Gachiakuta (ガチアクタ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kei Urana.It began serialization in Kodansha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine in February 2022. As of February 2026, the series' individual chapters have been collected in 18 volumes.
An anime television series adaptation produced by Bones Film aired from July to December 2025. A second season has been announced.
Synopsis
Setting
Gachiakuta takes place in a dystopian world where there exists a floating country-sized structure known as the Sphere (天界), which runs on a social caste system that divides the rich and wealthy society from the poor "tribesfolk" living around the outer perimeter—descended from notorious criminals and exiled by the upper-class—by way of a heavily guarded wall. Both sides of the caste dump their trash and unwanted waste, as well as people convicted of any crime, down the "Pit", a never-ending expanses below the Sphere in which the Spherites (天界人)—the inhabitants of the Sphere—deemed inhospitable to all forms of life.
Unbeknown to the Spherites, beyond the Pit and the "Border" (ボーダー) separating it from the Sphere lies the "Ground" (下界), a lawless wasteland with a mostly toxic environment infested with the Spherites' waste due to the constant downpour of trash from the Sphere, its heavily polluted areas are often roamed about by Trash Beasts (斑獣), living creatures literally made of trash.
July 6, 2025
episodes
24
Amongst its various inhabitants and wandering troublemakers—mostly survived being thrown down the Pit by the Spherites and has since made a thriving civilized network of towns—there exists the Cleaners (掃除屋), a group of super-powered individuals known as "Givers" specialized with handling odd-jobs and exterminating Trash Beasts as conventional weaponry does not work on them due to their regenerative properties.
Each Giver has access to their respective Vital Instrument (人器), powerful weapons converted from everyday objects by infusing them with the Giver's own capacity to generate Anima (思念) from their body. Often the only thing capable of taking down Trash Beasts, Vital Instruments are usually the manifestation of a Giver's love and care for these treasured objects, allowing their Anima to awakened and make these worthless items valuable in combat. Additionally, the longer a Giver tends to their valued object with love and care, the more seasoned and better it becomes as a Vital Instrument, thus “improving its quality” and making it more powerful, as it also serves as a conduit for a Giver's own experience and ideology as a person. Amongst the many Vital Instruments used by the various Givers of the Ground, there also exist the Watchman Series (番人シリーズ), a set of five unfathomably powerful Vital Instruments said to be connected to the Watchman (番人)—a gigantic, incomprehensible being guarding the border between the Sphere and the Ground—and that usually require the wielder to have lost something in their life to use them without going insane from their power.
Plot
A young teenage boy named Rudo lives in the slums of a wealthy society among the "tribesfolk", a population descended from criminals and exiled by society. Rudo detests the upper class's wastefulness, as they often dump anything deemed trash, including criminals, into a massive dump site below the town known as "The Pit". Rudo was told by his foster father Regto that his biological father was dumped into the Pit for a crime before Rudo was born. One day, after rummaging through a dump site, Rudo returns home to find Regto murdered. Apprehended at the scene, Rudo is immediately charged with murder despite being innocent, due to his status as a tribesman. Unable to escape his fate, Rudo swears revenge upon the people and is dumped into the Pit.
After being dumped into the Pit, Rudo awakens to find himself disoriented in a foul-smelling, endless landscape of trash. Rudo is then attacked by large beasts made of trash and fends them off until he is rescued by a man named Enjin. The man explains that he is not underground but has fallen to the surface from "The Sphere". After testing him and awakening his power as a "Giver", Enjin invites Rudo to join him as a "Cleaner". Enjin explains that the Cleaners are an organization of Givers who use the power of unique weapons known as "vital instruments" (人器) to hunt the trash beasts that attacked him. Rudo reluctantly accepts Enjin's offer to join the Cleaners, so long as it helps accomplish his goal of returning to the Sphere and enacting revenge on those who dumped him into the Pit.
