Black Torch is finally making the jump from manga to anime, with Tsuyoshi Takaki’s supernatural action story arriving as part of Crunchyroll’s summer release schedule.
The series follows Jiro Azuma, a high schooler raised in the ways of the shinobi who also has the unusual ability to speak with animals. However, his life changes after an encounter with Rago, a wounded black cat who turns out to be much more than he first appears.
With mononoke, secret organisations and a new partnership at the centre of the story, Black Torch is shaping up to be one of the more action-heavy new arrivals of the season.
As for exactly when new episodes are out on Crunchyroll, here is the complete Black Torch anime release schedule we have so far.
Black Torch release schedule: When are new episodes out on Crunchyroll?
For the first episode in its release schedule, Black Torch will premiere on Crunchyroll on Saturday 4 July 2026 — as confirmed by Crunchyroll itself when announcing its summer line-up.
From then on, the anime is expected to release new episodes weekly on Saturdays. However, the full episode count has not yet been officially confirmed; though we expect this first season to last one cour (at least 10-14 episodes), as Black Torch is a relatively short manga which only lasted for 19 chapters across five volumes.
With that, the current Black Torch release schedule is as follows:
- Episode 1 – Saturday 4 July 2026
- Episode 2 – Saturday 11 July 2026
- Episode 3 – Saturday 18 July 2026
- Episode 4 – Saturday 25 July 2026
- Episode 5 – Saturday 1 August 2026
- Episode 6 – Saturday 8 August 2026
- Episode 7 – Saturday 15 August 2026
- Episode 8 – Saturday 22 August 2026
- Episode 9 – Saturday 29 August 2026
- Episode 10 – Saturday 5 September 2026
- Episode 11 – Saturday 12 September 2026
- Episode 12 – Saturday 19 September 2026
Of course, anime release schedules can sometimes shift due to breaks, delays, or programming changes, so we’ll update this page if any of the above dates change.
What time are new Black Torch episodes released?
Crunchyroll has not yet confirmed the exact streaming time for new Black Torch episodes, with its current summer 2026 line-up listing the time as TBA.
However, the anime’s official Japanese broadcast schedule has Black Torch airing on Tokyo MX from 10pm JST on Saturdays, with streaming platforms also set to carry the series at the same time as its terrestrial broadcast in Japan.
If Crunchyroll follows that same timing, new Black Torch episodes are expected to be released at the following times:
- Pacific time – 6am
- Eastern time – 9am
- UK time – 2pm
- Central European time – 3pm
- India Standard Time – 6:30pm
- Japan Standard Time – 10pm
- Australian Eastern Standard Time – 11pm
Until Crunchyroll confirms its exact weekly streaming slot, these times should be treated as an estimate based on the Japanese broadcast.
What is the plot of Black Torch?
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose ‘Accept and continue’ to allow YouTube and its required purposes.
Black Torch centres on Jiro Azuma, a teenager descended from a line of ninja and trained by his grandfather in shinobi arts.
Jiro also has the ability to communicate with animals, which leads him to Rago, an injured black cat he finds in the forest. It turns out, though, Rago is no ordinary cat – he’s actually a mononoke, an immortal vengeful spirit.
With Rago, Jiro is pulled into a hidden conflict involving evil mononoke, while a secret organisation known as the Bureau of Espionage appears and takes them into custody.
The anime is directed by Kei Umabiki at 100studio, with Gigaemon Ichikawa handling series composition and scripts, Go Suzuki on character designs, and Yutaka Yamada composing the music.
Black Torch will stream on Crunchyroll from Saturday 4 July 2026.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
