"I don’t understand the feelings of the weak. The law of the world is survival of the fittest. It’s how the weak are weeded out. It just means those people that died were too weak. It’s only natural for the weak to perish."
---Esdeath, expressing her social Darwinist views of the world.
General Esdeath (simply known as Esdeath, エスデス, pronounced "Esudesu") is the secondary antagonist of the manga, Akame Ga Kill!, and the 2014 anime adaptation of the same name. She is a high-ranking general of the Empire, one of the most powerful Teigu users in the world and the leader of the Jaegers.
Why She Rocks
- Esdeath is one of many times where the antagonist in a certain series surpasses and is even more memorable than the protagonist.
- She loves to fight and held special respect for strong opponents, which shows when she openly recognized Susanoo as a warrior rather than a simple Teigu.
- Her love of battle has occasionally inspired her to take actions that would incite more hatred against the empire, in the hopes of being able to put down more rebellions.
- She has even stated that should the empire fall, she would simply start a war herself to satisfy her need for bloodshed.
- Her voice actors: Satomi Akesaka (Japanese) and Christine Auten (English) do fantastic jobs voicing her and perfectly capture her aggressive, anti-heroic personality. \
- Despite all of this, shehas shown a genuine and chrismatic side of her.
- She is known for treating her subordinates fair and well, letting them do as they please, which in turn inspires their intense loyalty and devotion; this makes her followers the strongest offensive force of the Empire. This side of her truly shines when expressing her love for Tatsumi, in which she offers a warm and comforting affection for him, even swearing to protect him from anyone that dare harms him and willing to clear up his name as a member of the Night Raid.
- Despite being an ax-crazy, sadistic, bloodthirsty social Darwinist, Esdeath can change rather drastically around Tatsumi, turning into someone more akin to a lovestruck schoolgirl, going so far as to keeping a booklet where she writes down advise on how to make Tatsumi love her as well as draw various childish sketches of Tatsumi and herself. The sudden changes are rather comedic and even make her look somewhat adorable at times.
Bad Qualities
- Esdeath was responsible for the deaths of millions of people in the north of the country and several other conflicts and war on account of the rebellion against the Empire.
Trivia
- Esdeath's name was originally translated into "Esdese", a play on the phrase "S, desu!", which means "I am an S(sadist)".
- In the Akame Ga Kill! anime, Esdeath's bust size has been notably exaggerated.