# Kagurabachi

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 six tankōbon volumes as of March 2025.

## Synopsis

Chihiro Rokuhira is the son of Kunishige Rokuhira, a renowned blacksmith who forged six enchanted blades that were instrumental in ending the Seitei War. After living in hiding, the Rokuhiras are discovered and attacked by a criminal gang of sorcerers called the Hishaku. The Hishaku murder Kunishige and then steal the Enchanted Blades. Armed with a seventh enchanted blade called Enten, Chihiro embarks on a bloody path of vengeance and justice to destroy the Hishaku and reclaim the stolen blades.

## Characters
### Chihiro's group
#### Chihiro Rokuhira (六平 千鉱, Rokuhira Chihiro)

    The 18-year-old son of the late and renowned Kunishige Rokuhira, Chihiro trained under his father as a swordsmith during his childhood, hoping to follow in his footsteps. After his father was killed and the Enchanted Blades (妖刀, Yōtō) he made were stolen, Chihiro swore revenge against his perpetrators being the Hishaku. He took his father's last Enchanted Blade, Enten (淵天), and trained with it until he was ready to find his father's killers and reclaim the Enchanted Blades. Although he seeks revenge, he will not allow innocent civilians to be caught in the crossfire of his battles. While he acts stoically and aloof, Chihiro can show compassion, kindness, and trustworthiness to others. With Enten, he can create magically projected slashes, absorb energy for later use, and increase his physical abilities. Chihiro's keen observation, which he inherited from his father, has allowed him to become a better swordsman overtime; he was able to learn and master the Iai White Purity Style without direct teachings, having observed and mimicked the movements of Yoji Uruha, Seiichi Samura and Iori Samura.

#### Togo Shiba (柴登 吾, Shiba Tōgo)

    A highly skilled, very powerful sorcerer and family friend of Kunishige and Chihiro. Like Chihiro, he also seeks to avenge Kunishige. He is a sorcerer who specializes in teleportation. He was a member of the Kamunabi, but left them sometime after Kunishige went into hiding.

#### Hinao (ヒナオ)

    A friend of Shiba and owner of Cafe Haru Haru (喫茶ハルハル, Kissa Haru Haru) which serves as both a cafe and a way for Hinao to connect sorcerers with the leaders of the yakuza or big corporations who require their services.

#### Char Kyonagi (鏡凪 シャル, Kyōnagi Sharu)

    Char is a young orphan who was a captive of crime boss and weapons dealer Sojo. Char is the last of the Kyonagi Clan, known for their regenerative abilities. She was experimented on by Sojo for her abilities to help stabilize the Datenseki. While she can heal from nearly any wound she receives, Char can also use her ability to heal wounds on other people.

#### Hakuri Sazanami (漣 伯理, Sazanami Hakuri)

    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. Hakuri's lack of sorcery was a result of his self-inflicted doubt and worthlessness due to the abuse he suffered from his family, subconsciously circulating his spirit energy throughout his body. This explains why he initially was not able to use the Sazanami clan's signature shockwave-like attack, the Isou (威葬, Isō). After finally able to properly control his spirit energy, Hakuri is capable of not only using the Isou attack but also the Storehouse, a subspace used for storing items and even people. Hakuri became only the second Sazanami in the clan's history to use both Isou and the Storehouse, a feat only the first Sazanami clan head was capable of. One of Hakuri's abilities is registering individuals into his Storehouse, including any items containing the registered's spirit energy.

### Kamunabi

The Kamunabi (神奈備, Kamunabi) is a government-affiliated organization of sorcerers with a mission established during the Seitei War (斉廷戦争, Seitei Sensō) to eliminate all threats to the nation of Japan as a whole like, notably different to civilian sorcerers who generally deal with more person-specific matters such as big corporations or the yakuza. A recent objective of theirs is to gain the Enchanted Blades, so they themselves could make use of them to maintain peace in the country. They and the Hishaku have been in a deadlock for three years with the former having secured the Enchanted Blade wielders and the latter having the blades themselves in their possession. However, the Hishaku are unable to use them due to their life long contracts with their respective wielders.

