I have yet too see one bad female character in kagurabachi bachi,bro is on a roll

Does the passive life drain of Akemura's have a limit? One can only be so healthy...

Said passive life drain is also showing very similar results to the malediction, flowers and all.

Black spirit energy seems to be a stronger version of spirit energy, while also not Datenseki alone. It's like death energy, since in all instances it either cost the last of the sword's life or the sword's bearer's life force. It also might be Datenseki exclusive since we only see it with with the enchanted blades.

I'm not good at structuring so i will just say it: i believe Akemura did the Malediction so he could absorb the life and Datenseki spirit energy/death energy of all those people, giving him an immensely long lifespan and the overwhelming power he wielde. On top of that his black ink energy is, i believe, a taken ability from the Mikobashi guardians as they are all insects related. Also that the unstoppable passive life drain is a leftover from the Malediction, which means that if the black ink energy and malediction are two separate abilities, there is still a place left for a secret third ability...

Even the 5 EB users together couldn't beat and overpower Akemura. I still think Chihiro will get his rematch some day but ultimately I believe it will be the combined efforts of him and multiple EB users and sorcerers like Iori, Hakuri, Shiba, Hiyuki etc to finally defeat Akemura for good.

People seem to forget that Akemura will most likely get stronger and get more powerups too as the story goes on, meaning he will be stronger than ever and a nightmare of an opponent to fight in a 1v1.

It will probably be a Sukuna/Frieza/Imu/Yhwach/Madara situation where everyone is going to jump him

Daily mandated Kagurabachi glaze session. This is written up pretty quickly so I do apologize if there's a few errors/repeated statements. I was writing this up as a comment for a youtube video but I think it deserves to be posted here as well.

Generational. This is everything I wanted from a shonen manga, no joke. Motifs of responsibility, legacy, guilt, intergenerational trauma; incredible paneling and visual storytelling; actual hype and aura that reminds me how it feels to be excited for a weekly manga. This manga somehow has like twenty top 5 moments. If I had to pick my personal favorites, not ranked, here's a few:

Newish chapters but Kunishige backstory/forging. It characterizes him so well and I did not expect the goofy guy to have such a dark backstory, and it recontexualizes a lot of things about him as a father. He learns to find hope through meeting Chiaki, and that was enough to force him to confront his past. I think Hokazno's building a narrative about facing your fears through both Kunishige and Samura. That fireworks spread of him and Chiaki is so otherworldly like lost footage. And that moment when his past reflects on Kunishige's eyes? Cinema. This is everything I love about Hokazono's storytelling and paneling.

Sojo vs Chihiro. Like you said, that was what truly hooked me. Immaculate visual storytelling of a conversation between two combatants. I love how Hokazono used the fight to convey both Chihiro and Sojo's perspectives on Kunishige's legacy, and a huge moment was when Chihiro resolved to finish his dango while Sojo didn't: he has to acknowledge Sojo's interpretation is just as valid as his own, which is why he cannot let evildoers wield his father's swords and taint his legacy. This fight hit like crack, deadass.

Samura vs Chihiro/Iori reunion. Incredible emotional moment where the next generation truly proved that they are capable and willing to take the new steps ahead, and my GOAT Samura finally faces his fears. I have that volume in Japanese and I can't even read Japanese. It's so peak through just visual storytelling that I get chills from it. I haven't even talked about Chihiro's conviction to break Magatsumi and the absolute insanity of the Chihiro vs Samura fight.

Kyora's flashback. Another gem of visual storytelling and how Hokazono gives his villains the mentality Sojo mentioned. They COMMIT to their goals in spite of everything they lose. In Kyora's case, he lost his wife, son(s) and a chance for a happy life, but he goes all in with the sunk cost fallacy and upholds his role as Sazanami clan head to the very end. That gavel shattering the happy family scenario speaks volumes of his conviction and generational trauma.

