Kagurabachi
| Kagurabachi | |
 First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Chihiro Rokuhira (center) | |
| カグラバチ | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Takeru Hokazono |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Jump Comics |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | September 19, 2023 – present |
| Volumes | 4 |
Kagurabachi (カグラバチ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takeru Hokazono. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since September 2023, with its chapters collected in four tankōbon volumes as of October 2024[update].
Plot
[edit]Chihiro Rokuhira is the son of Kunishige Rokuhira, a renowned blacksmith who forged six enchanted blades that were instrumental in ending the Seitei War. After living in hiding, the Rokuhiras are discovered and attacked by a criminal gang of sorcerers called the Hishaku. The Hishaku murder Kunishige and then steal the Enchanted Blades. Armed with a seventh enchanted blade called Enten, Chihiro embarks on a bloody path of vengeance and justice to destroy the Hishaku and reclaim the stolen enchanted blades.
Characters
[edit]Chihiro's group
[edit]- Chihiro Rokuhira (六平 千鉱, Rokuhira Chihiro)
- The 18-year-old son of the late Kunishige Rokuhira, Chihiro trained under his father as a swordsmith during his childhood, hoping to follow in his footsteps. After his father was killed and the Enchanted Blades (妖刀, Yōtō) he made were stolen, Chihiro swore revenge against his perpetrators. He took his father's last Enchanted Blade, Enten (淵天), and trained with it until he was ready to find his father's killers and reclaim the Enchanted Blades. Although he seeks revenge, he will not allow innocent civilians to be caught in the crossfire of his battles. While he acts stoically and aloof, Chihiro can show compassion, kindness, and trustworthiness to others. With Enten, he can create magically projected slashes, absorb energy for later use, and increase his physical abilities.
- Togo Shiba (柴登 吾, Shiba Tōgo)
- A highly skilled, very powerful sorcerer and family friend of Kunishige and Chihiro. Like Chihiro, he also seeks to avenge Kunishige. He is a sorcerer who specializes in teleportation. He was a member of the Kamunabi, but left them sometime after Kunishige went into hiding.
- Hinao (ヒナオ)
- A friend of Shiba and owner of Cafe Haru Haru (喫茶ハルハル, Kissa Haru Haru) which serves as both a cafe and a way for Hinao to connect sorcerers with the leaders of the yakuza or big corporations who require their services.
- Char Kyonagi (鏡凪 シャル, Kyōnagi Sharu)
- Char is a young orphan who was a captive of crime boss and weapons dealer Sojo. Char is the last of the Kyonagi Clan, known for their regenerative abilities. She was experimented on by Sojo for her abilities to help stabilize the Datenseki. While she can heal from nearly any wound she receives, Char can also use her ability to heal wounds on other people.
- Hakuri Sazanami (漣 伯理, Sazanami Hakuri)
- A former member of the Sazanami Clan, who was disowned for his perceived weakness and uselessness to the clan. Vowing to dismantle the Rakuzaichi black market, which his family was in charge of organizing, he joins Chihiro's cause. Hakuri's lack of sorcery was a result of his self-inflicted doubt and worthlessness due to the abuse he suffered from his family, subconsciously circulating his spirit energy throughout his body. This explains why he initially was not able to use the Sazanami clan's signature shockwave-like attack, the Isou (威葬, Isō). After finally able to properly control his spirit energy, Hakuri is capable of not only using the Isou attack but also the Storehouse, a subspace used for storing items and even people. Hakuri became only the second Sazanami in the clan's history to use both Isou and the Storehouse, a feat only the first Sazanami clan head was capable of. One of Hakuri's abilities is registering individuals into his Storehouse, including any items containing the registered's spirit energy.
Kamunabi
[edit]The Kamunabi (神奈備, Kamunabi) is a government-affiliated organization of sorcerers with a mission established during the Seitei War (斉廷戦争, Seitei Sensō) to eliminate all threats to the nation of Japan as a whole, notably different to civilian sorcerers who generally deal with more person-specific matters such as corporations or the yakuza. A recent objective of theirs is to gain the Enchanted Blades, so they themselves could make use of them to maintain peace in the country.
