How Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto Combines Two Legendary Ninja Universes

Easily one of the biggest comic book-related announcements to come out of Comic-Con last month was the news that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Naruto franchises are having a crossover. It's not a crossover we ever expected to happen, but that's part of what makes this pairing so exciting.

IGN recently had a chance to speak with series writer Caleb Goellner via email to learn more about TMNT x Naruto and how the book weaves two wildly different ninja universes together. First, check out our updated preview gallery below to see exclusive new concept art for the series, and then read on to learn more.

In addition to working on past IDW titles like Sonic the Hedgehog and the TMNT comics, Goellner has a lot of experience working in the anime and manga realm. He tells IGN that this experience was a major asset when it came time to throw his hat into the ring and pitch for TMNT x Naruto.

"I’ve been writing various TMNT stories and other comics at IDW for about a decade, and my professional background has anime and manga roots across media, entertainment and technology (plus I tabled at Comiket in 2016 with a translated version of one of my creator-owned books), so I’m really stoked that the stars kind of aligned for my name to come up to pitch on the project," Goellner tells IGN. "Hearing from my editor Thea Cheuk was really exciting, and the pairing of TMNT and Naruto is so natural that I almost took its genius completely for granted like 'Yes. Very good. Of course.' The coolest thing for me was simply knowing Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto was on board with the pairing."

Comic book crossovers can be a lot of fun in theory, but they haven't always had the best success rate when it comes to execution. The TMNT franchise is a bit of a rarity, as it has a proven track record with crossovers. Take DC and IDW's Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy (which later inspired an animated movie adaptation) or IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters. What is it about the TMNT franchise that makes it so rife with crossover potential?

"I think there are a few reasons the TMNT are, like, collaboration icons," Goellner says. "Back in the day Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were self-publishing indie comic creators who collabed with their peers and friends pretty much right out of the gate. You had Cerebus and Usagi Yojimbo and a bunch of cool artists popping up super early in the life of the series, giving it a wild energy. Later on after the Playmates toy line rolled through a few waves, the Turtles were wearing Star Trek costumes and all kinds of fun stuff, so old-school fans and new fans alike have always had this sense that these mutants just keep mutating. It’s part of what makes the TMNT fandom so open-minded and cool."

One of the key storytelling decisions that goes into a crossover like this is deciding how exactly the two universes will intersect. Do the interdimensional barriers separating the two worlds breach, allowing two sets of heroes to suddenly meet, as was the case in the aforementioned Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Or does the creative team try to reimagine both properties, envisioning a scenario where they naturally exist in the same world? Goellner and artist Hendry Prasetya have opted for the latter approach in this case.

"There are a lot of cool ways this crossover could’ve gone down, but as a huge shonen manga fan I gravitated toward having the TMNT get 'Naruto’ed'," Goellner says. "It felt the most fun, kind of like a Naruto anime movie might hit. The Naruto universe is so aesthetically compelling to me with its sort of retro futuristic fantasy vibe that integrating the TMNT was sort of my personal answer to the question 'What would result in the coolest action figures?' Hendry and the team have blown me away with their designs."

Further elaborating on Prasetya's work, Goellner says, "Hendry is a singular talent with next-level energy in his lines. His art compliments both the TMNT and Naruto in a way that blends manga and Western comics sensibilities — plus his own rad style — that I know fans everywhere will genuinely appreciate. I definitely do. It’s a privilege to be a part of this book with him and I hope everybody has a blast looking at it."

A big part of the appeal with a story like TMNT/Naruto is seeing how the respective groups of heroes interact. We were curious if any of the character pairings in the series stood out as especially fun or memorable to Goellner.

"I mean, Naruto and Michelangelo are kindred spirits as fans might expect, but I think people are going to have extra fun watching Sakura in action in this series," Goellner teases. "Being around guys like Raphael brings out the best and baddest in her."

Goellner and Prasetya certainly had their pick of iconic villains around which to anchor the plot of TMNT/Naruto, but the series pits our ninja heroes against Shredder and the Foot Clan. As Goellner explains, there was never really any other choice.

"Listen, I’d be willing to write 110 volumes of this team-up with every character you’ve ever loved from both series, but I got a note from Viz that Kishimoto sensei likes Shredder. When you hear that and you’ve got four issues to tell a fun story, you cast Shredder."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto #1 will be released on November 13, 2024.

In other TMNT news, the voice cast of TMNT: Mutant Mayhem is returning for the spinoff series Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There’s also the sequel to Mutant Mayhem coming out in 2026 and an R-rated live-action movie adaptation of The Last Ronin is in the works.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.