Featured Image: (Pacer Graphic / Darby Self)

“They say that when an object is well-loved, it is eventually imbued with a soul. What about the garbage? The trash that is thrown away? What is that imbued with?” (Gachiakuta; volume 1)

Gachiakuta is a manga series written and illustrated by Kei Urana, featuring graffiti designs by Hideyoshi Ando. It is a dark fantasy shōnen with action and adventure throughout. This series was first published in February 2022 and received an anime adaptation on July 6, 2025. 

The anime is ongoing with new episodes being uploaded to Crunchyroll throughout October. At the time of this article, 13 episodes are available to watch, with more to come.

The plot follows an orphaned boy named Rudo, who lives in the slums of a perfect, floating city. He is falsely accused of a murder he did not commit and banished to the “Pit”.  He has to fight his way through the Pit to seek revenge on the person who had gotten him banished and uncover the disappearance of his father into the Pit years prior. 

This is a riveting story with characters that are easy to get attached to and an amazing storyline. I am not one for big fighting-centric anime, but this one takes the cake. The fights are well-paced and easy to follow for viewers who enjoy shōnen, but do not like Bleach and Dragon Ball length fights that drag on for more than three or four episodes. 

The protagonist is hard-headed and a little difficult to really get attached to in the first volume or two, but as you understand him and see his growth; he becomes the perfect person to throw into this situation. He is just a confused and socially awkward teenager with a revenge plot that is easy to connect with. 

Who in their right mind wouldn’t be angry about being framed for a murder and thrown into a pit barely inhabitable to humans?

Rudo certainly carries that anger through the story and hopelessly searches for ways to get back to the “Sphere” (the floating society) to exact his revenge. He feels like a very real person to end up in this scenario and to be dubbed a criminal for his own father’s past actions. It felt like it was a matter of time before he would be tossed into the Pit from the first chapter introducing the concept. 

The illustration is extremely well done and captures the grimy feeling that the author wants you to feel throughout it. It makes you question the old wives’ tale even more, which was stated at the beginning of the article and the manga. 

What happens to that garbage that has a soul embedded in it?