Kagurabachi‘s Chihiro set himself apart from other Shonen heroes from the very first chapter. While most Shonen protagonists have an uplifting aura around them, Chihiro is the exact opposite.
Chapter 1 of Kagurabachi revealed Chihiro’s dark past, and it was abundantly clear that the character means business. Any distraction is simply not allowed, which is probably why the manga fetched such a high viewership rate as soon as it debuted.
In an interview, Kagurabachi’s author, Hokazono Takeru, talked in detail about how he created Chihiro and his story.
Kagurabachi‘s Author Created a Dark Hero, Challenging Shonen Standards
In an interview with Asahi Shimbun, Hokazono Takeru discussed his creation process for Chihiro. The author was more experienced with one-shots and wanted to play to his strength with his first serialization.
However, an ambiguous dream of becoming something does not sit right in one-shots. But if the hero’s goal is to kill someone, it becomes much easier to understand. Seeking revenge is also more of a direct approach.
Since the author has experience with revenge stories, he decided to use the genre in the manga.
“And since this was my first serialization, I thought it would be cool to create something more challenging…And my thought is, if you want to kill someone, you might as well be an avenger.”
So that is how the character of Chihiro came to be. Takeru wanted a unique story that would make an impact on the audience, and his formula worked wonders for Kagurabachi. While most Shonen protagonists are happy-go-lucky and carry the burden of being likable, Chihiro never has to adhere to the standards.
From the very beginning, Chihiro has been a brooding guy, who was later broken by the death of his father. As you know, his next step was to set out to take revenge against the people responsible for his father’s death.
Another shocking thing that the author revealed is that he created a revenge story partly because:
“Also, blood splatters just look cool in black-and-white manga illustrations.”
There is also a scene in Chapter 1 that perfectly summarizes Chihiro’s outlook on life. When Shiba asks why Chihiro doesn’t get his scar removed, Chihiro answers that every day, when he wakes up and sees his face, the scar motivates him to take the path of revenge.
Different Japanese Motifs in Kagurabachi
Hokazono Takeru claimed that he loved seeing exaggerated Japanese aesthetics in Western movies. While most people think it is overdone and exaggerated, Takeru somehow likes it and gets excited because of it.
The author always hoped that he would be able to create a story just like that, filled with Japanese motifs, Which is why his story has traditional Japanese symbols like katana, sorcery, goldfish, and more. Originally, the author had planned to draw koi fish since:
“Their red, black, and white colors would match well in a revenge story with lots of blood splatter and a protagonist whose clothes are all black.”
However, Takeru changed the koi fish to a goldfish to symbolize Chihiro’s life with his father.
Hokazono Takeru ensured that Chihiro and Kagurabachi had a distinct feature when compared to other manga. For the author, a revenge story was what greased the plot’s wheels.
You can read the Kagurabachi manga on Viz Media.