Characters
Cleaners
Team Akuta
Rudo Surebrec (ルド・スレブレック)
A former Sphereite, as well as Regto's adopted son, whose false convictions led to his sentencing to The Pit. After being saved from a group of trash beasts, he joins the Cleaners as part of his plan to enact murderous vengeance on his accusers and the true culprit. His vital instrument consists of 3R, a pair of gloves from the Watchman series, which were given to him by Regto before his death. Rudo's gloves allow him to give life to any three objects he wields, which are mainly trash since items that are still in good condition are harder for him to use. He would turn them into weapons or tools, though they would crumble after they had served their purpose. Rudo can focus the anima energy from three separate items into one item, boosting that specific item's power and even changing its form.
Enjin (エンジン)
A fellow member of the Cleaners who saves Rudo from a horde of trash beasts. He carries a vital instrument called Umbreaker, which takes the form of an umbrella. He is also the leader of Team Akuta, one of the teams that compose the Cleaners.
Zanka Nijiku (ザンカ・ニジク)
A hard working Cleaner and master combatant, who was recruited by Enjin and part of Team Akuta. His vital instrument is a staff-like weapon called Lovely Assistaff, that when activated becomes sharp and metal. He is from a noble family in the Kamuitari District, who has a long-standing connection to the Hell Guards, a group of people who fight criminal Givers, and was initially trained to be a Hell Guard like his older siblings. However, after being beaten by another trainee named Hyo, he sat inside a well hoping to die before being found by Enjin and Riyo and later joined the Cleaners with them.
Riyo Reaper (リヨウ・リーパー)
A carefree, energetic, and outgoing member of the Cleaners whose vital instrument comes in the form of a pair of scissors called The Ripper. She is also a former hitman.
Eishia Stilza (エイシア・スティルザ)
Eishia is August's shy younger sister and a member of the Akuta Cleaner team. She can heal people with her vital instrument Type:Heal, which has the appearance of a black power cord.
Shikage (シカゲ)
An extremely reclusive and elusive Cleaner and member of Team Akuta. His unknown vital instrument acts as a barrier that protects their headquarters.
Team Eager
Tamsy Caines (タムジー・ケインズ)
Tamsy is a seemingly kind senior member of the Cleaner team Eager. Using his vital instrument, Tokushin, a Distaff, he can create a "Net" of threads to trap a large number of people, the more the opponent's struggle the more tangled the thread gets making it extremely difficult to escape.
Delmon Gates (デルモン・ゲイツ)
Delmon is a loud and passionate member of the Cleaner team Eager. Using his vital instrument, Thirst Quencher, he can control the water contents to attack the opponents that absorb water, the larger it absorbs makes it pop like a balloon which killed them. He was initially working as a farmer whom his wife was dreaming to plant a flower, as well as to fill the house with flowers.
Team Child
Bro Santa (ブロ・サンタ)
Bro is the apologetic and amicable supervisor of Team Child whose vital instrument, Cloth, is a bandana that converts into a whip.
Dear Santa (ディア・サンタ)
Dear is a non-verbal and irritable ten-year-old Giver whose vital instrument, Centralian, is a pacifier that increases his strength with every hit.
Guita Hebby Fantasia (ギータ・ヘビィ・ファンタジア)
Guita is a loud, touchy, and childish teenager, who does not understand normal social cues and a member of Team Child. Her vital instrument is a kaiju onesie called Guita, allows her to transform into a giant kaiju monster.
Team Front
Arkha Corvus (アルハ・コルバス)
Arkha is the strong and charismatic boss of the Cleaners, whose vital instrument seemingly gives him foresight.
Semiu Grier (セミュ・グライア)
The receptionist at the Cleaners' headquarters. Using her vital instrument, Eyes, which takes the form of a pair of glasses, she can examine the overall capacities of a giver, which gives them the efficiency needed to join the organization. This ability can also be used in combat to detect incoming attacks and slow down time.
Amo Empool (アモ・エンプール)
A traumatized and abused young girl and the Lady of Penta, an individual who claims to have witnessed people cross the border. She is later kidnapped and locked in a dungeon. She is later rescued by Rudo and the Cleaners, after which she becomes a member of their group. Her vital instrument is the Watchman Boots, which release a scent that can make others see things and move to her will.
Team Danger
Adderoy Twins (アダーロイ兄弟)
Otto (オットー) and Epalte (エパルテ) are a pair of highly energetic twins, who are members of Team Danger at the South branch of the Cleaners. Their vital instrument is Twin Dolls, small handheld toys that grow to become giants that follow the movements of the twins and can carry out mass destruction.