#### Azami (薊)

    One of the highest-ranking leaders 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)

    An elite fighter of the Kamunabi stated as its strongest. She is stated to be one of the few individuals capable of opposing an Enchanted Blade by wielding a special sorcery called the Flame Bone of the Starving (餓者の炎骨, Gasha no Enkotsu), which is said to possess strength on par with the Enchanted Blades.

#### Tafuku Mihara (美原 多福, Mihara Tafuku)

    Hiyuki's subordinate 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.

#### Fushimi (伏見)

    An elite fighter of the Kamunabi and a member of the Kokugoku Steam Squad the who he and his squad were stationed at the Kokugoku Hot Spring Sanso fortress to protect Uruha. Fushimi wears a bandana and uses a sorcery ability called Smoke Axe (煙斧, Yān fǔ), which allows him to cut opponents with smoke between his hands. When the Hishaku’s hired Datenseki-powered troops attack Kokugoku, Fushimi and the rest of the squad are able to defeat them. However, he and his comrades would later be killed by Hiruhiko.

#### Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces

The Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces (対クラウドガウガー特殊部隊, Tai Kuraudo Gaugā Tokushu Butai) was a squadron of six elite fighters within the Kamunabi who were tasked with opposing Genichi Sojo and the Enchanted Blade Cloud Gouger he wielded. Only two survived the battle against Sojo.

##### Ikuto Hagiwara (萩原 幾兎, Hagiwara Ikuto)

    The commander of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces whose spell Jikai (磁戒, Jikai), gives him magnetic powers. He is one of only two in the squadron to survive against Sojo.

##### Kazane Machi (真智 カザネ, Machi Kazane)

    The most recent member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces. He is only one of two in the squadron to survive against Sojo.

##### Shiyumi Harima (張間 梓弓, Harima Shiyumi)

    A member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces whose spell Gansui (岩垂) allows her to erect walls.

##### Hajime Kugara (具柄 一, Kugara Hajime)

    A member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces whose spell allows him to imbue his arm with iron-like properties.

##### Kiyohiko Uzuki (卯月 清彦, Uzuki Kiyohiko)

    A member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces who can use binding spells to restrict the target's movements.

##### Makoto Kasahara (笠原 誠, Kasahara Makoto)

    A member of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces who can increase the size of his hands.

#### Masumi

The Masumi (巻墨) are a clan of ninja who swore themselves to the Kamunabi upon their founding after the end of the Seitei War. They are fiercely loyal to their chosen master, willing to lay down their lives for them. Three members of the clan, Ro, Moku, and Sumi were assigned to protect Samura at his Sanso, Senkutsuji Temple, upon the death of Kunishige Rokuhira. When the temple is attacked by the Hishaku, the Masumi use their ninja abilities to nullify any smell or sound they make on the battlefield, allowing them to safely fight alongside Samura, who attacks based on sound. Though they try to sacrifice themselves so Samura, Uruha, and Hakuri can escape the crumbling temple with their lives, Samura refuses to accept this. Upon Hakuri retrieving the Enchanted Blade Tobimune for him, Samura rushes back into the temple to save the Masumi, promptly firing them so they no longer need to lay down their lives for his sake. Following Samura's betrayal, Ro, Moku, and Sumi join forces with Chihiro in order to combat Samura and protect his daughter Iori from the Hishaku in an operation dubbed "Operation: Easy Does It".

