From the moment Gachiakuta drops you into its world, you can practically smell the rot. There’s a grime-coated intensity to everything: the clatter of rusted machinery, the soot-stained alleyways, the discarded objects that form the bones of the city. But this isn’t just set dressing. Like the manga it’s based on — written and illustrated by Kei Urana with graffiti designs by Andou Hideyoshi — the anime wastes no time building a world where the societal divide is so extreme it’s physically enforced, where expendables are cast into an abyss of literal garbage.

The series takes place in a divided floating city called The Sphere, where the wealthy live in comfort and convenience, and the marginalized are confined to the outskirts, a slum-like district carved out for the city’s unwanted. It's a world built on rigid separation and systemic cruelty, where even a stuffed animal with a busted seam is tossed away without a second thought, and so are the people.

Rudo surveys the wasteland from atop a mountain of debris.
Credit: ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou and KODANSHA/ “GACHIAKUTA” Production Committee

"This manga started from a visual image of the protagonist and his crew fighting amongst trash," Urana told Mashable. "But in terms of theme, I kept asking myself: 'Who am I? What kind of person am I?' And at the bottom of that question, I realized I’m someone who cherishes the objects I use."

That emotional core of care amid cruelty permeates every level of Gachiakuta’s worldbuilding. It’s a story about waste, yes, but also about value: who gets to define it, and what happens when it’s denied.

Gachiakuta's brutal worldbuilding

That trash doesn’t just disappear. In Gachiakuta, everything unwanted ends up in The Pit, a toxic wasteland where discarded objects rot alongside those society deems unworthy. Officially, it’s where criminals are sent, but in The Sphere, there’s no such thing as due process. The Pit is punishment by proximity: out of sight, out of mind.

But what The Sphere calls The Pit is, in reality, a surface-level world known as The Ground. It’s a harsh, chaotic ecosystem shaped by generations of fallout. Toxic air, mutated Trash Beasts, and collapsing debris from above make it nearly uninhabitable, yet an entire civilization has adapted to life down there.

It’s here that Gachiakuta fully leans into its trashpunk aesthetic: twisted environments stitched together from broken remnants, monsters born of corruption and decay, and a brutal logic that says worth is measured by usefulness. It’s violent. It’s unfair. And it’s where the real story begins.

At the center is Rudo, a fiery 15-year-old boy from the slums of The Sphere. After being falsely accused of murdering his guardian, Regto — the one person who ever treated him with care — Rudo is cast into The Pit. As he falls through the void, he vows revenge on the society that threw him away and the person who killed Regto.

Rudo moments before being discarded by The Sphere.
Credit: ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou and KODANSHA/ “GACHIAKUTA” Production Committee

"The story isn’t just about the people who feel discarded," Urana explained. "It’s also about those around them and how easily someone who used to be your friend can turn on you, like a witch hunt. That kind of betrayal, and the loneliness that follows, is something I really wanted to explore."

She sees this dynamic reflected in our own digital lives. "That moment where [Rudo] is discarded under the supervision of many people, that felt like a visualization of how people behave on the internet," she said.

It’s the kind of revenge plot that fuels so many shōnen narratives: a young outcast betrayed by the world, burning with rage and purpose, determined to claw his way back and take down the system. Rudo’s anger isn’t vague teenage angst; it’s righteous, and it burns bright. His world collapses quickly, but in the wreckage, something new is forged.

On The Ground, Rudo is rescued by a group known as the Cleaners, a team led by the enigmatic Enjin. Their job is to defeat the Trash Beasts, monsters born from the waste of the world above. Using Vital Instruments, powerful weapons made from objects imbued with meaning, the Cleaners turn survival into resistance. Through them, Rudo begins to understand The Ground not as a graveyard, but as a place of second chances.

A snarling Trash Beast emerges from the wreckage.
Credit: ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou and KODANSHA/ “GACHIAKUTA” Production Committee

What makes Gachiakuta's trashpunk aesthetic so visually striking

That darkness is where the show begins to stretch its legs, especially with the introduction of Enjin in Episode 2. Manga readers have long been drawn to his chaotic charisma, and the anime adaptation captures that energy: stylish, unpredictable, and sharp-edged. He literally falls into frame wearing a gas mask and wielding his Vital Instrument, an umbrella, like some punk Mary Poppins. (Naturally, the fan edits followed.) But it’s not just Enjin that marks this tonal shift. It’s life on The Ground.

The Ground is a paradox: both vibrant and volatile. Some areas, like graffiti-covered Canvas Town, introduced later, pulse with color and creativity, while other parts are far less forgiving. No Man’s Land, a region choked by the most toxic air, is barely survivable. And even in the safer zones, there’s the constant threat of falling debris from above. Still, people persist, building communities from the wreckage.

