List of Akame ga Kill! characters
The Akame ga Kill! manga and anime series features an extensive cast of fictional characters. The visuals of the characters were designed by Tetsuya Tashiro, while their stories were created by Takahiro. The story focuses on Tatsumi who is a young villager that travels to the Capital to raise money for his home only to discover a strong corruption in the area. The assassin group known as Night Raid recruits the young man to help them in their fight against the Empire to finish its corruption. 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 infant emperor for his and his men's personal gain. This leads the rest of the nation to poverty and strife.
Night Raid
The main protagonists are members of Night Raid. Night Raid is a team of assassins assembled to assist the Revolutionary Army's efforts to overthrow the corrupt Prime Minister Honest and restore peace and order to the Empire.
Tatsumi
- Voiced by: Sōma Saitō (Japanese); Corey Hartzog (English)
Tatsumi (タツミ Tatsumi) is the main protagonist of the Akame ga Kill! series. He is a swordsman from a small village who sets out to the capital with two of his companions in hope of raising money for the village, however on their way to the capital he becomes separated from his friends. Tatsumi is initially unaware of the type of place the capital really is and is swindled out of all of his money soon after arriving. He is taken in by and ends up protecting a girl from the group Night Raid - assassins who target the corrupt nobility and government officials. Unbeknownst to him, the girl and her family have been torturing strangers to the city - his friends among them. Upon learning the truth, Tatsumi kills the girl and is invited to join Night Raid.[ch. 1] Tatsumi accepts their invitation in order to raise money for his village.[ch. 2] He fights with a short sword, and inherits Bulat's Teigu "Demon Armor: Incursio" (悪鬼纏身 インクルシオ Akki Tenshin: Inkurushio), after his death. This Teigu takes the form of a short sword (the key) that clads the user in a near-indestructible suit of armor capable of adapting to its user's fighting style when he stabs it onto the ground, which also grants him invisibility and superhuman strength.[ch. 14] While Tatsumi attracts several other girls through his strong resolve and kindness, he starts dating his comrade Mine in the manga, angering Esdeath. After learning of Lubbock's death, this coupling with the immense resolve he had garnered to survive and escape his enemies, Incursio evolves into a much stronger state, fusing both him and his Teigu as one.[ch. 54] This makes him capable of resisting Esdeath's Space-Time freezing ability as well as keep up with both her and the Great General Budo in combat, knocking both of them aside to enable him and the rest of Night Raid to escape. The armor has also allowed him to survive being heavily poisoned by a crude ploy devised by the Prime Minister as it causes him to develop immunity to potent toxins of many kinds. Unfortunately this also shortened his lifespan due to the irregular way he bonded with his weapon and now he is limited to a total of four more uses of his Teigu; lest the spirit Tyrant from which the Teigu was created from consumes him, eradicating Tatsumi's body and soul. Indication of said degeneration shows in the development of Tyrant's scaly skin on the right side of his face and Tyrant/Incursio's eye patterns showing in his right eye, as well as in his own words "It's like power is welling up from inside my body".[ch. 57]
Akame
- Voiced by: Sora Amamiya (Japanese); Molly Searcy (English)
Akame (アカメ Akame) also known as Akame of the Demon Sword Murasame, is one of the members of the assassination group, Night Raid. She initially makes a name for herself as the Empire's top ranking assassin. Akame's cold-hearted and serious demeanor when in combat stems from her hellish training the Empire forced her and her sister through after being sold by their parents. However, out of battle, she displays genuine concern for her comrades, shown when Tatsumi realises that she was worried for his life after he defeated Zank. After being tasked one mission to assassinate former general Najenda she is convinced by her to not only spare her but also to instead join her crusade against the Empire by becoming a member of Night Raid. Her treason sparks an intense rivalry between fellow assassin and sibling Kurome, along with a mutual desire to be the one to end the other. Akame is often considered to be one of the stronger members of Night Raid, slaying even the strongest of enemies with minimal effort. Her hellish assassination training allows her combat ability to be on par with those as powerful as General within the military levels of the Empire. Originally the owner of the Shingu "Kiriichimonji", a sword capable of inflicting wounds that never heal, she possesses the Teigu "One Cut Killer: Murasame" (一斬必殺 村雨 Ichizan Hissatsu: Murasame), a cursed katana known for being able to kill those who are cut by it within seconds.
Mine
- Voiced by: Yukari Tamura (Japanese); Christina Kelly (English)
Mine (マイン Main) is a self-proclaimed genius sniper, and a sharp-tongued, quick-witted member of Night Raid. She is often quick to anger, and easily irritated by those she does not know well. Despite this cold exterior, she is shown to be warm and kind to those she has opened up to.[ch. 4] She eventually confesses her feelings to Tatsumi, and the two start a relationship. Mine wields a powerful Teigu in the form of a rifle called the "Roman Artillery: Pumpkin" (浪漫砲台 パンプキン Roman Hōdai: Panpukin) that fires highly concentrated piercing shots of spirit energy. Her proficiency in its use allows her strike almost any target with extreme precision. When Pumpkin's user is in a dangerous situation, the power of its shots are magnified as according to her, the stronger the user's emotions, the more powerful it becomes. Mine gives her all in defeating General Budo to rescue Tatsumi and falls into a vegetative state.