##### Ro (郎, Rō)

    The leader of the Masumi. Despite being over 23 years old, he has the appearance of a child and is mistaken for one by Chihiro and Iori. Ro dislikes being treated like a kid, but is not opposed to using his appearance to his advantage to try and skip work. Over his time at Senkutsuji, he seems to have taken on a persona similar to Samura, mimicking his signature sunglasses, eating candy cigarettes, using the term "get fired up" as a catchphrase, and having a similarly blunt demeanor. After the attack on Senkutsuji, Ro visits Chihiro in his hospital room and explains that he and the other Masumi will look out for Chihiro, per Hakuri's request.

##### Moku (杢)

    A tall ninja who meets Hakuri and Uruha at the train station alongside Sumi and helps rally Senkutsuji's troops when the Hishaku attack. He, like the other Masumi, is deeply empathetic, and takes care of Chihiro when he begins to doubt or be overly critical of himself, be it through reminding him of their mission or by forcibly shutting him up with some food.

##### Sumi (炭)

    A kunoichi with a cross-shaped tattoo on the right side of her face. Sumi meets with Hakuri and Uruha at the train station in order to transport them to Senkutsuji Temple via the use of a transportation mandala, which she can create using a marker. Upon arriving there, Sumi tends to Hakuri's treatment to hasten the safe usage of the Storehouse before joining Samura and the other clan members in battle against the Hishaku. During Operation: Easy Does It, Sumi makes off with Iori on a motorcycle as Kuguri gives chase.

### Enchanted Blade Wielders

Master swordsmen chosen by Kunishige Rokuhira to wield the Enchanted Blades during the Seitei War. Their actions in the Seitei War lead Japan to victory over a small island-nation whose inhabitants have grown accustomed to the Datenseki. The swordsmen were regarded as heroes by the public. Since the end of the Seitei War they went into hiding for protection. Following the deaths of Kunishige and one of the swordsman by the Hishaku, the remaining swordsmen were put under strict protection by the Kamunabi. However, one of the swordsmen, Seiichi Samura, seeks to kill the rest and himself to atone for their actions during the Seitei War that were covered up and hidden from the public.

#### Yoji Uruha (潤羽 洋児, Uruha Yōji)

    The original wielder of the blade Kumeyuri (酌揺) during the Seitei War. Uruha greatly admired Kunishige and was honored to be chosen as a blade wielder. Uruha initially refused to believe Kunishige had a son, and seemingly lost his will to live after the swordsmith was killed. However, upon meeting Chihiro, he reaffirmed his loyalty to the Rokuhira family. Uruha uses the Iai White Purity Style, having been trained under one of the other blade wielders, Seiichi Samura. Uruha is killed by Samura after the latter revealed his betrayal.

#### Seiichi Samura (座村 清市, Samura Seiichi)

    One of the remaining Enchanted Blade wielders from the Seitei War with an eternal contract to the blade Tobimune (飛宗). Samura is blind, doing it to himself so as to prevent succumbing to worldly passions in accordance to his Buddhist beliefs. He has a scar going down vertically each eye and wears sunglasses. Despite his blindness, Samura is exceptionally perceptive with his other senses. According to Kunishige, Samura is the fastest of the blade wielders. A master swordsman, Samura uses Iai White Purity Style, a quick-draw technique that utilizes echolocation through a sheathed swords' reverberations to gauge the size and direction of his targets. It is revealed that Samura made a deal with the Hishaku, having been visited by their leader Yura at his home to contract the deal to kill the Sword Master, the original wielder of Magatsumi (also called Shinuchi) and the remaining wielders of the Enchanted Blades. Samura's cooperation with the Hishaku in eliminating the other wielders is promised with the three following conditions: revealing the identities of all ten members of the Hishaku, the identity of their Kamunabi insider who leaked Kunishige's location, and the whereabouts of the remaining Enchanted Blades. Samura believes that the surviving blade wielders, including himself, must die as punishment for their actions during the Seitei War that were covered up and hidden from the public. He still plans to eliminate all of the Hishaku and those connected to them after he kills the Enchanted Blade wielders. Samura successfully killed his former student and fellow blade wielder, Yoji Uruha. Samura was at one point married (since divorced) to a woman named Inori, with whom he had a single daughter named Iori. Samura was distant with the two following his and Inori’s divorce, but would reenter their lives after Inori collapsed and was left bedridden, leaving Samura to take care of his now 8 year old daughter. One year later, Inori would succumb to her illness, leaving Samura as Iori’s sole parent and caretaker. After Samura was put under Kamunabi protection following the death of Kunishige, he requested the Masumi to fake his daughter's death so she would be able to live a normal life, not under the watch of the Kamunabi, using sorcery that would hide her identity even from herself.

