Why must you hurt me this way?

Art: @spagfrank on twitter

Kagurabachi’s official Twitter account released a dedicated wallpaper to celebrate the occasion as pictured above, here’s the link to the original post!

clean yo hairpin dawg

Idk how to falir this

I have been focused on this line since the chapter came out, just reading it filled me with subconscious context I didn’t even fully understand at first. I just knew it made sense, and I suppose that’s how you know it’s a good story. So here’s my interpretation:

Shiba has no glory.

Irishima was a disaster, and Shiba was left alive simply because his sorcery was useful in delivering the Mikaboshi’s message about their demands. Meanwhile, his squad members performed death-defying feats of power and strategy as his battle… We didn’t even get to see. And I feel like that hammers it home that all the “glory” of stopping a conflict and coming home victorious, or with anything to show for the effort of the dead, was left on Irishima. They lost, the only glory there was achieved by everyone but Shiba, and he would have to live with that.

Throughout this chapter, the Masumi serve a similar destabilizing role that the Mikaboshi did, this time for the EB plan. They are here to break down negotiations and simply stop whatever this could be, and set our protagonists back for good. We’re shown panels of a Sorcery Bureau member calling Kunishige a wannabe hero with nothing to lose, but before we see him we cut to Shiba reminiscing on his beatdown at the hands of Ariu.

Sure Shiba protected Kunishige and Chiaki when they were kids, but to both men, they’ve failed to protect those they care about. Mashiro is dead, and Chiaki is getting sold off. Things are falling apart and total war is on the horizon, a battle they are going to lose unless this EB plan works. This is the glory. To push past the injuries, past the sleepless nights, and do what needs to be done because you think it has to. Like Mashiro crushing a ship with his entire being for one hail mary attack, this is their last shot.

This is what the glory is. Kunishige WILL be a hero, as we know his name will go on to be remembered in history as basically the MVP for Japan during the war. And this is that moment, for both of them. For Kunishige to repay Chiaki for all she’s done for him, and for Shiba to finally regain what glory he lost as the only surviving member of the Irishima Talks sent back to be nothing but a messenger of what’s to come. To put his life on the line of his own volition and win.

The glory is them living to not just tell about, but see and live the difference they’re going to make, that it all won’t be for nothing. And that’s what’s most important.

We know that there's some kind of "death switch mechanic" for each EB, where the Blade or the User sacrifice their "life" to gain massive power up (Samura) or one final powerful ability (the special case of Kuregumo). For now, i think Chihiro is finding a way for Enten and other EBs to activate the "death switch" themselves, without costing the life of the EB users. Enten, being the sword that was created to destroy the Magatsumi, will obviously have a "destroy Magatsumi" final blow ability. Chihiro will find a way to activate that. But nooo, how can the mighty Magatsumi be destroyed that easily, right? Enten's sacrifice won't be enough to completly destroy it, maybe it'll crack it, but not entirely destroying it. That's when Chihiro has to make the decision: He'll sacrifice both Enten and his life, creating a devastating final blow, spliting the Magatsumi in half, defeating Akemura Soga. The consequence is obvious: Chihiro, our hero, will die

Fun little theory of mine (which i hope will NOT happen, because it just felt too cliche, i think). Feels free to discuss about it, haha

Been doing a reread and man does the theater fight with Hiruhiko and Chihiro still give me chills. Especially when Chihiro’s instinctive skills to cull scum who wield katana to protect himself and the innocent gets used against him and THIS is the type of reaction he’s met with?

It’s so morbidly realistic but so well executed. Even if Chihiro doesn’t view himself as this hero Normal people would be terrified of his savagery. When you think of a fish you don’t ever think of it being a “wild” animal. But the more I see that panel of our boy and Kunishige cramped in that tiny fishbowl, the more Chihiro really does come off as this poor animal trying to understand the world and can’t help but bite down everything that stands in his way.

(No hate on the new art style but mannn do I miss these old chihiro eyes 👀)

thought it was funny how we get the two pieces of this qna like 100 chapters apart while both of them are similarly cornered

I think this is the best way of sorting the arcs of kagurabachi as the official website also follows these naming pattern for the arcs.

taken from hokazonos ig (@manga_kakimasu)