Akame ga Kill!

Akame ga Kill!
Company type	Manga series
Industry	Manga, Anime
Founded	March 20, 2010; 16 years ago
Founder	Takahiro (writer), Tetsuya Tashiro (artist)
Defunct	December 22, 2016 (manga serialization ended)
Headquarters	Japan
Products	Manga volumes, Anime television series
Website	www.square-enix.co.jp/magazine/ganganjoker/series/akame/

Akame ga Kill! is a Japanese manga series created by writer Takahiro and artist Tetsuya Tashiro. It was serialized in Square Enix's Monthly Gangan Joker magazine from March 2010 through December 2016, with its chapters compiled into 15 volumes. The narrative centers on Tatsumi, a villager who journeys to the Capital in hopes of raising money for his impoverished home but uncovers widespread corruption. He subsequently joins Night Raid, an assassin faction committed to dismantling the corrupt Empire.

The series was adapted into a 24-episode anime by White Fox, which aired from July to December 2014. A prequel manga titled Akame ga Kill! Zero, illustrated by Kei Toru, was published in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan from October 2013 until January 2019 and collected into ten volumes. Additionally, the spin-off series Hinowa ga Crush!, drawn by Strelka, appeared in the same magazine between June 2017 and June 2022, spanning eight volumes. All three manga titles are licensed for North American distribution by Yen Press, while the anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks.

By September 2020, the franchise had achieved over 4.1 million copies of its manga in circulation.

Plot

Tatsumi, a young fighter, travels alongside his companions Ieyasu and Sayo to the Capital with the goal of securing funds for his struggling village. After being separated by bandits, Tatsumi is unable to enlist in the military and is swindled out of his money. Taken in by a noble household, he soon discovers their malevolence when Night Raid, an assassination group, intervenes—revealing that they had tortured and murdered his friends. Tatsumi then joins Night Raid, fighting alongside members such as swordswoman Akame, brawler Leone, sharpshooter Mine, and their leader Najenda, a former imperial general. Night Raid operates as part of a revolutionary force aiming to overthrow Prime Minister Honest, who manipulates the young emperor amid systemic corruption.

Night Raid wields powerful weapons known as , which are legendary arms forged from rare materials and mythical beasts called . These Teigu possess tremendous strength, with deadly consequences if two users engage each other. Despite their victories, Night Raid endures significant casualties—Sheele is killed by enforcer Seryu Ubiquitous, Bulat falls during combat with general Esdeath and her elite troops. Tatsumi inherits Bulat’s Teigu, Incursio, while Esdeath establishes the Jaegers, a team of Teigu users including Akame’s sister Kurome. As the revolution escalates, Prime Minister Honest creates the ruthless Wild Hunt led by his son Syura, whose brutal actions incite both Night Raid and the Jaegers. After Lubbock kills Syura, Esdeath compels Honest to disband Wild Hunt. Tatsumi is captured and sentenced to death but is rescued by Night Raid at great cost—Lubbock dies during the escape. During this flight, Tatsumi’s Teigu awakens its latent Danger Beast; a doctor warns that continued use will ultimately consume him.

At the revolution’s climax, Night Raid eliminates Honest’s key supporters while Akame faces imperial generals in battle. Wave intervenes during Akame and Kurome’s duel, destroying Kurome’s Teigu and enabling their escape. Esdeath mobilizes imperial forces against the revolutionaries. In desperation, Honest manipulates the emperor into wielding his family's Teigu rigged to go berserk. Tatsumi confronts and defeats the emperor’s weapon with Wave’s assistance but succumbs to Incursio’s curse. Before losing control, he asks Akame to end his life; instead, she severs the Danger Beast’s soul fragment within him, sparing his life. Defeated, Esdeath commits suicide while lamenting her unreciprocated love for Tatsumi.

Leone, fatally injured, merges with remnants of her Teigu to capture Honest before dying herself. The tyrant is executed; meanwhile, the emperor accepts responsibility for his earlier passivity. Following the war, Najenda leads efforts to rebuild society. Permanently changed by his ordeal, Tatsumi retreats with Mine, who is expecting their child. Kurome and Wave begin new lives but carry lasting scars from battle. Akame departs on a journey seeking a cure for her cursed blade’s effects, reflecting on her fallen comrades and hoping for reunion one day.