#### Misaka (巳坂)

    The original wielder of the Cloud Gouger who was killed by the Hishaku sometime after Kunishige Rokuhira was murdered, leading the blade to be wielded by Genichi Sojo.

#### The Sword Master

    One of the remaining Enchanted Blade wielders with an eternal contract to Magatsumi (勾罪), also known as the Shinuchi (真打), the strongest of the Enchanted Blades. Little is known of him, other than he wielded the Shinuchi during the Seitei War. According to Yura, in the final days of the Seitei War, just before a peace treaty was signed between the Japanese government and the island nation they were fighting, The Sword Master unleashed the devastating “Malediction” ability on the island’s people, wiping out over 200,000 citizens nigh instantly. The other five sword bearers were able to subdue the Sword Master following this; however, the government would cover up this incident and label The Sword Master a hero who saved Japan from a great threat to bring stability. He seems to have a telepathic connection to the Shinuchi, as he nearly took control of Kyora Sazanami when the auctioneer held the blade in his fight against Chihiro. He is the target of the Hishaku as Yura wants to wield the Shinuchi.

### Antagonists
#### Hishaku

The Hishaku (毘灼) is a small, elite group of ten sorcerers who murdered Kunishige and stole his six Enchanted Blades three years ago, as such making them the targets of Chihiro's revenge. Their skill and expertise in sorcery is so great that they are considered to be monsters. Each member is identified by a tattoo of a flame emblem on the back of one of their hands. Their signature fire teleportation sorcery allows them to transport themselves and others to and from any location by forming a specific hand gesture. They later killed Misaka soon after Kunishige's death, and gave Genichi Sojo one of the Enchanted Blades, Cloud Gouger, and donate another being the Shinuchi, to the Sazanami Clan to be sold in the Rakuzaichi under the alias of Sojo himself. The group has also made connections with many organizations and individuals in the underworld, such as the Korogumi Yakuza, and the aforementioned Genichi Sojo and Sazanami Clan to further their objectives. It is also implied that they even have connections in the government such one member being able to burrow money from local officials in a city controlled by the aforementioned the Korogumi to give to them as payment and having an insider in the Kamunabi who was responsible for leaking Kunishige's secret residence. After three years of preparation, the Hishaku begin their plans by raiding the Sanso, fortresses owned by the Kamunabi that each holds one of the Enchanted Blade wielders who are protected by the organization's elite fighters, with the help of an army of hired sorcerers to assassinate said wielders, so their lifelong contracts with respective blades are released and are able to be used by them. It is later revealed that the Hishaku secretly formed a temporary alliance with Seiichi Samura three years ago, the wielder of the Enchanted Blade Tobimune, to slay the remaining blade wielders in promise of vital information as conditions for his cooperation and eventually him to deal with them in the future after the job's done. However, they do not attend to face Samura without a back up plan, knowingly they are very unlikely to fair well against him now having the Tobimune again, and decided to kidnap his estranged daughter, Iori, to use as leverage. They sent two of their members to find her.

##### Yura (幽)

    The leader of the Hishaku and the man who orchestrated the group's murder of Kunishige and theft of his Enchanted Blades, doing so as part of an attempt to wield the Shinuchi for himself. Due to his status and actions, he is Chihiro's arch nemesis, and as such, his primary target of revenge. Yura also visited Samura at his house to make a contract with him in exchange of information soon after the Hishaku's raid on the Rokuhiras' residence.

