Takeru Hokazono’s Real Inspiration Behind The Iconic Manga Series ‘Kagurabachi’.

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Despite only having published 20 chapters, Kagurabachi has already established itself as one of the most significant new releases in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. In September 2023, it debuted in the renowned Shonen Jump, and yet despite its brief period of existence, it has managed to gain fame around the world.

Kagurabachi

The manga tells the tale of Chihiro Rokuhira, a famous blacksmith’s son who built six charmed swords. With the aid of a seventh enchanted sword that his father forged before he was murdered, Chihiro seeks extremely violent revenge against a group of sorcerers. The story has appealed to a lot of anime and manga fans and has helped the series create a significant fan base.

Takeru Hokazono, the manga’s creator, drew inspiration for the plot from a variety of entertainment-related sources. In an interview, the manga’s editor Takuro Imamura revealed Hokazono’s inspirations for Chihiro Rokuhira and the manga Kagurabachi. According to him, It is mainly generated from Western media.

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Takeru Hokazono’s Inspiration Behind Kagurabachi

In an interview with Manga Plus which was recently shared, Kagurabachi’s manga editor Imamura was asked about Hokazono’s inspiration for Kagurabachi. He explained that the mangaka is a big fan of Western movies, and he likes John Wick and also has a deep love for classic Quentin Tarantino movies.

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“Hokazono likes Western movies, especially Tarantino films. Lately, he seems to be a fan of movies like “John Wick” as well. I believe he wanted to draw the kind of revenge story often featured in those types of films. Rather than trying to draw a “Jump-like” story, he’s adopting a stance of drawing what he personally likes.”

Kagurabachi Manga cover

According to Imamura, Hokazono wanted to draw a revenge story for a long time, and these movies majorly focused on this genre. He also stated that rather than creating a jump-like story, he is giving his attention to drawing what he likes himself. However, the movies are not the only inspiration for Kagurabachi’s manga creator.

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John Wick is Not The Only Inspiration For Kagurabachi

While talking about Kagurabachi’s manga creator’s inspiration for the series, Imamura also stated that John Wick and Tarantino’s movies are not the only inspiration for Hokazono’s brilliant work. He also enjoys the action-adventure game Ghost of Tsushima.

He said:

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“Hokazono enjoys not only films but also the game “Ghost of Tsushima,” which features many distinctly Japanese motifs. Perhaps he finds the concept of the “overseas imagery of Japan” or a “cool-looking Japan” interesting. So, he intentionally incorporates quintessentially Japanese items like “swords” and “goldfish” at key points.” 

Ghost of Tsushima

While the world-building inspiration for Kagurabachi stemmed from his love for the game, Hokazono’s inspiration for becoming a manga creator came from the iconic anime and manga series by Masashi Kishimoto: Naruto.

Imamura stated:

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“Hokazono grew up reading “Jump,” so naturally, there was a desire to serialize in “Jump.” Moreover, his aspiration to become a manga artist stems from “Naruto,” adding to its significance.”

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Imamura revealed that author Hokazono read Weekly Shonen Jump magazine as a child and derived his desire to create manga from the manga series Naruto, which he adored. There were a lot of parallels between Hokazono’s early one-shots and the epic by Masashi Kishimoto, especially in his Tezuka-winning piece created at the age of 19.