Videos by ComicBook.comShonen anime has become the foundation of the anime industry, with series like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, and Dragon Ball helping define the genre. Crunchyroll’s Black Torch Has the Perfect Sakura ReplacementImage courtesy of Studio EEKBlack Torch shares many elements with Naruto, starting with its main character. Instead, she comes across as the kind of character many fans wished Sakura had been. Black Torch achieves this by giving Ichika a genuine reason for joining the organization that hunts Mononoke. With these elements, Black Torch is emerging as one of Crunchyroll’s most compelling new shonen anime of 2026, borrowing ideas from classics like Naruto while improving on them in meaningful ways, making it a series fans shouldn’t miss at all.