##### Kuguri (久々李)

    A man who enjoys the thrill of killing, cutting, and a proper sword fight. Kuguri is an incredibly skilled swordsman who is dedicated to the traditional art of learning to use a blade, resenting those like Hiruhiko who don't take it seriously. He carries around one of the Enchanted Blades, believing that like Sojo, he must do so to form a deeper connection with the sword despite not having contracted it yet, a situation which he refers to as an "unrequited love". He and Toto were tasked by Yura to capture Samura's daughter, Iori, locating her at her high school in Kyoto by tracking a signal caused by the weakening of the seal placed on her memories. While on this mission, Kuguri comes to blows with Chihiro and the Masumi. Though he is initially excited to "converse" with Chihiro through battle, he is disappointed by Chihiro's lack of baseline swordsmanship skill. However, when Chihiro displays growth (which Kuguri attributes to his own advice) with the spontaneous use of Iai White Purity Style, Kuguri can no longer contain his desire to fight and forgoes his objective.

##### Toto (斗斗)

    A young woman who can track people by ingesting their or their relatives' blood. Toto accompanies Kuguri in the mission to retrieve Iori, who they locate via a sample of Samura's blood that was drawn during the attack on Senkutsuji.

##### Hiruhiko (昼彦)

    A nonchalant young man who loves the thrill of combat. When he was only 3 years old, he was introduced to the concept of killing people when he bit a grown man to death who was trying to sexually assault him. Hiruhiko fights freely using the killer instinct he developed in his childhood, disregarding traditional techniques and kata for his own style. He was dispatched to assassinate Uruha, running into Chihiro as the latter protects him, and immediately takes interests in the later, pointing out similarities between the two like being the same age of 18 years old, are prodigies in their skills of combat, and have killed many people along the way. His sorcery Blood Crane (血鶴, Chizuru) allows him allows him to create paper and mold it into origami. He can remotely control the origami that he creates and they are sharp enough to easily pierce through someone's body, as well as being strong enough to carry something small, but heavy like the piece of Datenseki. However, Hiruhiko is able to wield Kumeyuri after Uruha was killed by Samura. Despite losing his sorcery to Kumeyuri and disinterest in proper sword fighting techniques, Hiruhiko's prodigious fighting instinct allowed him to adopt an unorthodox sword style utilizing both of his hands.

#### Sazanami Clan

The Sazanami Clan (漣家, Sazanami-ke) is a powerful criminal clan of sorcerers who are the proprietors of the Rakuzaichi, an annual auction of black market artifacts and weapons, as well as people 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)

    The eleventh head of the Sazanami Clan, the lead auctioneer of the Rakuzaichi, and Hakuri's strict father. As Clan head, Kyora has control over a subspace called the Storehouse (蔵, Kura). In this subspace, he can store items and even people, as well as control the environment in the subspace. Kyora has completely dedicated himself in ensuring that the Rakuzaichi auction continues on no matter the cost, even willing to sacrifice his own children. After being mortally wounded by Chihiro, Kyora is ultimately killed by the overwhelming power of the Shinuchi. Kyora's death forever ends the Rakuzaichi.

##### The Tou

The Tou (濤, Tō), also known as the Special Defense Corp (特別防衛隊, Tokubetsu Bōei-Tai), is a small group of the four best fighters in the Sazanami Clan. Their duties are to follow the commands of the clan head and protect the Rakuzaichi.

