One of the biggest problems people have with some stories is that it seems like main characters are invincible. That no matter how far back in a corner they are, they always manage to pull a win out of nowhere through the power of friendship or some new ability they just got.
This is not one of those stories.
Akame ga Kill is an action/fantasy manga that takes place a country with a very long history that has only recently been corrupted by the current Prime Minister. He has complete control over the young prince and has molded him into his ideal pawn. Now, this idea has
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been done before, but I have never seen it done to this extreme so well. While similar things like Fullmetal Alchemist have used the idea of corrupt governments well, Akame ga Kill goes beyond just the simple corruption and shows the sins of the world to their fullest extent.
As the name suggests (“Kill” is in the title), this is not a manga to go into lightheartedly. Government sanctioned mass torture, crucifixion, prostitution, assassination, murder, etc. This manga is extremely gory and rivals Elfen Lied in that aspect. However, it manages to pull off all of this amazingly well.
Story – 8/10
The setup for the story of Akame ga Kill is kind like this: take all of the real world society’s problems and amplify them by 20 before putting them on steroids, then give both the good and bad sides 48 mystical weapons called “Teigu” and let both sides fight each other to the death. That’s about as good of a quick introduction of it as I can think of.
Tatsumi, our protagonist, is a boy from a poor village in the northern part of the country. He has come to the capital looking to join the military and earn money for his village. He also came with two friends, but they were separated when they were attacked by Danger Beasts, which are large dangerous creatures that vary in species and power. When Tatsumi arrives, he is taken advantage of by a busty thief (guess how he gets tricked) and left without any money. On top of that, he has trouble getting into the military. He is lying on the side of the street at night in a hopeless condition when he is found by a kind, wealthy girl who offers to let him stay at her house. According to her servants, she has a habit of doing this. At her family’s mansion, the girl’s father agrees to let Tatsumi stay there and even offers to help him get into the military through a connection he has.
However, a mysterious assassin group called “Night Raid” is targeting the kind family that has taken Tatsumi in. Night Raid has been going around killing rich and politically powerful people in this corrupted city. Their ultimate goal is to kill the Prime Minister who is behind everything and, with the Revolutionary Army that they are a part of, return the country to peace.
If you just want to get a feel for how dark this manga is, you need only read the first chapter. I don’t want to give away anything because I think the first chapter is just amazing at how well it sets up the tone of the rest of the manga.
One thing I really love about the story has to do with the Teigu. The Teigu are 48 extremely powerful weapons that were created long ago from some of the most powerful Danger Beasts. They range from a poisonous “one-cut” sword to a cute little dog-thing that transforms into a gigantic dog-thing that has the teeth of a demonic worm-shark-thing to a gun that gets more powerful the more trouble the user is in. Now similar things have been done many times with mystical weapons but there is one addition that Akame ga Kill does that sets it apart from similar situations: if two Teigu users fight each other, at least one of them must die without exception. And the mangaka holds true to this. This creates a much more exciting story when you know that at least one of the people fighting (whether good or bad) will not walk away from the fight alive through some miraculous event.
Art – 10/10
This manga is one of the goriest I have read: blood, bones, intestines, hearts, and people being tortured. While most fights do not always go to the extreme, the real intense ones where someone must die do. And the gore is drawn amazingly. With that dark theme, the emotions of the characters (especially since most characters get extremely angry or sadistic at one point or another) are also extremely detailed. While there are some comedic and fanservice moments, they are few and far between the dark, dramatic scenes. And the few comedic scenes they have are usually a nice, funny change of pace. Esdese’s “unique” behavior (and I’m not talking about her sadistic side), Akame’s love of food, and Braht’s homosexual flirtations towards Tatsumi are all hilarious and really well drawn and executed.
While it does not actually show nudity, the manga does come close at times in some of the fanservice, prostitution, and torture moments. It doesn't get in the way though and for the latter two of the three previously mentioned things, just adds to the dark tones of the story.
