Black Torch is getting another shot, bro
Some manga disappear after cancellation and never come back. Black Torch is not one of them.
Almost eight years after ending its run, the supernatural action series by Tsuyoshi Takaki is returning in anime form. The manga originally ran in Shueisha’s Jump SQ from 2016 to 2018, but struggled with sales and readership during its original release. That makes this comeback pretty interesting — not every cancelled Jump title gets a fresh push, especially years later.
The anime is being handled by 100studio, with Kei Kamabaki directing. If that name rings a bell, Kamabaki directed Quality Assurance in Another World. The series is currently set to premiere on 4 July 2026, landing right in the Summer 2026 anime season.
Three more cast members confirmed
Ahead of the premiere, the official Black Torch anime account revealed three additional characters and voice actors:
- Toshimasa Azuma — voiced by Oya Tsuji
- Banjuro Tokieda — voiced by Hideyuki Otsuka
- Toko Kusumi — voiced by Yuko Kaida
Toshimasa is especially important because he is the grandfather of main character Jiro Azuma. For a series built around family legacy, shinobi roots, and supernatural chaos, that role should carry real weight.
What is Black Torch about?
The story follows Jiro Azuma, a 17-year-old boy who can communicate with animals. Instead of making his life easier, that ability makes him an outsider. He tries to live quietly with his grandfather, but trouble keeps finding him.
There is also a bigger family angle. Jiro comes from the Azuma clan, a long-running shinobi bloodline, so he has always known he was not exactly normal. Things escalate when he encounters an injured cat and brings it home, only to discover the cat is actually a mononoke — a demonic spirit from a world that has been in conflict with humanity.
From there, Jiro gets dragged into battles involving supernatural beings, hidden powers, and old grudges. On paper, it is classic shonen fuel: a young lead, a secret legacy, intense fights, and a human-versus-spirit conflict.
Should Malaysia and SEA fans care?
Honestly, yes — but with one caveat.
Black Torch is not a mega-franchise like Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen, so most newer anime fans in Malaysia probably never touched the manga. But that is exactly why the anime could be fun. It has the chance to feel like a “lost shonen” being rediscovered, instead of another sequel season everyone already knows everything about.
The manga is short, so the anime may end up as a compact one-season run unless 100studio expands the story with original scenes. That could be a good thing. SEA fans already have packed seasonal watchlists, and a tighter supernatural action series is easier to jump into than a 100-episode commitment.
For streaming, Crunchyroll has confirmed availability across North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and CIS. A Malaysia or wider Southeast Asia release has not been confirmed in the provided details yet, so local viewers will need to wait for the Summer 2026 lineup announcements to see where it lands here. No dub has been announced either, but the Japanese version will come with subtitles in six languages.
If it does arrive officially in our region, Black Torch could be one of those sleeper seasonal picks — not the loudest title on the chart, but potentially a solid action watch for fans who like shinobi lore, yokai-style spirits, and underdog manga getting a second chance.
Source: ComicBook Anime