growing Just as Naruto Did
Don't Bank on 700 Chapters, Though
While Shinobi Undercover has a slower-moving start, it begins to truly get thrilling as rival ninja squads, the Eight Prominent Families, and the dangerous fugitive ninjas who potentially manipulate them are explored later. For longtime Naruto fans, it may remind one of the initial Land of Waves Arc before the Chunin Exams cranked up the excitement and worldbuilding.
This means rival ninjas like Hayabusa, competing love interests with dark secrets like Kasasagi, and a brand-new arc where No. 9 must storm the Uzen family's labyrinthine prison complex, the "Netherhold", as of chapter #65. It's even got an Orochimaru-like figure with Karasu, with unsolved mysteries about past, deadly terrorist attacks.
Shinobi Undercover's action features some of Shonen Jump's best-looking paneling of today, with Mitarashi's love of aerial kicks on full display.
As the story introduces more characters, the fashion-forward strengths of Mitarashi's designs show themselves with unique ninja outfits balancing chic fashion and assassin function, fitting in well for Jujutsu Kaisen and Bleach fans. Shinobi Undercover's action features some of Shonen Jump's best-looking paneling of today, with Mitarashi's love of aerial kicks on full display.
Shinobi Undercover has likely not completely walked out of Naruto's shadow, bearing many of its traits, but it also crucially resembles plenty other hit manga while strangely not feeling derivative like Black Clover often does. The strong visual style, balancing of lighter narrative moments, and an adorably awkward protagonist make this a series a worthy Shonen Jump hit to follow.
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Created by Takashi Isono, Kazuhiko Torishima
First Film Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
Latest Film One Piece Film: Red
First TV Show Dr. Slump
Latest TV Show Kaiju No. 8
Upcoming TV Shows Dragon Ball DAIMA, Sakamoto Days
Shonen Jump is one of Japan's most successful manga anthology franchises, published by Shueisha. Launched in 1968, it is the source of some of the most beloved and popular anime and manga series, such as One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Naruto. The franchise has extended into multiple adaptations across various media, including anime, films, video games, and merchandise.
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First Film Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
Latest Film Boruto: Naruto the Movie
First TV Show Naruto
Latest TV Show Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
First Episode Air Date October 3, 2002
Cast Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei
Naruto is a franchise spawned from the manga series penned by Masashi Kishimoto that began in 1999. Generating several tv series, games, movies, and more, Naruto follows the exploits of a young outcast ninja harboring the spirit of a demon fox who seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his ninja village, to break the stigma against him. Upon the conclusion of the initial series, Naruto expanded into Boruto, following many series protagonists' children and returning faces.
English (US) ·