While Kagurabachi was treated as a bit of a joke in the west last year, it’s seemingly been popular enough to get an anime adaptation.
Weekly Shonen Jump has been in a slightly awkward spot for a little while now, with massive tentpole titles like Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia finally ending this year. They might not necessarily have been part of a new big three like Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach, but they’re obviously some of the most popular series around currently, and WSJ didn’t really have anything to fill those spots – until last year, when Kagurabachi debuted. Except, over in the west, before it even released it became a massive meme, with anime and manga fans jokingly treating it as if it’s one of the best series ever made.
A year on and some confused Japanese fans later, Kagurabachi is still alive and kicking, and now according to Toyo Keizai Online (via Anime News Network) has reported that an anime adaptation is in the works at Cygames Pictures through a joint production between CyberAgent and Shochiku. Toyo Keizai reached out to both companies, but neither of them would provide a confirmation or otherwise about whether an anime is in the works or not.
For those that have never heard of Kagurabachi, Shueisha’s Manga Plus describes the story: “Young Chihiro spends his days training under his famous swordsmith father. One day he hopes to become a great sword-maker himself. The goofy father and the serious son–they thought these days would last forever. But suddenly, tragedy strikes. A dark day soaked in blood. Chihiro and his blade now live only for revenge. Epic sword battle action!”
There’s been four volumes released in Japan so far, with the first finally releasing in English just last November from Viz Media. When an official announcement might come is anyone’s guess, but if you were someone that memed on it last year, I’d say you’re required to watch at least one episode now.