The character designs are also unique and interesting. The few color pages show that the characters have one of the widest range of hair colors I’ve ever seen, but even without that, they are all unique. There aren’t any characters that I ever mixed up and mistook as someone else like in some manga with similar looking characters.
Character – 9/10
Akame ga Kill may have the best, most unique, and most depressing character backstories I’ve ever seen. They are spaced out perfectly throughout the manga instead of being clumped together in the beginning so you can remember most of them. Main and supporting characters alike have great and pretty much always tragic pasts. Tatsumi doesn’t have much in his past prior to the first chapter, but characters like Mein, Akame, Bors, Esdese, Schere, etc. have such amazing and memorable backstories that they make up for it. And I’m not saying Tatsumi is boring at all. While he does not have the most creative goals ever, he works hard and is not weak-kneed and afraid to kill like many protagonists.
And those backstories just makes it all the more emotional when characters die (even for the villains). This manga does a great job of connecting the reader to the characters. I won’t talk about the other characters any more than I have because the manga does such a good job of introducing them and I wouldn’t want to spoil any of the backstories.
The only real problem with the characters is that some of the villains, mainly Wild Hunt, are just there to be hated. They do vile and despicable things just to make the audience hate them (and it does work), but to an annoying extent with no motivations or reasons for doing these things other than that they are just disgusting, selfish people. But this is just one problem, and doesn't get in the way of enjoying the rest of the story.
Enjoyment – 10/10
Akame ga Kill is great dark fantasy manga that I recommend to anyone who enjoys violent stories and great characters with well thought out backstories. If you like similar dark manga like Shingeki no Kyojin and Elfen Lied or if you like manga that go into the problems of society like Magi: the Labyrinth of Magic, Death Note, and Shiki, then at least check out the first chapter of this manga. I recommend it all, but the first chapter will definitely decide whether or not you are up for this dark story or not.
Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Akame ga Kiru! Japanese: アカメが斬る! More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 15
Chapters: 80
Status: Finished
Published: Apr 22, 2010 to Dec 22, 2016
Theme:
Gore
Demographic:
Shounen
Serialization:
Gangan Joker Statistics Ranked: #12732 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #49
Members: 183,006
Favorites: 8,958 Available AtResources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 52 / 54
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Your Feelings Categories Jul 9, 2013
One of the biggest problems people have with some stories is that it seems like main characters are invincible. That no matter how far back in a corner they are, they always manage to pull a win out of nowhere through the power of friendship or some new ability they just got.
This is not one of those stories. Akame ga Kill is an action/fantasy manga that takes place a country with a very long history that has only recently been corrupted by the current Prime Minister. He has complete control over the young prince and has molded him into his ideal pawn. Now, this idea has ... Jan 13, 2014
Over the time, the term "edgy" has become something that people throw around for just about anything like Halloween candies. Therefore, when people label something as "edgy" these days, the chances are that it's not an appropriate term to describe that something. Fortunately, that term has found a perfect place just recently, and it's called Akame ga Kill. The more of this series I read, the more I'm convinced that the author is working on his 100% run of Shadow the Hedgehog and DMC as he's writing this masterpiece.
The biggest problem with this series already starts with the first chapter- The main character, Tatsumi, ... Jun 11, 2012
First of all, when I picked this manga I though it'll be a typical adventure fantasy, but should still be a good way to kill time. However I'm glad I was wrong...
This piece doesn't look like it at all on the first glance, but be warned it contains a lot of bloody scenes. Men and women sliced to pieces, tortured to death or some other way falling victims to human cruelty in high detail, just like in medieval real life. It does display the world in more mature way, but it's not dark and depressing. Funny scenes and dialogues, interesting characters does lighten the mood ... Jun 16, 2017
I see that there is no review of the complete work, warning there will be spoilers.
I started this manga a while ago, the anime didn't do it justice sadly. However the heart-wrenching story that has become one of my favorite is truly underrated. The plot begins with a young man named Tatsumi who travels to the capital to earn riches in order to assure his village doesn't starve. He then learns how corrupted the world is when he ventures out into the capital. After a series of unfortunate events he joins a group called Night Raid. They are assassins working with the revolutionary army looking to ... Jun 21, 2014
In case you couldn't tell from the title of the manga, Akame ga Kiru (or Kill) is about killing and contains so called "dark" content.
