Takeru Hokazono (Japanese: 外薗健, Hepburn: Hokazono Takeru, born September 6, 2000) is a Japanese manga artist. They are best known for Kagurabachi, which is serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump, starting in 2023 and licensed by Viz Media in North America.

Takeru Hokazono
外薗健
Born (2000-09-06) September 6, 2000 (age 23)[1]
OccupationManga artist
Years active2020–present
Known forKagurabachi

Biography

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Takeru Hokazono was born in the Osaka Prefecture, Japan on September 6, 2000. Hokazono started making comics during the COVID-19 pandemic while they were in college.[2] Their first manga was the one-shot Enten published in the Jump Giga Spring 2021 issue and won the 100th Tezuka Award, in addition to his other one-shot Farewell! Cherry Boy! being published in the same issue.[3]

In September 2023, "Kagurabachi" started serializing in the 42nd Issue of Weekly Shonen Jump.[4] The release of Kagurabachi had taken on a life of its own on social media. Chapter one was met with critical acclaim. Even an ironic meme campaign, known as “Kagurabachi glazing,” declared the manga as an inheritor to the likes of One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach as one of the new-generation “Big Three.”[5] Due to the excitement, Kagurabachi has become a hit with Volume 1 having more than 200,000 copies in circulation by March 20, 2024.[6]

Style and influences

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Takeru's story elements were inspired by Naruto, Chainsaw Man, Ajin: Demi-Human, and Attack On Titan. However, they also note that some Western media influences like Batman and John Wick.[7]

Works

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Serializations
One-shots
  • Enten (炎天) (April 2021; published in Jump GIGA)
  • Farewell! Cherry Boy! (さらば!チェリーボーイ!) (April 2021; published in Jump GIGA)
  • Chain (チエイン) (July 2021; published in Jump GIGA)
  • Madogiwa de Amu (まどぎわで編む, Knitting by the Window) (April 2022; published in Weekly Shonen Jump)
  • Roku no Meiyaku (ロクの冥約) (August 2022; published in Weekly Shonen Jump)

References

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  1. ^ "漠然とした夢より「復讐」を マンガ「カグラバチ」作者インタビュー". The Asahi Shimbun. May 2, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "2024 Manga Picks Editor Interview". Shueisha. February 16, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  3. ^ "MamaYuYu Leads Off 3 New Shonen Jump Manga Debuts". Crunchyroll. September 10, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  4. ^ "Fabricant 100 Manga Ends, 3 New Manga to Launch in Shonen Jump". Anime News Network. September 3, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "Kagurabachi Is Big, But Not as Big as the Internet Wants You to Think". Gizmodo. September 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "Kagurabachi Manga Hits Unprecedented Sales Record". Comicbook.com. April 24, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Edmunson, Carlyle (May 5, 2024). "Shonen Jump's New Hit Kagurabachi Is Inspired By One Of The Biggest Manga Ever". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
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