- Azami (薊)
- One of the highest-ranking leaders of the Kamunabi and an old friend of Kunishige and Shiba, having helped Kunishige find a hidden place to reside following the Seitei War and later serves as a prominent informant to Chihiro.
- Hiyuki Kagari (香刈 緋雪, Kagari Hiyuki)
- An elite fighter of the Kamunabi stated as its strongest. She is stated to be one of the few individuals capable of opposing an Enchanted Blade by wielding a special sorcery called the Flame Bone of the Starving (餓者の炎骨, Gasha no Enkotsu), which is said to possess strength on par with the Enchanted Blades.
- Tafuku Mihara (美原 多福, Mihara Tafuku)
- Hiyuki's partner, who looks like a sumo wrestler. His sorcery involves creating a separate domain where battles between two combatants take place, with the domain disappearing once the battle is considered over.
Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces
[edit]The Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces (対クラウドガウガー特殊部隊, Tai Kuraudo Gaugā Tokushu Butai) was a squadron of six elite fighters within the Kamunabi who were tasked with opposing Genichi Sojo and the Enchanted Blade Cloud Gouger he wielded. Only two survived the battle against Sojo.
- Ikuto Hagiwara (萩原 幾兎, Hagiwara Ikuto)
- The commander of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces whose spell Jikai (磁戒, Jikai), gives him magnetic powers. He is one of only two in the squadron to survive against Sojo.
- Kazane Machi (真智 カザネ, Machi Kazane)
- The most recent member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces. He is only one of two in the squadron to survive against Sojo.
- Shiyumi Harima (張間 梓弓, Harima Shiyumi)
- A member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces whose spell Gansui (岩垂) allows her to erect walls.
- Hajime Kugara (具柄 一, Kugara Hajime)
- A member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces whose spell allows him to imbue his arm with iron-like properties.
- Kiyohiko Uzuki (卯月 清彦, Uzuki Kiyohiko)
- A member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces who can use binding spells to restrict the target's movements.
- Makoto Kasahara (笠原 誠, Kasahara Makoto)
- A member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces.
Enchanted Blade Wielders
[edit]- Yoji Uruha (潤羽 洋児, Uruha Yōji)
- One of the remaining Enchanted Blade wielders from the Seitei War and has an eternal contract with the blade Kumeyuri (酌揺) which was given to him by Kunishige Rokuhira eighteen years ago. Yoji greatly admired Kunishige and was honored to be chosen as a blade wielder. Yoji initially refused to believe Kunishige had a son, and seemingly lost his will to live after the swordsmith was killed. However, upon meeting Chihiro, he reaffirmed his loyalty to the Rokuhira family. Yoji can use the Iai drawing technique, having being trained under one of the other blade wielders, Seiichi Samura.
- Seiichi Samura (座村 清市, Samura Seiichi)
- Seiichi Samura is one of the remaining Enchanted Blade wielders from the Seitei War eighteen years ago with an eternal contract to the blade Tobimune (飛宗). Samura is blind, doing it to himself so as to prevent succumbing to worldly passions in accordance to his Buddhist beliefs. He has a scar going down vertically each eye and wears sunglasses. Despite his blindness, Samura is exceptionally perceptive with his other senses, which is how he was able to recognize Chihiro as Kunishige's son from when Chihiro was young. According to Kunishige, Samura is the fastest of the blade wielders. A master swordsman, Samura uses Iai White Purity Style, a quick-draw technique that utilizes echolocation through a sheathed swords' reverberations to gauge the size and direction of his targets.
- Misaka (巳坂)
- The original wielder of the Cloud Gouger who was killed by the Hishaku sometime after Kunishige Rokuhira was murdered by them, leading Cloud Gouger to be wielded by Sojo.