Supporters
Gris Rubion (グリス・ルビオン)
Gris is an honourable and kind member of the Cleaner team Supporter whom despite lacking his vital instrument, he has an incredible physical strength and can rely on other skills.
Follo Tunito (フォロ・ツニート)
Follo is a polite and friendly member of the Cleaner team Supporter. He became a Giver after receiving his own vital instrument, Alan, which is a small hammer that converts into a giant sledgehammer from built up stress into a powerful attack.
Tomme Mima (トウム・ミマ)
Tomme is a compassionate member of the Cleaner team Supporter. She is responsible for taking notes and recording information about the Trash Beasts.
Meriege (メリージ)
Meriege appears to be a calm, friendly, and mild-mannered person Supporter in the South Branch of the Cleaners alongside Mildretta.
Mildretta (ミルドレッタ)
Mildretta is a tall, muscular and curt Supporter, who comes from the warrior tribe Sileia. She is the complete opposite of her partner Meriege.
Other Cleaners
August Stilza (オーガスト・スティルザ)
August is an eccentric artisan who designs the Cleaners' masks and clothing.
Fu Orostor (フウ・オロストル)
A former rookie member of the Raiders, he was once a coward who hid behind orders to evade responsibility. His vital instrument is Hii, a cursed doll that, when activated, assumes control of his body. This possession grants him immense physical strength and imposes a far more violent and aggressive personality.
Team Akuta
Rudo Surebrec (ルド・スレブレック)
A former Sphereite, as well as Regto's adopted son, whose false convictions led to his sentencing to The Pit. After being saved from a group of trash beasts, he joins the Cleaners as part of his plan to enact murderous vengeance on his accusers and the true culprit. His vital instrument consists of 3R, a pair of gloves from the Watchman series, which were given to him by Regto before his death. Rudo's gloves allow him to give life to any three objects he wields, which are mainly trash since items that are still in good condition are harder for him to use. He would turn them into weapons or tools, though they would crumble after they had served their purpose. Rudo can focus the anima energy from three separate items into one item, boosting that specific item's power and even changing its form.
Enjin (エンジン)
A fellow member of the Cleaners who saves Rudo from a horde of trash beasts. He carries a vital instrument called Umbreaker, which takes the form of an umbrella. He is also the leader of Team Akuta, one of the teams that compose the Cleaners.
Zanka Nijiku (ザンカ・ニジク)
A hard working Cleaner and master combatant, who was recruited by Enjin and part of Team Akuta. His vital instrument is a staff-like weapon called Lovely Assistaff, that when activated becomes sharp and metal. He is from a noble family in the Kamuitari District, who has a long-standing connection to the Hell Guards, a group of people who fight criminal Givers, and was initially trained to be a Hell Guard like his older siblings. However, after being beaten by another trainee named Hyo, he sat inside a well hoping to die before being found by Enjin and Riyo and later joined the Cleaners with them.
Riyo Reaper (リヨウ・リーパー)
A carefree, energetic, and outgoing member of the Cleaners whose vital instrument comes in the form of a pair of scissors called The Ripper. She is also a former hitman.
Team Eager
Tamsy Caines (タムジー・ケインズ)
Tamsy is a seemingly kind senior member of the Cleaner team Eager. Using his vital instrument, Tokushin, a Distaff, he can create a "Net" of threads to trap a large number of people, the more the opponent's struggle the more tangled the thread gets making it extremely difficult to escape.
Delmon Gates (デルモン・ゲイツ)
Delmon is a loud and passionate member of the Cleaner team Eager. Using his vital instrument, Thirst Quencher, he can control the water contents to attack the opponents that absorb water, the larger it absorbs makes it pop like a balloon which killed them. He was initially working as a farmer whom his wife was dreaming to plant a flower, as well as to fill the house with flowers.
Team Child
Bro Santa (ブロ・サンタ)
Bro is the apologetic and amicable supervisor of Team Child whose vital instrument, Cloth, is a bandana that converts into a whip.
Dear Santa (ディア・サンタ)
Dear is a non-verbal and irritable ten-year-old Giver whose vital instrument, Centralian, is a pacifier that increases his strength with every hit.
