10 Books/Manga Like Akame Ga Kill
Akame Ga Kill is a manga series known for its gritty world, interesting cast, and strong violence. It was written by Takahiro and illustrated by Tetsuya Tashiro. The story revolves around Tatsumi, a boy who joins a group of assassins called The Night Raid. He’ll assist them with establishing peace in a corrupt Empire. While many wrote the series off due to its poorly handled anime adaptation, many enjoyed Takahiro and Tashiro’s efforts displayed in the manga.
If you’re in the mood for more action, psychological, or fantasy books/manga that offer a similar vibe, fear not! We’ve gathered together 10 books/manga to check out when you’ve caught up with Akame Ga Kill. Of course, if you feel we’ve missed any of your favorites, do comment below and let us know!
Chained Soldier – Takahiro
Similarities – Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Chained Soldier is an ongoing action-adventure series with an interesting premise and a boatload of interesting fights. The story’s set in Japan where gates leading to the dangerous “Demon City” appear. Girls who ventured to the city and ate its peaches gained unique abilities. When our male lead, Yuuki meets the Demon Defense Force’s commander Kyouka, things take a dramatic turn.
Akame Ga Kill and Chained Soldier share the same author and it’s apparent through each tale’s respective story beats. Like Tatsumi, Yuuki gets involved with a female commander who gets closer to him over time. Yuuki’s design resembles Tatsumi’s to an extent. Even Yuuki’s powered-up form looks identical to the armor and weaponry Tatsumi earns in Akame Ga Kill.
Moreover, both stories make great use of their dark fantasy settings. You’ll love the amount of detail that went into each story’s societies, landscapes, and character designs.
With some compelling action-packed scenarios and a taste of adventure, Chained Soldier is another Takahiro work that should appeal to you.
Deadman Wonderland – Jinsei Kataoka
Similarities – Action, Adventure, Ambigious Worlds
Deadman Wonderland is an action-packed and gruesome tale about a boy who gets falsely accused of murdering his classmates. The protagonist, Ganta Igarashi, gets sentenced to Deadman Wonderland, a prison-like amusement park where he must battle it out with other criminals for its attendees and owners’ entertainment. Ganta hopes to escape and clear his name.
Deadman Wonderland depicts a brutal and violent world, similar to Akame Ga Kill’s in nature. Characters constantly fight each other in life-or-death scenarios, resulting in them experiencing immense pain on a physical and mental level. Ganta’s superhuman battles against the criminals in Deadman Wonderland echo the intensified bouts shown between the Night Raid and their opponents.
Moreover, both manga explores how corrupt each protagonist’s settings are. Where Deadman Wonderland’s prison captures the notion of a corrupt justice system, the town the Night Raid and Tatsumi traverse through is plagued by horrid decisions made by its government. Both manga provide thought-provoking studies of morality in virtuously complex environments.
Btooom! – Junya Inoue
Similarities – Action & Drama
Btooom! is an interesting battle-royale-themed manga. It contains the same level of adrenaline-pumping action sequences as Akame Ga Kill and contains a world that’s just as mysterious as that series’s too. In it, our protagonist Ryouta finds himself on an abandoned island and learns he’s been selected to compete in a bloody competition similar to one of his favorite online video games.
Not wanting to kill or harm anyone, Ryouta teams up with a female who shares a similar stance. They plot their escape and hope to find the one responsible for sending them here. Akame Ga Kill and Btooom! delve into the theme of survival and show their protagonists struggling to achieve that simple goal. Tatsumi and Ryouta experience dreadful hardships that affect them physically and mentally.
Readers will get chills over the multiple twists and unfortunate outcomes that occur for the characters in each world. Junya Inoue doesn’t hold back, so it’s best to anticipate the worst if you plan to read Btooom!
Akudama Drive – Rokurou Ogaki
Similarities – Tone, Action, Drama
Akudama Drive is an adrenaline-pumping thriller work that shares much in common with Takahiro’s Akame Ga Kill. It takes place years after the Civil War caused Japan to separate into two regions: Kansai and Kanto. Kansai is home to an infamous Akudama group, who spend their lives carrying out missions for a black cat.
After one of their missions gets a normal girl involved, life for the Akudama undergoes a drastic turn. This is another story featuring an elite group of warriors who get accompanied by an ordinary civilian through unexpected circumstances. Both groups traverse a corrupt society led by shady government figures who administer horrible societal practices.
Readers will enjoy seeing how the Akudama and their female companion tackle numerous missions while being on the run from their area’s law enforcement. Each scenario evokes a sense of intrigue and suspense that’ll keep you glued to the page.
On top of having morally complex characters with engaging backgrounds and personalities, Akudama Drive will satisfy you.
Afro Samurai – Takahashi Ozaki
Similarities – Action & Adventure
Afro Samurai is an intense action-adventure series with similar themes, storytelling elements, and characters as Akame Ga Kill to an extent. The story follows Afro who embarks on a journey to murder a villain named Justice for killing his father in a duel. Like Tatsumi and several Night Raid members, Afro is driven by vengeance and seeks to avenge people who were close to him.