Antagonists
[edit]Hishaku
[edit]The Hishaku (毘灼, Hishaku) are a small, elite criminal group of ten sorcerers who murdered Kunishige and stole his six Enchanted Blades three years ago, as such making them the targets of Chihiro's revenge. Their expertise in sorcery is so great that they are considered to be monsters. Each member is identified by a tattoo with a flame emblem on the back of one of their hand. They later killed Misaka soon after Kunishige's death, and gave Genichi Sojo one of the Enchanted Blades, Cloud Gouger, and donate another called the Magatsumi (勾罪), also known as the Shinuchi (真打), to the Sazanami Clan to be sold in the Rakuzaichi under the alias of Sojo himself. The group has also made connections with many other organizations and individuals in the underworld, such as the Korogumi Yakuza, and the aforementioned Genichi Sojo and Sazanami Clan to further their objectives. After three years of preparation, the Hishaku begin their plans by raiding the Sanso, fortresses owned by the Kamunabi that each holds one of the Enchanted Blade wielders who are protected by the organization's elite fighters, with the help of an army of hired sorcerers to assassinate said wielders, so their lifelong contracts with respective blades are released and are able to be used by them.
- Yura (幽)
- The leader of the Hishaku and being the one who orchestrated the group's murder of Kunishige and theft of his Enchanted Blades, doing so as part of an attempt to wield the Shinuchi for himself. Due to his status and actions, he is Chihiro's arch nemesis and is such his primary target of revenge.
- Hiruhiko (昼彦)
- A nonchalant, young sorcerer who loves to fight. When he was only 3 years old, he was introduced to the concept of killing people. He was dispatched to assassinate Uruha, running into Chihiro as the latter protects him, and immediately takes interests in the later, pointing out similarities between the two like being the same age of 18 years old, are prodigies in their skills of combat, and have killed many people along the way. His sorcery Blood Crane (血鶴, Chizuru) allows him allows him to create paper and mold it into origami. He can remotely control the origami that he creates and they are sharp enough to easily pierce through someone's body, as well as being strong enough to carry a something small, but heavy like the piece of Datenseki.
Sazanami Clan
[edit]The Sazanami Clan (漣家, Sazanami-ke) is a powerful criminal clan of sorcerers who are the proprietors of the Rakuzaichi, an annual auction of black market artifacts and weapons, as well as people which serves as a highly popular fixture in the Japanese underworld, and have administered this auction for over 200 years.
- Kyora Sazanami (漣 京羅, Sazanami Kyōra)
- The eleventh head of the Sazanami Clan, the lead auctioneer of the Rakuzaichi, and Hakuri's strict father. As Clan head, Kyora has control over a subspace called the Storehouse (蔵, Kura). In this subspace, he can store items and even people, as well as control the environment in the subspace. Kyora has completely dedicated himself in ensuring that the Rakuzaichi auction continues on no matter the cost, even willing to sacrifice his own children. After being mortally wounded by Chihiro, Kyora is ultimately killed by the overwhelming power of the Shinuchi. Kyora's death forever ends the Rakuzaichi.
The Tou
[edit]The Tou (濤, Tō), also known as the Special Defense Corp (特別防衛隊, Tokubetsu Bōei-Tai), is a small group of the four best fighters in the Sazanami Clan. Their duties are to follow the commands the clan head and protect them.
- Soya Sazanami (漣 宗也, Sazanami Sōya)
- Hakuri's older brother who is incredibly possessive of him, obsessively looking for him after Hakuri was exiled from the clan. He was also next in line to succeed Kyora as the Head of the Sazanami. While normally described as cold and calculating, Soya loses control of his emotions when around Hakuri. In a twisted sense of brotherly love, Soya physically tormented Hakuri. Initially wanting Hakuri to return to the Sazanami, Hakuri's alliance with Chihiro has Soya decide to kill his younger brother. Soya is defeated by Hakuri after the latter finally was able to use Isou and the Storehouse space.
- Tenri Sazanami (漣 天理, Sazanami Tenri)
- Hakuri's younger brother who is highly dedicated in protecting his father and the Rakuzaichi, and was one of the three members of the Tou who confronted Chihiro and Shiba when the later infiltrated the Sazanami estate. Tenri specializes in using short-bladed weapons for combat. During the fight against Chihiro, Tenri uses a Datenseki tool to amplify his sorcery. Due to the Datenseki being unstable, the power overwhelms Tenri and kills him.
- Tamaki Sazanami (漣 珠紀, Sazanami Tamaki)
- Hakuri's older sister who is one of three members of the Tou confronted Chihiro and Shiba when the later infiltrated the Sazanami estate.
- Enji Sazanami (漣 円慈, Sazanami Enji)
- One of Hakuri's older brothers who is one of three members of the Tou confronted Chihiro and Shiba when the later infiltrated the Sazanami estate.
