Ever since its debut, Takeru Hokazono’s Weekly Shonen Jump hit manga, Kagurabachi, has been rising in popularity, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The manga was released in September 2023, climbing its way to one of the best new-gen Shonen series. Kagurabachi is Hokazono’s debut work, which makes this feat all the more impressive. Just like most mangaka, Hokazono doesn’t reveal his face, but that wouldn’t stop him from making public appearances. He attended Anime NYC 2025 wearing a mask designed to resemble his official avatar. It’s an annual four-day event held in August at the Javits Center in New York City.
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The event draws fans from around the world for the exhibits, exclusive screenings, and appearances by prominent creators and voice actors from Japan. It also features an artist alley, cosplay showcases, and opportunities to engage with manga, anime, and related media. This year, Anime NYC was held from 21st to 24th August, during which the Kagurabachi panel was also held among many other series. The series’ creator makes his appearance in front of hundreds of fans, engaging in interactive Q&A sessions and selfies. The details of the event were shared by @brkagurabachi on X, a popular fan account known for sharing all major updates regarding the series.
Takeru Hokazono Appears During Anime NYC
The delightful experience with fans went without a hitch as the author expressed his excitement about meeting everyone. He also shared several fun facts regarding the series, his work process, and more. @brkagurabachi shared all the information with international fans through a series of posts on X. Although Hokazono has released a few one-shots before, Kagurabachi is his first serialized manga, and it took him six months to draw the first chapter. Releasing a manga weekly is incredibly taxing, and each mangaka follows a different schedule. Hokazono spends six days on storyboarding and just one day on drawing the actual chapter, which came out as a major shock to the fandom.
He also drew Samura live during the event while answering questions. Hokazono also reveals that Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen were major inspirations behind his series. Naruto is an all-time classic that still has a wide fanbase all across the world, and it’s known for inspiring several new-gen series. On the other hand, Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the biggest series of recent times, and it’s already a global sensation. With Kagurabachi growing in popularity, it wouldn’t be long before an anime adaptation is announced.
The rumors have been spreading for the past few months, and now that two years have passed, it’s right around the time for the series to reveal the big news. The series has already released 91 chapters, which are available to read on the official app of Manga Plus and Shonen Jump. Eight volumes have been released so far, and the ninth one will be available starting October 3rd, 2025. Out of these, only five volumes have been published in English, which are all available on the official Viz Media website in both physical and digital versions.
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