Guita Hebby Fantasia (ギータ・ヘビィ・ファンタジア)
Guita is a loud, touchy, and childish teenager, who does not understand normal social cues and a member of Team Child. Her vital instrument is a kaiju onesie called Guita, allows her to transform into a giant kaiju monster.
Team Front
Arkha Corvus (アルハ・コルバス)
Arkha is the strong and charismatic boss of the Cleaners, whose vital instrument seemingly gives him foresight.
Semiu Grier (セミュ・グライア)
The receptionist at the Cleaners' headquarters. Using her vital instrument, Eyes, which takes the form of a pair of glasses, she can examine the overall capacities of a giver, which gives them the efficiency needed to join the organization. This ability can also be used in combat to detect incoming attacks and slow down time.
Amo Empool (アモ・エンプール)
A traumatized and abused young girl and the Lady of Penta, an individual who claims to have witnessed people cross the border. She is later kidnapped and locked in a dungeon. She is later rescued by Rudo and the Cleaners, after which she becomes a member of their group. Her vital instrument is the Watchman Boots, which release a scent that can make others see things and move to her will.
Team Danger
Adderoy Twins (アダーロイ兄弟)
Otto (オットー) and Epalte (エパルテ) are a pair of highly energetic twins, who are members of Team Danger at the South branch of the Cleaners. Their vital instrument is Twin Dolls, small handheld toys that grow to become giants that follow the movements of the twins and can carry out mass destruction.
Supporters
Gris Rubion (グリス・ルビオン)
Gris is an honourable and kind member of the Cleaner team Supporter whom despite lacking his vital instrument, he has an incredible physical strength and can rely on other skills.
Follo Tunito (フォロ・ツニート)
Follo is a polite and friendly member of the Cleaner team Supporter. He became a Giver after receiving his own vital instrument, Alan, which is a small hammer that converts into a giant sledgehammer from built up stress into a powerful attack.
Tomme Mima (トウム・ミマ)
Tomme is a compassionate member of the Cleaner team Supporter. She is responsible for taking notes and recording information about the Trash Beasts.
Meriege (メリージ)
Meriege appears to be a calm, friendly, and mild-mannered person Supporter in the South Branch of the Cleaners alongside Mildretta.
Mildretta (ミルドレッタ)
Mildretta is a tall, muscular and curt Supporter, who comes from the warrior tribe Sileia. She is the complete opposite of her partner Meriege.
Other Cleaners
August Stilza (オーガスト・スティルザ)
August is an eccentric artisan who designs the Cleaners' masks and clothing.
Fu Orostor (フウ・オロストル)
A former rookie member of the Raiders, he was once a coward who hid behind orders to evade responsibility. His vital instrument is Hii, a cursed doll that, when activated, assumes control of his body. This possession grants him immense physical strength and imposes a far more violent and aggressive personality.
Raiders
Zodyl Typhon (ゾディル・テュフォン)
Zodyl is the boss of the Raiders. He is a cold, cunning and calculating man, rarely expressing any emotion. His vital instrument is Mishra, a coat of the Watchmen Series, which allows him to mutate his body to resemble the shape and traits of anything he eats.
Jabber Wonger (ジャバー・ウォンガー)
Jabber is a masochistic member of the Raiders who is obsessed with fighting people stronger than him. His vital instrument is Mankira, ten rings he wears on his hands, that can turn into claws, which contain various neurotoxins and poison.
Cthoni Andor (クトーニ・アンドール)
Cthoni is a reserved and quiet member of the Raiders whose vital instrument, Manhole, allows her to teleport anywhere but in bright places.
Noerde Hew Amozo (ネルデ・ヒュウ・アモゾ)
Noerde hails from the warrior tribe called Sileia and is a prideful rookie of the Raiders. Her vital instrument is Mirei, an ornate comb that allows Noerde's hair to get charged with static electricity when she straightens her hair using it, electrocuting anyone and anything that makes contact with her hair.
Bundus Begalkeit (ブンドゥス・ベガルケイト)
Bundus is an older, extremely tall and muscular Raider. His vital instrument is Hands; a group of 6 mechanical arms that pops out of the pipes he carries on his back. He acquired a hand at each year of his life, all with different abilities.