###### Soya Sazanami (漣 宗也, Sazanami Sōya)

    Hakuri's older brother who is incredibly possessive of him, obsessively looking for him after Hakuri was exiled from the clan. He was also next in line to succeed Kyora as the Head of the Sazanami. While normally described as cold and calculating, Soya loses control of his emotions when around Hakuri. In a twisted sense of brotherly love, Soya physically tormented Hakuri. Initially wanting Hakuri to return to the Sazanami, Hakuri's alliance with Chihiro has Soya decide to kill his younger brother. Soya is defeated by Hakuri after the latter finally was able to use Isou and the Storehouse space. In a bonus page within the fourth volume of the series, it is revealed that Soya was once jealous of his younger brother Tenri's superior sorcery abilities. However, this feeling has since been replaced by his obsession with Hakuri, who the entire clan viewed as talentless.

###### Tenri Sazanami (漣 天理, Sazanami Tenri)

    Hakuri's younger brother who is highly dedicated in protecting his father and the Rakuzaichi, and was one of the three members of the Tou who confronted Chihiro and Shiba when the later infiltrated the Sazanami estate. Tenri specializes in using short-bladed weapons for combat. During the fight against Chihiro, Tenri uses a Datenseki tool to amplify his sorcery in a desperate play to make his father proud. Due to the Datenseki being unstable, the power overwhelms Tenri and kills him.

###### Tamaki Sazanami (漣 珠紀, Sazanami Tamaki)

    Hakuri's older sister who is one of three members of the Tou that confronted Chihiro and Shiba when the latter two infiltrated the Sazanami estate. When questioned about Soya's whereabouts by Kyora during this event, Tamaki lies and says that he is not feeling well before she is corrected by Tenri that he is looking for Hakuri.

###### Enji Sazanami (漣 円慈, Sazanami Enji)

    One of Hakuri's older brothers who is one of three members of the Tou that confronted Chihiro and Shiba when the latter two infiltrated the Sazanami estate. Despite begging Shiba for death after Tenri's demise, Shiba tells him to live in order to foster the remaining Sazanami Clan members as to prevent another tragedy like Tenri's from happening again.

#### Others
##### Genichi Sojo (双城 厳一, Sōjō Gen'ichi)

    One of the biggest names in Japan's criminal underworld as a prominent weapons dealer, as well as the wielder of the stolen Enchanted Blade Cloud Gouger (刳雲, Kuregumo). Sojo had been attempting to harness the magical elements of Datenseki, the material the Enchanted Blades were made from, to create weapons and sell them. After repeated failures Sojo kidnapped Char and her mother, believing their regenerative abilities would help stabilize the Datenseki. Sojo admired Kunishige Rokuhira and the blades he created, as Sojo viewed the blades as perfect instruments for killing. After being fatally wounded by Chihiro Rokuhira in their duel that also resulted in Cloud Gouger being bisected, Sojo attempted to channel his energy into some Datenseki, but the overwhelming energy rebound resulted in the Datenseki to explode, killing Sojo.

##### Norisaku Madoka (円 法炸, Madoka Norisaku)

    Also known as the Daruma Sorcerer, he is a sorcerer under the employ of Sojo, who wielded the ability to create exploding Daruma using his spirit energy. After his defeat at the hands of Chihiro and Shiba, Norisaku decided to stop being a sorcerer and go straight with his life. While trying to reconcile with his family, Norisaku is killed by Sojo for revealing information to Chihiro and Shiba.

### Other characters
#### Kunishige Rokuhira (六平 国重, Rokuhira Kunishige)

    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. Kunishige was the only one who could control and harness the overwhelming power of the Datenseki, the material used to craft the Enchanted Blades. Kunishige was able to do this thanks to his eyesight, which allowed him to gauge the Datenseki's subleties to find the perfect composition to stabilize it. His blades were instrumental in ending the Seitei War. After the war ended, Kunishige was hidden from the public for protection. While in hiding, he had a son, Chihiro, and forged the seventh Enchanted Blade, Enten. Nearly fifteen years after the war, Kunishige was murdered and his blades stolen by the Hishaku.

#### Yuu Inazuma (稲妻 裕, Inazuma Yū)

    Yuu, or Mr. Inazuma, as he refers to himself, is a child aiming to break into the Rakuzaichi Black Market auction to free his big sister, which leads to his encounter with Chihiro.

