Unique and Refreshing Artwork and Storytelling of Kagurabachi

The shōnen manga industry experienced extraordinary success in the last three decades, but even the incredible success stories need to end at some point. With One Piece, My Hero Academia, and other Shonen Jump exclusives slowly but surely coming to an end, the executives decided to find new manga franchises that will 'take over the world.' In 2023, the so-called 'next wave' of new shōnen manga emerged, and among them is the main topic of this article, Kagurabachi, written and illustrated by young Takeru Hokazono.

A Meme Turned Into Success Story

The manga sphere became quite popular in the last two decades, especially among the Western public. Gone are the days when fans would wait for anime to be picked up by their countries studios or simply adapted on their streaming platforms. The same fans became impatient for the new content and started perusing through manga archives to find their favorite series to read. This, of course, led to major online discussions among the fans, who would 'hype up' every potentially good new manga series. That was the case for Kagurabachi, a work created by young mangaka writer and illustrator Takeru Hokazono, whose work started being the major talking point among the manga fans.

Now, with the first chapter coming out, fans started creating memes mostly containing the main hero of the series, Chihiro, in various forms. However, that quickly changed with new chapters, and the unique artwork and awesome storytelling, Kagurabachi became one of the most popular manga series in the West but also among the domestic public in Japan.

Artwork and Storytelling Atypical for Shōnen Genre

Most manga fans know what to expect from your usual shōnen story—an underdog with a tragic story that sets something as his major goal, which leads to him winning and getting everything he wanted through hard work. In Kagurabachi, that is mostly the case as well, but this story includes slightly more mature themes, darker storylines, and supernatural elements. Through manga panels and artwork style, you could see slight differences from your usual shōnen style in the way Hokazono draws his characters, especially in later chapters. The evolution from more clear artwork and, at times, 'childish' parts of the characters at the start to more mature, darker, and very reminiscent of some of the Western style is very noticeable, making the manga even more interesting.

As the stakes get higher and the story becomes more complicated, we see more of the Batman-esque art style included in Hokazono's work, an artwork of a superhero with one of the darkest storylines and art in the Western hemisphere.

Emotional Weight of the Series Done Really Well

You could argue that every good shōnen manga needs to have an emotional weight to its characters, even far away from your usual epic fights. However, not everyone succeeds in that department, and fans are knowledgeable enough to notice this detail. Kagurabachi set up the story of Chihiro Rokuhira in the first chapter of the series, briefly showing the readers the bond Chihiro had with his father Kunishige, whom we meet and quickly understand his personality. Moreover, we also learn Kunishige's background and the tale about six enchanted swords, which became the main force for the plot of the series.

Hokazono knows how to balance the emotional aspects of his characters but also puts great importance on material things like the aforementioned swords—with their differences and abilities, the enchanted swords represented their bond with the wielder, consequently showcasing the person's personality and emotional state.

Kagurabachi Can Only Become Even Better

Hokazono showcased that despite his young age (he's only 24 years old), he has great understanding of the shōnen genre, which is getting close to a great generational change with the ending of very popular manga series. Using influences from Western comics and their art style and exploring layered stories of his characters, Hokazono can only get better from here, and with the announcement that Kagurabachi will get its anime adaptation soon, we cannot wait to see how this story will transfer to our TV screens.