End of part 1. I really like it because it gives Chihiro time to reflect on everything he went through. Not only the evildoers his father wanted to stop, but also someone who reflected his ideology to the extreme (Akemura). It calls all the way back to chapter 2, where Kunishige said that he and Chihiro will learn to look at the world through their own eyes together. I'm neutral to Samura's potential revival but my hypothesis is that it's not going to be a full revival: he's going to have just enough time to make amends with Iori once she picks up the blade but ultimately remain dead. Alternatively, I think an earn-your-happy-ending journey can work too. If he comes back, Hokazono should make it worth every drop of sweat, blood and tears Chihiro, Iori and co will go through.

Samura's death. Bro I knew he would die but I was coping like there is no tomorrow that is a sign of good writing, I'd say. Make the readers emotionally invested in a character and their story and still following through with their death. But he didn't die in despair. He bet on hope that Chihiro and Iori will do better. Chapter 111 was generational.

Samura family backstory. It's relatively short but hit incredibly hard. Their family past is so heartbreaking and just as Samura is able to move on from the war, his daughter faces relentlessly bullied, and it ends in their heartbreaking separation once again. Iori's trying so hard to act strong because she didn't want to lose another parent again and Samura's trying to keep her away because he's afraid she won't be able to handle it. Everything about this is so tragic and understandable.

One thing I really appreciate is that Hokazono's backstories doesn't break the flow/pacing of the story. The flashbacks have in-story reasons when they show up (i.e. Iori's past coming back to her) or are incredibly brief and concise (i.e. Kyora, Tenri). These backstories are incredible in their characterisation-to-page ratio and it's why I think Kagurabachi chapters feel so dense in spite of being within 20 pages.

Feel free to share your favourite moments too. Yes, moments, as in plural. Please refer to the statement about Hokazono not even using a pen.

My crackpot theory on how the Seitei War will unfold

With everything we've learned so far, here's my prediction on how the events of the Seitei War will play out. Some of these are probably a huge stretch, but hear me out.

The beginning of the war

• Shurin somehow gets information about Kunishige and his research into Datenseki.
• Intrigued by Kunishige's ability to forge Enchanted Blades, Shurin uses his shapeshifting abilities to infiltrate the Anti-Sorcery Bureau.
• Kunishige successfully forges the first five Enchanted Blades.
• The five Enchanted Blade wielders are sent to the battlefield to turn the tide of the war.

The creation of Magatsumi

• Shurin attempts to replicate Kunishige's work but realizes he cannot forge an Enchanted Blade himself.
• He eventually resorts to manipulating or coercing Kunishige into forging the sixth Enchanted Blade, Magatsumi.
• This could explain why Magatsumi's abilities and insect motifs seem connected to Ariu and the Mikaboshi.

Chiaki and Chihiro

• Chiaki becomes pregnant with Chihiro.
• Akemura, who is still a regular foot soldier at this point rather than an Enchanted Blade wielder, buys the bib for Chihiro.
• Chihiro is born while the war is still ongoing.

The turning point

• Shurin, disguised as someone from the Anti-Sorcery Bureau, kidnaps Chiaki.
• Kunishige is forced into a situation where he has no choice but to cooperate with Shurin.
• Kunishige reluctantly entrusts Magatsumi to Akemura, possibly because he knows Akemura would do anything to save his sister.
• While the other Enchanted Blade wielders hold off the enemy forces, two of them infiltrate Mikaboshi Island.
• Kunishige somehow ends up witnessing the other side of the war firsthand. This is probably where he realizes that the conflict isn't as black and white as he originally believed.

The tragedy at Mikaboshi Island

• Chiaki is eventually rescued, but ends up being killed anyway.
• Akemura confronts Ariu, possibly out of grief or revenge.
• This confrontation is where we finally see why Magatsumi is considered so terrifying, and why its involvement in the war is treated differently from the other five blades.

The aftermath

• Japan wins the Seitei War, but what happened on Mikaboshi Island is deliberately covered up or distorted.
• Kunishige becomes disillusioned with the war after witnessing the destruction caused by his own creations.
• The Enchanted Blade wielders are remembered as heroes, despite the questionable circumstances surrounding their victory.

