After the breaking success of the shounen/dark fantasy action-packed manga Akame ga kill, the series was sure to return with a new sequel. Or prequel. 80 chapters packed with horror, ruthless murder and dreadful battles to bring back peace and justice to the rotten Empire were not enough. The story of Akame and her little sister sparked huge interest in the readers so Tatsuya Tashiro and Takahiro had to bring the full story to the world. Akame ga Kill Zero – the complete story of Akame and Kurome is now being published and it’s getting more intense and interesting with each page.

Naturally, Akame ga Kill Zero strongly resembles the original series and a lot of the themes overlap. The main characters we are looking into are Akame and Kurome, we are showed their complete story since the very first day the Empire acquired them and decided to turn them into high-class assassins.

However, even though the themes about corruption, sense of judgment and twisted personalities are preserved the viewpoint is radically switched and instead of following the Revolutionary Army, we are focusing on the thoughts, moves, and viewpoint of the Empire and their different assassination units. This brings planty of twists from the original and a very detailed and developed view of the “bad guys”. The world of Akame ga Kill is vast, diverse and there are countless things to explore. Hopefully, we will be able to see them all in Akame ga Kill Zero, but one thing is certain – we are off to a good start.

This review is based on volume 1 to 4 of the manga. It is spoiler free and the purpose is to give you an overall idea about the series and whether you should consider reading it or not. Read in peace and enjoy!

Story

As mentioned, the storyline is centered around Akame and Kurome and shows the complete story of their past. However, this doesn’t mean the two sisters are the only focus of the series.

Akame ga kill Zero consists of small arcs exploring different situations, characters, and development. It slowly moves from the general life of the assassination units of the Empire to their forced improvement and the common sense returning to several of the characters.

The story takes us back before the war has started and the Revolutionary army has grown more than the Empire can handle. It is interesting to note how things developed to lead to the war and the mindset of the various characters – good and bad. The original motives of the series is contained- sense of justice, bloody fights, horror, developed character relationships and a bit of romance to balance all of this. The series is a great addition to the universe of Akame ga Kill and presents rich storyline arcs with great development and interesting characters. As usual, the interest is maintained with a good amount of plot twists and unexpected situations both tragic and funny ones. The story is intense and dramatic and it will definitely keep you on the edge. The good thing about Akame ga Kill is that you never know what to expect and you can never sit back with relief that trouble has passed your favorite character. This simply never happens.

Characters

The original series surprised me with the complexity and development of the characters, as well as with some sick and twisted individuals. Akame ga Kill Zero didn’t fall behind in that matter.

Even though it is only Akame and Kurome from the original series, the new characters introduced are just as complex and interesting to observe as the ones from the main story.

Each of them is unique and has something that makes him/her worth observing closely. There are new characters introduced very often due to the short story arcs and new good and bad guys making an appearance. Naturally, the story of Akame and Kurome is explained in depth and with great detail, their mindset and reasons are way more clear and the same goes for all the characters in the series. Some of the ones from the original also make an appearance but just for a short time, even though there were hints they will play a major role in the development of the series.

As usual, it is best if you do not get attached to any of characters since the manga kept its twisted horror aspect quite well. Characters will be switching fast and you will be kept on the edge of your seat to find out if your favorites will make it out alive or not.

Art

Needless to say that the art is on top level. More attention is given to details and it is obvious that the artists have learned from past mistakes. There are no deformed faces, there is a lot of detail in everything and a good amount of gore for a horror series. Fanservice is also included to balance the bloody murderers.

I have to admit that there is a serious improvement considering the original series. Anatomy and motion are better depicted and with fewer mistakes, fights are versatile and interesting to observe and there is no need for animation to make things clear anymore. The art definitely does not disappoint.

And that’s about it, I hope this review was helpful and if you are still uncertain – definitely give Akame ga Kill Zero a go. It is totally worth it and will keep you entertained. Thanks for reading!