Iori Is Officially One of the Most Important Characters of Kagurabachi

Who doesn't love an addition to the cast that makes so much sense in the context of the main plot? Hokazono's Kagurabachi raises stakes with every new chapter, and the recent one, chapter 69, did it once again. Iori, Samura's daughter, just became one of the most important characters in the Kagurabachi series, at least for one arc. How will Hokazono use her character in future chapters?

Iori Is Definitely a One-arc Character

We discussed many times how characters and tropes can impact the overall story of the series. They can massively change the course of the story in, of course, a negative or positive way. But there are also one-arc characters who are used briefly but have a major impact in the limited cameos. Iori is definitely that kind of character, since her story is closely connected to Seiichi Samura, who is currently one of the anti-heroes/villains of the 'Sword Bearers Assassination arc.'.

Her story was fairly unknown until a few previous characters when her role became much more important. Three sides are currently fighting to have her in their custody to have leverage over Samura: the Hishaku, Chihiro with Masumi clan and the Kamunabi organization. Of course, as we know, Iori is currently under Chihiro's surveillance, who opened her eyes on many things that have been happening around her, including the absent memories of her father. Since the most recent chapter, Iori unlocked her memories and seemingly has swordsmanship skills. Will that be enough to make her a recurring character in the future of the series as well? We still don't know, but Hokazono is more than capable of making that happen; for now, it seems Iori will be a one-arc character.

For more Kagurabachi, check out My Anime List.

Possible Mentorship of Chihiro?

Now, there is a hint at the end of chapter 69 that Iori unlocked more than just her memories. After breaking the memory seal to protect her friend Ikura, Iori immediately wielded two katanas to face the assassins, and her stance can only be seen with very experienced warriors. It seems that Samura sealed more than Iori's and his memories; he sealed her swordsmanship skills so it doesn't remind her of her father. Knowing how Hokazono works, we will probably immediately be presented with her skillset in the next chapter, but there is another angle to her whole story—there is a possibility she could become Chihiro's mentor.

This theory directly counters the one-arc character argument, but knowing how Hokazono hinted at Chihiro's anger at his lack of swordsmanship skills, there is a possibility Iori could mentor Chihiro, at least in a short period of time, before he faces Samura or Hishaku members. Since we are sure that Iori was trained by her father, Seiichi Samura, a war hero, one of the most powerful swordsmanship masters in the world, and an incredible tactical mind, Iori could share Chihiro's talent and genius in combat. Why not pair them up to learn something from each other? That would be a really cool concept.

Conclusion: Iori Just Became One of the Most Important Characters

As we mentioned, one-arc characters are important in certain periods of time, but their impact could be felt long after their time in the series is over. With the recent revelation, Iori is currently one of the most important characters in the Kagurabachi series, along with, of course, Chihiro and Samura. She truly became Samura's daughter, who seemingly has a vast skill set in combat, and if chosen, her character could be very important for Chihiro's progression as a character. The mentor angle seems really nice to explore, but we won't know until the next chapters, where Hokazono will determine if Iori Samura will truly become part of the Chihiro's entourage or put her aside after the 'Swords Bearers Assassination arc' ends. Or the worst scenario, Iori gets killed one day or another. Hopefully, the latter option doesn't happen, because Iori is slowly but surely climbing that fan-favorite table with every new chapter.

For more Kagurabachi, check out Manga Plus.