Kagurabachi anime adaptation in development

Although details are still sparse at this time, news of the production of an anime adaptation of Shōnen Jump dark fantasy series Kagurabachi is currently breaking. Based on the original report (in Japanese) from Japanese business news outlet Toyo Keizai, news of the production of a new Kagurabachi anime adaptation is spreading across anime-focused social media accounts:

There is no information about when to expect the Kagurabachi anime series to debut. What is known at this time is that the new anime will be a collaboration between Japanese media companies CyberAgent and Shochiku.

Created by mangaka Takeru Hokazono and published by Shueisha, the Kagurabachi manga debuted in September 2023 in the pages of Weekly Shōnen Jump. This is, of course, the same famous magazine that has also been home to iconic series like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. As of this writing, the Japanese run of Kagurabachi has published 59 chapters and four volumes have been collected and compiled so far.

What is Kagurabachi about?

Kagurabachi is a dark fantasy series with more than a few thematic and stylistic similarities to the iconic series Berserk. The series is set in an alternate version of Japan where the existence of magic has drastically altered the course of history compared to the real world. Although the world of Kagurabachi still resembles present-day Japan in the real world, it takes cues from several different anachronistic time periods at all once to make it clear that this is ultimately a world unlike our own despite the surface-level similarities.

The plot of Kagurabachi follows Chihiro Rokuhira on his quest for revenge after his father, the blacksmith Kunishige is murdered and the powerful swords he forged are stolen. The Manga Plus from Shueisha provides the following brief summary:

"Young Chihiro spends his days training under his famous swordsmith father. One day he hopes to become a great sword-maker himself. The goofy father and the serious son--they thought these days would last forever. But suddenly, tragedy strikes. A dark day soaked in blood. Chihiro and his blade now live only for revenge. Epic sword battle action!"

- Mang Plus

Where to read the Kagurabachi manga

As is also the case with other manga series originating in the pages of Weekly Shōnen Jump, the English translation of the Kagurabachi manga series is licensed by Viz Media. As of this writing, Viz has translated and compiled the first volume of the manga, with the second currently available for pre-order.

In addition to selling physical editions of the volumes of Kagurabachi, Viz Media also offers chapters for online reading via its Shōnen Jump website and app. Digital chapters are also available via Shueisha's Manga Plus website and app. Both Viz and Manga Plus have every chapter up to the most recent chapter, chapter 59, translated into English and available to subscribers. According to Manga Plus, the next chapter will become available on December 8.

It's clear from the lack of available information that the Kagurabachi anime adaptation from CyberAgent and Shochiku is still in the very early stages of development. We'll be monitoring the production and will have more information as it becomes available. For all the latest news about Kagurabachi and all your favourite anime, including new and upcoming series for 2025 and beyond, keep checking back right here with the Anime Away team.