Shonen Jump's new lineup of manga that will hopefully replace giants like One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen was spearheaded by Kagurabachi, and this dark revenge tale has already sured My Hero Academia in the hottest manga rankings on Manga Plus.
Three new manga have been introduced in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from the NEXTWAVE project. From the sports and drama focused Two on Ice to the fantasy series Mama YuYu, the future of manga seems bright. However, one new series, Kagurabachi, took off on social media. With the explosion of demand for anime and manga in the past few decades, more manga are being published to satisfy the thirst from fans. Although many do end up being canceled, some slip in through the cracks to take the world by storm, most notably My Hero Academia. And now, Kagurabachi has dethroned My Hero in the rankings as the most popular manga on Manga Plus.
Kagurabachi Soars Through The Rankings of Manga Plus
Kagurabachi has made its way into the top 5 manga on Manga Plus, the official manga reading app by Shueisha, after just two chapters. On its way to claim that spot it sured many popular manga such as Kaiju No. 8, Oshi No Ko, Dragon Ball Super, and finally, My Hero Academia. The My Hero Academia manga is in its final and quite possibly best arc so seeing Kagurabachi overtake one of Shonen Jump's most successful series is a great sign that the NEXTWAVE campaign was indeed a massive success. Even Japanese people are shocked and surprised at how popular the manga is internationally.
In just one chapter, Kagurabachi has dominated social media, gotten many memes about it and there were even fake anime announcements. This ultimately contributed to the frenzy that catapulted the manga to such heights but the manga itself is responsible for the exposure it has gotten. The gloomy and cool looking main character of the series garnered attention but the story and peculiar setting are what sold it. Kagurabachi is a grim revenge story set in a version of early 20th century Japan with futuristic tinges. The main character is the son of a murdered swordsmith on the path for revenge and to retrieve his father's prized magical katanas.
The first two chapters have captured the attention of the manga and the coming ones should retain it if it wants to dethrone the likes of One Piece and Chainsaw Man. Kagurabachi by Takeru Hozano has a lot going for it, and the manga now has the attention of the spotlight and with more chapters expected to go up, so will the expectations. Although Manga Plus' rankings aren't the best way to measure a manga's popularity, Kagurabachi ing My Hero Academia is a promising sign of what's to come.
Shonen Jump's Kagurabachi is available to read on Manga Plus.
