Black Torch Opening Video Released Featuring SiM Theme Song
The opening video release confirms the production is on schedule for its July premiere, and the full cast and staff details provide the clearest picture yet of how the adaptation will handle the complete five-volume manga run.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime Corner, The Fandom Post.
The upcoming anime adaptation of Tsuyoshi Takaki's manga "Black Torch" has released its opening video, featuring the theme song "FREEZE ME UP" by the band SiM. The video was streamed ahead of the series' premiere on July 4, 2026. The anime will be available on Crunchyroll in multiple regions including North America, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and the CIS. The series is produced by studio One Double-0 (100studio), with Kei Umabiki directing, Gigaemon Ichikawa handling series composition and screenplay, Gou Suzuki on character designs, and Yutaka Yamada composing the music. The Japanese voice cast includes Ryota Suzuki as Jiro Azuma, Yoji Ueda as Rago, Sayaka Senbongi as Ichika Kishimojin, Junya Enoki as Reiji Kirihara, Junichi Suwabe as Ryosuke Shiba, and Reina Ueda as Usami. The English dub cast includes A.J. Beckles as Jiro Azuma and Erin Yvette as Ichika Kishimojin. The ending theme is "Groooovy" by I Don't Like Mondays. The manga originally ran in Jump Square from 2017 to 2018, spanning five volumes.
The opening video release follows the anime's surprise announcement in March 2025, which came years after the manga's serialization ended. The manga originally ran in Shueisha's Jump Square from February 2017 to April 2018, then moved to the Shonen Jump+ digital platform and concluded in July 2018. It totaled 19 chapters collected into five volumes. Viz Media acquired the English license, releasing the first volume on August 7, 2018.
The full Japanese voice cast includes several additional names beyond those previously announced: Nobuhiko Okamoto as Koga, Toshiyuki Morikawa as Amagi, Shinpachi Tsuji as Toshimasa Azuma, Yuhko Kaida as Toko Kusumi, and Hochu Otsuka as Banjuro Tokieda. The English dub cast also adds Kyle McCarley as Reiji Kirihara, Keith Silverstein as Rago, Ryan Colt Levy as Ryusuke Shiba, Julie Nathanson as Hana Usami, Laura Post as Toko Kusumi, and Ben Balmaceda as Toshimasa Azuma.
The story follows Jiro Azuma, a descendant of shinobi who can talk to animals. He rescues a black cat named Ragou and learns the world is filled with spirits called mononoke that take the form of people and animals. The two are attacked by a hostile mononoke seeking Ragou's power.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.