If Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man Had a Chaos-Fueled Ninja Cousin, It Would Be Black Torch
Here’s the thing about the 2026 anime season: it’s absolutely stacked. Bleach is delivering its biggest arcs, One Piece is barreling toward its endgame, Re:Zero is back, and Mushoku Tensei is doing what it does. And yet, buried under all that firepower is a scrappy little supernatural shonen that might just be the most fun thing airing right now — and almost nobody is talking about it.
That anime is Black Torch. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. But if you missed it, you’re also missing one of the best hidden gems of the year. It’s Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji Itadori learning to share his body with Sukuna, crossed with Chainsaw Man’s Denji and Pochita — except the host is a cocky teenage ninja and the parasite is an arrogant, ancient demon cat stuck in the body of a stray black kitten. And together, they absolutely rip.
What Is Black Torch, Anyway?
Black Torch is adapted from Tsuyoshi Takaki’s manga, which ran briefly and ended after just five volumes back in 2018. On paper, that’s a warning sign — a canceled manga usually doesn’t make for a great adaptation. But 100studio did something smart: they brought Takaki himself onto the production team to oversee storyboards and settings, effectively giving a short-lived story a second, better chance at telling its full tale.
The story follows Jiro Azuma, a teenage shinobi raised by his strict grandfather in the ancient ninja arts. Jiro is already a legitimately skilled fighter before any monsters show up — he can even talk to animals, which is weirdly endearing. But his world flips upside down when he’s fatally wounded trying to save a stray black cat from a rogue spirit.
That cat, it turns out, is Rago — an ancient and terrifying Mononoke known as the “Black Star of Doom.” Rather than let Jiro die, Rago fuses with his body, saving his life and granting him supernatural powers in the process. Before he knows it, Jiro is recruited by the Bureau of Espionage, a secret government organization that hunts Mononoke — immortal, bloodthirsty spirits that hide among ordinary humans.
A Ninja With a Demon Cat Is the Best Anime Gang Since Inuyasha
Half of Black Torch’s charm is the dynamic between Jiro and Rago. These two genuinely hate each other at first. You’ve got a stubborn, hot-headed teenage ninja on one side and an arrogant, ancient demon cat who treats everything like it’s beneath him on the other. They bicker constantly. They insult each other. And then, the moment a Mononoke shows up, they tear through it together with brutal, seamless precision.
It’s the same chemistry that made Jujutsu Kaisen’s Itadori-and-Sukuna relationship so magnetic and Chainsaw Man’s Denji-and-Pochita bond so beloved — except Black Torch’s version is somehow more chaotic and more hilarious. Watching Rago lecture Jiro mid-battle while Jiro screams back at him is peak comedy gold.
And the action lives up to the premise. Jiro’s fast, technical ninja combat combines with Rago’s monstrous supernatural abilities to create fight scenes that are genuinely exciting to watch. 100studio clearly poured real effort into translating Takaki’s heavy, kinetic action artwork into fluid animation. The result is some of the most entertaining shonen battles of the season.
Why Is Nobody Talking About It??
The honest answer is timing. Black Torch launched into what is arguably the most crowded summer lineup in recent memory. Against the sheer marketing muscle of the big-ticket sequels, a five-volume “canceled” manga adaptation was always going to struggle for attention. Streaming on Crunchyroll, it’s finding its audience slowly — one word of mouth at a time.
But that’s exactly why it’s worth championing. This is a shonen that respects your time. No 300-episode backlog. No filler arcs. No dragged-out tournament sagas. It’s a tight, punchy supernatural action series that gets in, does its thing, and keeps the throttle down the whole way.
For anyone burned out on hyper-long shonen commitments, Black Torch is a breath of fresh air — a complete-feeling story with a lean, satisfying structure and two leads you genuinely want to watch bicker forever.
How to Watch and Why You Should
Black Torch is streaming now on Crunchyroll, with Takaki’s original manga available for those who want to see where it all started. If you’re a fan of Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, or just well-animated supernatural action with a killer sense of humor, this is an easy recommendation.
2026 has been a powerhouse year for anime — you can catch up on the chaos over at our coverage of the long-awaited Black Clover Season 2 return, or dive into the dangerous world of Kagurabachi. But if you want something fresh, surprising, and genuinely underrated, Black Torch might just be the best anime nobody’s warned you about yet.
So… Are You Watching Black Torch?
Here’s my question for you: have you given Black Torch a shot yet, or is it still on your “someday” list? If you’ve seen it, what do you think of the Jiro-Rago dynamic — best odd-couple duo of 2026, or does it fall short of the Sukuna and Pochita comparisons? And if you haven’t started it, what’s been holding you back? Drop your take in the comments — and if you’re looking for your next obsession after finishing Black Torch, I’ve got opinions ready. 🥷🐈⬛