"Dark" content has always been desired and as a result also quite prevalent in manga. People enjoy feeling "mature" and "grown-up" in whatever they do; reading manga is no exception. "Only kids read sissy shounens; blood and gore is for the real mature people," is what I've seen probably hundreds of times on the internet. So when people experience "dark" manga, they usually feel like they've grown up. "No more of that silly kids stuff I used to read, ... Jun 17, 2012
When I first read the summary of the plot, I thought it would be another fantasy and party in an adventure type of work. I was wrong. Many manga summary has the word "assassin", with most of them being either the historical type or shonen type where the protagonist is unwilling to kill. However, this is different. When they say "assassin", they meant it literally.
If I have to give a metaphor, it would be like a Robin Hood based story, but instead of stealing from the rich, he kill the rich and save the poor, as in this story, most of the wealthy one ... Sep 4, 2017
The beginning of the manga is litteraly the same as the anime, but I really liked the ending.
I don't want to spoil the story so I'm not going to talk about it. The ending of the manga is really another thing compared to the anime. That was one of the main reasons I liked the manga. I'm not an expert in ''arts'' of mangas, but I can say that it looked relatively good. Especially the eyes of ''the bad guys'' when they're pissed off. My favourite character was, of course, the main character: Tatsumi. I really liked how the ending finished for him unlike the one in the anime. He made me ... Jul 26, 2017
"Akame ga Kill" is perhaps one of the more gory and dark mangas I have read up to date. With basically GoT styled killing of characters, this shounen turns into a bloody manga in the end.
Mild Spoilers Beware~~~~~~~ Story: The story itself starts out pretty promising, with Tatsumi joining the Night Raid, determined to exterminate all evil from the Empire. Then you get introduced to Teigus, 48 powerful weapons. The plot isn't too dull or cliche for the most part as with "death flags" basically every fucking chapter and everywhere, characters seemed to be dying once per few chapters. Towards the end tho, more weird ass evil ... Jun 7, 2015
Akame ga kill is a manga series that tries to be too many things, while not firmly committing to being anything, seemingly intent on ignoring every positive aspect it has going for it in favour of edge, hollow character development and a directionless story.
Story: This set-up seemingly possesses potential for portraying morally ambiguous themes about power, utilitarianism and real-world parallels, but instead settles for being a shallow good versus evil narrative set in a medieval world with magical weapons and blood. These themes are abandoned due to nature of this series’ tone and minimalistic world building, with every character sorted into one of three categories: the ... May 18, 2014
To say I’ve grown a hatred for anything White Fox produces is like saying that more than half the English-speaking aniblogging community are Asian. Despite the fact that I usually try to give anything a chance regardless of studio or whatever as long as the premise appeals to me, White Fox has a bad record – four years long – of taking premises I like and fucking them up to the point that I get more enjoyment from watching a one-eyed man do pole dancing. I probably wouldn’t have minded so much if it wasn’t for the fact that I seem to be alone in
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May 26, 2014
Only my second review so I would love some thoughts on my review and what I could do to improve ^^ thanks!
So Akame ga Kill! huh? One word which sums up this series? BRUTAL. There are some scenes which are very uhh hard to take in. Gore is everywhere and even extremes like r*pe. Youn knw what it is. You have been warned this series isn't just hero fights villain and hero wins. No no far from it my friend. OK so at first I was extremely reluctant to pick this manga up (or search up on manga sites) and read it, I mean looking at ... Nov 5, 2020
I saw the anime that came out a few years back and I remember enjoying it, so I decided to check out the manga due to my friends recommending it and I enjoyed this manga so much more than I remember enjoying the anime. Like a lot more.