Leone
- Voiced by: Yū Asakawa (Japanese); Allison Keith (English)
Leone (レオーネ Reōne) is one of the older members of Night Raid. She has a very relaxed and cheerful personality, and tends to display a lack of ladylike manners. She serves as a sort of big sister figure to the younger members in Night Raid, often referring to herself as "onee-san". She does the same with Tatsumi, but it is heavily implied that she has feelings for him, as shown by her "marking" him as her own. Despite the morally dodgy nature she can sometimes display (she's the woman who swindled Tatsumi of his money), Leone is not one to tolerate injustice, and can be especially vicious to those who commit the most vile acts.[ch. 8] She excels at gathering information and exercises calm judgement when necessary. Her Teigu is "Animal King Form: Lionelle" (百獣王化 ライオネル Hyakujū Ōka: Raioneru), a belt that increases all five senses and gives her animal-like characteristics, as well as powerful regeneration which makes her capable of recovering from grievous injuries shown by being able to stop the bleeding from a severed arm and regenerating from being cut up by Esdeath.
Sheele
- Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese); Jessica Boone (English)
Sheele (シェーレ Shēre) is one of the members of Night Raid. She seems to be clumsy and ditzy on the surface, but is a very caring and sweet person. Before joining Night Raid, she becomes a skilled killer after protecting her only friend from her abusive boyfriend. She bears the Teigu "Cutter of Creation: Extase" (万物両断 エクスタス Banbutsu Ryōdan: Ekusutasu), a huge pair of scissors that can cut through anything and can generate a blinding light as a trump card. Alongside with Mine, she fights against Seryu, cutting her arms off in the process. As a last resort, Seryu unleashes the hidden power of her teigu, turning it into a more bestial and ferocious form, that immobilizes Mine, breaking her arm. After rescuing Mine from death, Sheele is shot by Seryu and then eaten by Koro, but is able to use her Teigu's trump card one more time in order to give Mine the chance to escape.
Lubbock
- Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese); Tyler Galindo (English)
Lubbock (ラバック Rabakku) is a member of Night Raid, who is often shown as a pervert. In the city, his cover identity is that of a bookstore owner. He is the son of a wealthy merchant and fell in love with Najenda at first sight and decided to join the Imperial Army to be near her. When Najenda defects from the Army to start Night Raid, Lubbock fakes his death.[ch. 25] His Teigu, "Infinite Uses: Cross Tail" (千変万化 クローステール Senpen Banka: Kurōsutēru), is a reel of strings made from the fur of a Danger Beast and that can be used in many ways, from enemy-detecting secret barriers to spears that can be formed upon the strings' assembly and powerful shields; its trump card, the "Realm-severer thread", is a thread made from the fur that protected the vital spots of the Danger Beast and that is supposedly unbreakable. He is also skilled in misdirection, as, in the manga, he managed to fake a cowardly and treacherous side to get Syura off guard and kill him when he was arrested with Tatsumi and then tortured. Against overwhelming odds including General Budo, he faces Izou who merely bisects him with Kotetsu, his non-Teigu sword. Lubbock's last thoughts are of Najenda, asking if he had done enough to win her approval.
Bulat
- Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese); David Wald (English)
Bulat (ブラート Burāto) is a former high-ranking imperial officer known as "100 Man-Slayer Bulat". He decided to betray the Empire when his superior, Liver, was framed for a crime after he refused to give in to the Prime Minister's agenda. Bulat was also disgusted with the Imperial government that cared more for bribes, than merit regardless of how hard he worked.[ch. 12] After leaving the Empire, he joined the Revolutionary Army, and eventually Night Raid. His Teigu, "Demon Armor: Incursio" (悪鬼纏身 インクルシオ Akki Tenshin: Inkurushio), is a short sword that summons a full-body armor that enhances Bulat's physical strength and allows him to blend with the environment.[ch. 2] Bulat is revealed to be gay early on in the series and it is hinted that he may be interested in Tatsumi, as he is frequently seen flirting with him; the two quickly become close platonically and Tatsumi takes to calling him "Bro". After dying in a battle against Liver, a member of Esdeath's Three Beasts who injected Bulat with his poisonous blood, Bulat's Teigu was passed on to Tatsumi.[ch. 14]
Najenda
- Voiced by: Risa Mizuno (Japanese); Shelley Calene-Black (English)
Najenda (ナジェンダ Najenda) is the leader of Night Raid. She is a former general of the Imperial Army who, disgusted with Esdeath's excessive cruelty, confronted her over it. After the confrontation Najenda defected and joined the Revolutionary Army.[ch. 16] She once wielded the Teigu "Roman Artillery: Pumpkin", until she lost an arm and eye in a confrontation with Esdeath. Her last known Teigu was "The Speed of Lightning: Susanoo" (電光石火 スサノオ Denkō Sekka: Susanoo), until Esdeath destroyed him. Najenda's lifespan was shortened by using the power of Susanoo.
