Akame ga Kill!

Akame ga Kill!
Cover of the first manga volume featuring Akame.
アカメが斬る! (Akame ga Kiru!)
Genre	Action, Dark fantasy, Tragedy
Manga
Written by	Takahiro
Illustrated by	Tetsuya Tashiro
Published by	Square Enix
English publisher	NA Yen Press
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Gangan Joker
Original run	March 20, 2010 – ongoing
Volumes	13
Manga
Akame ga Kill! Zero
Written by	Takahiro
Illustrated by	Kei Toru
Published by	Square Enix
English publisher	NA Yen Press
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Monthly Big Gangan
Original run	October 25, 2013 – ongoing
Volumes	4
Anime television series
Directed by	Tomoki Kobayashi
Produced by	Square Enix
Written by	Makoto Uezu
Music by	Taku Iwasaki
Studio	White Fox C-Station (ONA)
Licensed by	AUS Hanabee NA Sentai Filmworks UK Animatsu Entertainment
Network	Tokyo MX, MBS, BS11, AT-X
English network	NA Anime Network Adult Swim (Toonami)
Original run	July 6, 2014 – December 14, 2014
Episodes	24

Akame ga Kill! (Japanese: アカメが斬る!, Hepburn: Akame ga Kiru!, literally meaning "Akame Slashes!") is a Japanese shōnen manga series written by Takahiro and illustrated by Tetsuya Tashiro. It started serialization in Square Enix's Gangan Joker in March 2010. The story focuses on Tatsumi, a young villager who travels to the Capital to raise money for his home only to discover a strong corruption in the area. The assassin group Night Raid recruits the young man to help them in their fight against the Empire to end its corruption. The series is known for its graphic content.

The series was licensed by Yen Press in June 2014. A prequel manga focused on Akame's backstory, Akame ga Kill! Zero, began serialization in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan in October 2013. An anime television series adaptation of the main series premiered in Japan in July 2014. This is the second work in the Japanese game developer MinatoSoft's Takahiro IV Project.

Plot

See also: List of Akame ga Kill! characters

Tatsumi is a fighter who, accompanied by his two childhood friends, sets off to the Capital in search of a way to make money to assist his poverty-stricken village. After being separated from his friends after a bandit attack, Tatsumi not only fails to enlist in the army, but is swindled out of all his money. He is then taken in by a noble family who offer him help, but intend to torture and kill him, just like they did with his friends and dozens of other people. Tatsumi is rescued by a group of assassins known as Night Raid, and is invited to join their ranks. Composed of the swordswoman Akame, a young woman armed with a huge pair of scissors named Sheele, the string manipulator Lubbock, the armored warrior Bulat, the sniper Mine, the beast fighter Leone and their leader Najenda, a former general of the imperial army. Night Raid is also part of the revolutionary forces assembled to overthrow Prime Minister Honest, who manipulates the young emperor for his and his men's personal gain, leading the rest of the nation to poverty and strife.

Each member of Night Raid carries one of the "Imperial Arms" (帝具, Teigu), items created via alchemy and parts of the supernatural Danger Beasts over 900 years ago. Forty-eight of these items were created and about half of them have been lost to history. These items range from weapons like swords and firearms to more utilitarian items including a cosmetic box and armor, and even organic beings such as a shape-shifting dog and a powerful warrior. The Imperial Arms cannot be used by just anyone, as their users must be compatible with them or risk death. The power of most Imperial Arms is so overwhelming that it is said that when two Imperial Arm users fight each other, one is bound to die. Tatsumi and his new friends successfully assassinate some of Honest's most trusted cohorts, while losing Sheele and Bulat to the enemy forces, with Tatsumi inheriting Bulat's Imperial Arm, Incrusio. This leads the Prime Minister to enlist the help of General Esdeath, considered to be the most powerful fighter in the Empire, who assembles her own team of Imperial Arms-wielding warriors, the "Jaegers", to hunt down Night Raid, who gains two new members, the Human-like Imperial Arm Susanoo and the master of disguise Chelsea.

After Night Raid defeat most of the Jaegers while losing Chelsea and Susanoo and the revolution gains momentum, Honest forms a new secret police force, the "Wild Hunt", led by his own son, Syura. However, the Wild Hunt heavily abuses its authority by killing innocent civilians for fun, making enemies of both the Jaegars and Night Raid. After a confrontation between Wild Hunt and the Jaegers, with casualties from both sides, Esdeath is able to blackmail Honest into disbanding the rest of Wild Hunt while Syura is killed by Lubbock after he captures both him and Tatsumi. Lubbock is killed while attempting to escape, and Tatsumi is sentenced to death after refusing to join Esdeath. The remaining members of Night Raid attack the execution site to rescue him. They manage to escape but are pursued by Budo, the Empire's strongest general. Mine manages to kill him, giving the Revolutionary Army a huge advantage in the long run, but her Imperial Arms breaks and she falls into a comatose state.

