Akame ga Kill! (Volume 15)
It’s the final battle! Can Tatsumi stop the Emperor from destroying the Capitol and killing all his citizens? To do that he’s going to have to bring down the Supreme Teigu, and let’s not forget about Esdeath and Honest!
What did you read?
This is volume 15 of Akame ga Kill. It’s the final book in the series and it was absolutely worth the wait. If you think volume 14 was epic, then get ready for three hundred pages or unbelievable action. I first watched the anime when I was waiting for volume 15 to be translated and released. The ending in the anime was amazing. I loved it the first time I watched it and then had to wait to see how the manga would end. Honestly, I love both endings and can’t pick one over the other, but I think that’s because there are parts of both that resonated with me.
What happened?
Tatsumi was left battling the Emperor in the Supreme Teigu which had just been enhanced by Minster Honest thanks to the changes Dorothea had made. Of course, Tatsumi was going through some changes too. Incursio was taking over his body, making him stronger, but it came with a cost. Soon Incursio would take complete control and the dragon would be reborn. At one point, Tatsumi thought he had died saving the civilians from a stray missile attack, but Incursio kept him going.
Wave returned to the Capitol to help out briefly and was drawn into the fight with the Supreme Teigu. Together they managed to knock it back. That was enough for Wave to focus his attention on evacuating the citizens while Tatsumi continued the fight. However, Tatsumi was finding it harder and harder to remain in control. He tried to focus on Susanoo’s advice and searched for a weak point in the Teigu. Then, when he found it, he channelled all of his thoughts and memories of his friends in Night Raid and charged.
Esdeath rushed towards the battle, ready to take on Tatsumi, but she was intercepted by Akame who had survived her encounter with Suzuka. It was enough for Tatsumi to complete his attack and the Supreme Teigu fell. The Rebel Army roared as victory appeared to be a possibility. It was just Esdeath standing in their way. Tatsumi lost control and completely transformed into a dragon. He tried to help Akame, but it was no use. He’d lost control and begged Akame to kill him. She did, unleashing her trump card.
Najenda and the Rebel Army closed in around Esdeath, hoping to create an opening for Akame to strike. Esdeath, of course, had no plans on going down easy. She recalled her powers that had created the Ice Cavalry and unleashed an ice storm on the country. If she was going down, everyone was going with her. Eventually, Akame found her opening and cut Esdeath’s arm with Murasame. Esdeath simply severed her arm before the curse could spread and continued the fight.
With things getting interesting, Esdeath sealed herself and Akame within a wall of ice so that they could fight uninterrupted. Akame didn’t let up and charged into land a massive blow. Esdeath was ready for it and caught Murasame in her ice and smashed it to pieces. Akame reacted quickly, taking up Esdeath’s sword and continued her attack. Esdeath thought she had it all covered, but Akame used her sword to fire a piece of Murasame into Esdeath’s heart. There would be no escaping this attack.
The only thing left before they could declare total victory was Minister Honest who had vanished. He fled through the secret passages beneath the city but hadn’t counted on Leone catching up with him. It turned out that she too had merged with her Teigu and was becoming a Danger Beast. She defeated him and then tossed him off the balcony so that the masses could deal with him appropriately…
How was it different from the anime?
Where do I start with this one? Firstly, Tatsumi transformed into a dragon instead of dying saving the people. I’m kind of torn here, as the transformation made a lot of sense and helped him continuously power up. It also provided a reason for Leone to continue to pursue Honest. However, I prefer that Tatsumi died as in the anime. I feel like that was what the series was always building towards and having him survive in the manga felt off, especially as Mine also recovered and they had a child together… remember, he’s a dragon now…
Otherwise, the battle was so much better in the manga. It was almost impossible to put the book down. This was the epic battle that this series demanded and I loved it.
What was your favourite element?
Akame’s fight with Esdeath was unreal. It was everything the anime showed us and ten times more. Just like everything in these last few books, it’s taken the series to the next level. I wish they had waited to do the second cour until more books had been released. There was easily another season or two in here and it would have been just incredible.
What was your least favourite element?
Having to watch Leone die after making us think she’d already died was heartbreaking. The scene where she heads into an alleyway and falls to the ground gets me every time. Both the anime and the manga kill me with that image. Just thinking about it is enough. Leone’s death really was the hardest one to take in the entire series.
What have you learnt?
There’s nothing like a great ending to a really enjoyable series, especially when all the pieces come together to make the events fit together perfectly. In this, we saw how Tatsumi and Wave fought together against the Supreme Teigu using the tactic that Akame had used on Wave. Tatsumi recalled the advice from Bulat and Susanoo. Everything that had happened prior to this book fed into it and made it that much more impressive. Never underestimate the power of foreshadowing. You want the ending to be surprising, but also completely obvious.
Other posts in the series
Anime
- Season One
- Episode 1 – Kill the Darkness
- Episode 2 – Kill the Authority
- Episode 3 – Kill Your Cares
- Episode 4 – Kill the Imperial Arms User
- Episode 5 – Kill the Empty Dream
- Episode 6 – Kill the Absolute Justice
- Episode 7 – Kill the Three Beasts – Part One
- Episode 8 – Kill the Three Beasts – Part Two
- Episode 9 – Kill the Lust for Combat
- Episode 10 – Kill the Seduction
- Episode 11 – Kill the Mad Scientist
- Episode 12 – Kill the New Recruits
- Episode 13 – Kill the Hindrance
- Episode 14 – Kill the Giant Dangerous Beast
- Episode 15 – Kill the Religion
- Episode 16 – Kill the Dolls
- Episode 17 – Kill the Curse
- Episode 18 – Kill the Demons
- Episode 19 – Kill the Fate
- Episode 20 – Kill the Pandemonium
- Episode 21 – Kill the Despair
- Episode 22 – Kill the Little Sister
- Episode 23 – Kill the Emperor
- Episode 24 – Akame ga Kill!
Manga
- Volume 1
- Volume 2
- Volume 3
- Volume 4
- Volume 5
- Volume 6
- Volume 7
- Volume 8
- Volume 9
- Volume 10
- Volume 11
- Volume 12
- Volume 13
- Volume 14
- Volume 15
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