Sakamoto Days Chapter 174 Recap & Review

A Certain Skilled Assassin

Chapter 174 of Sakamoto Days starts with Akao murdering someone. She visits her employer and he hands her payment for the job. Her employer suggests she work for them but Akao tells him she’s not interested and returns to her base. There, Slur greets her. We learn they’ve been hiding at this base for a year. Slur notices blood on Akao’s arm and confronts her about it.

He’s not thrilled that Akao’s killing people for money because he’s afraid the JAA will find them. Akao promises Slur that she didn’t leave a trail behind. Slur suggests they conceal their identities and work normal jobs. Akao doesn’t like that idea and reminds Slur about their mission to defeat their Al-Kamar enemies. 

She says if they’re going to defeat their enemies and save Slur’s buddies, they’ll need lots of cash. Slur understands but wishes Akao didn’t have to kill people for money.

Simultaneously, Slur wishes he wasn’t born in this vicious world. Akao and Slur head to sleep. The former understands Slur’s concerns but knows this world isn’t kind to anyone. Nonetheless, Akao vows to protect Slur’s gentle spirit.

Meanwhile, a man informs Sei Asaki, the JAA Chairman, about Slur and Akao’s current whereabouts and activities. Meanwhile, Akao visits her employer and says she’s not interested in his new job opportunity. The employer tells Akao that this job involves protecting a CEO’s daughter from peril. 

Akao understands and says she’ll take the job. She sends Slur a text. In it, Akao says she’ll be gone for a while. Then, Sei arrives at Slur and Akao’s hideout. Sei asks Slur to return to Al-Kamar. Slur refuses so Sei makes a deal with Slur. He wants Slur to eliminate a specific assassin. If Slur completes the task, Sei will free Slur’s friends at Al-Kamar. Slur questions if he can do it.

Meanwhile, Akao is shown riding in a vehicle. The two ponder their current situations. The chapter ends with Slur saying he’ll complete his first kill and Akao announcing she’ll complete her final one.  

The Chapter Review

Much like Chapter 173, Chapter 174 of Sakamoto Days gives readers a glimpse into Slur and Akao’s past endeavors. From road rage to fighting foes, things were looking up for this Bonnie and Clyde-like duo. Yet, matters are starting to look problematic for our current protagonists as far as Chapter 174 is concerned. 

From Akao tackling assassin-oriented work to Sei forcing Slur to get his hands dirty, readers are starting to piece together what led to Akao’s downfall. Therefore, it’s likely Sei wants Slur to exterminate Akao. We can assume that’s the case based on the manga panels we receive toward the end of Chapter 174. At the same time, we can see Slur tackling this task but developing a method around murdering Akao, if she is his target. 

Essentially, Slur may develop a strategy that’ll save his buddies at Al-Kamar and prevent Akao’s death. Yet, there’s a possibility Sei may ruin Slur’s plans and exterminate Akao himself, leaving Slur traumatized. This could add more context to Slur’s multiple personality disorder-like illness he’s enduring in the present timeline.

Nonetheless, Yuto Suzuki deserves praise for finding ways to keep viewers invested in Slur and Akao’s backstory. Additionally, this chapter’s artwork looks marvelous. The previous chapter had some unfinished character designs, but this one is free of error, art-wise. Nevertheless, we’re hopeful Suzuki gets proper rest and isn’t being forced to churn out more chapters. All in all, this was an intriguing read.