Visually, Gachiakuta leans hard into its grunge edge. Directed by Fumihiko Suganuma and animated by Studio Bones Film, the anime doesn’t just adapt Urana's jagged, kinetic art; it amplifies it. The line work is bold, the color palette scorched, and the movement constantly teeters between chaos and control. "When I first started working on the script, there were only three or four chapters out," Studio Bones producer Naoki Amano told Mashable. "But even then, I knew the visual impact of Gachiakuta was strong — things like graffiti, intense emotions like anger — I felt like all of that could translate into a powerful and dramatic anime."

Enjin takes on a Trash Beast with his Umbreaker.
Credit: ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou and KODANSHA/ “GACHIAKUTA” Production Committee

The character designs ooze cool. Urana's punk sensibility is everywhere, from the baggy silhouettes to the jagged haircuts to the way each character carries their weight, sometimes literally, through oversized coats, slouchy pants, and heavy boots. No one in Gachiakuta looks delicate. Enjin, with his undercut, tattoos, and rings, fits right in, all sharp lines and calm menace. Rudo's design, meanwhile, captures his volatility perfectly: his gravity-defying white hair tipped in black, his burning red eyes, and his permanently clenched expression all radiate a kind of emotional combustion.

"I always loved cool things,” Urana said. "So I was always accumulating these kinds of images in my mind… and eventually they naturally started to come out in my work. That’s how Gachiakuta started to take shape."

That sharpness of vision extends into the adaptation. "My character designs are pretty complex, so I was a bit nervous at first," she said. "I gave feedback to the anime production team about their initial approach, and they really understood my notes and reflected that in the final designs. I truly appreciated that."

That raw energy carries into the music as well. Taku Iwasaki's (Bungo Stray Dogs) score pulses with tension and swagger, while the opening theme "HUGs" by Japanese punk band Paledusk — chosen by Urana and Andou — is a controlled explosion: distorted, defiant, and deeply felt.

"At first, I was worried about the music and sound direction," Hideyoshi told Mashable. "But when I heard what the anime team brought to the table, it was honestly the best possible choice. As soon as I heard it, I was really excited, and that excitement carried through when I watched the episodes."

Gachiakuta's power system is fueled by emotion, not force

What makes these first episodes click is how fully the world and its mechanics are realized from the jump. In Gachiakuta, power isn't just about strength; it’s about sentiment. Objects that have been treated with care are said to be imbued with a soul, and those known as "Givers" can transform these cherished items into Vital Instruments. It’s a system that ties power to memory, utility to emotional value, in a world that otherwise treats everything as disposable.

A tender flashback of Regto and young Rudo that shows how care, not power, gives objects their worth.
Credit: ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou and KODANSHA/ “GACHIAKUTA” Production Committee

"When I was younger, I broke a pen out of anger, and I immediately regretted it," Urana said. "I felt really bad for the pen. That’s when I realized I’m the kind of person who wants to take care of things. That’s where the idea came from: that if an object is treated with care, it gains a soul."

Rudo doesn’t just wield trash; he treasures it. In the very first episode, we see him shyly offering a stuffed animal he fixed up from the trash to his childhood friend Chiwa, trying to express feelings he doesn’t yet have the words for. That same instinct to mend and repurpose becomes the foundation of his strength. It’s why he alone can turn multiple objects into Vital Instruments. Where others see waste, Rudo sees worth.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The concept is rooted in care, but also in rage. "One of the things I wanted to express in this work is the anger, and I felt like that anger should be portrayed honestly and straightforwardly," she added. "That’s the kind of intensity I wanted from the anime, too, and I feel like the anime team successfully accomplished that."

Rudo’s rage may be the spark, but Gachiakuta is ultimately about what happens after the fire is lit. On The Ground, Rudo is met with something unexpected: not just survival, but humanity. That’s the beating heart of Gachiakuta — it’s less about vengeance than it is about the slow, radical act of learning how to be human in a world that tried to strip you of that very right. His fury may ignite the plot, but what sustains it is something quieter, more enduring.

"It’s about how people could change by being in relationships with other people," Urana said. "Those are the kinds of things that come to my mind when I’m writing the theme of the story."

It’s what makes the show’s explosive first episodes so compelling. They’re brisk but never rushed; stylish but not shallow. Instead, Gachiakuta threads story, character, and worldbuilding with surprising clarity, immersing you in a dystopian trashpunk nightmare that’s equal parts shōnen adrenaline and emotional reckoning.

In a world built on what’s been thrown away, Gachiakuta dares to ask what’s still worth holding onto.

New episodes of Gachiakuta stream weekly on Crunchyroll.

Vicky