#### Iori Samura (吉浦 イヲリ, Samura Iori)

    Iori is the daughter of Seiichi Samura who attends high school in Kyoto and is in her second year. Iori possesses a brave heart, putting her life on the line for her classmate Ikura when her school is attacked by Kuguri. Her relationship with her father was initially hostile, as her mother Inori had a poor opinion of him following their divorce, though the two would bond over trying to make food for Inori, who was dying. After Inori’s death, Samura would take care of Iori for the next five years before Samura asked the Masumi to erase Iori’s memories of him. Though her memories of him are sealed away due to the Masumi's spell, Iori's own love for her father combined with the influence of Tobimune's country-spanning Owl technique cause the seal on her memories to weaken. Upon seeing classmate and friend Ikura in danger while trying to help, the seal on Iori's memories completely broke, revealing her to be a trained swordswoman using the Iai White Purity Style.

#### Ikura (井倉)

    Iori’s classmate and friend who sits next to her at school. He fancied himself a loner due to his classmates ignoring him for his strange personality, but became friends with Iori after she was kind to him. After the Hishaku’s attack on their school, Ikura trails Toto to the Kyoto Bloodshed Hotel in order to try and help Iori.

#### Itsuo Shirakai (白廻逸夫, Shirakai Itsuo)

    The originator of the notoriously difficult Iai White Purity Style. He created the technique out of a desire to become the fastest, though the unorthodox grip the White Purity Style employs led him to be a laughing stock among his peers. However, he would ultimately kill his naysayers using his fully-developed technique.

#### Yojiro Sengoku (戦国与次郎, Sengoku Yojiro)

    The general manager of the Kyoto Bloodshed Hotel who provides Chihiro, Iori, and the Masumi a place of respite following their encounter with Kuguri. Sengoku is a master of the Reigen One–Sword Style, which he taught to all of the hotel's employees. He is killed by Hiruhiko.

## Media
### Manga

Written and illustrated by Takeru Hokazono, Kagurabachi began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on September 19, 2023. The first tankōbon volume was released on February 2, 2024. As of March 4, 2025, six volumes have been released.
Viz Media and Shueisha's Manga Plus platform are publishing the series in English. In March 2024, Viz Media announced the print release of the manga. The first volume was released on November 5, 2024.

