Revenge is best served cold, as Kagurabachi’s protagonist, Chihiro Rokuhira, would know. Four years after embarking on the quest for vengeance, the character will go from inked manga panels to the screen, with a teaser announcement confirming an anime adaptation in the works.
Offering a glimpse of gritty animation and explosive action, the clip ends with an April 2027 premiere date. Tetsuya Takeuchi, previously the key animator for Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, is directing the project at Cypic, a rebrand of Cygames Pictures and the studio behind The Summer Hikaru Died and Umamusume: Cinderella Gray. Keigo Sasaki (Blue Exorcist) serves as character designer, while relative newcomer Taihi Kimura (The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy) voices Chihiro. Other cast members have yet to be revealed.
“Flames of resolve, kindled by hatred. Chihiro Rokuhira is a boy who aspires to become a swordsmith, and took daily training under his father Kunishige, a renowned swordsmith. Their days, once filled with laughter, are brutally torn apart by an attack from the mysterious sorcerer organization, the Hishaku,” reads the official synopsis.
“What is stolen from them are the six Enchanted Blades — swords of immense power capable of shaping the fate of the nation — and the gentle, warm life they once shared. From that day on, everything changed. In a world engulfed in darkness, Chihiro takes up Enten, the seventh Enchanted Blade left behind by his father, and sets out on a blood-soaked path of revenge.”
The key visual was also unveiled, alongside details of an upcoming world tour. Kicking off this summer, the event will show the first 20 minutes of the first episode at various anime conventions around the world, culminating in a full episode screening in Japan in Spring 2027. Exact dates and locations are expected at a later date.
Takeru Hokazono’s Kagurabachi manga has been serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump since September 2023, with ten volumes released so far. It topped the print category in last year’s Next Manga Awards and was nominated for several honours, including the 70th Shogakukan Manga Awards, the 49th annual Kodansha Manga Awards, and the 2025 Eisner Comic Industry Awards. The manga now has four million copies in circulation.
As for the anime adaptation, its debut is set for April 2027.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