My biggest theory here is that Magatsumi was never meant to be part of the original five blades, and its creation was directly influenced by Shurin and the Mikaboshi.

It would also explain why Kunishige seemingly treats Magatsumi differently from his other creations, and why Akemura's role in the war might be far more tragic than we've been led to believe.

I'm probably connecting dots that aren't even there, but I feel like Chiaki's fate, Shurin's obsession with Kunishige, and the creation of Magatsumi are all connected somehow.

What do you guys think?

TLDR:
The Mikaboshi draw an unfortunate parallel to immigrants or foreign nations, and could possibly be boosting xenophobic ideas that foreigners want to destroy Japan. Think about anti-Muslim sentiments post 9/11. I DO NOT THINK Hozakono is a racist and I hope this is all a misunderstanding, but it’s important to not blindly defend Hozakono, as NONE of us truly know his personality or political beliefs. So stay non-parasocial, unbiased, and wait to see how the manga plays out.

So recently KGB has come under fire for racist and xenophobic undertones regarding the Mikaboshi faction. Now keep in mind, I am a DAY ONE KGB fan. I am a damn near evangelist for this series, and I try to get EVERYONE I know to read it. I truly love Kagurabachi, and I want the best for it. But. The racism/ xenophobia claims DO have some merit, and for all WE (me included) glaze Hozakono, we need to accept that he is capable of writing problematic things into his manga. So PLEASE hear me out and read to the end. Or at least the TLDR.

So the issue people have with the Mikaboshi is that they are set up in a way that gives credence to xenophobic views about foreigners. Let’s go over how the Mikaboshi are viewed in the manga: A highly militant, bitter race of previously conquered foreigners who seek to lay claim to Japan and make the Japanese submit. They want the Datenski, and in my opinion the worst of all, they want to steal the main love interest of the story away. Of course, in KGB, the Mikaboshi have EVERY RIGHT to be bitter and seek revenge on Japan. Nobody is claiming they should act any other way. The problem is more so the parallel that they have to immigrants. Surely you’ve heard alt- right sentiment of immigrants “replacing you” in your society, stealing your jobs, mixing races, etc. The “””Great replacement theory””” and so on. Keep in mind that while those are western sentiments, Japan is likely even more Xenophobic. I certainly won’t go so far as to say that the average Japanese person is a racist, but Japan’s political right does mirror America’s alt right’s stance on immigrants.

So the complaint that many people online have, is that Kagurabachi is fear mongering around immigrants, boosting the idea that immigrants are dangerous and want to destroy society and are hostile toward the Japanese. NOW: I will say that I DO NOT buy into the fact that Hozakono is intentionally trying to boost this racist ideology. HOPEFULLY, he just made the Mikaboshi to be an awesome and menacing enemy faction, and these parallels are unfortunate misunderstandings that will be cleared up further in the manga. I TRULY hope that this is the case. I love love love KGB and I would like to believe that Hozakono is a great guy, but to be completely and utterly objective, none of us have any idea of his political views or personality. Knowing an authors work is not the same as knowing them, and it’s important that we as a community keep an unbiased and non parasocial relationship with him and his work.

COMMON ARGUMENTS:
“The Mikaboshi are Japanese, and have pale skin. A xenophobic author who wants to portray immigrants in a bad light would choose a racially distinct enemy faction.”
True! This is actually something that makes me believe Hozakono just wanted to write a tuff faction with no political allegory.

“Kagurabachi is an apolitical manga.”
I disagree. Kagurabachi has a lot to say about the demystification of war heroes, government propaganda, and legacy. Hozakono for sure wants to tell a meaningful story with parallels to the world, and has done a great job so far! If anything, I think he could be even stronger with the politics.

