Black Torch Anime Premiere Date Confirmed
The ninja and yokai manga that Shueisha published in Jump Square between and finally has a date on the calendar. Black Torch has just released its second trailer confirming its premiere for , and the video arrives loaded—it presents the opening and ending of the season, plus a new promotional image. Before its regular debut, there will also be a world premiere at the Anime Expo event, held in Los Angeles.
The Soundtrack — A Strategic One-Two Punch
The curtain’s been pulled back on Black Torch‘s anime adaptation, and the second trailer is doing the heavy lifting. It’s not just a montage; it’s a strategic reveal, laying the series’ entire musical and tonal agenda on the table before the first episode even airs.
The opening is called “Freeze Me Up”
and is in charge of SiM—the Japanese reggae-punk-metal band that has amassed a solid fanbase within the anime community. If you know your anime music, you know this isn’t background noise. SiM’s brand of reggae-punk-metal provides the kind of high-octane, genre-blending energy that’s become shorthand for modern action series with a dark edge—think the controlled chaos of Attack on Titan‘s later openings, but with a distinct, swaggering rhythm.
The ending “Groooovy”
is interpreted by I Don’t Like Mondays. Both songs can be heard in the trailer along with scenes introducing the main characters and the series’ supernatural action tone. Paired together, the audio palette is set: high-impact adrenaline followed by a cooler, stylistic coda. That’s a deliberate one-two punch from the production committee.
Voice Cast — Anime Royalty with Clear Intent
The voice cast is a roll call of current anime royalty, chosen with clear intent. This isn’t a random assembly; it’s an ensemble tuned for specific emotional frequencies.
- Ryota Suzuki as Jiro Azuma — (Yu Ishigami in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and Ryusui Nanami in Dr Stone) — Casting him suggests the role demands more than just shouts and fight grunts. It needs depth, a certain melancholy.
- Sayaka Senbongi as Ichika Kishimojin — (Mumei in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Trish Una in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind)
- Junya Enoki as Reiji Kirihara — (Megumi Fushiguro in Jujutsu Kaisen and Nagi Taira in Tank Chair)
- Junichi Suwabe as Ryosuke Shiba — (Archer in Fate/stay night and Daiki Aomine in Kuroko no Basket) — His work as the brooding Archer is practically a masterclass in vocal gravitas.
- Nobuhiko Okamoto as Koga — (The explosive Katsuki Bakugo in Boku no Hero Academia and Accelerator in Toaru Majutsu no Index) — Expect explosions of voice that mirror Bakugo’s rage but hopefully with a different note.
- Toshiyuki Morikawa as Amagi — (Naraku in Inuyasha and Griffith in Berserk)
- Queen Ueda as Hana Usami — (Miraim Kasumi in Assault Lily: Bouquet and Aya Mariner in Amanchu!)
Production Team — Steering the Ship at 100Studio
Direction is in charge of Kei Umabiki at the studio 100Studio, with Gigaemon Ichikawa supervising the series and writing the scripts. Character design is the work of Go Suzuki, whose task is to translate the source material’s strength—its dynamic fusion of traditional ninja motifs with grotesque, beautiful yokai—so it shines through every frame. The music is composed by Yutaka Yamada, known for his work on Tokyo Ghoul and Vinland Saga—perhaps the safest hire on the list, as his score is almost guaranteed to provide the necessary emotional resonance and scale. Sound direction is provided by Takeshi Takadera.
About Black Torch
Black Torch is a manga by Tsuyoshi Takaki, also known for Heart Gear, published in the magazine Jump Square by Shueisha between and , concluding in five volumes.
The story follows Jiro Azuma, descended from a long line of shinobi with the ability to communicate with animals. His life takes a turn when a mysterious stray cat fuses with him, granting him considerable power but drawing him into a secret conflict between humans and dangerous spirits. The series mixes ninja action with the folklore of Japanese yokai in a story that, although it concluded in the manga several years ago, comes to anime with the support of a cast and production team strongly committed to the material.
What This Trailer Tells Us
Here’s the read. This isn’t a timid debut. The trailer’s confidence—leading with the full opening and ending themes, stacking the cast with proven talent, and securing an Anime Expo world premiere—points to a significant investment. They’re banking on the manga’s cult following and the polished sheen of its new production to make a mark in a crowded summer season.
Mark the calendar: . That’s when Jiro Azuma’s world—where shinobi bloodlines meet yokai folklore—makes its television debut.
- First question: The manga concluded back in . Why revive it now? Is the current appetite for supernatural action, seen in hits like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, creating the perfect climate for a re-analyzed Black Torch?
- Second question: With such a deliberate musical one-two punch, does the series’ opening and ending act as its own distinct narrative—a prologue and epilogue that bookends the main story in a fresh way?
So—did the opening of SiM or the ending of I Don’t Like Mondays win you over more from the trailer? Let’s gooo.
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