Match of the Millennium

The beautiful Akame Shijuhachitaki Falls (48-waterfalls of Akame) is a series of numerous waterfalls in the headwaters of the Taki River which flows along the border between Mie and Nara Prefectures. The miraculous beauty of Akame has been selected as one of Japan's hundred waterfalls! A wondrous tourist spot with an amazing history. The area was used by Iga ninja and is something of a commercialised tourist area that capitalizes upon it where people can come to experience 'Authentic ninja training' and find information about the Iga ninja that 'once existed here.'

Overnight the sleepy tourist town received nationwide coverage as the scene of a brutal massacre, one that has remained unsolved as there were no witnesses or survivors. It was constantly in the headlines for weeks as various sources tried to make sense of the senseless violence and murder of the near 300 residents, but interest faded over time and eventually it simply because an interest for people who followed such things, and the eventual restoration of the tourism industry there.

There had been one survivor of those who originally lived there however, spirited away before the media and the country at large had even become aware of the tragedy. Taken by Guild Hunters who had been tracking particularly nasty prey; they were the first to arrive on the scene, and to discover the wounded four year old child who survived. She was still tested thoroughly to ensure she was not in fact the perpetrator of the incident or a demon in disguise.

The girl was part of what once was the Iga-ryu, she had their gifts. What gifts there were in being born into a ninja clan perpetuating commercialized historical myths about their history and misdirecting public attention. Running the cheap cheesy tours, trails and even workshops instead of venerating traditions so as to assume the role of McNinja in the world, Hiding away their ancient powers and trying to re-join the civilised world for their children's sake. To become salamanders rather than dragons.

With no-one to return the girl to she was adopted, kept inside the guild itself, to become a hunter while surrounded by and raised to be like them. It wasn't an upbringing she displayed any talent for; the powers in her blood carried her so far but that was as the extent of what she was capable of, hitting her limits so very soon and young despite having such supernatural powers.

Akame has never passed any of the guild tests, nor has she ever successfully hunted a Darkstalker. A small, hesitant and quiet girl with little to no talents except in that which has been drilled into her, life skills or prospects in the world she has tied her sense of self-worth into becoming a better hunter�... being able to earn her living killing monsters and making the world a safer place.

A romantic at heart she views the Darkstalker phenomenon as a tragedy for those affected but still has to save the rest of the world from even the nicest of them. She lives a rather harsh, unforgiving life with rose coloured glasses. Gentle, clumsy, and romantic at heart with a head filled with books and fairy tales she is a junior monster slayer.

Some of her comrades may view her as expendable or nearly useless, but because of her level, how futile and hard it is to become stronger she views herself as expendable as well. But it is a worthy cause to protect people from the menace of monsters, youkai, demons and Darkstalkers.

Worth dying for.