From the instant *Gachiakuta* draws you into its realm, a sense of deterioration is palpable. There’s a raw urgency to every detail: the clamor of corroded machines, the grime-laden backstreets, the cast-off objects that constitute the city’s structure. This is far from just a setting. Much like the manga it’s derived from — penned and illustrated by Kei Urana with graffiti designs by Andou Hideyoshi — the anime swiftly creates a universe where societal rifts are so pronounced that they are enforced physically, with the expendable individuals hurled into an abyss of literal refuse.

The narrative unfolds in a stratified floating metropolis known as The Sphere, where the wealthy bask in luxury and ease, while the disenfranchised are pushed to the periphery, a slum-like zone reserved for the city’s outcasts. It’s a realm constructed on rigid segregation and systemic malice, where even a plush toy with a torn seam is unceremoniously discarded, much like the people themselves.

Rudo watches the wasteland from a summit of refuse. Credit: ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou and KODANSHA/ “GACHIAKUTA” Production Committee

“This manga originated from a visual concept of the main character and his squad battling amid refuse,” Urana shared with Mashable. “But regarding the underlying theme, I continually questioned myself: ‘Who am I? What type of person am I?’ At the heart of that inquiry, I realized I’m someone who values the objects I engage with.”

That essence of care amid harshness permeates every aspect of *Gachiakuta*’s worldbuilding. It’s a tale about waste, yes, but also about worth: who determines it, and what are the repercussions when it is negated.

*Gachiakuta*’s harsh worldbuilding

That refuse doesn’t simply vanish. In *Gachiakuta*, all that is unwanted finds its way to The Pit, a poisoned wasteland where discarded items decompose alongside those whom society deems unworthy. Formally, it’s where offenders are dispatched, but in The Sphere, due process is a myth. The Pit is punishment by proximity: out of sight, out of mind.

Yet what The Sphere calls The Pit is, in truth, a superficial realm known as The Ground. It’s a punishing, disordered ecosystem molded by decades of fallout. Contaminated air, mutated Trash Beasts, and collapsing debris from above render it nearly unlivable, yet an entire society has acclimatized to existence down there.

It’s within this context that *Gachiakuta* fully embraces its trashpunk style: warped surroundings crafted from shattered remnants, beasts spawned from corruption and decay, and a harsh reasoning that maintains worth is gauged by utility. It’s violent. It’s unjust. And it’s where the genuine narrative commences.

At the heart is Rudo, an impassioned 15-year-old boy from The Sphere’s slums. After being wrongly accused of killing his guardian, Regto — the only individual who ever showed him kindness — Rudo is cast into The Pit. As he plunges through the void, he swears vengeance on the society that discarded him and the one responsible for Regto’s death.

Rudo moments prior to being thrown away by The Sphere. Credit: ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou and KODANSHA/ “GACHIAKUTA” Production Committee

“The narrative is not solely about those who feel cast aside,” Urana elucidated. “It also encompasses those around them and how swiftly someone who was once your companion can turn against you, akin to a witch hunt. That form of treachery, and the ensuing solitude, are themes I was keen to delve into.”

She perceives this dynamic mirrored in our digital existences. “That instance where [Rudo] is discarded under the watch of many, that felt like a visualization of how people interact online,” she noted.

It’s the kind of revenge story that energizes many shōnen narratives: a young outcast betrayed by society, seething with vengeance and purpose, resolved to navigate back and dismantle the system. Rudo’s fury is not just nebulous teenage angst; it’s justified, and it burns fiercely. His world collapses swiftly, but from the ruins, something new emerges.

On The Ground, Rudo is aided by a collective known as the Cleaners, a group led by the mysterious Enjin. Their mission is to combat the Trash Beasts, creatures born from the refuse of the upper world. Armed with Vital Instruments, potent weapons forged from objects imbued with significance, the Cleaners transform survival into rebellion. Through them, Rudo begins to perceive The Ground not as a cemetery, but as a setting for second opportunities.

A ferocious Trash Beast rises from the debris. Credit: ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou and KODANSHA/ “GACHIAKUTA” Production Committee

What renders *Gachiakuta*’s trashpunk aesthetic visually compelling

That darkness is where the show begins to expand.