A manga that wrapped up in five volumes rarely gets an anime. Black Torch began in Jump SQ. in December 2016 and closed at chapter 28 in July 2018, and for the next eight years it sat on the shelf as a five-volume set. Episode one aired on 4 July 2026.
Jiro Azuma is a high schooler from a line of ninja, raised by his grandfather. The one thing that sets him apart is that he can talk to animals. That single trait turns his life over when he carries an injured black cat named Rago out of the forest. Rago only looks like a cat. He is a mononoke out of legend, the Black Star of Doom.
Fighting off the mononoke that gather for Ragoโs power pulls Jiro into a bureau of espionage. Monsters moving behind the city and a hidden agency that knows about them is familiar ground. What this series does with it is refuse to explain for long and push straight into the fight. Five volumes will do that to a story.
The anime is produced by 100studio, directed by Kei Umabiki, with series composition by Juokuemon Ichikawa, character design by Go Suzuki and music by Yutaka Yamada. SiM performs the opening โFREEZE ME UPโ and I Donโt Like Mondays. the ending โGroooovyโ. Ryota Suzuki voices Jiro.
In Japan it airs on Tokyo MX at 22:00 on Saturdays and on BS11 half an hour later, with same-day streaming on ABEMA, d Anime Store and U-NEXT. Crunchyroll carries it outside Japan, and Netflix adds it on 5 November.
Starting with the manga is cheap in time. Five volumes read in an afternoon, and you can count in advance how far the season is likely to go.