Both group’s journeys won’t be simple as they’ll need to survive countless battles to achieve their desires. Furthermore, both tales feature our characters traversing through morally complex environments where the lines between good and evil are blurred. Expect to see many characters question their motives as both tales nail home how revenge will only lead to more violence.
If you want another tale that’ll immerse you with its dark setting and character’s revenge-seeking journey, read Afro Samurai.
Attack On Titan – Hajime Isayama
Similarities – Horror, Action, Corrupt Worlds
There’s no denying how popular Attack On Titan has been since its release. It’s a story that’s left many fans speechless with its violent nature, complex storytelling, and profound cast. However, for Akame Ga Kill fans who haven’t read it yet, Attack On Titan is set in a world where humans live behind large walled-up locales to protect themselves from giant humanoid monsters called Titans.
After one of the walls falls, many people perish. This happens to be the home of our protagonist Eren and his friends who survive the excursion. This results in Eren vowing to join his world’s Survey Corps to achieve the strength and skill necessary to slaughter all the Titans. Like Akame Ga Kill, Attack On Titan offers tantalizing fights, a brutal world, and enough mystery to keep you hooked.
Hajime Isayama excels at balancing each of these aspects within Attack On Titan’s narrative. While there are moments where the story can get a bit confusing due to pacing issues, you’ll be left contemplating what he has planned for the world before its inevitable conclusion.
If you’ve been wondering why Attack On Titan is a juggernaut in the animation industry, give this manga a read.
The Seven Deadly Sins – Nakaba Suzuki
Similarities – Action, Adventure, Fantasy
While The Seven Deadly Sins is more comical than Akame Ga Kill, it’s another action-adventure series that bears resemblance to it in ways. The story takes place in a medieval and corrupt world. Princess Elizabeth travels alongside the Seven Deadly Sins leader Meliodas to recruit his allies. By rounding up his buddies, they hope to end the Holy Knights’ control over Elizabeth’s kingdom.
As one can tell, both stories feature an ordinary lead who travels with a group of insanely powerful warriors to fight against a corrupt government. Their journeys are filled with highs and lows that often put them on the brink of danger. Meliodas and Tatsumi are young leads with vast potential. They’ll experience incredible growth through their interactions with enemies and allies.
On top of having some interesting revelations and intense action scenes, The Seven Deadly Sins is a fun adventure manga that’s worth reading.
Drifters – Kouta Hirano
Similarities – Gritty Worlds & Action
Drifters is a fabulously violent story with enough captivating locales and characters to keep you at bay. In it, we follow rearguard Toyohisa Shimazu as he gets pulled into another world after entering a mysterious door. He’ll meet many warriors and creatures from different periods. Shimazu learns he must vanquish the Ends before they destroy this realm’s inhabitants.
Like Akame Ga Kill, fans can anticipate things get utterly brutal for Shimazu and his comrades in Drifters. Not only will they be fighting against powerful foes, but Shimazu and his allies must make challenging choices that will make them question their form of justice. These all play a role in affecting our characters’ psyche for the worse.
For those who love tales where the lines between heroism and villainy aren’t black and white, Drifters should interest you.
Claymore – Norihiro Yagi
Similarities – Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Claymore is an exceptional medieval fantasy tale with incredible illustrations, storytelling, and characters. The story follows Clare, a Claymore who travels alongside her companion Raki to find and murder the woman who slayed her master many years ago. Like Akame Ga Kill, this tale is brutal and tackles themes of revenge, sacrifice, and identity.
Clare is just as captivating to follow as Akame, Leone, and the other female heroines and villains in Akame Ga Kill. She’s a skilled warrior who becomes more capable and ferocious throughout the story. Both stories feature fascinating fantasy settings rich in scenery, culture, and mystery. You’ll love the level of detail Norihiro Yagi put into designing Claymore’s world.
On top of having some intensely dramatic scenarios that help you empathize with Clare and her quarrels with her enemy, Claymore is a must-read for all fantasy fans.
Berserk – Kentarou Miura
Similarities – Fantasy, Action, Themes
Berserk is hailed as the king of fantasy manga by some fans. It’s absurdly brutal and emotional with the things that occur during its protagonist Guts’s journey. Like Akame Ga Kill, this story depicts a harsh society where power and corruption hold sway, and the protagonists must navigate their way through morally ambiguous situations.
Guts is as skilled as Akame Ga Kill’s Night Raid and has a tragic past that’ll make readers empathize with him. He’ll face dangerous challenges and witness many power-hungry individuals cause harm to the less fortunate. He’ll question his sense of justice and will go to great lengths to achieve his goals.
Both manga contain lively worlds brimming with creativity and mystery. On top of having jaw-dropping illustrations that’ll make you speechless, Berserk is the go-to fantasy manga to read if you’re after a tale with a mature tone.
So there we have it, our 10 books/manga to read after you’re caught up with Akame Ga Kill.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!