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 three tankōbon volumes as of July 2024[update].
Kagurabachi | |
![]() First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Chihiro Rokuhira (center) | |
カグラバチ | |
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Genre | Action[1] |
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 | 3 |
Plot
editChihiro Rokuhira, the son of a renowned blacksmith who forged six enchanted swords, seeks a bloody revenge against a gang of sorcerers with the help of a seventh enchanted sword forged by his father before he was assassinated.
Characters
editChihiro's Group
edit- Chihiro Rokuhira (六平 千鉱, Rokuhira Chihiro)
- The son of Kunishige Rokuhira. After his father was killed and the enchanted swords he made were taken, Chihiro swore revenge. He took his father's last sword, Enten, and trained with it for the purpose of finding his father's killers. Although he seeks revenge, he will not allow innocent civilians to be caught in the crossfire of his battles. He is aloof, but is a caring person. 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 family friend of Chihiro and Kunishige. Like Chihiro, he also seeks to avenge Kunishige. He is a sorcerer that specializes in teleportation. He used to work for the Kamunabi, but left for unknown reasons.
- Hinao (ヒナオ)
- A friend of Shiba and owner of Cafe Haru Haru which serves as both a cafe and a way for Hinao to connect sorcerers with the leaders of yakuza or big corporations who require their services.
- Char Kyonagi (鏡凪 シャル, Kyōnagi Sharu)
- Char is a young orphan living on the streets who has reportedly witnessed an enchanted blade. Genichi Sojo is pursuing her for reasons closely related to her heritage as a member of the Kyonagi Clan, which is known for its regenerative powers.
- Hakuri Sazanami (漣 伯理, Sazanami Hakuri)
- Hakuri is 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.
Kamunabi
editThe Kamunabi (神奈備, Kamunabi) is a government-affiliated organisation of sorcerers with a mission established during the Seitei War to eliminate threats to the nation as a whole, notably different to civilian sorcerers who generally deal with more person-specific matters such as corporations or the Yakuza.
- Azami (薊)
- Azami is one of the highest-ranking members 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)
- Hiyuki is a member of the Kamunabi stated as its strongest sorcerer. She is stated to be the only individual capable of opposing an Enchanted Blade and wields the Flame Bone of the Starving, which is said to possess strength on par with the Enchanted Blades.
- Tafuku Mihara (美原 多福, Mihara Tafuku)
- Tafuku is a Kamunabi sorcerer, 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.
- Ikuto Hagiwara (萩原 幾兎, Hagiwara Ikuto)
- Ikuto is an elite member of the Kamunabi, whose spell Jikai, gives him magnetic powers. He is the commander of the Kamunabi's Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces, a squadron of six elite sorcerers who were tasked with opposing Genichi Sojo and his Enchanted Blade Cloud Gouger.
- Kazane Machi (真智 カザネ, Machi Kazane)
- Kazane is a member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces unit led by Ikuto Hagiwara within the Kamunabi organization.
- Shiyumi Harima (張間 梓弓, Harima Shiyumi)
- Shiyumi is a member of the elite Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces, under Ikuto Hagiwara's command, whose spell Gansui allows her to erect walls.
Hishaku
editThe Hishaku (毘灼, Hishaku) is a small group of elite sorcerers who are responsible for the murder of Kunishige Rokuhira and theft of six of his Enchanted Blades three years ago, and are as such the main targets of Chihiro's revenge.
Sazanami Clan
editThe Sazanami Clan (漣家, Sazanami-ke) is a powerful criminal clan of sorcerers who are the proprietors of the Rakuzaichi, an annual auction 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)
- Kyora is the eleventh head of the Sazanami Clan and Hakuri's strict father, who have overseen the Rakuzaichi black market auction for over 200 years as the lead auctioneer.
- Soya Sazanami (漣 宗也, Sazanami Sōya)
- Soya is a member of the Sazanami Clan's Tou, and Hakuri's older brother who is incredibly possessive of him, obsessively looking for him after Hakuri was exiled from the clan.
- Tenri Sazanami (漣 天理, Sazanami Tenri)
- Tenri is a member of the Sazanami Clan's Tou, and Hakuri's younger brother.
Other characters
edit- Kunishige Rokuhira (六平 国重, Rokuhira Kunishige)
- Kunishige is 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.
- Genichi Sojo (双城 厳一, Sōjō Gen'ichi)
- Genichi is one of the biggest names in Japan's underworld as a prominent weapons dealer and was also the leader of a group of sorcerers pursuing Char, as well as the wielder of the stolen Enchanted Blade Cloud Gouger.
- Norisaku Madoka (円 法炸, Madoka Norisaku)
- Norisaku, also known as the Daruma Sorcerer, is a sorcerer hunting Char under the employ of Genichi Sojo, who wielded the ability to create exploding Daruma using his spirit energy.
- Yoji Uruha (潤羽 洋児, Uruha Yōji)
- Uruha is one of the remaining Enchanted Blade wielders from the Seitei War and has an eternal contract with the blade Kumeyuri which was given to him by Kunishige Rokuhira eighteen years ago.
Publication
editWritten and illustrated by Takeru Hokazono, the series began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on September 19, 2023.[2][1] The first tankōbon volume was released on February 2, 2024.[3] As of July 4, 2024, three volumes have been released.[4]
Viz Media and Shueisha's Manga Plus platform are publishing the series in English.[5] In March 2024, Viz Media announced the print release of the manga.[6] The first volume is set to be released on November 5, 2024.[7]
Volumes
editNo. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
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1 | February 2, 2024[3] | 978-4-08-883819-9 | November 5, 2024[7] | 978-1-9747-4724-5 | ||
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2 | May 2, 2024[8] | 978-4-08-883880-9 | February 4, 2025[9] | 978-1-9747-5271-3 | ||
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3 | July 4, 2024[4] | 978-4-08-884116-8 | — | — | ||
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4 | October 4, 2024[10] | 978-4-08-884209-7 | — | — |
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
editThese chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.
- "Breach" (突破口, Toppakō)
- "Selection" (取捨, Shusha)
- "Intruders" (乱入者, Rannyūsha)
- "Greeting" (挨拶, Aisatsu)
- "Selection" (選別, Senbetsu)
- "Defend to the Death" (死守, Shishu)
- "Duty" (役目, Yakume)
- "Cage" (檻, Ori)
- "Geniuses" (天才達, Tensai-tachi)
- "Equal" (対等, Taitō)
- "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, Uruha)
Reception
editBy July 2024, the manga had over 350,000 copies in circulation (including digital copies).[11] 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).[12] 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.[13] The series has been recommended by manga creators Kōhei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto, and the musician Vaundy.[14][15][16]
It ranked seventh on AnimeJapan's "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll in 2024.[17][18] The manga won the 10th Next Manga Award in the print category in 2024.[19]
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.
- ^ 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 3 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 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. ISBN 978-1-9747-5271-3.
- ^ カグラバチ 4 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved August 15, 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.
- ^ 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