Can past works from Takeru Hokazono be considered a prelude to Kagurabachi?

Takeru Hokazono has become a curious case in the manga community, ever since Kagurabachi started airing in the Weekly Shonen Jump. His creation has risen to the heights of popularity overtaking other popular titles on the Manga Plus app. You’ll be surprised to know that Kagurabachi isn’t Takeru Hokazono’s first work to be recognized by Shueisha.

His other works have appeared in Shueisha’s different Shonen magazines. They include Roku no Meiya, Chain, and Enten. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into his previous works and establish the connection between them and his most recent work, Kagurabachi.  

Previous Works from Takeru Hokazono

Takeru Hokazono’s works have been parts of Shueisha’s Jump Giga and Weekly Shonen Jump in the past. These works bear some striking resemblance with Kagurabachi, beyond the art style which is a given. Let’s take a look at the storyline of his other works to understand them better:

• Roku no Meiya: A cat-like entity from hell with mind-reading abilities asks Roku to form a pact with him. With this pact, Roku will kill targets he deems worthy of going to hell in return for a hundred years-long life. This decision doesn’t come easy to Roku as he reminisces about the days he spent with his friend Machi. Things take a violent turn when the organization they work for comes into play. 
• Enten: En and Touma are rivals who train and push each other to gain the recognition of a spirit beast by hosting it. Out of the two boys, En successfully manages to host the spirit. Turns out, En and Touma weren’t the only ones seeking the spirit beast. 

• Chain: Based in modern society, a ninja duo fights evil using their ninja abilities. 
• Madogiwa de Amu: Set in a school, Madogiwa de Amu is the story of Ota Kun who is a victim of bullying. Yamagishi-san doesn’t like this and starts exchanging letters with Ota. They grow closer and Ota Kun plans to give Yamagishi-san a hand-knit bracelet, but things always don’t go that smoothly. Do they?

Supernatural elements, swords, spirits, and vengeance are recurring themes in Takeru Hokazono’s stories. Madogiwa de Amu is an exception to that. 

Can they be considered a prelude to Kagurabachi?

By taking a look at all the similarities, rather than a prelude, his previous works are extra content if you like Kagurabachi so far. Especially Roku no Meiya, which has similar fights, and even the settings of both manga are reminiscent of one another. There is no direct connection between Kagurabachi and the other creations of Takeru Hokazono. All of them are independent creations that don’t need you to be familiar with something beforehand. 

There’s also another possibility of the One Shot characters appearing in Kagurabachi in the future as they are all based in present-day society. That’s the extent of the connection between all his works. 

Conclusion

If you read the other works of Takeru Hokazono, you’ll see how his art style has always been clean and beautiful. There’s also a slight evolution in terms of the visual appeal of his works with Kagurabachi. While his other manga have been quite obscure, Kagurabachi became a sensation before it even came out. With every chapter, the manga seems to be reaching new heights.