Susanoo
- Voiced by: Shintarō Asanuma (Japanese); Ty Mahany (English)
"Lightning Speed" Susanoo (電光石火 スサノオ Denkō Sekka: Susanoo) is Najenda's bionic Teigu who joins Tatsumi's group after Night Raid suffers several losses. He was in a dormant state until he met Najenda who reminded him of his previous user, a general.[ch. 22, 23] Despite his quiet demeanor, Susanoo quickly befriends Tatsumi and Lubbock.[ch. 24] Susanoo was designed to do house chores as well as fight.[ch. 22]. Like Hekatonkheires, as long as his core remains intact, he will continue to regenerate. He has a trump card move, called "Magatama Manifestation" that sucks his user's life energy into the magatama on his chest in order to gain a tremendous amount of strength, and enabling him to use powerful moves such as "The Mirror of Yata" that can reflect any kind of projectiles and beams, as well as "Ame no Murakumo" which is a kind of giant sword that has immense power. However, his user will die after commanding him to use this move three times. This didn't happen, as Najenda used it three times and continued alive; she stated that this was possible because Susanoo himself took its own life in order to spare Najenda's. He is killed by Esdeath while protecting his friends from her, as she promises to remember him as a warrior, rather than as a mere Teigu.[ch. 43]
Chelsea
- Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka (Japanese); Emily Neves (English)
Chelsea (チェルシー Cherushī) is a seasoned assassin working for the Revolutionary Army, having successfully carried out countless missions. She was the sole survivor of the section of Night Raid that was stationed outside of the capital who were destroyed by Esdeath's Three Beasts warriors and joined the section of Night Raid led by Najenda afterwards. While she is somewhat aloof and carefree when not on the job, she is also extremely objective and is often quite blunt when voicing her opinions. Despite her nature, she becomes attracted to Tatsumi, admiring his resolve.[ch. 28] Her Teigu, "Phantasmagoria: Gaea Foundation" (変幻自在 ガイアファンデーション Hengen Jizai: Gaia Fandēshon), is a cosmetics box that allows her to change her physical appearance at will.[ch. 23] This allows her to get within arms reach of her targets where she uses acupuncture needles to stab her targets in vital locations. After ambushing and killing Bols, she tries to kill Kurome in the same way, but it fails as Kurome survives the puncture inflicted by her needle and then she is brutally killed by Kurome's last two corpse puppets. Her Teigu was apparently destroyed. Her decapitated head was placed in the town square in order to hurt Night Raid's morale and the rest of her body devoured by Coro.[ch. 33]
The Empire
Emperor
- Voiced by: Yō Taichi (Japanese); Shannon Emerick (English)
The Emperor (皇帝 Kōtei) is a young boy who wishes to lead his people to a bright future. However, he is also naive and inexperienced, and is ignorant of the kingdom's decline as he is being influenced by the power-hungry Prime Minister, who was the responsible for the death of his parents. He is in effect a mere figurehead, and is unaware that his actions are actually contributing to the Empire's collapse. As the sole survivor of the Imperial bloodline, the Emperor is the only person capable of operating the strongest of all Teigu, the "Shikoutazer" (シコウテイザ Shikouteizā), a suit of armor tall as a mountain, capable of firing energy beams that can obliterate entire armies with a single volley.
Prime Minister Honest
- Voiced by: Kōji Ishii (Japanese); Marty Fleck (English)
The main antagonist in the series, Honest[ch. 45] (オネスト Onesuto Daijin) is the current Prime Minister of the Empire and the father of Syura. He is a corrupt politician who uses the facade of a father-figure to manipulate the young and naive emperor, effectively making the Minister the true ruler of the Empire. Honest is a cruel and tyrannical man who uses bribes and false charges to maintain his position of power and comfort, eliminating anyone who tries to interfere with his rule. He is also a glutton, who eats constantly, resulting in his obese figure. Despite being Syura's father, having expressed expectations for Syura, Honest only cried over his death for a short moment before callously planning to have another child who would not end up being a failure.
Zanku the Executioner
- Voiced by: Satoshi Tsuruoka (Japanese); Rob Mungle (English)
Zanku the Executioner[1] (首斬りザンク Kubikiri Zanku, also known as Headhunter Zanku in the English dub.[2]) originally worked as an executioner for the Empire. However, as the number of his victims increased, he started hearing the voices of his victims and was driven mad by them. This resulted in his defection from his post. He stole a Teigu and became a notorious serial killer who decapitated his victims, hence his moniker, "Headhunter". He was killed by Akame as one of her assassination missions, and he used his dying breath to thank her for freeing him from the voices. His Teigu was "Omnipotent Five Sights: Spectator" (五視万能 スペクテッド Goshi Bannō: Supekuteddo), a headpiece that grants the user various mental abilities, including mind-reading, remote viewing, x-ray vision, prediction and the ability to cast illusions. After this Teigu was seized, Tatsumi tried to use it, but was incompatible with it, and it was handed over to the Revolutionary Army.
Three Beasts
The Three Beasts (三獣士 Sanjūshi) were elite Teigu users under the command of Esdeath who were strong enough to eliminate an entire section of Night Raid, but were eventually killed by Bulat and Tatsumi. Their Teigu were retrieved by Night Raid and given to the Revolutionary Army.[ch. 14]
Daidara
- Voiced by: Anri Katsu (Japanese); Christopher Ayres (English)
Daidara (ダイダラ Daidara) is a man who relies on brute strength and enjoys every opportunity in proving himself in battle. His Teigu was "Double-Bladed Axe: Belvaac" (二挺大斧 ベルヴァーク Nichō Taifu: Beruvuāku), a very heavy axe that can be split in two and be thrown as homing weapons. He was the first to be killed, being split in half by Bulat.
