Crunchyroll’s Summer 2026 Shonen Action Anime Perfectly Subverts One Major Shonen Hero Trope
Every new anime season usually has a shonen series that perfectly embodies the genre’s core tropes, and Summer 2026 is no different with Black Torch, currently airing on Crunchyroll. While shonen anime are known for many recurring conventions, one of the most iconic is the hero possessing the power of an inner demon. Many series follow this trope, with the protagonist gradually learning to control that hidden power by forming a bond with their inner demon, which often happens after uncovering its past.
That past is usually revealed to be tragic, showing that the inner demon was once good before a traumatic event pushed it down a darker path. As a result, Black Torch also seemed destined to follow this familiar formula, especially since the series dropped several hints that it would. Jiro Azuma’s inner spirit, the legendary cat spirit Rago, was introduced with lost memories, implying that he too had suffered a traumatic past. However, the latest episode subverts this shonen trope by giving Rago a fresh foundation instead of relying on the same tragic backstory, and it perfectly aligns with his character.
Crunchyroll’s Hottest New Shonen Anime Gives the Shonen Hero and His Inner Demon a Fresh Outlook
The latest episode of Black Torch explores Rago’s past during the training that forces Jiro to confront the past and return stronger, with Rago’s memories serving as the main obstacle. It reveals that, before losing his memories and being sealed, Rago was the same carefree legendary spirit. He lived on his own, never taking the side of either humans or spirits, even as the great war between the two factions escalated. Amagi, the spirit leader leading the war, tried to provoke Rago into joining his side, and when Rago refused, he killed the human Rago had peacefully interacted with.
Even then, Rago refused to join either side. Instead, frustrated by the endless struggle for power and dominance, he chose to seal himself away. This makes Rago stand apart from many other inner demons in shonen anime. He simply lives in the moment and refuses to be consumed by conflict, which is also why he saved Jiro by giving him his power and residing within him. It is a refreshing take that is rarely seen, providing a new outlook on one of the genre’s most recognizable tropes. On a deeper level, this is perhaps how Sukuna should have been portrayed.
As an entity who stood above everyone else in terms of power for so long, such isolation could eventually leave someone detached from their emotions and indifferent to everything around them. In that sense, Rago feels like a benevolent version of Sukuna. Black Torch has been emerging as a blend of many great shonen anime from the past, making it one of the standout series currently airing on Crunchyroll. With this fresh take on one of the genre’s defining tropes, it continues to establish itself as a shonen anime that deserves far more attention.
