'Naruto Shippuden' spoilers: Anime to have new format in episode 480 and onwards

Now that the "Naruto Shippuden" has already covered all 700 chapters of the beloved manga by Masashi Kishimoto, the anime will now change its format.

For the following installments beginning with episode 480, Studio Pierrot will do character shorts. The episodes will be divided into two parts with each one centered on a specific character.

"Naruto Shippuden" episode 480 will focus on Naruto and Hinata, respectively. This episode will air on Oct. 20. The synopsis available is only for the first part, same as the upcoming episodes.

"Naruto is the host of the Kyuubi. He trains all alone in the forest. During his training, a special someone appears," the description for part one of episode 480 read.

A week after, "Naruto Shippuden" episode 481 will be aired. Here, Sasuke will be the star for the first part while Sasuke's story will be shared in the latter part.

"Sasuke wants Itachi's attention. The parents of both boys suddenly go away for a few days, leaving the two brothers alone in the house," the description for part one stated.

Airing Nov. 10, "Naruto Shippuden" episode 482 will focus on Gaara and Shikamaru while episode 483 will see Jiraiya and Kakashi's respective stories unfold.

Like the abovementioned episodes, only the description for the first part of episode 482 is available while no plot details are accessible for episode 483.

"With the one-tailed beast, Shukaku, inside him and his uncle Yashamaru passively out to get him, young Gaara of the Desert had a difficult childhood," the synopsis for episode 482 part one read.

It appears that despite the change in format, Studio Pierrot will still include these character shorts as part of "Naruto Shippuden." It is unclear if a spinoff is still in the works as suggested by previous reports.

It was rumored in the past that the books following chapter 699 will be told in "Naruto Shippuden." It appears that the studio will do so in form of these character shorts.