Conception

In 2007, Takahiro received a commission to develop a manga for a Square Enix publication. His concept involved an "all-female assassin group with a male lead who is captured and compelled to serve them." Once the editorial team approved the idea, he postponed the serialization to focus on stabilizing his visual novel company and launching two titles. During this interval, he refined the narrative, characters, and setting. Following the release of Majikoi ~ Oh! Samurai Girls in August 2009, Takahiro enlisted Tetsuya Tashiro as the illustrator for the manga serialization, valuing his expertise in depicting dynamic action scenes and attractive female figures. Takahiro initially crafted the scripts, after which Tashiro created the panel designs. Occasionally, Takahiro, Tashiro, and their editor exchanged opinions on plot development.

Manga

Akame ga Kill! was authored by Takahiro with artwork by Tetsuya Tashiro and serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga periodical Gangan Joker from March 20, 2010 until December 22, 2016. The series was compiled into fifteen volumes issued between August 21, 2010 and February 22, 2017. Volume 1.5, originally included with the anime's home video edition, received an independent publication on December 25, 2017. Yen Press acquired licensing rights in June 2014 and published the volumes from January 20, 2015 through July 24, 2018.

A prequel series titled , penned by Takahiro and illustrated by Kei Toru, ran in Monthly Big Gangan from October 25, 2013 to January 25, 2019. This installment delves into Akame’s history as an assassin serving the Empire. The ten volumes were released between June 21, 2014 and April 25, 2019. Yen Press licensed this prequel in September 2015 and distributed volumes from March 22, 2016 to October 29, 2019.

Additionally, Takahiro initiated a spin-off manga named , drawn by Strelka and serialized in Monthly Big Gangan from June 24, 2017 through June 24, 2022. Although its storyline and characters are separate from those of Akame ga Kill!, Akame makes appearances as a secondary character. The eight compiled volumes were published from December 25, 2017 until August 25, 2022. Yen Press secured licensing for this series as well and provided simultaneous English releases alongside the Japanese editions.

Anime

In January 2014, the manga received an announcement for its anime television adaptation, accompanied by the launch of a teaser website soon after. The series was helmed by director Tomoki Kobayashi, with Makoto Uezu responsible for the scriptwriting. Takahiro oversaw scenario supervision, while Taku Iwasaki composed the soundtrack. The show was broadcast on Tokyo MX, MBS, and BS11 from July 7 through December 15, 2014. The opening theme for episodes 1 to 14 was "Skyreach," performed by Sora Amamiya, followed by "Liar Mask" by Rika Mayama from episode 15 onward. Ending themes were delivered by Miku Sawai and Amamiya respectively. Furthermore, a series of one-minute comedic shorts titled AkaKill! Theater, produced by C-Station, were made available online during 2014.

Sentai Filmworks secured licensing rights to the anime in 2014. It debuted in the United States on Adult Swim’s Toonami programming block between August 9, 2015, and February 21, 2016, drawing an audience exceeding 1.8 million viewers—marking one of Toonami’s top-rated premieres. The series was also accessible via Crunchyroll until March 31, 2022, when it was removed following Sony Pictures Television’s acquisition of the platform. In the Asia-Pacific region, Medialink holds distribution rights and streams the show through its Ani-One Asia YouTube channel.

Reception

The seventh manga volume achieved first-week sales of 24,181 copies, while the eighth volume sold 37,833 copies during its initial week on sale. By volume 11, total sales had surpassed 2.1 million copies. The English-language edition debuted at nineteenth place on Monthly BookScan in February 2015.

All five volumes of the English translation reached The New York Times Manga Best Sellers list:

Volume one appeared for twelve nonconsecutive weeks, attaining the top position for three weeks.
Volume two remained on the list for four weeks and ranked first once.
Volume three was listed for four weeks with a peak position of second place.
Volume four stayed for two weeks and reached second place once.
Volume five featured on the list for two weeks and ranked first once.
Additionally, volumes six and seven briefly appeared, ranking first and fourth respectively.

The prequel manga Akame ga Kill! Zero had its initial volume listed for three weeks, peaking at sixth place.

By August 2016, combined circulation figures for both the main series and prequel had reached approximately 3.3 million copies, increasing to over 4.1 million by September 2020.

Kestrel Swift from The Fandom Post commended the anime’s premiere episode for its "harsh, brutal commentary on corruption" alongside White Fox’s high production values. In contrast, Matt Packard of Anime News Network criticized the first eight episodes as "stupid and childish," pointing to clichéd depictions of villainy and character motivations. On Goo ranking’s list of Anime's Most Miserable Endings, Akame ga Kill! placed thirty-sixth with nine votes.

External links

at Square Enix
at Square Enix
at Square Enix