After the battle to escape the execution site, it was revealed that Tatsumi bonded with Incrusio which gave him huge boost in power but comes at the cost of losing his life if he dons Incrusio three or four more times. Later, there is a confrontation between the remaining members of Wild Hunt and Night Raid which leads to Wild Hunt being annihilated. After a grueling transformation and comfort by his comrades, Tatsumi agonizes over the transition into tyrant but eventually learns to curb his change. Meanwhile Akame is assigned by Najenda to assassinate a slew of Empire affiliates which she succeeds at; albeit with interference from Wave. After hearing what she had to say he resolves to best Night Raid and change the empire from within, Akame noting this is a futile task. Once back at base the retaliatory assassination squad (Akame's old companions) are mobilized to deal with Night Raid but the weary drug addled soldiers of the Empire are easily dispatched by the young assailant.

Just before making her escape Akame tells Kurome to meet up with her at their old hangout so they can settle up. As Tatsumi recuperates from resting he laments not being able to help repel enemy boarders, as the time comes for Akame to fulfill her true assignment when she joined the revolution. The former had a sit down with her as she discussed the trump card of her Teigu, and asks if she should be consumed by it's demanding prospect, that she become a murderous arbiter, that he and Night Raid would end her. Tatsumi retorts that should he become tyrant's dragon body and go on a rampage, That she be the one to end him; both stating it'd be an honor to die by a brother in arms hand. During the fated battle between sisters Wave eventually recuperates after Kurome gut shot him to keep him from interfering, as he made his way to the battle site he was intercepted by Tatsumi who was standing guard over they're battle; having used one of his limited transformations attempts to stop him.

Outmatched, Wave donned the now deceased Ran's teigu using it in conjunction with his own in order to get past him and stop the fight between Akame and Kurome. Realizing he could neither join Night Raid or change the Empire, he took a third option and removed himself and his beloved Kurome from battle. Admitting his love for her Wave shattered her Teigu severing any commitment she had towards the empire and departed to parts unknown. Relieved at this turn of events Akame, Tatsumi and Leone depart the battle ground return to base.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Akame ga Kill! chapters

Akame ga Kill! is a manga series written by Takahiro and illustrated by Tetsuya Tashiro. It began serialization in the April 2010 issue of Square Enix's Gangan Joker, sold on March 20, 2010. The first tankōbon volume was published on August 21, 2010; twelve volumes have been released as of July 22, 2015. The series was licensed by Yen Press in June 2014 and the first volume was released on January 20, 2015.

A prequel titled Akame ga Kill! Zero (アカメが斬る！零, Akame ga Kiru! Rei) started serialization on 11th issue of Monthly Big Gangan magazine on October 25, 2013. The series is written by Takahiro while illustrated by Kei Toru. The story focuses on Akame's past during the days she worked as an assassin for the Empire. It was licensed by Yen Press in September 2015.

Anime

Main article: List of Akame ga Kill! episodes

An anime adaptation of the manga was announced in January 2014. The series was directed by Tomoki Kobayashi and written by Makoto Uezu. Takahiro is also supervising the scenario. The series adapts the first eight volumes of the manga series as well as parts of the tenth and eleventh volumes, while the last five episodes have a self-contained story arc. Taku Iwasaki composed the series' music. The series premiered on the Tokyo Metropolitan Television, Mainichi Broadcasting System and Nippon BS Broadcasting television stations on July 6, 2014. The anime has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks. The anime is broadcast in the United States on Adult Swim's Toonami block, which premiered on August 8, 2015. The opening theme song for episodes 1-14 is "Skyreach" performed by Sora Amamiya, while the ending theme is "Konna Sekai, Shiritakunakatta." (こんな世界、知りたくなかった。) by Miku Sawai; for the proceeding episodes, the opening theme is "Liar Mask" by Rika Mayama (the song is also her solo debut) and the ending theme is "Tsuki Akari," also by Sora Amamiya.

Reception

The seventh volume sold 24,181 copies within the first week of release. The eighth volume likewise sold 37,833 copies in its debut week. Up until volume 11, the series has sold over 2.1 million copies. The English release has also been well received with the first volume topping charts twice in the New York Times. It also debuted at 19th in Monthly BookScan during February 2015.

Kestrel Swift from the Fandom Post praised the anime's first episode for "harsh, brutal commentary on corruption and how likely it is that the more perfect someone seems, the darker the secret lurking within" as well as its production value by White Fox. Robert Mullarkey from UK Anime Network also gave the series a similar response for its action scenes and violence displayed. However, he criticized some of its characters and claimed the anime needs to "ditch the comedy." While reviewing the series' first eight episodes, Matt Packard from Anime News Network said that "it's stupid and childish" as "There's nothing mature about the idea that evil always takes the form of a psychopath or a power-hungry glutton, or that people become soul-dead assassins because something traumatic happened to them once, or that the physically weak are destined to become slaves and die weeping."

External links

• Official anime website (Japanese)

• Akame ga Kill! at Square Enix (Japanese)
• Akame ga Kill! Zero at Square Enix
• Akame ga Kill! (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia