Sometimes a series so powerfully sucks you into a “I need to know what happens next” vortex that you sit transfixed for as many hours as it takes. The last time I ended up in that place with a manga was part one of Chainsaw Man. Well, until yesterday. On a friend’s recommendation, I started reading Kagurabachi, another Shonen Jump series, albeit one that only just kicked off in September 2023. It’s a fun time – much more enjoyable than a now-infamous meme riffing on its bland-sounding premise would suggest.
Kagurabachi takes place in a version of Japan where ultra-powerful enchanted swords functioned as the great equalizer in a war that unfolded a couple decades prior. Chihiro, the main character, is the son of the man who forged those enchanted blades. So basically, the story is about Oppenheimer’s kid, except in a world where Japan created the atomic bomb instead of falling victim to it. Chihiro is raised in relative peace by his father, depicted as a principled but happy-go-lucky slacker type, until mysterious assassins show up and shatter that idyllic existence. Chihiro swears revenge and dedicates himself to studying the blade.
If that setup sounds generic, well, it kind of is! This turned Kagurabachi into a meme before it even got up and running, with Shonen Jump readers conjuring up an irony-laced alternate reality in which it was a revered all-time great based on the premise alone. Committed non-fans charted out an imagined anime adaptation of the series, even getting a legit voice actor to record some lines. Basically, Kagurabachi nearly ended up in the same hole as Jared Leto nonstarter Morbius: beloved as a series of building blocks for a gag rather than as an actual work.
Then, perhaps in part due to this meme, Kagurabachi achieved success, selling hundreds of thousands of copies and garnering a real fandom in addition to gawkers lured in by gags. This has allowed it to blossom into a series that gives me what I want out of a shonen battle manga these days: character-driven action that doesn’t sprawl needlessly in all directions. As somebody who grew up on bloated behemoths like Naruto and Bleach – and who cannot resist today’s variation on that theme, the entertaining mess that is Jujutsu Kaisen – I’m over series that refuse to get to the point.
Kagurabachi’s tale of sorcery and sabotage in a modern-ish Japan demonstrates uncommon focus as far as these things go. Chihiro wants to collect the enchanted blades and learn why his father died. He has to go through the underworld to do so, putting him in the crosshairs of weapons dealers, the government, and a clan that basically organizes the black market, but the story doesn’t lose sight of its purpose. Kagurabachi reminds me of Chainsaw Man part one in that its pace is propulsive. It never lingers too long on a single villain or fight, nor does it suddenly introduce a bunch of secondary characters for the purpose of drawing out arcs or expanding the cast. This is Chihiro’s story – or rather, he tends to be the force that moves the story forward. New characters are introduced in service of that, rather than for their own sake.
Unlike the Narutos and Gokus of the world, Chihiro (and his enemies) are unafraid to kill, which also keeps things moving forward. Put another way, an early villain who I thought for sure would stick around to become a sort of Vegeta- or Sasuke-like anti-hero… just died. And then it was time for the next arc. This is not to say Chihiro is cold-blooded: His father raised him to believe that the enchanted blades must be used to protect others, an idea Kagurabachi’s villains regularly challenge by pointing out that they’re effectively weapons of mass destruction. I’m not sure how the series plans to square these contradictory notions, but I’m at least interested enough to watch it try.
Kagurabachi’s main issue is that the ideas and concepts surrounding Chihiro are more interesting than Chihiro himself. He tends to be calm, collected, and practical. At first, this serves as a refreshing contrast to shonen battle series’ long history of brash idealists who win on willpower alone. Chihiro is willing to scheme and sneak attack if it means overcoming insurmountable odds. The second arc, which involves a giant yakuza auction undergirded by some really creative magic, plays out almost like a heist movie in places. While Kagurabachi is clearly inspired by numerous shonen greats, there’s some John Wick in there, too.
But Chihiro’s dispassionate disposition sometimes makes it difficult to get emotionally invested in his struggles. He is perhaps too cool, demonstrating why this archetype tends to be a supporting character or anti-hero in these sorts of stories rather than the lead. Side characters pick up the emotional slack in places, but so far Kagurabachi has failed to tug at my heartstrings like Chainsaw Man, or even Jujutusu Kaisen in its more focused moments.
I’m enjoying Kagurabachi for what it is, though: A well-paced fight manga with cool powers, great art, and a world that’s a lot more interesting than it initially seems. Perhaps someday it will grow into an anime with too many arcs and a Library of Alexandria’s worth of lore, but for now it’s comfort food with a hint of spice – aka shonen at its best. If you’re hoping for more, well, you’re probably looking in the wrong genre.