Others
[edit]- Genichi Sojo (双城 厳一, Sōjō Gen'ichi)
- One of the biggest names in Japan's criminal underworld as a prominent weapons dealer, as well as the wielder of the stolen Enchanted Blade Cloud Gouger (刳雲, Kuregumo). Sojo had been attempting to harness the magical elements of Datenseki, the material the Enchanted Blades were made from, to create weapons and sell them. After repeated failures Sojo kidnapped Char and her mother, believing their regenerative abilities would help stabilize the Datenseki. Sojo admired Kunishige Rokuhira and the blades he created, as Sojo viewed the blades as perfect instruments for killing. After being fatally wounded by Chihiro Rokuhira in their duel that also resulted in Cloud Gouger being bisected, Sojo attempted to channel his energy into some Datenseki, but the overwhelming energy rebound resulted in the Datenseki to explode, killing Sojo.
- Norisaku Madoka (円 法炸, Madoka Norisaku)
- Also known as the Daruma Sorcerer, he is a sorcerer under the employ of Sojo, who wielded the ability to create exploding Daruma using his spirit energy. After his defeat at the hands of Chihiro and Shiba, Norisaku decided to stop being a sorcerer and go straight with his life. While trying to reconcile with his family, Norisaku is killed by Sojo for revealing information to Chihiro and Shiba.
Other characters
[edit]- Kunishige Rokuhira (六平 国重, Rokuhira Kunishige)
- Chihiro Rokuhira's late father, who held a significant reputation as his country's most renowned swordsmith, having forged the extremely powerful katana known as the Enchanted Blades. Kunishige was the only one who could control and harness the overwhelming power of the Datenseki, the material used to craft the Enchanted Blades. His blades were instrumental in ending the Seitei War. After the war ended, Kunishige was hidden from the public for protection. While in hiding, he had a son, Chihiro, and forged the seventh Enchanted blade, Enten. Nearly fifteen years after the war, Kunishige was murdered and his blades stolen by the Hishaku.
- Yuu Inazuma (稲妻 裕, Inazuma Yū)
- Yuu, or Mr. Inazuma, as he refers to himself, is a child aiming to break into the Rakuzaichi Black Market auction to free his big sister, which leads to his encounter with Chihiro.
Publication
[edit]Written and illustrated by Takeru Hokazono, Kagurabachi began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on September 19, 2023.[3][1] The first tankōbon volume was released on February 2, 2024.[4] As of October 4, 2024, four volumes have been released.[5]
Viz Media and Shueisha's Manga Plus platform are publishing the series in English.[6] In March 2024, Viz Media announced the print release of the manga.[7] The first volume is set to be released on November 5, 2024.[8]
Volumes
[edit]| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 2, 2024[4] | 978-4-08-883819-9 | November 5, 2024[8] | 978-1-9747-4724-5 | ||
| ||||||
| 2 | May 2, 2024[9] | 978-4-08-883880-9 | February 4, 2025[10] | 978-1-9747-5271-3 | ||
| ||||||
| 3 | July 4, 2024[11] | 978-4-08-884116-8 | — | — | ||
| ||||||
| 4 | October 4, 2024[5] | 978-4-08-884209-7 | — | — | ||
| ||||||
| 5 | December 4, 2024[12] | 978-4-08-884348-3 | — | — | ||
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
[edit]These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.
- "Race" (競合, Kyōgō)
- "Surpass!" (超えろ!!, Koero!!)
