TV Anime "BLACK TORCH," Produced by 100studio, Episode 1 Synopsis & Preview Cuts Released! Broadcast Starts July 4 (Sat) at 22:00!

The TV anime "BLACK TORCH," for which global animation label "100studio" (Representative Director: Kotaro Horiguchi, Operations: HIKE Inc.) is handling animation production, will begin broadcasting on TOKYO MX on July 4, 2026 (Sat) at 22:00. We are pleased to announce that the synopsis and preview cuts for the first episode have now been released.

#01 "The Future is in Our Hands"

<Synopsis>

Jiro Azuma is a high school student with the mysterious ability to talk to animals. Furthermore, he was raised in a unique environment where his grandfather, Juso, trained him in martial arts as a descendant of ninjas. One day, Jiro rescues a black cat named Ragou, who had collapsed and was injured. Its true identity is a mononoke that has awakened from a long slumber...

Basic Information

Broadcast Information

Broadcasting begins July 4, 2026 (Sat) on TOKYO MX and other networks.

Simultaneous terrestrial broadcast on various distribution platforms!

TOKYO MX: Starting July 4 (Sat), every Saturday 22:00-22:30

Sun TV: Starting July 4 (Sat), every Saturday 22:30-23:00

TV Aichi: Starting July 4 (Sat), every Saturday 25:55-26:25

RKB Mainichi Broadcasting: Starting July 4 (Sat), every Saturday 26:30-27:00

Hokkaido Television Broadcasting: Starting July 4 (Sat), every Saturday 26:35-27:05

BS11: Starting July 4 (Sat), every Saturday 22:30-23:00

*Broadcast schedule is subject to change.

Distribution Information

Simultaneous terrestrial broadcast begins July 4, 2026 (Sat) on ABEMA, d Anime Store, U-NEXT, and Anime Times!

Sequential distribution on various distribution platforms!

Subscription-based streaming:

Starts streaming every Saturday at 22:00 from July 4, 2026 (Sat)

ABEMA, d Anime Store, U-NEXT, Anime Times

Sequential distribution starts every Thursday at 22:00 from July 9, 2026 (Thu)

DMM TV, FOD, Hulu, J:COM STREAM (subscription), milplus (subscription pack Prime), Prime Video, TELASA, Anime Hodai, Disney+ Star, Bandai Channel

All episodes available for binge-watching starting November 5, 2026 (Thu)

Netflix

Pay-per-view streaming:

Sequential distribution starts every Thursday at 22:00 from July 9, 2026 (Thu)

FOD, HAPPY! Douga, J:COM STREAM, milplus, music.jp, Prime Video, TELASA, YouTube (rental), Nico Nico Channel, Bandai Channel, Video Market, Movie Full Plus

Missed episode free streaming:

Sequential distribution starts every Thursday at 22:00 from July 9, 2026 (Thu)

ABEMA, Nico Nico Live Streaming

*Start times and distribution periods may vary by platform.

Please check with your preferred distribution platform for details.

Introduction

Raised by his grandfather as a descendant of ninjas, high school student Jiro Azuma possesses the ability to talk to animals. One day, he encounters a black cat named Ragou collapsed and injured in the forest.

Ragou, who appeared to be just an ordinary black cat at first,...

Was actually a legendary mononoke once known as the "Black Evil Star"!?

Then, the shadows of mononoke begin to creep in, seeking to exploit Ragou's immense power...

And the intervention of "Kogakagakushitsu," a secret government organization that monitors and eliminates mononoke.

What "resolve" will Jiro and Ragou show amidst the swirling machinations over Ragou's power--!?

The "ninja" battle, starting with the encounter between a mononoke and a boy, opens here--!!!

CAST

Jiro Azuma: Ryota Suzuki

Ragou: Yoji Ueda

Kishimojin Ichika: Sayaka Senbongi

Reiji Kirihara: Junya Enoki

Ryosuke Shijyo: Junichi Suwabe

Hana Usami: Reina Ueda

Tenki: Tomoyuki Morikawa

Koga: Nobuhiko Okamoto

Juso Azuma: Shin'ya Tsuji

Touko Kusumi: Yuko Kaida

Banjuro Tokieda: Hozumi Ozawa

STAFF

Original Story: Tsuyoshi Takaki (Published by Shueisha)

Director: Kei Maebiki

Character Design: Go Suzuki

Series Composition/Screenplay: Juemon Ichikawa

Sub Character Design: Yumi Nakamura, Masahiko Suzuki, Mariko Kinoshita

Design Works: Junya Kikuchi

Art Director: Sachi Takahashi, Seiko Imaizumi

Color Design: Haruko Nobori

CG Director: Hirotaka Naito

Director of Photography: Sei Yamamoto

Editor: Masato Yoshitake

Sound Director: Takeshi Takatera

Sound Effects: Naoto Yamaya

Music: Yutaka Yamada

Animation Production: 100studio

Opening Theme

SiM "FREEZE ME UP"

Ending Theme

I Don't Like Mondays. "Groooovy"

Official Website & Social Media

【For Domestic Audience】

Official Website: https://blacktorch-anime.com

Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blacktorchanime

Official X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/BlackTorchAnime

【For Overseas Audience】

Official Website: https://blacktorch-anime.com/en/

Official X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/BlackTorch_EN

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackTorchEN

Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blacktorch_en

Original Manga Information

Volumes 1-5 of the original manga are now on sale!

▼Read a sample of the original manga

https://www.s-manga.net/items/contents.html?jdcn=08881097881097315501

▼Manga Information

https://www.s-manga.net/search/search.html?seriesid=51057

About 100studio

Established in May 2021 with the aim of "enriching people's hearts through animation" and as a "studio that supports creators." They plan and produce all types of animation visuals, including TV, theatrical, streaming, games, and music videos.

Animation Production Credits

- Theatrical Original Animation "A Few Minutes of Yell" (Hurray! x 100studio), released June 2024

- TV Anime "This World is Too Imperfect" (100studio x studio palette), broadcast July 2024

- TV Anime "Chuzenji-sensei's Mononoke Lecture Series: Because the Teacher Solves the Mysteries," broadcast April 2025

- Anime "Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26" (100studio is responsible for animation production of "Ningyo Rhapsody" and "Yogen no Nayuta"), streaming start November 8, 2025 (Prime Video)

- TV Anime "BLACK TORCH," broadcast start July 2026

- TV Anime "Shuiro no Kamen," broadcast start October 2026

Studio Overview

Business Activities: Planning and production of all animation visuals including TV, theatrical, streaming, games, and music videos.

Studio Representative: Kotaro Horiguchi

Locations: 100studio Tokyo (Nishi-Ogikubo), 100studio Osaka (Osaka), 100studio Taipei (Taipei), 100studio Seoul (Seoul)

Official Website: https://100studio.jp/

About HIKE Inc.

Company Name: HIKE Inc.

Location: JRE Nishi-Shinjuku Terrace 3F/4F, 3-2-4 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023

Established: March 14, 2018

Representative: Masataka Mikami, Representative Director

Business Activities: Animation / Live Entertainment / Merchandising / Rights Management / Game Development / Content Marketing & Promotion / Creative Production (2D/3D Animation, Design, Book/Manga Editing, Video Production, Graphic Production, Live/Event Production, Web Production) / AX & DX Solutions / Global HR

Official Website: https://hike.inc/

【Please include the following copyright notice when publishing information and images】

© Tsuyoshi Takaki / Shueisha, BLACK TORCH Production Committee

© HIKE Inc.

*The content of this publication is subject to change without notice.