Nyau
- Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame (Japanese); Clint Bickham (English)
Nyau (ニャウ Nyau) is a sadistic young man with a passion of tearing the faces off of his victims. He hid his nature under an effeminate and innocent appearance. His Teigu was "Military Music Dream: Scream" (軍楽夢想 スクリーム Gungaku Musō: Sukurīmu), a flute that, when played, boosted the strength of allies and weakened enemies. It could also be used as a pair of melee weapons. Its secret ability allowed Nyau to significantly increase his size and muscle mass, which raised his strength and speed. He was killed by Tatsumi and his Teigu is currently in the hands of a revolutionary soldier who was a former general.[ch. 46]
Liver
- Voiced by: Jouji Nakata (Japanese); John Gremillion (English)
Liver (リヴァ Riva) was a high-ranking officer who was Bulat's former superior officer and framed by the Prime Minister for refusing to accept bribes. He transferred his loyalty to Esdeath for letting him out of prison in exchange for his services. Liver wielded the Teigu "Water Dragon Possession: Black Marlin" (水龍憑依 ブラックマリン Suiryū Hyōi: Burakku Marin), a ring able to control any liquid. He was killed by Bulat, but used his Teigu to fatally poison Bulat in turn. His Teigu is currently in the hands of a revolutionary soldier who was a former general.[ch. 46]
Bolic
- Voiced by: Masami Iwasaki (Japanese); Mark Mendelsohn (English)
Bolic (ボリック Borikku) was a high-ranking member of the Path of Peace (安寧道 An'neidō), a religion that opposes the Empire. However, he is actually an agent working on behalf of the Prime Minister. Bolic was sent to kill the current high priest so that he would become the next leader and control it for the Empire's sake. Bolic uses his position and drugs to discreetly control the Path's members, turning them into his playthings. Esdeath, the Jaegers and the Four Rakshasa Demons were ordered to protect him, which resulted in intense battles when Night Raid came to kill him. These battle resulted in the deaths of Seryu and Susanoo. He is easily killed by Akame while Esdeath is occupied by Leone, Susanoo, Najenda and Tatsumi.
Holimaca
- Voiced by: Kouhei Sugesawa (Japanese); Kyle Colby Jones (English)
Holimaca (ホリマカ Horimaka) was Bolic's bodyguard who wielded a lost Teigu that had been recovered. The Teigu was "The Mysterious: Adayusu" (奇奇怪怪 アダユス Kikikaikai: Adayusu), a scythe with unknown capabilities: the abilities are unknown because Akame was able to kill him so quickly that she did not realize that his weapon was a Teigu and she left it behind.
Four Rakshasa Demons of the Imperial Fist Temple
Four Rakshasa Demons of the Imperial Fist Temple (皇拳寺羅刹四鬼 Kōkenji Rasetsu Yonki) were four skilled soldiers in Honest's employ. All four were highly trained and able to manipulate their own bodies, with abilities such as extending their limbs, hardening their bodies, and contorting them out of harm's way, as well as possessing great combat abilities. They were strong enough to defeat Teigu users without using Teigu themselves, and have retrieved five of the artifacts for the Empire. The group consisted of Ibara (イバラ Ibara) (Voiced by: Satoshi Hino (Japanese); Andrew Love (English)), Sten (ステン Suten) (Voiced by: Kenji Nomura (Japanese); Wendel Calvert (English)), Mez (メース Mēsu) (Voiced by: Aina Suzuki (Japanese); Maggie Flecknoe (English)), and Suzuka (スズカ Suzuka). The Four Rakshasa were sent to guard Borick but after a battle with Night Raid, Suzuka was the only survivor.
Suzuka
- Voiced by: Eriko Matsui (Japanese); Carli Mosier (English)
Suzuka (スズカ Suzuka) is the only survivor of the Four Rakshasa Demons of the Imperial Fist Temple after their battle with Night Raid in the Bolic assassination incident. Suzuka is a masochistic woman who possesses tremendous durability and endurance as a result of her training, and she can control her bodily functions such as extending her nails at high speed to pierce her foes. Although she is one of two Wild Hunt members not to use a Teigu, her abilities alone allowed her to retrieve five Teigu from enemies in the past. Though she appeared to have been crashed, Suzuka provides the Empire with detail of Tatsumi's association with Night Raid, and Prime Minister Honest assigns her to Wild Hunt to make up for the loss of Champ and Enshin until the organization is disbanded.
Budo
- Voiced by: Hozumi Gôda (Japanese); Josh Morrison (English)
Great General Budo (ブドー大将軍 Budō Daishogun) was a Commander-in-chief of the Empire. He is regarded as stubborn and is known for speaking boldly to the Prime Minister. His faction is strong enough that Esdeath is hesitant to oppose it. He is loyal to the Empire as an ideal and desires to clean up the corruption within the Empire, but only after putting down the rebellion. This implies that he is antagonistic to both Night Raid and the Minister's corrupt ways. His Teigu is "Thunder God's Rage: Adramelech" (雷神忿怒 アドナイメレク Raijin Funnu: Adoramereku), a pair of piston-installed gauntlets, which allow him to generate electricity and deliver very devastating punches capable of breaching even Incursio's defense.
