Kagurabachi, which started serializing in Weekly Shonen Jump in the latter half of 2023, has gained quite the popularity among fans due to its action packed storyline and the revenge filled theme at its center. In a recent interview, the manga’s editor Takuro Imamura revealed the inspirations that led author Takeru Hokazono to craft such a story.

Talking about the revenge aspect, Imamura said that Hokazono always aspired to “make a revenge story” and get serialized in Jump. The one shots that he had drawn before also had similar themes.

Simply put, the revenge genre was Hokazono’s favorite, thanks to his love for Western movies, especially those directed by Quentin Tarantino. These movies, along with the recent John Wick instalments served as an inspiration for the author to craft the unique setting in Kagurabachi manga.

“I think it’s simply his favorite genre. 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,” Imamura said.

Infact, even the inspiration for Kagurabachi‘s unique world, which is a blend of realistic Japan with a touch of the past, came from Western Films and the game The Ghost of Tsushima. According to Imamura, Hokazono finds the concept of the “overseas imagery of Japan” or a “cool-looking Japan” interesting which made him intentionally incorporate elements like “swords” and “goldfish” in the story.

Moreover, the editor revealed in the interview that author Hokazono grew up reading Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, and that his aspiration to become a manga artist stemmed from Naruto, a manga that he absolutely loved.

Hokazono’s Tezuka winning work, which he did when he was 19, and his early one-shots too had many similarities with Masashi Kishimoto’s epic.

“He just absolutely loves Naruto. If you take a look at his Tezuka award-winning piece and early one-shots, the influence is quite evident,” Imamura said in the interview.

Along with Naruto, Hokazono has also explored Chainsaw Man, Attack on Titan, and Ajin: Demi Human as inspirations for his works.

Hokazono started serializing Kagurabachi in Weekly Shonen Jump from September 2023, around two years after he won his Tezuka award. The manga’s first volume released in February 2024.

The manga’s editor Imamura has previously worked on multiple hit Jump titles including My Hero Academia and Ayakashi Triangle.

Source: MangaPlus