In this same vein, Akame ga Kill is a show that many gravitated toward because it was relentless in killing off characters throughout the series. Game of Thrones had plenty of intrigue, but it was most talked about when someone lost the 'game of thrones' and was killed. The accuracy of this comparison was based on the discourse surrounding these series which were characterized by how expendable characters were. These comparisons, as questionable as their marketing strength might be today, were effective, as those two shows were among the most popular TV dramas at the time. And the threat would be nonexistent without the stakes established early on.Ī lot of darker anime in the early 2010s that featured a lot of death were often compared in western circles to shows like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead. Even the antagonists, for as cartoonishly evil as they are presented, are so committed to their own villainy that it comes straight back around to being threatening again. While the world itself is nothing to speak of, the characters are nothing if not memorable, even if some of them, like Mine, come off as annoying at first. All that said, however, it also contributes to the charm of such a ridiculously violent series that by all accounts is well produced. The show's rather confused sense of time and place adds to a growing disconnect between the characters and a tangible sense of what is at stake and what is being fought for. RELATED: Evangelion: Who Was Mari Makinami Really? It's clear that this world has reached a point of creating firearms and advanced weaponry, but it's doubly amusing when it is stated that the Imperial Arms, the weapons wielded by the principal cast, are 'ancient weapons.' Considering that Mine's weapon is a futuristic rifle with awesome destructive capabilities poses, the concept of Imperial Arms poses even more questions. Many characters wield swords or spears, but there are also men in modern-looking suits wielding guns, and the guards in episode 1 carry machine guns. The show becomes a hodgepodge of Victorian English architectural style, more typical d&d style fantasy locales, and far-eastern-inspired red-light districts. And even in just the first few episodes, this anime's settings and technology can feel incredibly cluttered and inconsistent. If Tatsumi is portrayed as the naive innocent in this world, Akame is this world's ideal killer: a murderer with a dark past who transcendentally kills for a cause that will hopefully make the world a better place.Īkame ga Kill announces itself very clearly as a fantasy anime, but 'fantasy' can imply all manner of settings and varying levels of technological advancement parallel to the real world. There are only the cruel oppressors, those willing to fight against evil, and the bystanders caught in the center. The antagonists' over-the-top cruelty begets the protagonists' ruthless campaign of slaughter leading to super-powered political battles for 24 episodes.

If it happens, it's early on, when Tatsumi is still a beginner. There isn't really a lot of discourse about whether what they are doing is right or wrong or conflicts begging if there is a better way. Truly, the series is about one young man's journey to shed his naïveté about the world and harden his heart to a life of killing in the name of protecting the weak. She isn't treated as the protagonist, just the most deadly assassin and a goalpost for a certain level of badassery that Tatsumi is expected to achieve.

More like a really cool supporting character.Īnd this is a shame, because she is a very cool character, if only for the most surface-level, blood-pumping reasons, namely her style and her poisonous katana. After all, this show is called Akame ga Kill, and Akame hardly feels like even a deuteragonist for the duration of the first half of the series. It would be hard to imagine fans of this anime from the time of its release listing Tatsumi as one of their favorite characters, especially since the conceit of their character feels like false advertising.

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