Naruto Shippuden is finally at an end, with the extremely long-running anime set to air its final episode in a little more than a week. With this, the decades-long saga of the optimistic young ninja comes to an end. If rumors are true, however, there might be more to the Naruto franchise after the end of Shippuden.

One of the most unique things that came up in fan forums during the airing of the special one-hour episode of Naruto and Sasuke's final fight was that fillers after the battle would be appreciated. While fillers have been the bane of the Naruto franchise for years, fans were quite unanimous that a couple more filler arcs would be good for the series.

Then again, the end of Naruto Shippuden might not really be the end of the franchise at all. This is because the saga of Naruto continues to this day, featuring none other than the ninja's son, Boruto.

Notably, a Boruto movie was actually released in theaters, and it was so successful that even the producers of the film were very surprised at the reception and revenue that the film got. This, if any, showed that Naruto's fanbase is very loyal, and it is ready to support any extensions to the main plot of the popular franchise.

With the preview for Episode 479 being released, it appears that the episode would indeed be an installment featuring the events of the final chapters of the manga. Thus, it does appear that Studio Pierrot is extending the ending of the anime somewhat.

The final episode, however, which is set to air next week, is speculated to feature Naruto and Hinata's relationship, culminating in the two marrying each other and Naruto emerging as the Hokage. Of course, with this episode also comes the introduction of Boruto, the star of the extremely popular movie.

With Boruto introduced, it is then quite possible that Studio Pierrot would simply produce a Boruto anime series. While the Boruto manga is not being authored by the original franchise's creator, it is nonetheless a very successful series in Japan right now.

Thus, the characters, the material, and the fanbase are there. For an anime production firm like Studio Pierrot, the lure of a Boruto anime is very enticing. 

Tags: Naruto Shippuden Episode 479 Spoilers naruto shippuden news Boruto