Who is Chihiro Rokuhira? Kagurabachi’s protagonist explained

While the first few chapters of Kagurabachi have given him a solid introduction, Chihiro Rokuhira still remains a mystery.

Every long-running manga series is centered around a great protagonist. Whether it’s Luffy’s energetic attitude or Denji’s pathetic charm, the main character creates a baseline for every other name and face to bounce off of. In the case of breakout hit Kagurabachi, Chihiro Rokuhira is a stone-cold killer bent on avenging his father with as few distractions as possible. However, new information in Chapter 3 has shed a new light on the brooding swordsman.

Who is Chihiro Rokuhira?

Chihiro Rokuhira is the protagonist of Kagurabachi. A magical swordsman wielding a cursed blade, he seeks to avenge his father’s death and collect his stolen swords.

He’s joined by a small but growing cast that consists of uncle figure Shiba, power broker Hinao, and the memory of his father Kunishige. Chihiro originally trained to become a smith like his father but changed course after the attack on his family.

His combat abilities are generally centered around his sword, which was made by his father and imbued with a mysterious goldfish-related power. He’s able to perform magical feats with it, such as cutting down a dozen yakuza members in a single strike. Chihiro also appears to have enhanced speed, strength, and perception. It’s not confirmed if our protagonist has any magical abilities on his own or must rely on his sword for anything supernatural.

Chihiro Rokuhira has no living family after his father’s death at the hands of a necromancer trio. However, family friend Shiba serves as a mentor for the journey of vengeance. Chihiro also has a working relationship with Hinao, a Tokyo cafe owner and bodyguard handler. However, one particular relationship has revealed a new side to Chihiro that many fans weren’t expecting.

Chihiro Rokuhira shows a softer side in Chapter 3

Kagurabachi’s introductory chapters have painted it as a fair standard modern shonen, but Chihiro Rokuhira has finally gotten some depth in the latest issue.

Upon meeting with Hinao, Chihiro is introduced to Sharu, a lost child who claims to be on the run. She reports seeing a particular sword that involved clouds, which the protagonist assumes to be one of his father’s cursed blades. In order to get more information out of Sharu, Chihiro decides to just the poor girl what she wants. In this case, that object of desire is a bowl of noodles.

Chihiro sits down with Sharu and treats her to tempura soba. Author Takeru Hokazono got to flex his food drawing skills here, a staple of any modern manga. Shiba remarks that this is part of Chihiro’s character, as his father raised him to help others without being asked. Shiba remembers multiple incidents of Chihiro helping him unprompted, though some are a little embarrassing. The scene ends with the prologue to another fight, but just a few pages show readers that there’s a lot more to Chihiro than just cutting down crooks.