
Chihiro’s Genius in Kagurabachi: A Fresh Take or Overused Shōnen Cliché?
Dora NaletilićShare
The word 'cliché' is often used in fictional media, especially in discussions about certain TV series or films. Anime and manga forums are the same in that regard, due to fans constantly analyzing their favorite shows and characters and if they fall under the trap of being too predictable. Recently, Hokazono of Kagurabachi decided to explain the reasoning on why his main character Chihiro holds huge power, and some fans didn't like that detail from the recent chapter. Why is that the case?
Shōnen Clichés: Rare or a Normal Occurrence
It's always interesting watching or reading a piece of fiction and trying to make sense of the content you just indulged in. Discussions about fictional media and their characters have expanded massively everywhere, both online and offline. One of the biggest points of discussion is definitely narrative tropes, which are a determining factor in how the story will go in a certain plotline. Sometimes these are defined as 'clichés,' which can be very detrimental for a character or overall story. Shōnen has many tropes specific to its genre: a brave protagonist who has no parents, has insane hidden talent, is secretly powerful, and in the endgame, is happy and gets a girl.
Pretty standard for the genre that is focused on teenagers and young adults, but it seems that those tropes that are very specific for the shōnen genre in Japanese manga and anime became a nuisance for some fans, who demand 'quality.' Now, one could say that specific tropes should be abolished, but what people don't realize is that those particular parts of the story will always be present in one way or another. The writers just need to create an interesting enough story to subtly hide these tropes and make them enjoyable for the fans. In conclusion, the shōnen genre is full of clichés, and frankly, they make the story quite unique.
A Sign of Lazy Writing?
In the context of a hit manga series, Kagurabachi, Takeru Hokazono created a really solid story that until now expanded organically and incredibly well. With the establishment of Chihiro as the main character, his backstory, and vague hints of the enemies, Kagurabachi became a really well-written shōnen series. Chihiro's story has been discussed many times on this blog, and it's fascinating how he matured over the course of 60 chapters.
This is true in regard to his skill set as a swordsman and also as a human being, but recent developments around his skill set and capabilities made some fans question the ability of the manga writer himself. Fans criticized the fact that Chihiro became 'talented' all of a sudden, in terms of his 'imitation' powers and ability to learn quite fast, stating that this decision is simply a sign of lazy writing and another shōnen cliché. But is it really?
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Chihiro Too Powerful?
Despite slaughtering an insane number of people over the course of the manga, Hokazono made sure that fans recognize Chihiro's weaknesses, both as a still young man and swordsman. The main character was never acknowledged as the most talented or most powerful 'being' in the series, and it always hinted that Chihiro needed to learn many things. Samura and Uruha were his mentors who taught him how to use Enchanted Blades better and hone his swordsmanship ability.
And despite his weaknesses, Chihiro was considered quite strong but very raw, establishing his journey as a shōnen protagonist. The recent development where we learn that Chihiro gained his abilities as a swordsman by simply imitating his friends and foes and that his 'power' of observation is much more than just average angered some fans. They stated that Hokazono made Chihiro all too powerful and that it came out of nowhere. But that simply isn't true.
Conclusion: Everything Has a Reason
First of all, Chihiro is not too powerful. He has many things to learn; he never truly had a swordsmanship mentor, and his skills need to improve by a lot if he wants to defeat the Hishaku group. Hokazono introducing the notion that Chihiro's keen eye made him this strong is not outrageous at all; it was building up from the first chapter of the series. Chihiro always sought help with his skill set and tried to learn from other people, even briefly from Samura and Uruha, which makes this development so much more important.
Is this falling back to shōnen cliché? Absolutely, but in a subtle way that has been building up for many chapters. Some fans ignore or fail to realize that not everything is just out of the blue, boring, and a conspiracy theory where writers use 'deus ex machina.' Most of these shōnen clichés make sense because they make the genre what it is—it's supposed to motivate you, sympathize with the character, and root for his success, and Chihiro is definitely one of those shōnen protagonists.
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