A Complete Review: Is Akame Ga Kill Anime Any Good?

Akame ga Kill! (Akame ga Kiru!) is a Japanese shonen manga series created by Takahiro and illustrated by Tetsuya Tashiro.

The series follows the life of young Tatsumi who journeys to the Capital to raise money for his village where he witnesses the corruption festering in the city.

When he crosses paths with the assassin group known as Night Raid recruits, Tatsumi is asked to join them in their fight against the corrupt Imperial Capital.

An anime adaptation of the manga was announced in January 2014. An interesting aspect of White Fox’s anime adaptation is that it completes the series with an original ending as the anime was completed before the source material.

1. Quick Review

The story of Akame ga Kill is narrated in a fantasy world where the Imperial Capital is the most flourishing city. Unknown to outsiders, the Capitals’ financial prosperity is built on the exploitation of its people.

Young Tatsumi leaves his village along with his two childhood friends and set out to the Capital so that he can earn some money for the people back home and earn a name for himself. When they reach the renowned city, the group of friends gets separated during a bandit attack. 

As a victim of a robbery and with no money in hand, Tatsumi is stuck between a rock and a hard place. His fate is intertwined with a covert assassination group called Night Raid, who attack the noble family that takes Tatsumi into their care. Night Raid enlightens Tatsumi on the not-so-noble intentions that his hosts intended for him and explains the morbid state of affairs in the capital.

They ask him to join them in their revolt against the country’s Prime Minister Honest and put an end to his destructive greed for power. Tatsumi’s journey leads him into a battle against the Empire as he fights alongside Night Raid and faces many powerful enemies for a worthy cause.

Akame ga Kill! finds a thrilling approach to ignite a conversation about corruption and deceit prevailing in institutions of power. This wildly dark and action-packed anime introduces strong characters and their unmatched willpower to ensure justice prevails above all else.

2. Info Card

3. Is it worth watching?

Akame ga Kill is not for the faint-hearted as the series displays some graphic content with bloodshed and gore that surpasses expectations. The series boasts smooth and effective animation accompanied by a modern art style.

Akame ga Kill! Trailer (Sub)

The series is an absolute treat, mainly for its well-written characters and powerful storyline. Through the show, we learn that every character has their reasons for taking a side in a battle, and only they can justify the ends to their means.

I. Plot

The story focuses on a young boy named Tatsumi who travels to the Imperial Capital along with his two childhood friends to earn money for their village. When he reaches the capital, he learns that all is not as it seems.

The supposedly flourishing city is teeming with illegal activities and Tatsumi’s life is forever changed when a dangerous group of Assassins known as Night Raid approaches him to join their fight against the corrupt institution.

Akame ga Kill! Stays true to its ultimate goal until the very end. The characters have compelling backgrounds and personality development that are channeled throughout the series.

II. Characters

Tatsumi

Tatsumi is the main protagonist of Akame Ga Kill!.

He is a young fighter who initially sets out along with two childhood friends to make a name for himself and earn money for his village. His character is described as a level-headed and kindhearted person who wants the best for everyone. As gentle as he may seem, Tatsumi has no issues with becoming violent if he senses injustice.

Akame

As implied by the title, Akame is the female protagonist of the series.

She is a member of the assassins group, Night Raid. Akame appears to be a very serious character with a cold demeanor. As we become more familiar with her character we learn that despite her indifferent behavior, she cares deeply about her comrades. Whenever a tragic death occurs, Akame feels the loss just as much as the next person but does not express her emotions.

Honest

Honest is the main antagonist in the series and the current Prime Minister of the Empire.

He is a corrupt and ruthless politician whose only goal is to maintain his current position of power. Honest manipulates the young Emperor under the guise of guiding him while misusing his power to kill off political rivals and other threats.

III. Setting

• Location: The story of Akame ga Kill! is set in a fantasy world within a prominent country called The Empire. The Imperial Capital is an enormous city enclosed by a wall and prospers on the exploitation of its people.

• Animation: The series features 2D animation that is typical for a shonen anime. With smooth transitions in movement and swift action sequences, the animation does a great job of creating an immersive experience for the viewers.

• Artwork: Akame ga Kill adopts a modern art style to produce some simple character designs that would have been more effective if the characters didn’t look so similar to every other shonen and seinen anime in the market. The backgrounds don’t do much for the action scenes as they look more like botched watercolor paintings.

IV. Theme Songs

• Opening theme songs :

Title	Original Artist	Genre	Episodes	Reference Links
“Skyreach”	Sora Amamiya	J-Pop	1-14	YouTube Spotify Apple Music
“Liar Mask”	Rika Mayama	J-Pop	15-24	YouTube Spotify Apple Music

The first opening theme song “Skyreach” starts the show off on a high note with some top-notch spine-tingling instrumentals accompanied by visuals of Akame ga Kill’svibrant characters.

The second opener “Liar Mask” is a strong contrast to the first one with a slow-paced song that eventually picks up the pace and transforms into a spectacular guitar instrumental towards the chorus.  

• Ending theme songs :

Title	Original Artist	Genre	Episodes	Reference Links
“Konna Sekai, Shiritakunakatta”	Miku Sawai	J-Pop	1-14	YouTube Spotify Apple Music
“Tsuki Akari”	Sora Amamiya	J-Pop	15-24	YouTube Spotify Apple Music

The ending theme songs have the generic cheery J-Pop vibes to them but “Tsuki Akari” in particular is a great fit for the dark fantasy series. The highlight of the song resides in the fact that the singer Sora Amamiya also voices Akame’s character and brings her character’s emotions into the song.

•  Original Sound Track (OST):  Taku Iwasaki, is the Japanese composer responsible for the music behind Akame ga Kill!. His style incorporates a wide range of music such as jazz, rock, and orchestral music. Iwasaki’s powerful and hypnotic soundtracks are a perfect fit for their scenes.

The OST that stands out from the rest has to be “Fallen Heroes” with its eerie, mind-numbing music. The indecipherable lyrics that are sung in the OST renders the audience speechless while leaving their hearts filled with empathy and admiration for the brave warriors in Akame ga Kill!.

Reference link for Akame ga Kill! OSTs: Youtube Spotify

• Background score: The background music played during the action scenes is a mesmerizing combination of drums, tribal chants, and guitar instrumentals perfectly fit the grisly action shown on the screen.

• Sound effects: The tension in the action scenes is heightened with the use of well-timed sound effects. The “whooshing” sound effects used to depict the character’s quick movements in a fight elevate the action and add more depth to the animation.
• Voice Acting: The voice actors did a terrific job embodying the characters onscreen. Their rage, grief, and hunger for justice can be heard through the different tone changes in the actor’s voices.

V. Action Sequences

Akame ga Kill! is an action-packed dark fantasy series. As a result, the plot is showered with bloody fight scenes and gory deaths. The show also kills off admired main characters which as tragic as it may seem, makes way for more epic fight scenes demanding revenge and justice.

The gruesome violence is an added dramatic element to the series as it leads to intense character development and takes the viewers through an emotional rollercoaster.

4. Grade: 4 out of 5

5. Final Thoughts

Akame ga Kill is an entertaining series that portrays shonen-like characters in a seinen-level action anime. If you’re looking for a show with bloody massacres and barbaric fight scenes, then you’re in for a good time. The characters have intriguing personalities that shine through thanks to some fine voice acting. The show manages to capture the element of human emotions and their unavoidable consequences.