Demon Slayer turned a movie into a cultural phenomenon last year with the release of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. While that movie broke record after record, there’s one series waiting to be adapted that could come for it all.
Kagurabachi is the new hotness in shōnen manga. It’s an exceptional series with amazing fights, some of the best manga panels in the art form, and a legitimate, undeniable potential that could see it dominating the next generation of shōnen anime.
The Old-Gen of Shōnen Might (Finally) Be Coming to an End
After decades, the older generation of shōnen anime looks like it’s finally coming to an end. Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach are all still airing in some capacity, but they won’t be after some time.
Eiichiro Oda, creator of One Piece, has said that his series is coming to an end soon. The series is one of the longest-running in the history of anime, but it looks like the upcoming Elbaph Arc might be working to conclude the series once and for all.
Dragon Ball will never be the same after the passing of creator Akira Toriyama. A new anime will be coming out that will adapt the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, one of the best in Dragon Ball Super, but there hasn’t been any news as to a continuation of the manga.
Bleach will be animating its final arcs soon, and it might be the first of the original “Big Three” to finally come to a conclusion. Naruto is still living on through Boruto, and while the anime is on an indefinite hiatus, the manga is still going strong. Somehow, most of the older generation of shōnen have actually outlasted their successors.
The New-Gen Is Ending Soon Too
The newest generation of shōnen anime are all ending before their predecessors. It goes to show just how different the generations are: the older generations value longevity while the newer generations value concision. It’s why series like Jujutsu Kaisen, Solo Leveling, and Demon Slayer barely have any filler, while One Piece and Naruto have a ton.
It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Long-Running Anime
Anime continues to expand and rise to unimaginable heights. However, One Piece is marking the end of an era for long-running anime.
My Hero Academia is the first of the latest generation to end. The final season of the hit shōnen series was nothing short of masterful, showcasing one of the best fights in the history of anime when Bakugo took on All For One.
Demon Slayer is ending with a trilogy of films, and the first became the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. It’s a series that thrust anime into the mainstream, cementing the Japanese art form as a core part of American entertainment with a solid film.
Solo Leveling and Jujutsu Kaisen have finished their manhwa and manga series respectively but still have a few seasons worth of material to be animated. Chainsaw Man is in the same boat, but Fujimoto’s creation isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
Kagurabachi Has What It Takes To Lead the Next Generation of Shōnen
If there’s one manga series that could truly lead the next generation of shōnen, it has to be Kagurabachi. It’s one of the most successful manga series of the last decade, and that’s saying something. The last few years have had no shortage of amazing shōnen hits, and through them all, Kagurabachi has come out on top.
Kagurabachi has won the Next Manga Award in the print category, an award also won by My Hero Academia, Oshi no Ko, and Kaguya-sama: Love is War to name a few. It has also been nominated for the Shogakukan Manga Award and the Kodansha Manga Award, two of the biggest awards in manga.
Kagurabachi Has the Potential to Dethrone Demon Slayer
Kagurabachi has an anime adaptation coming out, either in late 2026 or early 2027 if reports are true, and it might be the only series with the potential to take down Demon Slayer and Solo Leveling.
At its core, Kagurabachi is a story about revenge. Over the past few years, the best shōnen series have been the simplest, and Kagurabachi takes that idea and runs with it. A great anime series doesn’t need to overcomplicate things to get its point across. It just needs a solid premise, a great protagonist, and amazing fights — Kagurabachi has all three in spades.
Will Kagurabachi Get the Adaptation it Deserves?
There’s only one thing that could stop Kagurabachi on its journey to becoming one of the best modern-day shōnen series: a good adaptation. A good adaptation means everything for a manga series, as it can make or break an anime adaptation.
Currently, Jujutsu Kaisen is enjoying one of the best manga adaptations of all time. The series is a moving masterpiece, and there are more than a few frames that feel like they belong in a museum. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for every series.
The Beginning After the End famously has one of the worst anime adaptations ever made. The source material the anime is based on is exceptional, and to call the anime that adapted it lackluster would be a massive understatement.
Thankfully, it looks like Kagurabachi has a quality anime studio behind it. CygamesPictures is reportedly bringing the manga to life, and they’ve just animated The Summer Hikaru Died, a top-tier anime. If CygamesPictures gives Kagurabachi the anime it deserves, it may take over the entire shonen genre in an instant.
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- Created by
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Takeru Hokazono
- Character(s)
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Chihiro Rokuhira, Kunishige Rokuhira, Togo Shiba, Gaku Ichimonji, Ayame (Kagurabachi), Hikobe (Kagurabachi), Hifumi (Kagurabachi), Shinnosuke (Kagurabachi)
Kagurabachi is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takeru Hokazono. It began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump in September 2023. The story follows Chihiro Rokuhira, an 18-year-old aspiring swordsmith whose father, Kunishige Rokuhira, was a renowned blacksmith known for forging six enchanted blades instrumental in ending the Seitei War. After his father’s murder by a criminal gang of sorcerers called the Hishaku, who also stole the enchanted blades, Chihiro embarks on a path of vengeance to reclaim them. Armed with his father’s last enchanted blade, Enten, Chihiro confronts various adversaries, including the Hishaku and other antagonistic groups.
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- Created by
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Koyoharu Gotouge
- First Film
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Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train
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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To the Hashira Training
- First TV Show
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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Latest TV Show
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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- First Episode Air Date
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April 6, 2019
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a wildly popular anime and manga franchise created by Koyoharu Gotouge. Set in Taishō-era Japan, it follows Tanjiro Kamado as he battles demons and seeks a cure for his sister, Nezuko, who was turned into one. The franchise includes a manga, anime TV series, films, video games, and spin-offs. Known for its stunning animation and gripping storyline, Demon Slayer is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
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- Created by
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Gege Akutami
- First Film
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Jujutsu Kaisen 0
- Latest Film
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Jujutsu Kaisen 0
- First TV Show
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Jujutsu Kaisen
- Latest TV Show
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Jujutsu Kaisen
- Upcoming TV Shows
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Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is a Japanese anime and manga series created by Gege Akutami. The story is set in a world where Cursed Spirits, born from negative human emotions, prey on humanity. It follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he becomes entangled in the world of Jujutsu Sorcery after swallowing a cursed talisman—Ryomen Sukuna’s finger—and becomes the host for one of the most powerful curses. Yuji joins the Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College to learn how to combat curses while searching for the remaining fingers of Sukuna to exorcise him permanently.