When Budo battled with Tatsumi after his Teigu evolved, he notes Incursio's progress and realizes that his opponent may have done the impossible by somewhat fusing with his Teigu.[ch. 55] Even going so far as to strike him hard enough to knock him off balance allowing his quarry momentary escape. Budo is killed by Mine during their rescue operation on Tatsumi.[ch. 56]
The Jaegers
Jaegers (イェーガーズ Yēgāzu, German for "Hunters") was a secret police force formed by General Esdeath after her Three Beasts elites were killed by Night Raid.[ch. 15] While formed as counter balance to Night Raid, the Jaegers' numbers greatly diminished.
Esdeath
- Voiced by: Satomi Akesaka (Japanese); Christine Auten (English)
Esdeath (エスデス Esudesu) is the leader of the Jaegers and a high-ranking officer from the Empire. She is known as the most powerful individual in the Empire and is an expert at torturing others, a talent she thoroughly enjoys. After Night Raid is increasing in infamy, she is called to the capital in order to hunt them down. Upon arriving, she states her desire to fall in love. She comes up with a list of very specific details that she looks for in a partner, and falls in love with Tatsumi who meets all the requirements and wishes to persuade him to join her group and win his heart,[ch. 16] unaware he is an enemy. Tatsumi, who once hoped that he could persuade her to join the Revolutionary Army, loses hope after he discovers that her sadistic ego is strong enough to resist her Teigu's side effects that have driven many others mad.[ch. 27] Esdeath, however, shows subtle differences from her war-loving nature due to her being in love with Tatsumi that many, including herself have noticed to be out of her character. These include wanting to be in love at all, going for a night patrol because the moon is pretty, feeling lonely without Tatsumi and even gazing at a drawing she made of him during her free time. When Tatsumi rejects her offer to join her in exchange for a pardon from execution, she says that she will kill him personally rather than let anyone else touch him (though she intended to simply put him in a false death state and sneak him into her custody), and showed anger that was uncharacteristic of her normally aloof behavior when Mine came to rescue him. After Tatsumi punched her and escaped execution, Esdeath came to the realization that he will never love her no matter what she does, and resolved to truly kill him the next time they meet, or be killed by him.
Esdeath justifies her sadistic nature and love for conflict by her father's philosophy of "the strong survive and the weak die", how her father would harvest parts from prey without killing it first, and the upbringing she experienced in the north by surviving on her own under harsh conditions while killing Danger Beasts to keep herself alive after her tribe was wiped out. This all further enforced her father's philosophy, and made her merciless and unnecessarily cruel to her opponents after joining the army, going so far as to allow her soldiers to violate rebel villagers as a reward. However, she is nevertheless capable of compassion for her comrades, and values the talented and powerful, as she releases Liver from prison in exchange for his services. Her Teigu, "Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract" (魔神顕現 デモンズエキス Majin Kengen: Demonzu Ekisu), is the blood of an ultra-class beast that she drank, which allows her to create and manipulate ice from nothingness.[ch. 42] This ability is considered by Najenda to be the strongest known Teigu despite inducing madness in the drinker hearing dark voices, with Esdeath the only person to maintain her sanity and fully assimilated the Demon's Extract due to her sadistic nature and unbreakable will. Najenda also stated that the Teigu originally did not have a trump ability, but Esdeath created one for the purposes of never letting Tatsumi get away from her and to defeat her opponent without fail. Her trump ability is to freeze time around her momentarily, allowing herself to do as she pleases.[ch. 27] She is also armed with a rapier and possesses great skills in combat, without resorting to her Teigu.
Seryu Ubiquitous
- Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (Japanese); Kira Vincent-Davis (English)
Seryu Ubiquitous (セリュー・ユビキタス Seryū Yubikitasu) is a young girl obsessed with eliminating criminals from the Empire, while deeming her group to be saviors. Her twisted sense of justice makes her believe that the Empire is always in the right, regardless of any corruption. When she first appears, Seryu befriends Tatsumi, but is unaware that he is a member of Night Raid. She eventually confronts Mine and Sheele, the latter of whom is critically shot and then eaten by Koro, Seryu's bionic Teigu. When Tatsumi learns that she killed Sheele, he feels an intense hatred and need for revenge against her and even while masquerading as an innocent bystander cannot stand the act of her touching him. Seryu's Teigu, "Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires" (魔獣変化 ヘカトンケイル Majū Henge: Hekatonkeiru) (or "Koro" (コロ Koro) for short), is a small dog that can increase in size and strength, becoming ferocious monster with regenerating capabilities. The arms that she lost in her battle with Sheele were replaced with a set of interchangeable weapons created by Dr. Stylish. She dies when a bomb implanted in her head explodes after she and Koro are critically wounded by Mine, her last words being a tearful plea to not die "in a place like this" (a slum far away from her beloved empire).[ch. 38]
Run
- Voiced by: Junji Majima (Japanese); Christopher Patton (English)
Run (ラン Ran) is Esdeath's personal adviser. He is seen by Wave as the most "normal" member from the group due to his gentle personality.[ch. 15] He is a former teacher of a peaceful village, whose students were murdered by Champ, who would later become a member of Wild Hunt. When the Empire decided to turn their backs on this incident to maintain the facade of a "peaceful village", Run was given a choice of joining either the Revolutionary Army or the Empire; he chose the latter in order to try to change the country from within.[ch. 47] His Teigu, "Thousands Miles Flight: Mastema" (万里飛翔 マスティマ Banri Hishō: Masutima), is a pair of plates on his back that allow him to grow wings and attack using feather-like weapons,[ch. 18] with the additional ability of deflecting any attack once its hidden ability is activated. Run suffered fatal wounds in his confrontation with Champ and Kurome dealt him a killing blow with Yatsufusa, transforming Run into one of her corpse puppets so that he would never leave her, while still wielding his Teigu. Before his death, Run managed to get close to the members of Wild Hunt under the facade of wanting to join them, while he was really searching for the one responsible for murdering his students. Run also managed to find concrete evidence that Syura was the mastermind behind the humanoid danger beasts crisis, enabling Esdeath to force Honest to disband Wild Hunt. During Kurome's fight with Akame, Run transfers Mastema to Wave for his own use.
Kurome
- Voiced by: Ayaka Ohashi (Japanese); Juliet Simmons (English)
Kurome (クロメ Kurome) is Akame's younger sister. Both of them were used as assassins by the Empire with Kurome being given drugs to enhance her abilities.[ch. 33] Kurome has desired to kill her sister ever since she defected to Night Raid; a mutual feeling since Kurome refused Akame's offer to defect from the Empire together. Like her sister, Kurome is a skilled swordswoman and has a huge appetite for sweets.[ch. 18] It is revealed that these sweets were in fact drugs and that she was addicted to them. Despite her quiet demeanor, Kurome reveals to Wave that she fears not being useful, since the Empire tends to dispose of anyone who is useless.[ch. 34] Her Teigu, "March of the Dead: Yatsufusa" (死者行軍 八房 Shisha Yakōgun: Yatsufusa), is a katana that allows her to manipulate the corpses of up to eight her victims, with each additional corpse in her collection weakening her control proportionally.[ch. 30] In the manga, her collection includes her childhood friend, Natala; a female assassin, Doya, who had her arms cut off by Enshin and whose current state is unknown; and most recently, Run.[ch. 48] These corpses retain their abilities and memories they possessed during their lives, and may act out of Kurome's control, as shown by Run's corpse which steps between the arguing Kurome and Wave, reflecting his concern for his comrades he had in his life. Cold to the others at first, Kurome ends up getting close to Wave, who swears to protect her with his life. Kurome never truly recovered from Chelsea's attempt to kill her, and she mentions that she "did not have much time left" as she attempts to settle things with Akame. But Wave intervenes in the fight, destroying Yatsufusa while convincing Kurome to defects from the Empire after professes his love for her with Night Raid covering up their defection.[ch. 66] In the anime, Kurome dies fighting Akame.
Bols
- Voiced by: Eiji Takemoto (Japanese); John Swasey (English)
Bols (ボルス Borusu) is one of the older members of the Jaegers who always hides his face behind a mask. Despite his job, Bols has a gentle personality and is happily married, with a family who support his actions. Because of this, Esdeath came to him for romantic advice regarding Tatsumi.[ch. 24] His Teigu, "Purgatory's Invitation: Rubicante" (煉獄招致 ルビカンテ Rengoku Shōchi: Rubikante), is a flamethrower whose flames cannot be extinguished with water. After his Teigu is bitten off by Leone during a battle with her and Akame, he is forced to use his Teigu's self-destruct mechanism in order to escape, but is later killed by Chelsea in disguise.[ch. 32] His wife and daughter are later violated and brutally killed by Wild Hunt, under the guise of an "investigation".[ch. 46]
Wave
- Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese); David Matranga (English)
Wave (ウェイブ Weibu) is a young man from a small town who joins the Jaegers and is often shocked with his teammates.[ch. 15] He dislikes the current state of the Empire but embraces his role as an enforcer due to a debt owed to an unseen savior from when he was in the navy.[ch. 28] Nevertheless, Wave tries befriending some of his fellow Jaegers, taking a liking to Bols and Kurome. His bond with Kurome as well his anger at atrocities caused by Wild Hunt cause him to act against them when Syura tries to violate Kurome.[ch. 46] Wave later intervenes in Kurome's duel with Akame and professes his love for her, convincing her to defects so he can treat her drug addiction after receiving Akame's blessing as she and the others agree to make it appear the two died in battle. Originally, Wave possessed only the Teigu "Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot" (修羅化身 ランシャリオ Shura Kesshin: Guranshario), is a suit of armor modeled after that enhances his physical strength and grants flight.[ch. 18] But during Kurome's battle with Akame, Wave receives Run's Teigu "Thousands Miles Flight: Mastema" (万里飛翔 マスティマ Banri Hishō: Masutima), able to use it and Grand Chariot in perfect synch, becoming the first person capable of using two Teigu at once.[ch. 66]
Dr. Stylish
- Voiced by: Ken Narita (Japanese); Jay Hickman (English)
Dr. Stylish (Dr.スタイリッシュ Dokutā Sutairisshu) is a man who enjoys experimenting with humans, and is known for offering death row inmates lighter sentences in exchange for becoming his guinea pigs. His Teigu are a pair of gloves known as "Glorious Hands of God: Perfector" (神ノ御手 パーフェクター Kami no Ote: Pāfekutā) that increase manual dexterity and speed, allowing him to perform complex surgery and create many types of weaponry, some of which he implanted in Seryu's body. His trump card was a serum he created to turn himself into a giant Danger Beast and eventually surpass Shitoukazer, "the Ultimate Teigu", in size and power. After invading Night Raid's hideout, he is killed by Akame and his Teigu retrieved by the Revolutionary Army. It is later revealed that he was the one who created the humanoid Danger Beasts that Wild Hunt leader, Syura, let loose. [ch. 21]
Wild Hunt
Wild Hunt (ワイルドハント Wairudohanto) is the Secret Police of the Empire that is formed after the Jaegers suffered the loss of most its members. The group is led by Syura who gathered world-class criminals gathered from various regions under the Prime Minister's orders, and most of them carry a Teigu, although some of them are strong enough to fight without a Teigu. All six members enjoy abusing their new found authority to satisfy their own urges of bloodlust while justifying their actions under the pretense of investigating the whereabouts of Night Raid - the reason for their existence. Unlike the Jaegers, Syura shows no camaraderie towards the members of Wild Hunt. He is indifferent to their deaths, instead valuing only their usefulness in combat. When Run managed to discover irrefutable evidence that Syura released Dr. Stylish's modified Danger Beasts, Esdeath blackmailed Honest to dissolve Wild Hunt, much to Syura's fury.
Syura
- Voiced by: Ryohei Kimura (Japanese); Adam Noble (English)
Syura (シュラ Shura) is the son of Prime Minister Honest and the leader of Wild Hunt. He regards the Empire as a toy and uses Wild Hunt to promote unrest in the Empire. While he respects his father and they have an amiable relationship, sharing the same corrupted personalities, Syura desires to surpass his father and become emperor. Prior to making himself known, Syura released many of Dr. Stylish experimental Danger Beasts to kill before the Jeagers managed to wipe out most of them. After suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Wave and enduring a scolding from his unimpressed father, Syura swears vengeance against Wave. Syura brags about his relationship with the Minister to his victims and enemies so as to intimidate them into submission, but is nevertheless a skilled fighter, having learned various martial art styles throughout his travels. He wields the Teigu, "Dimensional Formation: Shambhala" (次元方陣 シャンバラ Jigen Hōjin: Shanbara), a pendant that allows him to teleport anyone within its trigram circle symbol over large distances.[ch. 26] Syura is killed when he let his guard down around a captured Lubbock, who used wires from his Teigu to break Syura's neck. His Teigu was destroyed when Izou slashed through it to kill Lubbock.
Champ
Champ (チャンプ Champu) is a member of Wild Hunt who appears as an overweight sadistic and pedophilic clown and a serial killer, who kills children so they will not become "filthy adults". He wields the Teigu "Ace Solution: Die Leaguer" (快投乱麻 タイリーガー Kaitō Ranma: Tairīgā), which takes the form of six floating orbs, each with a different attribute when tossed (flame, lightning, ice, storm, rot, and explosive). As he is the one who killed Run's students, Run swore vengeance against him and succeeded in killing him with his own flame orb. His Teigu was retrieved by Night Raid.[ch. 48]
Cosmina
Cosmina (コスミーナ Kosumina) is a female member of Wild Hunt. A singer, and rather lewd young woman, she was convicted of being a witch by a witch hunt. Her family was burned to death, but she survived with a shattered psyche. Her Teigu is "Earth Shaker: Heavy Pressure" (大地鳴動 ヘヴィプレッシャー Daichi Meidō: Heui Buresshā), a microphone that amplifies the user's voice into deadly sound waves capable of pulverizing her victims. She was shot by Mine and her Teigu was retrieved by Night Raid. Unlike Champ and Enshin, however, Cosmina possesses tremendous vitality, and survived long enough for Dorothea to utilize her alchemy to save her, but suffered brain damage while her heart was stopped. She was modified into a spider-like centaur creature by Dorothea. She was later killed when Tatsumi bisects her.
Dorothea
Dorothea (ドロテア Dorotea) is a young-looking female alchemist working for Wild Hunt. She joined Syura in the hopes of meeting Dr. Stylish to combine her alchemy with his altered body. Her Teigu is "Blood Collection: Absorbdex" (血液徴収 アブゾデック Ketsueki Chōshū: Abuzodekku), a set of fangs that allows her to drink her victims' blood in a vampire-like fashion in order to strengthen and heal herself, something she greatly enjoys doing. Her alchemy proves instrumental in saving Cosmina's life, though it cannot save anyone who has already died. It was also due to alchemy that Dorothea appears so young: in truth, she was an elderly woman who extended her lifespan by absorbing the energy from others. She was killed by Leone who crushed her with a boulder.
Enshin
Enshin (エンシン Enshin) is a former pirate and a lecherous misogynist working for Wild Hunt. He wields the Teigu "Moonlight Sword Dance: Shamshir" (月光麗舞 シャムシール Gekkō Reibu: Shamushīru), a saber that creates vacuum blades; its performance is dependent on the phases of the moon. He is killed by Akame and his Teigu is retrieved by Night Raid.[ch. 48]
Izou
Izou (イゾウ Izou) is a master swordsman who keeps his peculiar-looking eyes closed most of the time. He has a deep passion for his katana, "Kōsetsu" (江雪 Kōsetsu), and refers to killing his victims as "feeding" it. Kōsetsu is noted not to be a Teigu and Izou himself claims that he is not interested in Teigu. Syura has noted that as long as Izou is present he can make it up for Wild Hunt's lost military strength, even with Enshin and Champ dead and Cosmina recovering. He kills Lubbock when he tries to escape from the palace after being captured. He is later killed by Akame.[ch. 58]
Elite Seven
The Elite Seven was a special squad of assassins that served the Empire during the events of the prequel manga Akame ga Kill! Zero. Except for its leader, each member of the squad carried a less powerful version of the Teigu called a Shingu (臣具) which were created by an Emperor four hundred years ago in an attempt to produce stronger artifacts than the original Teigu, but with no success. All members of the unit were children raised since childhood in the arts of assassination and Akame was one of them, ranked no. 7 before defecting to the Revolutionary Army.
Gozuki
- Voiced by: Rintarō Nishi (Japanese); Aaron Echegaray (English)
Originally a member of the Rakshasa Demons, Gozuki (ゴズキ Gozuki) took the seven most talented children amongst the many tested, Akame included, and trained them to be human weapons for the purpose of stamping out rebels acting against the Empire. He did not include Kurome amongst the seven as she finished in eighth place, and he did not want sisterly affections to interfere with their combat efficiencies. He referred them as his "children" and they in turn referred him as "father". He was intolerant of failure and threatened to disown any of them who failed in their missions. As the leader of the Elite Seven, Gozuki was the only member with a real Teigu, the "One Cut Killer: Murasame" (一斬必殺 村雨 Ichizan Hissatsu: Murasame), a katana laced with cursed poison that instant kills anyone cut by it, the same weapon now in Akame's possession.
Najasho
Ranked no.1 of the Elite Seven, Najasho was the sub-leader of the team, thus he usually treated his companions as less capable than him and had a tendency to boss them around. His Shingu was the "Water-Dragon Sword", a broadsword with the power to enhance the capabilities of its wielders for three minutes, at the cost of leaving them exausted for a while once its effect wears off.
Guy
Ranked no.2, Guy had a rather perverted attitude, usually visiting brothels and flirting with the female members of the team. Despite that, he had real feelings for Cornelia and swore revenge upon those who killed her. His Shingu was the "Rare Suit", a suit of armor that takes advantage of the ground to perform surprise attacks.
Cornelia
Ranked no.3, Cornelia was the big-sister figure of the group. She is killed by one of Chelsea's former teammates called Taeko, after revealing her secret to her, unaware of her true identity. Her Shingu was the "Pulverization Ring", that bestows superhuman strength to its user, but can harm them if not used properly.
Pony
Ranked no.4, Pony was cheerful, straightforward, and rather dimwitted, who had a deep admiration for Gozuki and loved to please him. She also seemed to enjoy fighting and killing her targets. Her Shingu was the "Yocto-bottoms", that gives the user extra acceleration and leg strength, but the user must compensate possible side-effects from extensive use with special physical training.
Green
Ranked no.5, Green was a bespectacled, rather reserved boy who actually had some feelings for Akame, which were never reciprocated. His Shingu was the "Sidewinder", a whip that moves according to its user's will, but demanding lots of concentration.
Tsukushi
Ranked no.6, Tsukushi is around Akame's age and the member of the team she seemed to be the closest to. Her Shingu was the "Prometheus", a pair of pistols whose bullets have their trajetory controlled by the user according to their will. However, this control gets harder with each round fired after successive shots.
Reception
The characters of Akame ga Kill! have been well received by anime and manga publications. UK Anime Network praised the development of Tatsumi from a "happy go lucky" protagonist and changes as he interacts with the members from Night Raid.[3] Anime News Network criticized most of its first villains for being "one-note savages resigned to "grinning insanely while being killed."[4] However, the introduction of the Jeagers led to a more positive response due to the characterization of the new antagonists with Wave's dynamic with Tatsumi being called out twice due to their several similarities in terms of personalities.[5][6]
References
Specific
- ↑ Used in the English copies of the Yen Press manga
- ↑ Toonami premier of Akame ga Kill!
- ↑ "ANIME REVIEW: Akame ga Kill! - Eps. 1-6". UK Anime Network. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Akame ga KILL! Episodes 1-8". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Akame ga Kill! Episode #10 Anime Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
- ↑ "Akame ga KILL! Episode 10". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
- Akame ga Kill manga volumes written by Takahiro and illustrated by Tashiro, Tetsuya. Original Japanese version published by Square Enix.
- Vol. 1 (ch. 1–4): August 21, 2010. ISBN 978-4-7575-2980-9. (in Japanese).
- Vol. 2 (ch. 5–9): January 22, 2011. ISBN 978-4-7575-3129-1. (in Japanese).
- Vol. 3 (ch. 10–14): May 21, 2011 ISBN 978-4-7575-3238-0. (in Japanese).
- Vol. 4 (ch. 15–19): January 21, 2012. ISBN 978-4-7575-3482-7. (in Japanese).
- Vol. 5 (ch. 20–23): April 21, 2012. ISBN 978-4-7575-3570-1. (in Japanese).
- Vol. 6 (ch. 24–28): September 22, 2012. ISBN 978-4-7575-3736-1. (in Japanese).
- Vol. 7 (ch. 29–33): February 22, 2013. ISBN 978-4-7575-3881-8. (in Japanese).
- Vol. 8 (ch. 34–38): July 22, 2013. ISBN 978-4-7575-4011-8. (in Japanese).
- Vol. 9 (ch. 39–43): January 22, 2014. ISBN 978-4-7575-4206-8. (in Japanese).
- Vol. 10 (ch. 44–48): June 21, 2014. ISBN 978-4-7575-4206-8. (in Japanese).