“Teen ninja Jirou gains demonic powers from cat spirit Ragou and joins Bureau's Black Torch to fight rogue mononoke.”
Black Torch
BLACK TORCH
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
Synopsis
Teen ninja Jirou gains demonic powers from cat spirit Ragou and joins Bureau's Black Torch to fight rogue mononoke.
Seventeen-year-old Jirou Azuma lives a quiet life with his grandfather, utilizing his supernatural ability to speak with animals to befriend and protect them. Both Jirou and his grandfather are descendants of a long-standing shinobi clan, training in combat to keep the art of battle alive within their family. Jirou's life is thrown into upheaval after rescuing a seemingly normal black cat, Ragou, only to discover that the cat is actually a mononoke—a demonic spirit that has long been at war with mankind. When a hostile mononoke comes looking for Ragou, Jirou uses his shinobi training to jump to the cat's defense, but immediately suffers a mortal wound. Faced with the decision of whether or not to devour Jirou's fading energy and restore himself to full power, Ragou instead chooses to give his remaining energy to Jirou. Reviving the boy, the transfer also grants him great supernatural powers that complement his own shinobi fighting style. This act is witnessed by Ryousuke Shiba, an officer in the Bureau of Espionage whose job revolves around dispatching aggressive mononoke. Shiba extends Jirou and his grandfather an offer: to join the Bureau's new squad, Black Torch, and help them battle powerful mononoke who seek to devour innocent people.
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 20 sampled reviews
What 20 readers settled on.
Mostly aligned
σ 1.63 · some divergence
3.7 pts
Recommenders 7.7 · others 4.0
↓ 1.45
Running avg · Jun 2017 → Dec 2025
- 7 “another shounen story when the MC got a special power and the whole world counting on him , im tired of these kinda shitty story but its shounen so u cant expect more than this regardless the best...”
- 9 “Black torch is a manga that is well written but it is full of holes. It wasn't finished. It has left so many story that has yet to be told. I personally loved it and craving for more. I want to see...”
- 8 “This book hit a nostalgia point for me. It channeled some serious Flame of Rekka energy, albeit less time travel and more monsters. It was well paced and I enjoyed the dynamic of Jiro and Rago....”
Read Order & Related
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A Manga Publication
- Format 19 × 5 ch × vol
- Total read 2h 32m approx
- Published Dec 2016 – Jul 2018
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M42269 catalog