- "The Tip" (一端, Ippashi)
- "Fervent" (熱狂, Nekkyō)
- "Everything" (全部, Zenbu)
- "Fulfill" (全う, Mattō)
- "The Curtain Falls" (閉幕, Heimaku)
- "What Comes Next" (これからの話く, Korekara no hanashi)
- "Unruly Punk" (勝手な野郎, Kattena Yarō)
- "Uruha" (漆羽)
- "The Kokugoku Steam Squad" (国獄 湯煙スクワッド, Kokugoku Yukemuri Sukuwaddo)
- "Deadlock" (均衡, Kinkō)
- "Interception" (迎撃, Geigeki)
- "Samura" (座村)
- "Just the Two of Us" (2人きり, Futari Kiri)
- "Darkness" (暗がり, Kuragari)
- "Friendship" (友情, Yūjō)
- "Fight Alongside" (共闘, Kyōtō)
- "Daybreak" (夜更け, Yofuke)
Reception
[edit]By July 2024, the manga had over 350,000 copies in circulation (including digital copies);[13] over 600,000 copies in circulation by August 2024;[14] and over 1 million copies in circulation by October 2024.[15] Upon release, Kagurabachi surpassed series such as Spy × Family, Dragon Ball Super, and Boruto on Manga Plus's popularity ranking. Its sudden popularity amongst global readers was partially the result of numerous Internet memes, with many ironically considering it to be the inheritor of Weekly Shōnen Jump's "Big Three" (One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach).[16] Its first chapter was the world's most viewed in its first week of publication on Manga Plus, and the series has received over 99 million page views on the platform by April 2024.[17] The series has been recommended by manga creators Kōhei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto, and the musician Vaundy.[18][19][20]
It ranked seventh on AnimeJapan's "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll in 2024.[21][22] The manga won the 10th Next Manga Award in the print category in 2024.[23]
References
[edit]- ^ a b 父のもとで刀匠を目指していたはずが…憎しみに駆られた少年の剣戟バトルアクション. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 19, 2023. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ Yūki (August 27, 2024). 「次にくるマンガ大賞」1位を大予想！ 大本命は『カグラバチ』『ふつうの軽音部』. Kai-You (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (September 3, 2023). "Fabricant 100 Manga Ends, 3 New Manga to Launch in Shonen Jump". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ a b カグラバチ 1 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ a b カグラバチ 4 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Lada, Jenni (September 18, 2023). "New Shonen Jump Series Kagurabachi Begins Its Run". Siliconera. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (March 6, 2024). "Viz Media to Release Kagurabachi Manga in Print in Fall". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "Kagurabachi, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ カグラバチ 2 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kagurabachi, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ カグラバチ 3 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ カグラバチ 5 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ 『カグラバチ』3巻発売で『NARUTO』作者が絶賛 日本刀バトルで「漫画好きが好きなやつ」. Oricon News (in Japanese). July 3, 2024. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ @kagurabachi_x (August 29, 2024). 【60万部！】#次にくるマンガ大賞2024 コミックス部門1位仕様の帯が巻かれたコミックス！ 皆様の熱烈な応援のおかげで 累計60万部を突破しました！最新4巻は10月4日(金)発売予定！ご期待ください！ #カグラバチ #Kagurabachi (Tweet) (in Japanese) – via Twitter.
- ^ @kagurabachi_x (October 18, 2024). 【すごいぞ！】 JC「 #カグラバチ」 全巻重版出来！(11月14日予定) 累計100万部突破しました！！ 応援ありがとうございます！ 最新コミックス5巻は12月4日(水)発売予定！※書店様への入荷のお問い合わせはご遠慮ください。 (Tweet) (in Japanese) – via Twitter.
- ^ Whitbrook, James (September 21, 2023). "Kagurabachi Is Big, But Not as Big as the Internet Wants You to Think". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ ""Kagurabachi" Captures Global Attention - Shueisha Releases Excerpts from Volume 2". Japan Anime News. Oricon. April 30, 2024. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ 堀越耕平も推薦、憎しみに駆られた少年の剣戟バトルアクション「カグラバチ」1巻. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 2, 2024. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ 「カグラバチ」、岸本斉史が「この才能このスタイル、漫画好きが好きなやつ」と推薦. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. July 3, 2024. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ 「カグラバチ」2巻、帯にVaundyのコメント TシャツのプレゼントやLINEスタンプも. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. May 1, 2024. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ 「アニメ化してほしいマンガランキング」発表 1位は仲曽良ハミ「しなのんちのいくる」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 22, 2024. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ Iikura-Gross, Ken (March 25, 2024). "Shinanonchi no Ikuru Tops AnimeJapan's 'Manga You Want to Be Made Into Anime' Ranking". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (August 28, 2024). "Kagurabachi Tops Print Category, Girl Meets Rock! Wins in Web Category of Next Manga Awards 2024". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Official website at Weekly Shōnen Jump (in Japanese)
- Kagurabachi (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia