Esdeath is the Empire's most powerful general, a beautiful yet utterly ruthless woman who lives by the creed of 'survival of the fittest' and commands the absolute power of ice.
Age: Early 20s
Height: 170cm
Blood Type: O
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Hobbies: Torture, Trampling
Teigu: Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract
CV: Akemi Kakesaka
Christine Auten (English)
Kalin Coates (Young)
Esdeath is the embodiment of a sadist, with her hobbies being torture and hunting people.
She firmly believes in the law of the jungle, "survival of the fittest," and sees it as natural for the weak to be culled and destroyed.
While she refers to those who admire her as her "pets," she also shows a surprisingly caring side for her subordinates, vowing to avenge them when they fall.
She is a person born for battle, yet she finds herself slightly bewildered by her newfound desire to "fall in love."
After falling for Tatsumi, her entire demeanor changes in his presence, revealing a surprisingly girlish and lovestruck side.
However, upon learning he is already in a relationship, her love doesn't waver; instead, she simply decides she will "just have to take him" and harbors a terrifying killing intent for his girlfriend, Mine.
Esdeath was born the daughter of the chief of the Partas Clan, a hunting tribe from the northern frontier that specialized in hunting Danger Beasts.
From a young age, she possessed immense talent as a hunter, along with a cruel and brutal nature.
One day, while she was out hunting alone, her village was attacked by a northern tribe and completely destroyed.
She lost her father in the raid, but she continued to hunt Danger Beasts alone until none were left, at which point she enlisted in the Imperial army and rose to the rank of General.
She also appears in the prequel, *Akame ga Kill! Zero*, where she is shown to have fought a young Merraid in a martial arts tournament, leaving a strong impression on each other.
Teigu: Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract
This is a rare, non-weapon Teigu in the form of the living blood of a super-class Danger Beast from the farthest north.
By drinking the blood and successfully adapting to it, a person can gain the ability to create and manipulate ice from nothing.
However, compatibility is unknown until one drinks it, and doing so unleashes a powerful destructive impulse.
Those who are incompatible are driven to madness. In the 1000-year history of the Empire, Esdeath is the only person to have ever successfully adapted.
While a single glass is sufficient, Esdeath drank the entire volume at once to gain even greater power.
She is the only known compatible user, so the strength one would gain from a normal dose remains a mystery. Esdeath herself noted that it tasted "quite delicious."
Skills and Techniques
Esdeath's ability to create ice from thin air is simple but incredibly versatile, allowing for a wide range of combat applications.
She can freeze enemies on contact, create a barrage of icicles, or freeze the very ground beneath her feet, making her capable of taking on entire armies alone.
Her mastery allows for advanced applications like creating autonomous centaur-shaped ice soldiers called "Ice Cavalry" and even achieving flight by manipulating ice around her body.
Weiss Schnabel
This technique creates and launches a countless number of ice swords at her enemies.
The attack covers all directions, leaving no room for escape, making it nearly impossible to dodge.
Grau Horn
She can manifest a gigantic icicle to instantly skewer her enemies.
The attack is not only huge but also incredibly fast, capable of closing a vast distance in a split second.
Hagelsprung
Esdeath creates a colossal, meteor-sized ice mass in the sky and drops it to crush her opponents.
Its sheer size made it impossible for even an awakened Tatsumi in his Incursio armor to evade.
Trump Cards
Although her Teigu originally had no trump card, Esdeath's genius allowed her to create her own.
Mahapadma
This ability freezes time itself for everyone but the user.
It was created for the purpose of capturing Tatsumi and annihilating Night Raid, but it puts a heavy strain on her body and can only be used once a day.
Ice Storm Commander-in-Chief
A new anti-army trump card developed for the final battle against the Revolutionary Army.
It creates a massive blizzard that can cover the entire Empire.
Tatsumi
Esdeath fell in love with Tatsumi at first sight after witnessing his strength and innocent smile at a martial arts tournament.
Her obsession with him is all-consuming, and she becomes uncharacteristically flustered and maiden-like in his presence, a stark contrast to her usual sadistic self.
Najenda
Najenda is Esdeath's former colleague in the Imperial Army.
After Najenda's defection to the Revolutionary Army, they became bitter enemies. Esdeath is responsible for the loss of Najenda's right eye and left arm.
Akame
Akame becomes Esdeath's final opponent in both the manga and anime.
Their duels are climactic showdowns between two of the world's strongest fighters, pushing both to their absolute limits.
Esdeath's criteria for a lover were: having the potential to become a general, being a skilled Danger Beast hunter, being from the frontier, being younger than her, and having an innocent smile. Tatsumi met every single one.
Her character type is often compared to Woltekamui from *Ragna Crimson*, another battle-crazed sadist from a series serialized in the same magazine, GanGan JOKER.
"I am always the one who subjugates... no matter who or what it is."
Early Campaigns
Assigned to conquer the northern tribes led by the hero Numa Seika, a task estimated to take a year, Esdeath accomplished it in the blink of an eye by freezing the entire fortress city.
She tortured and slaughtered the inhabitants, broke Numa Seika's spirit until he was like a pet, and then, bored of him, killed him. As a final show of force, she buried 400,000 captured people alive.
Before that, she was tasked with suppressing the rebellious Bans Clan alongside Najenda.
She single-handedly turned the tide of battle, which had favored the Bans Clan, and as a "reward" for victory, ordered her troops to ravage the city and slaughter its people. When Najenda later tried to defect, Esdeath pursued her and took her right eye and left arm.
Formation of the Jaegers
Upon returning to the Capital under orders from Minister Honest, Esdeath was tasked with eliminating Night Raid.
She demanded six Teigu users to form a new unit. In exchange, Honest asked her to assassinate civil officials protected by Grand General Budo, whom he couldn't touch.
Esdeath had her loyal followers, the Three Beasts, carry out the assassinations.
Once her six Teigu users were assembled, she formed the special police force known as the "Jaegers" and became its captain.
An Unexpected Love
While observing a martial arts tournament, Esdeath was captivated by the fighting style of a disguised Tatsumi.
When he won and gave a pure, innocent smile to the cheering crowd, she fell in love at first sight.
From that moment on, she began to pursue Tatsumi relentlessly, showing a side of herself no one had ever seen.
Even after learning he had a girlfriend, Mine, her only thought was to "take him," and she declared her intent to utterly crush her romantic rival.
The Final War (Manga)
During the final battle, Esdeath defended the Capital with her army of Ice Cavalry.
She attempted to charge the Revolutionary Army's commander but was intercepted by Tatsumi, sparking a fierce duel.
Forced to retreat to the capital, she later confronted Akame.
Though surrounded by Najenda's forces, she unleashed her trump card, "Ice Storm Commander-in-Chief," plunging the entire Empire into a blizzard.
In her duel with Akame, she was struck by the cursed blade Murasame but saved herself by amputating her own arm before the curse reached her heart.
She then used "Mahapadma" to freeze time, swiftly cutting down an evolving Tatsumi who could move within the frozen time.
Continuing her desperate battle with Akame, Esdeath managed to shatter the blade of Murasame.
However, Akame caught the broken tip in mid-air and, with her last ounce of strength, fatally stabbed Esdeath in the chest.
Accepting her defeat according to her own "survival of the fittest" philosophy, she froze herself, shattering into pieces while lamenting that Tatsumi never returned her love.
The Final War (Anime)
In the anime's version of events, Esdeath survives the fall of the Empire and seeks to create new wars to satisfy her battlelust.
Akame confronts her to prevent this, leading to a final, desperate battle.
Esdeath overwhelmed Akame with her power and activated Mahapadma.
However, Akame's immense killing intent created an illusion that tricked Esdeath, leaving her open to a fatal blow.
Accepting her defeat, Esdeath walked to Tatsumi's lifeless body.
While she had earlier claimed he died "because he was weak," her actions showed a deep sense of loss. She embraced him and froze them both together, choosing to share his fate.
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