This Kagurabachi character could be the next Shiragaki from My Hero Academia

Kagurabachi continues to amaze with each chapter, keeping readers on the edge of their seats week by week. Takeru Hokazono is doing beyond right by the manga and that is on full display. Recently, the focus has been on the final bit of Chihiro and Hiruhiko's battle. Desparate, the former threw out whatever he could and seemed to have brief flashback of his childhood.

Whilst disturbing, it looked like a familiar sight. To put it plainly, Hokazono could be painting Hiruhiko as the new Tomura Shigaraki from My Hero Academia. Quite damaged, if not more than Shigaraki, Hiruhiko possess an unsettling similarity with the Villain. A deeply troubled childhood etched itself in his psyche and bled into his adulthood, compelling to adopt the cold and ruthless approach he has showcased.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

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Latest Kagurabachi chapter teases Hiruhiko as the next Shigaraki from My Hero Academia

Hiruhiko in Kagurabachi chapter 77 (Image via Viz Media)

To dive straight in, Kagurabachi chapter 77 depicted the end of the three-way sword clash between Chihiro, Samura and Hiruhiko. Pushed into a corner by the Chihiro and Samura's sword skills, Hiruhiko decided to alter his approach. He chose to use Play - an ability that enabled user gain control of and freely manipulate all objects in their vicinity.

Just then, two panels displayed a scene from the Hishaku member's past. It depicted Hiruhiko as a child, mouth covered with blood and a body laying cold and still beside him. The series established that when he was a mere child, he was assulted. In an attempt to fight back to protect himself, he ended up killing the person by biting them to death, likely acting solely on instinct.

Now switching focus to My Hero Academia's Tomura Shigaraki or Tenko Shimura, his childhood wasn't too different. When his Quirk Decay activated for the first time, the overload of emotions causing it led to him kill his family dog, sister, mother and maternal grandparents. At the end, when his father came around to the chaos, Tenko killed him too but relished, finally feeling like he ended his abuse.

Tomura Shigaraki (Image via Studio Bones)

This is where Kagurabachi's Hiruhiko and My Hero Academia's Shigaraki find a link. Both of them ended up in situations where they had to kill early on in their lives. No doubt it left irreparable scars within them. Akin to Shiagarki, the series states that Hiruhiko felt nothing when he killed after that point - to him, "killing was just killing...there was no deeper meaning".

Building on these chilling parallels, Kagurabachi's Hiruhiko then transformed into a cold-blooded killer, which reflects Shigaraki’s descent into villainy. Importantly, this isn't just in physical action, but also in psychologically. Hiruhiko (seemingly) and Shigaraki were both abandoned by the systems and the adults supposed to be their safe haven. Thus, they were left alone to deal with traumatic events.

Shigaraki became what he did thanks to society's indifference and a Hero-obsessed culture that didn't failed to intervene to save him, All For One's games aside. Elsewhere, Hiruhiko had to resorted to his baser primal instincts when he found himself in a terrifying situation. Their violent capabilities took form whilst a nihilistic worldview found fuel, i.e., hollow morality and power the loudest speaker.

But in all this, there looks to be one difference - Shigaraki actively sought destruction and obsessed over Deku while Hiruhiko simply excuses his killing as a part of his freedom.

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Final Thoughts

Hiruhiko (Image via Viz Media)

To conclude, Kagurabachi’s Hiruhiko is emerging as a convincing parallel to My Hero Academia’s Shigaraki. Not just their origins, but their emotional depth and moral collapse find common ground. In both case, the characters are tragic byproducts of abandonment and early violence, compelled to face mortality and power at too tender an age.

Shigaraki fell into a destructive obsession fueled by pain and vengeance while Hiruhiko took on a more more detached demeanour, accepting death as a neutral act linked to personal freedom. A distinct but subtle gap separates them - Shigaraki wants to annihilate the world through utter hate while Hiruhiko simply operates above it, devoid of guilt or meaning.

As Kagurabachi develops, Hiruhiko’s growth looks promising as a complex antagonist that forces readers to account the consequences of trauma, unchecked power, and emotional detachment.

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