The year 2025 was filled with a wide variety of anime, and Crunchyroll, as the leading streaming platform for the medium, hosted the majority of them. While many titles stood out on the service, shonen anime have always been special highlights, and among them, one series stood out the most on Crunchyroll. What made this shonen anime particularly special was how it immediately laid a foundation that was highly unconventional for the genre. Gachiakuta, with a protagonist whose primary ambition is revenge, stood out from the very beginning. As the narrative progressed, the anime continued to distinguish itself further through its consistently unconventional tropes.
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While the world-building and other elements already establish Gachiakuta as a dark shonen series, its most striking aspect was undoubtedly its protagonist. Rudo defied the traditional shonen hero mold, being intensely emotional and driven by revenge for his adoptive father’s death. His actions reflected this, as he did not hesitate to beat an unarmed and defeated girl simply to exact justice for what Amo had done. At every step, Rudo continued to stand out. However, as the first season came to an end, the series introduced an element commonly found in shonen anime protagonists. This raises concerns that the narrative in the next season may become increasingly conventional, risking the loss of the uniqueness the series established during its run.
Crunchyroll’s Gachiakuta Completely Lost Its Uniqueness by the End of Season 1
As Rudo’s journey revolves around revenge and the series initially established him as a revenge-driven character, fans expected him to follow a darker path, as is typical for such protagonists. Several moments reinforced this direction, including hints of Rudo’s inner darkness, which pushed him to beat Amo and make morally questionable decisions. At this point, Rudo was shaping up to be a distinctly different kind of shonen protagonist, and this approach worked well for the series, as other elements also aligned to make Gachiakuta truly stand out. However, the first major stumble came when Rudo chose to stand by his friends instead of joining Zodyl and the Raiders, despite them sharing the same goals as him.
Revenge-driven characters are often defined by poor choices, emphasizing the idea that revenge is a destructive path. Rudo choosing the Cleaners over the Raiders undermines this core narrative and instead aligns him more closely with a typical shonen hero. While this decision does suggest character development, understandable given Rudo’s young age, the season finale pushes him even further into conventional shonen territory. In the final moments of season one, it is revealed that Canis Surebec, a crucial figure from the past, has a deeper connection to the Watchman Series, a set of vital and special instruments.
With Rudo also carrying the Surebec name, the finale makes it clear that he has a hereditary connection to something significant. This is a familiar pattern in shonen anime, where the protagonist’s journey is portrayed as destined and predetermined rather than a path chosen through personal struggle. This development is particularly disappointing because Gachiakuta had laid the groundwork to become a truly standout and refreshing shonen series. By ultimately aligning itself with conventional shonen frameworks in its season finale, the series has, to some extent, written its own downfall in uniqueness.
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