Chihiro Is One Step Closer to Samura in Kagurabachi Chapter 62

Takeru Hokazono graced us with another new Kagurabachi chapter, which brought the stakes even higher. In the new chapter, titled 'Iori,' we meet a new, very important character, who will play a huge role in Chihiro's mission, Hishaku, coming out of the shadows, and Chihiro and Masumi saving the day. The 'Sword Bearer Arc' is getting more exciting and complicated with every new chapter, and fans are reeling with new information they're getting before the inevitable epic battle.

Meet Iori Samura

In the previous chapter of Kagurabachi, we learned that Seichii Samura, one of the Sword Bearers of Enchanted Blades and Chihiro's new enemy, had a daughter, who mysteriously disappeared. Chihiro's newest allies, the Masumi Ninja Clan, construct a plan that revolves around finding the missing daughter that will serve as their leverage against Samura. Of course, Hishaku sorcerers are onto this plan as well, and they don't want to be too late to take the daughter for themselves.

The newest chapter, 62, starts with us meeting Iori, a young teenager who lives with her mother. Her mother raised Iori alone, and she's trying her best to provide proper education and living for her daughter. While we see Iori talking with her mother before school, we learn that Chihiro is apparently famous, or rather infamous, since his Kabuki performance slaughter ended up on national news. This is a very cool detail served by Hokazono, who acknowledges the craziness of the current state of affairs in Japan's 'underground,' giving us an alternative point of view and how it affects ordinary people. Iori acknowledges that news alright and condemns the violence that recently sparked in Japan. Moreover, when it comes to Samura, Iori doesn't know her father and doesn't think he exists at all—which is tragic in its own right.

Father-daughter Love is Exceptionally Strong

If the spark of violence wasn't enough, Iori and her classmates point out the strange happenings in Kyoto's sky, not knowing that it is Samura's Owl, which is constantly observing his daughter. This strange occurrence worries anyone, although the girls' teachers don't pay that much attention to it because Kamunabi reassured anyone that it's nothing. One of the most amusing details of this chapter is that Iori finds sorcerers 'freaky,' and Chihiro has fans. One of Iori's classmates, Ikura, wears markings on his face to replicate Chihiro's scars, and he constantly repeats some very ominous things like 'our worlds are going to turn upside down' and others.

Chihiro gets called badass by Ikura, who, on the other hand, gets reprimanded by Iori and others—Chihiro's a straight murderer. After that conversation, Iori confesses that she cannot sleep at all and has strange dreams that she cannot remember after she wakes up. Her friend asks her if it's due to the 'strange happenings in the sky,' and Iori considers that point, even remembering an unknown man that holds her hand in the dreams—of course, we as readers know that's Samura. Iori displays her concern about Owl only affecting her, and her friends calm her down with the promise of 'something sweet' after school. Of course, things get more complicated from that moment—Hishaku attacks the school.

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Chihiro and Masumi Clan Save the Day

Iori witnesses a murder at the gates of her high school—one of the Hishaku murders a guard on the spot. The sorcerers immediately enter the building and ask for a student called 'Samura.' Other Hishaku member tells her partner that the girl won't have that name on her record and all of her information is erased, meaning they'll have to use another method of identifying Samura's daughter—by analyzing the student's blood. Of course, students are horrified, and the scene gets even more ominous; Hishaku members want to keep girls of the class alive and kill the boys to make their search easier.

Ikura, the fanboy of Chihiro, stands up to one of the Hishaku sorcerers and demands answers. A sorcerer goes on to kill Ikura, but Iori gets in the way and protects her friend, earning her a compliment from the Hishaku member. Just as Hishaku goes on to test Iori's daughter, the leader of the Masumi Clan enters the class, and Chihiro immediately fights off the male sorcerer. Iori is saved by the Masumi Clan, who go on to say the seal the girl has on her memories is getting 'looser,' hence why Hishaku picked up her location. While Iori questions what is going on, a Masumi Clan member eternally analyzes what is going on with the girls' memories and concludes that she is unconsciously trying to break the seal. Iori is in Masumi Clan's custody and safe from Hishaku, Kamunabi, and the rest of the 'players' in the conflict—at least for now.

Conclusion: Stakes Just Got Higher

One of the best parts of Hokazono's writing is the cinematic feel of his manga panels—the reader can feel the plot playing in front of their eyes like Kagurabachi is the action movie. Although manga showcased that aspect of Hokazono's artwork many times, this chapter emphasizes the movie-like feel and tension our characters are dealing with. Iori, Samura's daughter, is more than it seems, and her unconscious love for her lost father is too much for even the strongest spell to handle, once again proving that father-daughter love is like no other.

With Hishaku and Kamunabi currently off trail with Iori being with Masumi and Chihiro, it will be interesting to see how Samura's daughter and our protagonist interact with each other and how the other two groups will react to missing Samura's daughter. Finally, we are eager to see how Samura will react with these groups attacking his daughter. We'll have to wait for a new chapter after 2024 ends, since Hokazono finally took a bit of a break.

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