The Enchanted Blades are central to the narrative of Kagurabachi series crafted by Takeru Hokazono. And that is thanks to their immense power, which has inadvertently influenced the actions and motivations of multiple characters and factions within the Kagurabachi universe.
So naturally, it only makes sense to have a guide page where you can catch up on everything related to the enchanted blades at one go.
In this guide, I’ll be giving a detailed overview on every aspect of the enchanted blades, while also linking out to other resources, as necessary. So, let’s get started with the most basic question!
What are Enchanted Blades in Kagurabachi?
Enchanted Blades, known as Yōtō (妖刀), are a collection of seven exceptionally powerful katanas crafted by the master swordsmith Kunishige Rokuhira.
Note: Yoto literally translates to demon blade or cursed blade.
The first six blades were made during the Seitei War. The last and final Enchanted Blade – Enten – was made sometime after the war.
The blades were made using the Datenseki, a special ore that only Kunishige Rokuhira could control and harness.
We still don’t have the details on how exactly Kunishige converted the Datenseki into the swords. Some theories suggest that it was his sorcery which allowed him to do that.
The theft of six of these blades by the Hishaku, a criminal gang of sorcerers, and the murder of their creator, Kunishige Rokuhira, is what set the stage for his son Chihiro’s quest for vengeance and the retrieval of the stolen swords.
How do the Enchanted blades work?
According to Shiba, the Enchanted Blades amplify a person’s spirit energy. This basic mechanism of the swords is derived from their source material—the Datenseki.
To achieve this, a sword’s wielder must channel their spirit energy into the blade. This is evident from how Datenseki operates and is also demonstrated during Chihiro’s actions in the Rakuzaichi arc.
During the recon mission, Chihiro explicitly mentions that he needs to charge his blade with his spirit energy for it to function, particularly when it wasn’t in his possession.
This indicates that the blades require a consistent supply of spirit energy; and that they cannot generate spirit energy on their own.
This spirit energy which is supplied by the wielder is then amplified and whipped into a super concentrated form which can no longer be contained inside the human body. When this concentrated energy flows out of the blade, it manifests in forms and powers unique to the sword.
In Chihiro’s case, the Enten’s powers take the shape of a goldfish, whereas for Kuregumo (The Cloud Gouger) we see the shape of a dragon when the powers are activated. And in Shinuchi’s case it was a huge butterfly.
The shape that come out are basically a mass of concentrated spirit energy!
In addition to amplifying the spirit energy, each Enchanted Blades has a specific power – or sorcery type unique to it. The spirit energy of the user outputs in a specific form from the blade.
For instance, in case of Kuregumo, the channeled spirit energy gets converted into lightning, ice and water attacks as outputs. This is in addition to the spirit energy amplification.
It needs to be seen if Hokazono will go deeper into the workings of Enchanted Blades telling us how this happens. But that aside, he did drop a hint to something very interesting about the blades, when it came to its powers.
True Realm of the enchanted blades:
While the Datenseki is the primary component powering the Enchanted Blades, Kunishige Rokuhira believed that these weapons had a ‘True Realm’ (read as Honryo in Japanese) of their own—powers that exceeded theoretical boundaries.
While the abilities of the Enchanted Blades as forged by Rokuhira are extraordinary, they represent only the surface potential of the weapons.
The True Realm, as Chihiro’s dad called it, went beyond the theoretical limitations of the sword. It tapped into something unforeseen, allowing the wielder to manifest powers that were probably never envisioned during the blade’s creation.
This realm was influenced by how the wielder used the sword, or how they fortified their body and sometimes even on the wielder’s willpower.
From what I understood, it could be referring to a transcendent state of power achieved when the synergy between the blade and its wielder reaches an unprecedented level.
This concept embodies the idea that the potential of an Enchanted Blade is not solely defined by its initial abilities or its craftsmanship, but it depends more on how much in sync a user is with their blade.
OR.
It could also be referring that something “unclear” is at play. After all, for a naturally available material to be able to act as an amplifier of spirit energy seems like a perpetual motion machine in the play. So, this power surely could have “other dimension” connection.
This makes me wonder if the blades were only supposed to amplify spirit energy? But then ended up having a sorcery type of their own, which was probably unforeseen. But that is very tinfoily if you ask me!
This true realm is something I believe will be explained more in the future as the manga proceeds.
Eternal contract with the blades:
To make sure that the enchanted blades do not get misused Kunishige included an eternal contract system for the Enchanted Blades.
When a wielder becomes the owner of an Enchanted Blade, they automatically form an eternal contract with it. This contract ensures that as long as the wielder is alive, no one else can use that particular blade.
A person can form lifelong contracts with multiple Enchanted Blades, as seen with Chihiro, who used both Enten and Kuregumo.
To claim ownership of an Enchanted Blade, an individual must supply it with their spirit energy—provided the blade doesn’t already have a contract with someone else.
This eternal contract is the reason why the Hishaku are looking to kill the sword bearers. Because as long as they are alive, the lifelong contract will make the enchanted blades unusable to them.
It’s important to note that upon forming an Eternal Contract with an Enchanted Blade, the wielder loses access to their original sorcery.
This means their abilities become entirely dependent on the Enchanted Blade, and without it, they are left defenseless. And it is due to this that the Kamunabi are protecting the other sword bearers.
Powers of Enchanted Blades and their wielders:
Now that we got the basics about the Enchanted Blades out of the way, let’s take a look at the current wielders of the sword and their powers in brief!
A tabular format would be the best way to envision this for now!
| Enchanted Blade | Status | Powers | Current Owner | Previous Owner/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enten | Active | Kuro, Aka, Nishiki | Chihiro Rokuhira | — |
| Kuregumo (Cloud Gouger) | Destroyed | Mei, Yui, Kou | — | Chihiro, Sojo, Misaka |
| Shinuchi | Sealed | Spider, Dragonfly, Centipede | Master Swordsman | Kyora Sazanami (almost) |
| Tobimune | Active | Crow, Owl | Seiichi Samura | |
| Kumeyuri | Active | Unknown | Hiruhiko | Yoji Uruha |
| Unknown Blade 5 | Unknown | Unknown | Subaru | — |
| Unknown Blade 6 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown Wielder 6 | — |
Here is a nice visualization of the blades which I liked. Check it out!
How strong are the Enchanted Blades?
Well, I already mentioned at the start that Enchanted Blades are strong enough to influence the happenings in Kagurabachi manga. However, allow me to put it into perspective.
These blades forged by Kunishige Rokuhira came into prominence during the Seitei War. However, they were not merely weapons during the war; they were game-changers that turned the tide of battle in favor of Japan.
The war demonstrated the true potential of these weapons in ways not fully explored in the series yet.
Before the introduction of the Enchanted Blades, Japan was losing ground against a powerful, unnamed enemy during the Seitei War. These blades, however, allowed a small number of skilled warriors to overwhelm larger forces.
The series hints that the powers we see now, while extraordinary, do not reflect the full capabilities of the Enchanted Blades. The Kamunabi’s Anti Cloud Gouger Elite Squad under Ikuto Hagiwara were the first to note this.
With concepts like true realm floating around, and the Shinuchi’s powers barely explored, I believe it will be some time before we come to know of the full potential of these weapons that Kunishige created.
As more details about the Enchanted Blades come out, I’ll keep updating this page, so keep an eye out and bookmark this page!!
KAGURABACHI © 2023 by Takeru Hokazono/SHUEISHA Inc.