#### Volumes

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | February 2, 2024 | 978-4-08-883819-9 | November 5, 2024 | 978-1-9747-4724-5 |
| "Mission" (すべきこと, Subeki Koto)"Heaps" (累累, Ruirui)"Witness" (目撃者, Mokugekisha)"Sorcery and the Enchanted Blade" (妖術と妖刀, Yōjutsu to Yōtō) "A Good Meal" (ごちそう, Gochisō)"Peace" (平穏, Heion)"Smoke Signal" (狼煙, Noroshi)"Norisaku Madoka: I Will Change" (円 法炸 〜俺は変わるんだ〜, Madoka Norisaku: Ore wa Kawarunda) |||||
| 2 | May 2, 2024 | 978-4-08-883880-9 | February 4, 2025 | 978-1-9747-5271-3 |
| "Enten vs. Cloud Gouger" (淵天vs刳雲, Enten Bāsasu Kuregumo)"Swift" (サクッっと, Sakutto)"Awaken" (目覚め, Mezame)"Preparations" (支度, Shitaku)"Elite" (精鋭, Seiei) "True Realm" (本領, Honryō)"Food" (飯, Meshi)"Silence" (沈黙, Chinmoku)"Tea" (茶, Cha)"Roar" (轟く, Todoroku) |||||
| 3 | July 4, 2024 | 978-4-08-884116-8 | May 6, 2025 | 978-1-9747-5478-6 |
| "Knight of Darkness" (闇の騎士, Yami no Kishi)"The Kamunabi's Weapon" (神奈備の武器, Kamunabi no Buki)"Lukewarm" (微温い, Nurui)"Deadlock" (拮抗, Kikkō)"Storehouse" (蔵, Kura) "Hunters" (狩人, Karyūdo)"Deal" (取引, Torihiki)"Confidence" (信頼, Jishin)"Mr. Inazuma" (Mr.イナズマ, Misutā Inazuma) |||||
| 4 | October 4, 2024 | 978-4-08-884209-7 | — | 978-1-9747-5607-0 |
| "Breach" (突破口, Toppakō)"Selection" (取捨, Shusha)"Intruders" (乱入者, Rannyūsha)"Greeting" (挨拶, Aisatsu)"Wall" (壁, Kabe) "Defend to the Death" (死守, Shishu)"Duty" (役目, Yakume)"Cage" (檻, Ori)"Geniuses" (天才達, Tensai-tachi)"Equal" (対等, Taitō) |||||
| 5 | December 4, 2024 | 978-4-08-884348-3 | — | — |
| "Race" (競合, Seriai)"Surpass!" (超えろ!!, Koero!!)"The Tip" (一端, Ittan)"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) |||||
| 6 | March 4, 2025 | 978-4-08-884399-5 | — | — |
| "Uruha" (漆羽)"The Kokugoku Steam Squad" (国獄 湯煙スクワッド, Kokugoku Yukemuri Sukuwaddo)"Deadlock" (均衡, Kinkō)"Interception" (迎撃, Geigeki)"Samura" (座村) "Just the Two of Us" (2人きり, Futari Kiri)"Darkness" (暗がり, Kuragari)"Friendship" (友情, Yūjō)"Fight Alongside" (共闘, Kyōtō)"Daybreak" (夜更け, Yofuke) |||||
| 7 | May 2, 2025 | 978-4-08-884413-8 | — | — |

#### Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.
* "Collapse" (崩壊, Hōkai)
* "Reunion" (再開, Saikai)
* "Blackout" (暗転, Anten)
* "Resurrection" (黄泉がえり, Yomigaeri)
* "Night Battle" (夜戦, Yasen)
* "Iori" (イヲリ)
* "Car Chase" (車追跡, Kācheisu)
* "Become the Samurai" (ビカム侍, Bikamu Samurai)
* "Imitate" (見真似, Mimane)
* "Truth" (真実, Shinjitsu)
* "Kyoto Bloodshed Hotel" (ザ殺戮ホテル, Za Satsuriku Hoteru)
* "Metamorphosis" (変幻, Hengen)
* "The Guy with the Scar" (傷ノ男, Kizu no Otoko)
* "Iai White Purity Style" (居合白禊流, Iai Byakkei-ryū)
* "Contest" (勝負, Shōbu)
* "Future" (未来, Mirai)

### Anime

On December 2, 2024, Toyo Keizai Online reported that Kagurabachi will get an anime adaptation by CygamesPictures, through a joint production by CyberAgent and Shochiku. No further details were provided at the time of the report.

## Reception
### Popularity

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). 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.
Kagurabachi ranked seventh on AnimeJapan's "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll in 2024. It ranked 22nd on the 2024 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine. It ranked sixth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2025 for male readers.
The series has been recommended by manga creators Kōhei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto, and the musician Vaundy.

### Sales

By July 2024, the manga had over 350,000 copies in circulation (including digital copies); over 600,000 copies in circulation by August 2024; over 1 million copies in circulation by October 2024; and over 1.3 million copies in circulation by December 2024.
In North America, the volumes of Kagurabachi were ranked on Circana (formerly NPD) BookScan's monthly top 20 adult graphic novels list since November 2024. The first volume also ranked ninth on The New York Times' Graphic Books and Manga bestseller monthly list for December 2024.

### Accolades

The manga won the 10th Next Manga Award in the print category in 2024. It was nominated for the 70th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2024.