[paxeas]

Ultimate Favourite Pokémon Picker

[entens]

also, get out of the ceiling you raccoon of a boy

[paxeas]

i wonder why shiba got so muscular. i know during the seitei war he was just 19, but there are a lot of adult fighters who still have a slim built. the angst lover inside me says he threw himself into physical training after mashiro's death because shiba realized he is too weak to protect the people he cares about. training as self-punishment. training as self-flagellation. training as atonement.

and then he still failed to protect the rokuhiras.

[paxeas]

has this been done yet?

[redzthezidiot]

This picture is taken like it's something you'll see in the history books or for documentary purposes!

"Togo Shiba

Returned to headquarters with the corpses of the six conference attendees."

There is something so..... so deeply horrific about that...

How did he go about it? Did he cover them with cloth? Did he whisper a few prayers (since he had rosary beads on his wrist)? Did he quietly collect the pieces of his comrades' corpses before he returned? Did he refuse to look at their faces? Did he cry? Or was he so numb to everything that he was just this body removal machine?

How many more times did he have to bring bodies back for families to identify? How many of the bodies' identities became impossible to identify? How many times did he had to go to the morgue with either a full body or pieces of it throughout the course of this war?

[paxeas]

i originally thought shiba gave his testimony after he was hospitalized, but upon rereading, it appears he had to give it twice. once, immediately after his return while still being stabalized/treated, and then again after leaving the hospital, probably as an official report.

i am guessing the first time was just the bare minimum (the initial demands of the mikaboshi + additional demands after a fight), but the second time was an in-depth recount of the events, no details spared.

and from how things are depicted, i'm pretty sure shiba was still shell-shocked/dissociating, and only during the middle of the interrogation did everything finally catch up to him and he had a mental breakdown.

[hiyukikagari]

shibazami being all they have left from before the war

[entens]

happy shiba suffering sunday to all who celebrate

[paxeas]

he's gone beyond suffering and has arrived at haunted </3

[tamsywindsup]

Good morning with the Top 5 popular characters of Kagurabachi 🔥 from the 2026 Character Popularity Poll!

We do have some surprising results 🫣 In total, the poll received 23,196 votes.

Chihiro Rokuhira - 3,930 votes

Yoji Uruha - 2,678 votes

Hakuri Sazanami - 2,201 votes

Togo Shiba - 1,444 votes

Seiichi Samura - 1,275 votes

Enji Sazanami - 1,105 votes

Hiruhiko - 1,021 votes

Soshiro Azami - 952 votes

Soya Sazanami - 924 votes

Fushimi - 895 votes

Hiyuki Kagari - 713 votes

Genichi Sojo - 626 votes

Yura - 511 votes

Iori Samura - 503 votes

Natsuki Misaka - 503 votes

[snepdragon]

wait shiba has actual chances to be on the cover soon #freehim

[andysanimation]

Survivor complex plus person who can be anywhere, but was too late and then doesn't know where to be first on a separate occasion, he's the most written character of all time.

[cometrose]

how many more chapters of “shiba keeps living while everyone he cares about dies” can kagurabachi spit out

[redzthezidiot]

Chapter 121 recontextualises this scene

Shiba was once on the receiving end of mercy, but it was merely because of the usefulness of his sorcery. He survived back then not out of virtue of his strength, but only for the fact that he got "lucky". I don't think he ever stopped wallowing in guilt.

Now that he had the power to spare others, and the both times we see it, it was to give his former enemies the chance to have a better life. He even offers advice and all that.

I think him doing this acts as a small form of "therapy" or "reconciliation with the self" for him.

And here, he says he won't criticise Tenri's way of life. I believe that he and the Tou led somewhat similar lives. He spent a big portion of his life in servitude of the nation and the Kamunabi. He was brought up to fight, again for his sorcery, I suspect. He was literally involved with one of the most important events in Japanese history. Yet what does he get from it? Hiyuki didn't recognise him. Even if he himself doesn't want any recognition, I always found it a little sad.

Sure, he failed back then, but shouldn't he and the squad at least be honoured in some way just for the fact that they gave their lives for something they never stood a chance in?

He had always played a supporting role, both narratively speaking, in battle and in the story of his life. A shadow. A tool that doesn't need a brand.

In the end, there wasn't a single spot left in the history books for Shiba Togo.

I also always thought it was interesting how much emphasis there was on "Go home" when he spared Enji. Now we know.

He was the only man who got to go home that day.

And if they had retreated much earlier instead of fighting on in unknowing futility, even if it was in shame, they would still be here. It doesn't matter if they don't even scratch a dent on the Mikaboshi. They would still be alive for at least another week. That would've made all the difference for Shiba.

It's definitely also why he prioritised on saving as many lives as he could instead of jumping in the fight when Akemura, Chihiro and Samura duked it out in the middle of Tokyo. He knows intently what his role is supposed to be.

[paxeas]

how much information do you think shiba retained from what ariu was telling him to relay as a messenger? did shiba lie there, utterly defeated, unable to do anything but listen? or did he not hear a thing, only thinking about killing maiming burning the person sitting above him. did he try to focus the rest of his energy into moving again, every cell in his body crying out to fight? or did the futility of it all crush him, his body slowly growing cold and numb with every minute his blood trickled into the ground, dissociation washing over him.

later, when shiba gave his testimony, did he just recall the fights, leaving out the demands of the mikaboshi because it didn't matter, fuck them all, this meant war! or did he remember every single word spoken to him, calmly, dispassionately, with an even voice, like this outcome had always been inevitable. did the words reverberate in his head, buzzing in his ears, churning in his stomach, seared into his memory?

do the words still echo inside shiba, twenty years later, every time a plan goes awry, urging to retreat and regroup, while chihiro charges on. every time chihiro chooses to keep fighting, to stake his life, does a shiver run down shiba's spine? every time he screams that they need to get out now, does he flash back to lying in the dirt, crumpled, broken, humiliated. when he asks chihiro why he won't remove the scar, does he think of when he got his around the throat removed? when chihiro talks of never forgetting hatred, does shiba think that he doesn't need a visible reminder, that every time he swallows, he feels the phantom pain linger. does he not stop chihiro from his revenge mission because shiba understands overwhelming, engulfing, swallowing emotions of grief and rage and helplessness like only survivors understand? when you have been left alive not by luck or mercy, but by scorn and derision. when you have to lie there, wounded, traumatized, surrounded by death.

when shiba looks at chihiro, does he see himself?

[entens]

fifteen year old Chihiro trying desperately to imitate the ease with which Samura cut through a target but he just can't do it so in his frustration he swings Enten like he'd swing a hammer in the forge—like he has swung a hammer in the forge, over and over until he was strong enough that he cleaves a jagged, violent, graceless chasm in the splintered wood

[tamsywindsup]

Taihi Kimura will be voicing the role of Chihiro Rokuhira in Kagurabachi anime.

Kimura-san's comment: “I'm Taihi Kimura, and I'll be voicing Chihiro Rokuhira! I'm truly grateful for this opportunity to voice the protagonist of Kagurabachi—an incredible series loved by fans all over the world. A sword is forged and refined through the art of "tanren," gaining its ultimate strength through the repeated folding of steel. Chihiro is a quiet young man, but deep in his heart he carries a conviction as unyielding as a sword. I'm going to give this role my absolute all and pour my heart and soul into it so that Chihiro's unwavering resolve truly resonates with everyone. Thank you very much for your support!”

[littleprawntoast]

i need everyone to know i was a fan of Kagurabachi before the anime