Hell Guard
Hyo (ヒョウ)
Hyo is a practical, apathetic Hell Guard trainee, who trained together with Zanka. She is a highly-skilled hand-to-hand combatant, who learned an unorthodox and unpredictable fighting style while growing up on the streets.
Kyouka Nijiku (キョウカ・ニジク)
Kyouka is a very fierce, tough, and intimidating Hell Guard, commander of Red Horns Squad one. Wielding guns, she is very proficient in battling Givers. She is Zanka's elder sister and the eldest daughter in the Nijuku family.
Goka Nijiku (ゴウカ・ニジク)
Goka is a serious and blunt Hell Guard, and second-in-command of the Red Horns Squad under his older sister Kyouka. He is also Zanka's older brother and the middle child in the Nijuku family.
Sphereites
Regto (レグト)
Regto is a carefree Sphereite and Rudo's adoptive father.
Chiwa (チワ)
Chiwa is a Sphereite and the girl Rudo has a crush on before he is thrown into the Pit.
Others
Alice Stilza (アリス・スティルザ)
Alice is August and Eishia's grandmother, and a doctor who treats Rudo after he falls into the Pit. She is mistaken for an old man due to her appearance.
Remlin Tysark (レムリン・ティサーク)
Remlin is a young, mischievous spellcaster who lives in Canvas Town, using the vital instrument Pen to draw various spells that can apply different effects to its targets.
Gnomulas Ridd (グノムラース・リド)
Gnomulas is the stern and disciplined mayor of Canvas Town.
Mymo (マイモー)
Mymo is a hyperactive and eccentric News Reporter on the Ground who has grandiose plans for the future. His vital instrument is Elenhos, a microphone with which he can manipulate people's minds and the essence of their soul.
Gil (ギル)
Gil is a short and easy-going mercenary hired by Mymo to help him in his plan. Her vital instrument is Gilmero, a baseball bat that can create a "breaking ball" out of any spherical object hit by it, which has enough force to break arms, and can track targets.
Felix (フェリックス)
Felix is a straight-laced and loyal follower of Mymo. His vital instrument is Carta, a letter holder containing written letters, which can form an unbreakable force field.
Production
Urana credits experiences in her childhood as the main inspiration for Gachiakuta. The story's premise, where actions and feelings are imbued into personal belongings as "Anima", developed after Urana broke a belonging of her own as a child: "I had a pen that I really loved, and I broke it in two. Along with the sense of loss, I had a feeling like the pen was pleading with me".[13] Urana's experience is reflected in Gachiakuta as the story focuses on many characters who explore strong, personal connections to Anima-imbued objects called "Vital Instruments", and in Rudo's case, even trash thrown away by others.The idea for these Vital Instruments also originated in Urana's youth from observing the hangers that came with her grandmother's dry cleaning, a testament to Gachiakuta's themes about seeing value and potential in seemingly mundane and discarded things.[13]
Gachiakuta's art style is due to illustrations by Urana, complemented by graffiti designs from Ando Hideyoshi. Graffiti and street art provide not only avenues for expression, distinction, and safety for the story's characters, but also narrative significance for readers due to its use in storytelling. As for character design, Urana states that her process involved unexpected changes for Gachiakuta's characters: "I create them to be decent people, but then I actually draw them and for some reason, they turn out to be freaky weirdos. I've given up, realizing that this is who they truly are".[13]
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Kei Urana with graffiti designs by Ando Hideyoshi, the series began serialization in Kodansha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine on February 16, 2022.[14][15] As of February 2026, the series' individual chapters have been collected in 18 volumes.
In August 2022, Urana stated an "overseas version" was in production.[16] In March 2023, Kodansha USA announced that they licensed the series for English publication.[17]
Volumes
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
161. "Opening" (隙)
162. "Grandpa!!" (じいちゃーん!!)
162.2. "Payback" (報い)
163. "Sixth Sense"
164. "The Sixth" (6つ目)
165. "A Name" (名付け)
Volumes
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
161. "Opening" (隙)
162. "Grandpa!!" (じいちゃーん!!)
