Toshimasa Azuma

Grandfathers in shonen anime are usually comic relief or exposition machines, but Toshimasa Azuma is the guy drilling a demon-fused teenager on how to survive a hidden war. He runs Jiro's ninja education like a hardened drill instructor, and BLACK TORCH makes clear that severity comes from somewhere real.

Toshimasa Azuma’s Family Legacy

Azuma descends from a long line of onmitsu, covert operatives serving the Bureau of Espionage, and spent his younger years battling the criminal underworld that thrived during Japan’s economic boom. He married, had a daughter, and lost his wife to illness while that daughter was still in high school. Rather than push his child into the same dangerous life, he quietly retired, resolving to be the last Azuma ninja. That vow gets shattered the moment his grandson needs him, which is exactly why he fights so hard against Jiro following the same path even while training him for it.

Who Voices Toshimasa Azuma in BLACK TORCH?

Shinpachi Tsuji handles the Japanese performance, bringing the same gravelly authority he’s brought to roles like Makarov Dreyar in Fairy Tail and Pakkun in Naruto. Studiopolis produced the same-day English dub for Crunchyroll, casting Ben Balmaceda in the role. Fans may recognize Balmaceda’s voice from Jujutsu Kaisen, where he plays Hiromi Higuruma, and from The First Slam Dunk, where he voices Hanamichi Sakuragi.