The 2026 anime season is taking fans by surprise, and Jujutsu Kaisen seems to have finally found a worthy successor in Crunchyroll's lineup. Black Torch is a production that quickly won over audiences by delivering a narrative filled with action and intense supernatural elements.
The similarities between Black Torch and Jujutsu Kaisen
From its opening episodes, Black Torch establishes a universe where monsters known as mononoke hunt humans, functioning much like the Curses seen in Itadori's journey. The protagonist, Jiro Azuma, has the unique ability to talk to animals and ends up merging his existence with a legendary mononoke named Rago, creating a direct parallel to Sukuna's vessel.
Unlike the destructive relationship between Yuji and the King of Curses, Rago displays a more collaborative attitude from the start, saving Jiro's life. The series also introduces a secret organization tasked with hunting these threats, creating the same kind of political and strategic tension that fans grew to love in the sorcery schools.
The production by Studio EEK has been praised for the fluidity of its combat scenes, which manage to maintain the weight and brutality required of a modern shonen. While the absence of a character with the aura of Gojo Satoru is felt, the supporting cast and team dynamics within the Black Torch unit fill the void left by other genre giants.
More about Jujutsu Kaisen
Originally published in Weekly Shonen Jump, the franchise became a global phenomenon by blending Japanese folklore, complex magic systems, and a more mature narrative tone than is typical for its demographic. The success of the series paved the way for stories like Black Torch—which focuses on bloody battles and moral dilemmas between humans and entities—to gain more visibility and high-quality technical adaptations.
Source: ComicBook