162.2. "Payback" (報い)
163. "Sixth Sense"
164. "The Sixth" (6つ目)
165. "A Name" (名付け)
Anime
The anime television series is produced by Bones Film and directed by Fumihiko Suganuma, with Hiroshi Seko handling series composition and episode screenplays, Satoshi Ishino as chief animation director and character designer, and Taku Iwasaki as music composer.The series aired from July 6 to December 22, 2025, on the Agaru Anime programming block on all JNN affiliates, including CBC and TBS, and ran for two consecutive cours.[48][49][50][51][52] Prior to the television airing, the series received advanced screenings in more than 15 countries worldwide under the title Gachiakuta: World Takeover, starting with the world premiere event at the Shinjuku Piccadilly in Shinjuku on July 4 of the same year.
Episodes
Video game
In December 2025, it was announced that a RPG video game by Com2uS Group, with the working title Gachiakuta: The Game, is set to be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Windows (via Steam).[61]
Stage play
A stage play adaptation of the manga was announced in December 2025. It is set to be held at the Stellar Ball in Tokyo from May 22–31, 2026, and at the Rohm Theater in Kyoto from June 5–7. Go Ueki will direct the show, and Watashiomu will write the script. The music will be directed by Ken the 390 and written by Yoshizumi and Mush Tanaka will write the music.[62]
Reception
Manga
The columnist for Real Sound (website) liked the world building, action, and dark fantasy elements of the story, as well as the main protagonist.[63] Masaki Endo from Tsutaya News liked the artwork and the main protagonist of the series.[64]Atsushi Ohkubo recommended the series.[65]
In North America, the volumes of Gachiakuta were ranked on Circana (formerly NPD) BookScan's monthly top 20 adult graphic novels list since July 2025.[66] The first volume also ranked on The New York Times' Graphic Books and Manga bestseller monthly list for February, March, and April 2026.[67][68]
In the 2022 Next Manga Award, the series ranked 13th in the print manga category.It was also the most popular choice among English voters, even though the series had not been released in English at the time.[69] The series ranked 14th in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2023.[70] It was nominated for the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in the category in 2023;[71] it was also nominated for the 48th and 50th editions in the same category in 2024 and 2026.[72][73]
Eishia is August's shy younger sister and a member of the Akuta Cleaner team. She can heal people with her vital instrument Type:Heal, which has the appearance of a black power cord.
Shikage (シカゲ)
An extremely reclusive and elusive Cleaner and member of Team Akuta. His unknown vital instrument acts as a barrier that protects their headquarters.
Momoa Rukel (モモア・リュケル)
Momoa is a careless teenage Raider, who likes to be immersed in music. Her vital instrument is Asyl, a pair of headphones, with which she can hear all the memories of anyone she touches while it is active.
Konza (コンザ)
Konza, also known as the Snowshoe Master, is a low-level Raider. His vital instrument is Snowshoes, a pair of snowshoes which allows for mobility in all sorts of terrain whether it be clay or mud with ease.
Kuro (クロ)
Kuro is a very long-lived and heavy-set and formal information broker who is said to have accumulated the greatest wealth of information. He also has an unspecified ability to completely change his form from human to crow.
Too Lily (トゥー・リリー)
Too Lily is a very famous and extravagant singer on the Ground. Her vital instrument is Lunavis, a staff with the appearance of a magic wand, which allows her to do things described as "Magic", such as spontaneously changing outfits, teleport people and objects or making inanimate objects move while the wand is active.
Wing (ウィング)
Wing is a highly energetic member of the Doll Festival staff.
Gountess Knock (ガウンテス・ノック)
Gountess is a frail-looking young man that became extremely skinny as a result of the treatment he received from Mymo. His vital instrument is Connect, the necklace from the Watchman Series, with which he can imbue a random cord with his blood, create a choker, the main form of long-distance communication on the Ground.
Alan (アラン)
Alan is an ambitious and curious child who lives in the North Ward, the area of the Ground closest to the Sphere and subject to toxic winters. After wandering into a polluted area and being rescued by the Cleaners, Alan was encouraged to become a Giver. However, he gave up on his dream years later, allowing Follo to take his vital instrument.