I will say this though, this manga may not be for you. I'm not saying that to come across the, "I'M SmArTeR ThAN u cUZ I rEAd MoRe ManGA" guy. I'm saying this because it's as the kids say, built different. Outside of Esdeath, who has become one of my favorite villains in anime and manga after this ... Jan 20, 2013
Have you ever read a shounen, fighting manga and all the good guys seem to never die and always have it good? I'm sure many of you have. When I read the earlier chapters of shounen manga such as Naruto, Bleach etc I knew for a fact that there was no chance that the main characters would die during a fight scene. Well, that's not the case for Akame ga Kiru. In this manga, main characters, side characters, good guy or bad guy anyone dies and it could happen at any time. This also builds suspense because you have no idea what to expect in
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Jan 3, 2015
Morality isn't black and white. Akame ga Kill is an action tragedy manga that does this concept justice.
Plot: 9 Akame ga kills follows a boy named Tatsumi who is suddenly recruited into a group of assassins known as Night Raid. Night Raid is a rebel group that will take down the corrupt Empire at any cost. One of the most prevalent things in action shounens today is the power of friendship and willpower. Akame ga Kill is a manga that just completely brushes that aside. The main characters are always doing whatever they can to help the other during a battle, but friendship is not enough. ... Dec 29, 2013
* Warning: No direct spoilers but may cause the series to lose impact*
The starting plot is as one would expect. Whilst it's not very generic it does follow the guidelines for adventure/fantasy stories - protagonist makes allies to share an adventure by winning their trust in a fight. Plot development: 9 The story is very good. It's unlike all the shounen manga where the characters will get out of the situation no matter how perilous it is. We are reminded that people are still people; they can die by assassination, poison or other means. We know the main character will survive (it wouldn't be much of a ... Oct 22, 2013
Upon seeing Akame ga Kill's picture, you may believe it to be another generic shounen adventure story... and you're right. However, there are many other factors contributing to a great manga.
One big factor in contributing whether or not the reader likes a story is influenced greatly on how predictable it is. A typical shounen manga would be so predictable that it's easy to predict exactly what happens: the bad guys get close to "taking over the world," but they're going to lose to the heroes anyway. It's possible they may even join the good guy's side. Akame ga Kill! challenges this concept, and surprises the ... Dec 5, 2013
Ok, so yesterday, I discovered the most amazing manga of all time. Do you know what it's called? It's called Akame ga Kill. Everything about this manga was so amazing that I could not stop reading until I caught up. That took 6 hours and I had to procrastinate so much homework. For some reason, I wanted to compare this with Attack on Titan and I have to say this far out competes AOT. So this is why:
Story (10/10): This story is about a guy named Tatsumi who wanted to join the army to save his village, however, after he gets robbed, he ends up ... Jul 14, 2021
Spoiler-free:
Akame Ga Kill is a dark fantasy shounen battle manga that bites off more than it can chew with its ideas that leave the reader feeling unsatisfied at the end. Although the art for the fights can be gorgeous at times, the fights themselves fail to deliver on the hype. The core group has great character moments that give strong emotional payoffs throughout the course of the story, but the bloat of having such a wide cast really holds the story back. The manga’s titular character, Akame, gets a lot of the story’s spotlight, but strangely enough we mostly experience the story through the eyes ... Nov 30, 2014
a short intro - this is my first review, i didn’t choose akame ga kill because it's what i wanted to review most, but because it was something i felt i could review. In general I’m going to be more critical of the manga in this review because i feel that are plenty of reviews that can point out the positive aspects, but let me preface this by saying that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if you already read the manga and disagree that’s fine, but if you haven’t and are still on the fence about reading then i suggest you take
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May 17, 2021
Akame ga Kill! it is an excellent and magnificent manga!
The manga shows the reality of the world, all the corruption and the evil that is present. And it shows the consequences of this fact in people's lives! Even today, you see all the corruption that affects different countries. The population of these countries is at the mercy of corrupt politicians, inequalities and injustices! The manga seeks to clear people's minds about this situation! Akame ga Kill! is one of my favorite manga. I highly recommend reading it. I really like Takahiro's work! The arts of Tashiro Tetsuya are beautiful! ❤ |