Kagurabachi chapter 19: The search for Shinuchi begins as Chihiro meets an unexpected lead

Kagurabachi chapter 19, titled Knight of Darkness, was released on February 5, 2024, at 12.00 am JST in Weekly Shonen Jump. As expected, the chapter saw the beginning of a brand new arc, with Chihiro looking for the next Enchanted Blade, Shinuchi, before the Rakuzaichi auction.

The previous chapter of Kagurabachi marked the end of the series' first arc with Genichi Sojo's confirmed death. Besides that, the chapter also saw the Kamunabi higher-ups issuing their strongest member, Hiyuki, the mission to find Chihiro Rokuhira and retrieve the Cloud Gouger and the seventh Enchanted Blade.

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Kagurabachi chapter 19 highlights: Chihiro goes on a rampage to find Shinuchi before he meets a lead

Kagurabachi chapter 19 begins with a boy at a cafe reminiscing about his pet grasshopper that he lost five years ago. He further reveals that it's that time of the year when he lost his entire family. Succumbing to sadness, he spills a drink from his mouth.

Following this, he looks outside the window and sees two men engaged in combat. Kagurabachi chapter 19 then reveals that those two fighters are none other than Chihiro Rokuhira and Genichi Sojo.

The scene illustrated in the chapter is from when the duo clashed their blades for the first time, although it is shown from a different perspective. The unnamed boy is taken aback when Sojo unleashes "Mei" (lightning) using his Cloud Gouger blade.

The boy witnesses Sojo's Mei (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueisha)

However, he is even more surprised to find Chihiro surviving the attack. Seeing the protagonist's eyes full of resolve, he feels as if Chihiro is the "Samurai."

The chapter then time-skips to January 11, with seven days left until the Rakuzaichi auction. The boy from the cafe is seen saving a girl from being kidnapped by some gangsters. Although he successfully helped her escape, the boy was captured instead.

The gang members bring the boy to their boss, who orders them to beat him to a pulp before killing him. At that moment, the unnamed boy takes a stance and chants "Isou." A gang member realizes that he is a sorcerer, so he is slightly surprised.

The boy uses Isou in Kagurabachi chapter 19 (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueisha)

However, when his "Isou" does nothing, the boss laughs it off and orders his men to beat him up. Following this, a goon looks outside the window and finds a black goldfish.

They all panic and try to flee, but Chihiro arrives and kills everyone except the boss. Kagurabachi chapter 19 reveals that Chihiro has been on a rampage for the last few days, killing several gangsters.

After the boss asks Chihiro what he wants, the chapter moves to a flashback scene, where Shiba and Chihiro are seen engaged in a conversation. The former reveals to the boy that Sojo was merely a puppet.

Chihiro's Kuro, as seen in Kagurabachi chapter 19 (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Śhueisha)

According to the intel he gathered from low-level thugs and gangsters, Sojo didn't have the Shinuchi blade. Rather, his name was only used, while someone else had been pulling the strings from the shadows.

Shiba also explains that he found nothing in Sojo's abandoned storehouse except some research papers on weapons. In other words, Kagurabachi chapter 19 confirms that the mafia boss wasn't connected to the Rakuzaichi auction.

Chihiro then asks a valid question about why Sojo possessed the Cloud Gouger, considering it's a sacred blade. However, Shiba had no answer to this, except foreboding feelings.

Shiba, as seen in the chapter (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueisha)

Yet he reveals that if they need to find the Shinuchi, they must do it before the auction, and their best bet is to contact the Sazanami family. The chapter reveals that the Sazanami family is a powerful clan of the underworld, who have controlled the auction for two centuries.

However, he then explains that it's difficult to track them, considering they lurk in the shadows. As such, the next ideal option, according to Chihiro, is to fish out their acquaintances. Following this, Kagurabachi Chapter 19 returns to the present time.

Chihiro asks the gang's leader a question before the unnamed boy calls him "Samurai" from behind. The protagonist feels that the boy is a prisoner and asks his name and whereabouts. The boy reveals his name, but Chihiro doesn't catch that.

When he continues to call Chihiro a Samurai and how it's fate that reunited them, the protagonist senses trouble and tries to flee. However, he soon realizes that the boy called himself "Hakuri Sazanami." Kagurabachi chapter 19 ends with Chihiro finding out that Hakuri belongs to the same Sazanami family he was after.

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