The Kagurabachi manga has made a lot of noise lately because this series, written and drawn by Hokazono Takeru, is part of Shonen Jump's NEXTWAVE initiative. This initiative encompasses three series that participated and impressed in Shueisha’s Tezuka Award. Besides Kagurabachi, the other two are Yoshihiko Hayashi's MamaYuyu and Elck Itsumo’s Two on Ice, with the publisher establishing them as the next big thing in the medium.
It's thus important to know what the Kagurabachi manga is all about. The series has already made some noise online, with potential readers having divisive opinions, although it is worth pointing out that this series is only beginning and it remains to be seen how it performs in the coming chapters.
Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers for the Kagurabachi manga.
All we know about the Kagurabachi manga
It was recently confirmed that the Kagurabachi manga by Hokazono Takeru is going to be a part of Shonen Jump's NETXWAVE project, which is an effort by the company to promote new, rising talent. This is a direct result of some established authors getting close to ending their series, a lack of promising stars in recent years, and a desire to rebuild their manga line.
In that regard, Takeru is definitely a new author in the industry, having only two credits in his career, which are two one-shots: 2021's Chain and 2022's Roku no Meiyaku.
There hasn't been a lot of information out there for English-speaking audiences looking for a translation, although the image of the main character in Shonen Jump has already received some traction online, generating a lot of interest in this part of the world.
What to expect from the series?
There is no denying that the shonen manga industry needed new blood in recent years. While series such as My Hero Academia, Black Clover, Jujutsu Kaisen, and many more have received a lot of praise and success over the years, the truth of the matter is that they have been active for quite some time now and it is time for new properties to come out and generate excitement.
While the first chapter of Yoshihiko Hayashi's MamaYuyu received a lot of praise, for the Kagurabachi manga, it is the image of the main character that is generating interest. Clad in black and wielding a katana, the character is already causing discussions online, with some people claiming that the series looks interesting. Some, however, are claiming that it lacks originality.
The first couple of leaks have shown that the series focuses on a swordsman protagonist that is in search of revenge and the first pages show an inclination towards violent scenes.
Takeru's one-shots have shown that he is capable of going in some violent directions and the first pages of Kagurabachi seem to be heading down that path as well.
Considering how the manga industry has taken a direction where darker storylines have become a lot more prominent once again, that seems to be a logical direction. However, given that the first chapter isn't even out yet, there is no denying that it is too soon to make assumptions about what the story is going to be like.
Final thoughts
Regardless of initial stands regarding the Kagurabachi manga, there are a lot of expectations surrounding this series. Many readers are looking forward to a new series in Shonen Jump that can excite the fandom and keep pushing the genre, and hopefully, this series will be able to do exactly that in the near future.