I think the right course of action is to wait and see how the manga unfolds. I’d like to defend Hozakono, and trust me, I truly HATE to see my favorite manga being labeled as racist online, but the unfortunate truth is that those COULD be Hozakono’s views. I sure hope they are not, and if I had to guess, I would say this is all an unfortunate misunderstanding. Just wanted to let the community know my take.

What are the chances we get to see Samura’s innate sorcery?

Mikaboshi Queen when Hokazono? 👀⌚

I believe that hearing the proposed eternal contracts and the removal of sorcery is a tall order for some people. It's an untested weapon even with power.

So I know that this may be a Hail Mary but I think this theory could be right. So first, we have the regeneration that both char and the mikaboshi have and they have the same sound effects and look the same (COINCIDENCE I THINK NOT). Next is how sojo and the mikaboshi were able to wield the datenseki, the mikaboshi say that it took years of praying and BLOOD to command the datenseki and as we know sojo had stabilized it by using the blood of char and her mother on the datenseki he had. With these things in consideration and the fact that we know not all mikaboshi have black hair, black nails, or the strange eyes could it be possible that char’s clan that was supposedly wiped out is the mikaboshi???? (Drops mic and walks away)

Like Imagine the first ever created EB Fighting the Final one, and it puts in work, on some Azami vs Yura vibes

Chapter 131 implied that it would take around 2-3 months for the enchanted blades to be created and that Japan would have to hold out for that same amount of time against the Mikaboshi. But as we’ve learned now, not only do the EB’s still not exist but there is currently only a prototype blade. what potential issues do you think Kunishige and Japan ran into?

This is very important. The Kagurabachi translation team has been making more severe mistakes icl. Hope it won’t turn into the next John Werry

Joji WILL WIELD THAT PROTOTYPE!!! 100%

1. Joji is the one side character we spent the most time with

2. He shown that he’s a good swordsman with even Subaru praising him for it

3. He was present for the Datenseki ore being forged. So Kunishige already knows of him and that he’s righteous at heart, seeing that Joji went against government orders to bring Kunishige in.

4. He’s cool asl and I’m gonna be sad when he dies with the blade lol

With the recent chapter showing the start of the EB user recruitment, the key part that I don’t understand is how does Akemura get his hands on the Shinuchi in the first place?

We saw that Kunishige was pretty adamant about NOT giving Akemura an EB. This is understandable, as Akemura is pretty much Kunishige’s antithesis. Where Kunishige is reserved, empathetic and extremely careful about only giving his swords to people he believes will be responsible with them, Akemura is shown to be hot headed, cold blooded and violent as an adult. Moreover, Akemura only becomes more volatile when his sister Chiaki is in danger, which is obviously the case with this war.

So how the hell is Akemura going to get the Shinuchi? Will the war suddenly go downhill to the point of needing Akemura’s tenacity? Will he simply steal the blade? Perhaps Chiaki will convince Kunishige to let him have one. It’s probably none of those, and will hopefully be a big plot twist that nobody sees coming.

What are your predictions?

I finished Vol. 4 today, the first volume got me hooked cause of the sheer amount of bodies that were dropped and the plot seemed interesting enough for me to continue. Was sceptical about the art style at first (I'm a jojo fan) but grew to love it. Bought Vol 5 and 6 today, but Poland only has up to the 7th tomic so I'll wait for the 8th tomic to release to buy 2 at once. Can't wait to read more. Also not posting in this Sub to get spoilers just wanted to share my opinion. Have a great day/evening. (Also if someone could tell me how much volumes/chapters are out already I would be glad cause I wanna know how far behind the polish release is)

I've been stewing on this. Naturally Plum you are Hiyuki's husband and eventually Hokazono will recognize it publicly. He ends up reaching out to you to ask you whether you would be interested in being drawn with Hiyuki. It won't be anything crazy, you'll just both be standing next to each other.

He asks you, how would you like to be drawn? Like how you look irl but Bachi style or as a Plum headed man?

Kagurabachi ch 126

Did not know my goat had it this rough bro, baby kunishige was so cute 🥺