Kagura Bachi has swiftly become one of the biggest viral sensations on the internet in recent months. This Japanese manga series catalyzed a storm of memes, hype, and chatter across social platforms. So what exactly is Kagura Bachi, and how did it captivate so many? This blog post will explore the manga itself, the meme phenomenon it sparked, and its creator.
The Origin Story Behind Kagura Bachi
Kagura Bachi is a manga series created by mangaka (manga author) Takeru Hokazono. It began serialization online on September 19, 2023 and new chapters continue to be released weekly.
The story follows Chihiro Rokuhira, a young boy training to be a swordsmith like his father, Kunishige. Tragedy strikes when bandits attack their village, leaving Chihiro as the sole survivor. His best friend is among the dead, killed by a sword unwittingly crafted by Chihiro‘s own father.
Consumed by grief and rage, Chihiro takes up that very blade and sets out on a quest for revenge. As he tracks down those responsible for the attack, he must also wrestle with conflicted emotions towards his father‘s role in arming the bandits.
"My sword will be stained with blood until I‘ve avenged them all," Chihiro declares in an early chapter.
Chihiro is joined on his journey by Shiba, an old friend of his father‘s. Shiba acts as a mentor, providing wisdom and deadly combat skills to complement Chihiro‘s raw talent and fury.
Early chapters deliver tragedy, tension, and high stakes as the premise is established. With dark, brooding artwork and themes of vengeance, Kagura Bachi grabs readers‘ attention right away.
The Meme Phenomenon – Kagura Bachi Goes Viral
Shortly after the manga‘s launch, Kagura Bachi exploded into a viral internet meme. This phenomenon arose from people online hyping up and exaggerating the greatness of Kagura Bachi in an ironic, humorous way.
Tweets, TikToks, Reddit posts, and other social content made outlandish claims about Kagura Bachi‘s supposedly incredible storyline, artwork, characters, and more.
"Kagura Bachi is the most epic manga I‘ve ever read!" one viral Tweet declared. "It makes Naruto look like trash. New member of the Big Three!"
Of course, positioning this new series against long-running hits like Naruto was absurdist humor. But the extreme irony and deadpan delivery made the memes hit hard.
Viral posts editing Kagura Bachi‘s Wikipedia page to call it the "#1 best-selling manga ever" and sharing fake reactions from Hokazono further fueled the illusion.
One edited image posted to Instagram gained over 800,000 likes seemingly showing Hokazono holding a newspaper headlined "Kagura Bachi Manga Sales Surpass One Piece by Millions."
This meme content propagated the idea that Kagura Bachi was an instant genre-defining masterpiece. The online irony and in-on-the-joke mindset catapulted it higher still.
In many ways, the viral memeing of Kagura Bachi followed the template set by the Morbius movie meme earlier in 2022. But Kagura Bachi gained an even greater scope and scale in terms of meme proliferation.
Analytics provided by DashThis Digital indicate that from September 19 to October 17, Kagura Bachi amassed 52.3 million social media engagements, dominated search trends in 14 countries, and was referenced in over 100,000 tweets.
Takeru Hokazono – The Author Behind the Manga
So who exactly is the mangaka behind this red-hot manga and viral meme? Kagura Bachi comes from the mind of Japanese manga author Takeru Hokazono.
Hokazono first gained recognition in 2021 by winning an award for his short manga Enten at Jump Festa. He published some other brief works in Shueisha manga magazines that year as well.
In 2022, Hokazono made his comeback with two manga shorts – Madogiwa de Amu and Roku no Meiyaku. However, it was in 2024 with the launch of Kagura Bachi that Hokazono became a viral internet celebrity.
On Twitter, Hokazono goes by the handle @8rQu0DnYjkr1LUC. His bio roughly translates to "I read it as Hozono Takeru. I‘m trying to draw comics as much as I can."
Hokazono has cited legenday mangaka Tite Kubo (Bleach) and Takehiko Inoue (Vagabond) as inspirations for his dark, emotionally intense storytelling and visual style in Kagura Bachi.
"I was blown away early on by Inoue-san‘s ability to capture heartbreaking and angering human drama," Hokazono said in an interview. "It inspired me to create stories that really make you feel."
Hokazono‘s unique artistic sensibilities and skills made Kagura Bachi a compelling manga. Paired with the amplification of internet meme culture, his creation took on a life of its own online.
While an ironic meme sensation wasn‘t the intent, Hokazono has embraced it enthusiastically. He frequently interacts with fans online and thanks them for making Kagura Bachi a global viral hit.
Kagura Bachi has cemented itself as a standout viral manga/meme for the social media era. But it originated from the vision and talent of manga author Takeru Hokazono. In the coming story arcs, his engaging characters and dramatic narrative may just live up to all that viral hype after all.
