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^[update].

Kagurabachi
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Chihiro Rokuhira (center)
カグラバチ
Genre	Action[1] Dark fantasy[2] Drama[3]
Manga
Written by	Takeru Hokazono
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	September 19, 2023 – present
Volumes	6

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 stole 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 the 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 disowned former member of the Sazanami Clan, cast out for his perceived lack of ability. He allies with Chihiro to dismantle the Rakuzaichi black market operated by his family. Hakuri's initial inability to use the clan's signature Isou (威葬, Isō) technique stems from self-doubt caused by familial abuse, which unconsciously dispersed his spiritual energy. Upon mastering control of this energy, he gains the rare ability to wield both Isou and the Storehouse technique—a subspace for storing objects and people. Only one other clan member in history achieved this dual mastery. Hakuri can register individuals and their spiritually-charged possessions into his Storehouse.

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, notably different to civilian sorcerers who generally deal with more person-specific matters such as 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 partner 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 stationed at the Kokugoku Hot Spring Sanso fortress assigned 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 ninja clan loyal to the Kamunabi, known for their willingness to die for their master. Three members—Ro, Moku, and Sumi—guard the swordsmith Samura at Senkutsuji Temple after Kunishige Rokuhira’s death. When the Hishaku attack, they suppress sound and scent to aid Samura, who fights by hearing. Though prepared to sacrifice themselves for his escape, Samura refuses and later rescues them, releasing them from service. After his betrayal, they join Chihiro to oppose Samura and protect his daughter Iori in "Operation: Easy Does It".

Ro (郎, Rō)

The leader of the Masumi who despite being over 23 years old, 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)

Samura is an Enchanted Blade wielder bound to Tobimune (飛宗) since the Seitei War. A devout Buddhist, he intentionally blinded himself, developing heightened other senses. Considered the fastest wielder, he fights using Iai White Purity Style, employing echolocation through his sheathed blade. He allies with the Hishaku to eliminate fellow wielders, demanding their identities, their Kamunabi informant, and locations of remaining blades. Believing wielders must atone for war crimes, he kills his student Yoji Uruha while planning to later destroy the Hishaku. Previously married to Inori with daughter Iori, he becomes her sole guardian after Inori's death. Under Kamunabi protection, he arranges Iori's fake death through sorcery to protect her from their surveillance.

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 (剣聖, Kensei)

One of the remaining wielders of the Enchanted Blades, eternally bound to Magatsumi (勾罪), also known as the Shinuchi (真打), the most powerful among them. During the Seitei War's conclusion, he used its "Malediction" ability to kill 200,000 civilians after the peace treaty, an act covered up by the government who instead declared him a war hero. He maintains a telepathic connection to Shinuchi, nearly controlling Kyora Sazanami when he held the blade. The Hishaku, led by Yura, seek him to obtain Shinuchi's power.

Antagonists

Hishaku

The Hishaku (毘灼) are an elite group of ten sorcerers who murdered Kunishige and stole his six Enchanted Blades. Each member bears a flame tattoo and masters fire-based teleportation sorcery. They orchestrated the distribution of two blades—giving Cloud Gouger to Genichi Sojo and selling Shinuchi through the Sazanami Clan. The organization maintains extensive underworld connections, including ties to the Korogumi Yakuza and a Kamunabi informant who revealed Kunishige's location. After three years of preparation, they launch coordinated attacks on Kamunabi fortresses housing Enchanted Blade wielders, aiming to break their contracts. Though allied with Seiichi Samura to eliminate other wielders, the Hishaku anticipate his betrayal and kidnap his daughter Iori as leverage, sending two members to secure 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 combat-obsessed young man who developed killer instincts in childhood after fatally attacking an assailant at age three. He disregards traditional fighting techniques in favor of his own instinctive style. When dispatched to assassinate Uruha, he encounters Chihiro and recognizes their similarities—both are 18-year-old prodigies with extensive combat experience. His sorcery, Blood Crane (血鶴, Chizuru), enables him to create and manipulate razor-sharp origami capable of piercing human bodies or lifting heavy objects like Datenseki fragments. After Uruha's death, he acquires Kumeyuri. Though losing his sorcery and lacking formal swordsmanship training, his natural combat prowess allows him to develop an unconventional two-handed sword style.

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 obsessive older brother and heir apparent to the Sazanami clan leadership. Typically composed, he becomes emotionally unstable regarding Hakuri, expressing twisted affection through physical abuse. Initially demanding Hakuri's return to the clan, Soya resolves to kill him after learning of his alliance with Chihiro. Their final confrontation ends with Hakuri mastering Isou and the Storehouse space to defeat Soya. Though once envious of their brother Tenri's superior sorcery, Soya later fixates entirely on Hakuri, whom the clan considers untalented.

