Takeru Hokazono
Description
Takeru Hokazono is a Japanese manga artist best known for creating the popular series Kagurabachi. He was born in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on September 6, 2000. Hokazono grew up reading Weekly Shonen Jump and was a devoted fan of Naruto, a series that his whole family enjoyed and which ultimately inspired him to pursue a career as a manga creator. He began seriously making manga during the COVID-19 pandemic while he was in college.
Hokazono's first published work was the one-shot Enten, which appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of Jump Giga. This work won the prestigious 100th Tezuka Award. Another one-shot, Farewell! Cherry Boy!, was published in the same issue. He subsequently produced several other one-shots, including Chain in Jump Giga's Summer 2021 issue, Madogiwa de Amu in Weekly Shonen Jump in April 2022, and Roku no Meiyaku in Weekly Shonen Jump in August 2022. Madogiwa de Amu is a concise story about bullying and a birthday gift, while Roku no Meiyaku follows an assassin who makes a pact with a supernatural entity from hell.
His first and only serialized work to date is Kagurabachi, which premiered in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in September 2023. The series is licensed in North America by Viz Media. Hokazono has stated that he wanted to write a revenge story, a theme he had explored in his earlier one-shots. The story follows Chihiro Rokuhira, the son of a famous swordsmith who forged six Enchanted Blades that helped end a war. After his father and his work are taken from him, Chihiro vows to use a seventh blade to exact revenge on those responsible. Hokazono has noted that familial bonds and love are significant themes he wants readers to take away from the series.
Regarding his artistic identity and influences, Hokazono is a fan of Western movies, particularly the works of directors like Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, and David Fincher, as well as the John Wick series. He especially appreciated the character Caine from John Wick: Chapter 4 and how he uses his hearing to sense his environment. He also cited the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a major influence, stating that there is a bit of the character Bucky in the Kagurabachi character Sojo. In addition to Naruto, his influences for Kagurabachi include Chainsaw Man, Ajin: Demi-Human, and Attack on Titan. His earlier one-shots, particularly Enten, were more heavily influenced by Naruto. For the world-building of Kagurabachi, he drew inspiration from the stylized, cinematic version of Japan often depicted in Hollywood films. He is also a fan of Katsuhiro Otomo, the creator of Akira, and keeps databooks of Otomo's art in his office for reference.
Hokazono has achieved notable industry recognition early in his career. Kagurabachi was the highest-voted work in the Manga Plus AX poll, won the 10th Next Manga Award in the print category, and has been nominated for the 70th Shogakukan Manga Award as well as an Eisner Award in the United States. His rising prominence was underscored by his appearance as a guest at Anime NYC in 2025, where he participated in panels and drew a character live on his iPad for fans. He has said that while creating manga, he looks at both Western and Japanese comics for influence, and he prefers to work on a drawing tablet. The first chapter of Kagurabachi took him approximately six months to complete.
Hokazono's first published work was the one-shot Enten, which appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of Jump Giga. This work won the prestigious 100th Tezuka Award. Another one-shot, Farewell! Cherry Boy!, was published in the same issue. He subsequently produced several other one-shots, including Chain in Jump Giga's Summer 2021 issue, Madogiwa de Amu in Weekly Shonen Jump in April 2022, and Roku no Meiyaku in Weekly Shonen Jump in August 2022. Madogiwa de Amu is a concise story about bullying and a birthday gift, while Roku no Meiyaku follows an assassin who makes a pact with a supernatural entity from hell.
His first and only serialized work to date is Kagurabachi, which premiered in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in September 2023. The series is licensed in North America by Viz Media. Hokazono has stated that he wanted to write a revenge story, a theme he had explored in his earlier one-shots. The story follows Chihiro Rokuhira, the son of a famous swordsmith who forged six Enchanted Blades that helped end a war. After his father and his work are taken from him, Chihiro vows to use a seventh blade to exact revenge on those responsible. Hokazono has noted that familial bonds and love are significant themes he wants readers to take away from the series.
Regarding his artistic identity and influences, Hokazono is a fan of Western movies, particularly the works of directors like Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, and David Fincher, as well as the John Wick series. He especially appreciated the character Caine from John Wick: Chapter 4 and how he uses his hearing to sense his environment. He also cited the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a major influence, stating that there is a bit of the character Bucky in the Kagurabachi character Sojo. In addition to Naruto, his influences for Kagurabachi include Chainsaw Man, Ajin: Demi-Human, and Attack on Titan. His earlier one-shots, particularly Enten, were more heavily influenced by Naruto. For the world-building of Kagurabachi, he drew inspiration from the stylized, cinematic version of Japan often depicted in Hollywood films. He is also a fan of Katsuhiro Otomo, the creator of Akira, and keeps databooks of Otomo's art in his office for reference.
Hokazono has achieved notable industry recognition early in his career. Kagurabachi was the highest-voted work in the Manga Plus AX poll, won the 10th Next Manga Award in the print category, and has been nominated for the 70th Shogakukan Manga Award as well as an Eisner Award in the United States. His rising prominence was underscored by his appearance as a guest at Anime NYC in 2025, where he participated in panels and drew a character live on his iPad for fans. He has said that while creating manga, he looks at both Western and Japanese comics for influence, and he prefers to work on a drawing tablet. The first chapter of Kagurabachi took him approximately six months to complete.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview