Common Sense Media Review
Dark fantasy anime has lots of extreme gore and violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Akame ga Kill!
What's the Story?
AKAME GA KILL! Follows the story of Tatsumi, a young fighter who sets off with his two friends to make money to send back to his small village. Tatsumi (voiced by Corey Hartzog) travels to the capital city to join the military in hopes of a better life. However, he soon finds out that the capital is extremely corrupt. After the death of his friends, Tatsumi meets Night Raid, a group of rogue assassins aiming to take down the capital's government. Determined to make sure no one else suffers at the hands of the wicked capital, Tatsumi joins Night Raid and sets off to fight the nefarious empire.
Is It Any Good?
This dark fantasy series contains some exciting fights (and lots of blood and gore), but doesn't really offer any thought-provoking themes. Akame ga Kill! is a somewhat shallow but entertaining series. Tatsumi and the rest of the main cast are likeable enough despite having stereotypical shonen anime personalities. Tatsumi is your standard hero character. He has a strong sense of justice and wants to bring down the wicked empire. The art and animation are good, and the fight scenes are the best part of the series. There is some satisfaction in seeing the vigilante underdogs take out the particularly heinous characters.
Unfortunately, that's about all this anime has going for it. Outside of the exciting action, the story is lacking. It's your stereotypical "underdog rebels versus an evil empire" kind of story. The Empire and its rulers are so sadistic that you don't even think twice about supporting Tatsumi and his group of assassins trying to take them out. There's no gray area here, just irredeemable bad guys who commit atrocities just for fun, and vigilante good guys who try to save the downtrodden.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the impact that viewing excessively violent and graphic content can have. What kind of messages about violence is this anime trying to convey?
Justice is a common theme in this series. You can talk to your kids about your values. What is justice? Is justice always good? And why is justice important?
TV Details
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