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)

A prominent underworld figure and weapons dealer who wields the stolen Enchanted Blade Cloud Gouger (刳雲, Kuregumo). Obsessed with replicating the properties of Datenseki (the material used to forge Enchanted Blades), he conducts experiments to create similar weapons. After numerous failures, he kidnaps Char and her mother, hoping their regenerative abilities will stabilize the Datenseki. Sojo admires Kunishige Rokuhira's craftsmanship, considering the blades ideal killing instruments. During a duel with Chihiro that results in Cloud Gouger's destruction, Sojo attempts to channel his energy into Datenseki. The unstable reaction causes an explosive rebound that kills him.

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 high school-aged daughter of Seiichi Samura. Following her parents' divorce, she develops a strained relationship with her father, though they bond while caring for her terminally ill mother. After her mother's death, Iori becomes a bullying target at school due to her father's association with the Sword Master controversy. Samura eventually sends her to live with relatives, ending their brief six-month reunion. When Samura enters Kamunabi protection, he requests the Masumi clan to erase Iori's memories of him through sorcery, allowing her a normal life. Though the memory seal initially holds, it weakens due to her lingering affection and Tobimune's supernatural influence. The seal fully breaks when she instinctively protects a classmate, revealing her latent swordsmanship skills in 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.^[4][1] The first tankōbon volume was released on February 2, 2024.^[5] As of March 4, 2025, six volumes have been released.^[6]

Viz Media and Shueisha's Manga Plus platform are publishing the series in English.^[7] In March 2024, Viz Media announced the print release of the manga.^[8] The first volume was released on November 5, 2024.^[9]

Volumes

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	February 2, 2024[5]	978-4-08-883819-9	November 5, 2024[9]	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)
Chihiro Rokuhira is the son of Kunishige Rokuhira, a renowned swordsmith who forged six enchanted blades that were instrumental in ending a conflict called the Seitei War. After the Rokuhira are attacked by a criminal gang of sorcerers called Hishaku, who kill Kunishige and steal the blades, Chihiro, armed with a seventh blade called Enten, sets out to exact revenge. Chihiro and Rokuhira's family friend Togo Shiba head to Tokyo to investigate a sighting of a blade. There, they encounter Char Kyonagi, a little girl who claims to have seen the weapon. Chihiro and Shiba are initially hesitant to believe her, but both are convinced when they are attacked by Norisaku Madoka, a sorcerer working for crime boss and weapons manufacturer Genichi Sojo, who is after Char and in possession of the blade Cloud Gouger. Chihiro quickly defeats Madoka, and Shiba interrogates him. Chihiro and Char are attacked again, as Sojo has placed a bounty on their heads. Chihiro discovers that Char is the last survivor of the Kyonagi clan, who have the power to heal their wounds effortlessly and have been hunted to near extinction. The two are saved by Azami, an old friend of Kunishige and a member of the government-affiliated sorcerer organization called Kamunabi, who reveals to Chihiro that another Enchanted Blade, the Shinuchi, will be put up for auction in the black market crime auction: the Rakuzaichi. Azami dissuades Chihiro from fighting Sojo, and he and Shiba leave as the latter has been summoned by the Kamunabi headquarters, of which he is a former member. However, Sojo, after killing Madoka for betraying him, attack Chihiro and Char.
2	May 2, 2024[10]	978-4-08-883880-9	February 4, 2025[11]	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[12]	978-4-08-884116-8	May 6, 2025[13]	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[14]	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[15]	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[6]	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[16]	978-4-08-884413-8	—	—
"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)

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.

66. "Truth" (真実, Shinjitsu)
67. "Kyoto Bloodshed Hotel" (ザ殺戮ホテル, Za Satsuriku Hoteru)
68. "Metamorphosis" (変幻, Hengen)
69. "The Guy with the Scar" (傷ノ男, Kizu no Otoko)
70. "Iai White Purity Style" (居合白禊流, Iai Byakkei-ryū)
71. "Contest" (勝負, Shōbu)
72. "Future" (未来, Mirai)
73. "Daybreak" (黎明, Reimei)
74. "Dawn" (夜明け, Yoake)
75. "Illusion" (幻想, Gensō)
76. "Banquet" (宴, En)

This incomplete list is frequently updated to include new information.

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.^[17]

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).^[18] 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.^[19]

Kagurabachi ranked seventh on AnimeJapan's "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll in 2024.^[20][21] It ranked 22nd on the 2024 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine.^[22] It ranked sixth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2025 for male readers.^[23]

The series has been recommended by manga creators Kōhei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto, and the musician Vaundy.^[24][25][26]

Sales

By July 2024, the manga had over 350,000 copies in circulation (including digital copies);^[27] over 600,000 copies in circulation by August 2024;^[28] over 1 million copies in circulation by October 2024;^[29] and over 1.3 million copies in circulation by December 2024.^[30]

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.^[31] The first volume also ranked ninth on The New York Times' Graphic Books and Manga bestseller monthly list for December 2024.^[32]

Accolades

The manga won the 10th Next Manga Award in the print category in 2024.^[33] It was nominated for the 70th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2024.^[34] The manga has been nominated for the 49th Kodansha Manga Award in 2025 in the shōnen category.^[35]