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Akame ga Kill! (Volume 13)

Akame ga Kill Title

Tatsumi and Leone are still recovering from the fight with Wild Hunt, but Akame gets no time to rest. She has some targets in the Capitol and her mission is simple – kill as many as you can!

What did you read?

So, this was volume 13 of the Akame ga Kill manga and things are moving towards the big finish. There are only two volumes left and this one roughly aligns with episode 22 of the anime, although it was released well after the anime had finished. Part of me wonders if the Takahiro changed his story after seeing the reaction to the anime. I could be wrong, but I think that’s why there are things that I liked better in both versions. Anyhow, let’s dive in!

Akame ga Kill Volume 13 Cover

What happened?

Tatsumi is struggling after using Incursio to defeat Cosmina to regain his form. The doctor warned him that he would lose himself to the dragon if he used it too many more times. However, after just one time, he could already feel the change and it was eating him from the inside. Leone and Akame found him hiding in a cave and did their best to help him calm down. Soon enough, he was feeling better, but there would be no more missions for him until the final showdown. Leone was also taking it easy as she recovered from battling Dorothea.

Akame, however, was given a list of top targets within the Empire’s army and free reign to take out as many as possible. She headed into the Capitol and went to work. Meanwhile, a group of barbarians had infiltrated the Capitol and sought revenge for what Esdeath did to them. The Jaegers were dispatched to take care of them, however, Wave spotted Akame as she took out on of her targets. He followed her in the woods and attempted a surprise attack.

Of course, Akame was ready for him and asked to talk, but Wave wasn’t interested in talking. If he could take out Akame, maybe he could stop her from clashing with Kurome. Akame continued to dodge his attacks, striking his armour at the same spot over and over again. Eventually, she made a break and Wave backed down. Akame asked him to tell Kurome to met her so that they could settle things, but he wasn’t interested. Before Akame could explain any further, he rushed back to the Capitol.

Kurome, however, had been sent on a retaliation mission with her old assassin team to hit the rebels hard after Akame’s killing spree. It was a suicide mission as Akame was waiting for them and quickly took out half of the team. The other half were ambushed by Leone and the rebel army. Only a handful survived and made it back to the Capitol.

Wave was relieved to see that Kurome made it back. He told her about his meeting with Akame, but Kurome also saw her on the battlefield and was going to meet her. Wave tried to stop her, but then she kissed him and then hit him, giving her the time to go. She met up with Akame in an abandoned area where they could fight.

They were in full battle, Akame cutting down Kurome’s puppets and was about to go after her when Wave intervened. Tatsumi used Incursio again to stop Wave, however, Wave took the Teigu from the Run puppet and armed it, giving himself two Teigus. He stepped in once more and declared his love for Kurome and how he was willing to leave the war to save her.

Akame ga Kill Volume 13 Tatsumi transforming

How was it different from the anime?

How wasn’t it different! I loved this volume and for the most part, was better than the anime. With Tatsumi and Leone out of action, we got to follow Akame as she assassinated numerous targets. It was awesome seeing her really cut loose and her fight with Wave was excellent, also missing from the anime. Then, the way that Akame challenge Kurome was different too. We didn’t get the assassination team going after the rebels and losing convincingly. The biggest change, however, was in the fight between Akame and Kurome. In the anime, Kurome dies and is carried away by Wave, but here, she survived, saved by Wave’s love and dedication for her.

Akame ga Kill Volume 13 Akame fighting Wave

What was your favourite element?

The action in the volume was outstanding and centred around Akame. I’ll admit that we really should have focused more on Akame throughout the series. Obviously, following Tatsumi early on was a great way to reveal the world and workings to the audience, but Akame is just too cool to have her sitting in the background for long. I’m not even going to pick one fight as this volume was almost non-stop Akame fights and they were all excellent.

Akame ga Kill Volume 13 Akame wipes out assassins

What was your least favourite element?

I thought the way that the Wave and Kurome romance developed was excellent. It felt that is was a good development and definitely raised the stakes in the fight between Akame and Kurome. I stand by my belief that Wave is showing us another possible path that Tatsumi could have taken and that makes this development all the more interesting. So, why is this my least favourite element? Well, it’s actually the outcome of the fight. I think Kurome dying, as she did in the anime, was the better outcome from a story perspective. I view Akame ga Kill as a tragedy and that would make her death after Wave confessed his love for her more fitting.

Akame ga Kill Volume 13 Kurome kisses Wave

What have you learnt?

I said earlier how I feel like Takahiro changed his story and keeping Kurome alive feels like one of those changes. One of the regular criticisms of Akame ga Kill is the amount of death, however, I believe that is one of its strengths. Given the way the final two books will go, it certainly seems like this could have happened. I should say that it’s fine for an author to change their works in any way they want. It’s their story after all. This does feel like a bit of a shift in tone, especially the discussion between Wave and Akame about whether Kurome would go with Wave or would continue to fight.

Akame ga Kill Volume 13 Wave uses two Teigus

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