Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune (ヤキトリ) is a Japanese novel series written by Carlo Zen and illustrated by so-bin. It began publication by Hayakawa Publishing in August 2017.
Licensed by Netflix, an original net animation (ONA) series adaptation by Arect premiered in May 2023.
Plot
Set in a future where Earth and the wider solar system are dominated by powerful alien-led trade federations, which are constantly locked in constant warfare. Humanity exists under the influence of a superior extraterrestrial civilization, and opportunities for advancement are limited. Seeking to escape the constraints of his life in Japan, Akira Ihotsu enlists in an orbital drop infantry unit at the urging of his friend Pupkin, a military cook. These infantry soldiers are notoriously expendable, suffering casualty rates as high as seventy percent, being given the nickname "Yakitori," likening them to skewered meat.
As a member of this unit, Akira is deployed into brutal interplanetary conflicts where survival is uncertain and loyalty is tested. The series follows Akira's experiences on the battlefield and within the ranks of the federation's forces, portraying the cost of ambition in a system that treats soldiers as disposable assets in a vast power struggle.
Characters
- Akira Ihotsu (伊保津明)