Chapter 16

Kill the Battle Fanatic (戦闘狂を斬る, Sentōkyō o Kiru) is chapter sixteen of the Akame ga Kill! manga.

Summary
Following the formation of their group, the Jaegers, Wave and Bols worked together to make dinner, with Wave using the food he brought with him from his hometown, though he is left surprised that Bols can cook, especially with his mask on. Bols tells Wave to add the spinach last, and Wave tells Bols he is glad he turned out to be such a kind person. Bols, however, solemly says he is not that good a person.

At the dinner table, Kurome is playing with Koro while Seryu asks Esdeath what she has been doing with her spare time. Esdeath responds that she has been mostly hunting and torturing, but other times studying. She then surprises the entire group when she declares that she wants to try falling in love. Esdeath then asks Seryu if the report of the spare Teigu had come in, and Seryu confirms it, adding that it is currently being held in the main guard office and they have yet to find someone suitable to use it. Esdeath believes leaving it to the hands of the Prime Minister will cause it to go to waste, so she decides to put on a show to find someone compatible.

Later in town, Tatsumi meets up with Lubbock outside his bookstore, who leads him to a secret room underneath the store, which amazes Tatsumi since it gives off the vibe of a 'secret base'. He is surprised to see Leone present and acting more relaxed than he feels she should be. Lubbock reports that Mine has appeared on the wanted posters, so the only ones who can walk freely are the three present in the room. Tatsumi says he was worried he may have been identified on the ship, but Lubbock says that no one noticed him when he was walking in town, so he feels he will be fine. Tatsumi adds that the people have been talking nonstop about the Jaegers, and Lubbock says it is because Esdeath is leading them. Tatsumi asks the two of them how dangerous Esdeath really is and Lubbock decides to tell him a story to give him an idea.

He explains to Tatsumi that a few years ago, a tribe of savages in the southwest rose up in rebellion against the Empire, so the Empire immediately dispatched a force to exterminate them, but even though the Imperial troops outnumbered the tribe's troops, they succame to the harsh environments of the outskirts of the Captial, such as large rivers, poisonous insects, and giant monsters. Furthermore, the tribe knew the land and constantly conducted raids on them, ultimately leaving the Imperial soldiers too exhausted to fight back. Growing impatient, Najenda and Esdeath were sent to deal with the tribe. Najenda asked why Esdeath looked so sullen, and she said that it was because the Prime Minister ordered her to use her Teigu to destroy the enemies quickly, but she was looking forward to overcoming the local advantages the tribe had and crush them that way, but she forgets about it, saying that orders are orders. After arriving at a river, Esdeath uses her Teigu to freeze it and create a path for her soldiers, declaring that all will freeze before her. After the soldiers crossed, they proceeded to cut down their enemies, and afterwords, Esdeath gave her soldiers permission to violate the town to their satisfaction, which ultimately left Najenda feeling disgusted.

After tying up a few members of the tribe and showing them the destruction to their town, the captives demanded she kill them all and get it over with. Esdeath replies that she will let them live so they can continue to watch the carnage. A villager tells her they will try to kill her if she doesn't take them out, but she steps on his head and tells him that only the strong survive so they should get stronger.

After concluding the story, Tatsumi asks why Esdeath planted seeds of hatred in those people and fanning the flames of another conflict, and Lubbock answers that it was exactly what Esdeath wanted, because it means she can enjoy fighting more, and Tatsumi concludes that Esdeath is psychotic. Leone admits she was glad she didn't try to pick a fight with her when she saw her, noting she would end up as one of the many killed by her hand, and Tatsumi is left amazed that Leone could say something like that. Lubbock then brings to Tatsumi's attention a flyer advertising a city-wide tournament with a cash reward, saying he could send the winnings back to his hometown.

In the palace, the Emperor is talking with the Prime Minister about Esdeath and her desire to fall in love. Honest responds that everyone desires the opposite sex at a certain age, and now that desire of hers is finally showing after years of fighting. The Emperor accepts this logic and Honest adds Esdeath won't accept anyone that doesn't meet her standards. The Emperor pulls out a list of requirements provided by her for her ideal man: Someone, who above all, possesses potential that she can mold into a general, who can hunt dangerous creatures fearlessly, having grown outside the Captial, like herself, younger than her, and possessing a pure and innocent smile. He concludes by saying he doesn't believe someone with said qualities exists, especially with how hard the first requirement is.

As the tournament gets underway, Run asks Esdeath what she thinks of the fighters, and she says they are boring her. After the match they were watching was over, in came Tatsumi, using the guise of a blacksmith, and a man called Kalbi the butcher. Leone and Lubbock watch him from the stands and comment on the guise he picked and whether or not he would be good at forging. Karubi tells Tatsumi that since he is so tiny, he will win this fight easily, especially since he is a 9th level master of the Imperial Fist. Wave, who was the announcer, internally notes his arrogance, but believes he has the strength to back it up. As the match begins, Tatsumi says to himself that someone like Kalbi would have scared him in the past, but after fighting the Three Beasts, he now he feels calm facing him, and that he won't even need Incursio to beat him.

Kalbi tries to punch him but he jumps into the air and Kalbi only punches the ground. Tatsumi tries to elbow Kalbi but he blocks and repels him. He unleashes multiple strikes but Tatsumi blocks/dodges them all before punching Kalbi in the gut. He then got on his hands and trips Kalbi before kicking him in the head and defeating him, with his victory leaving everyone in the stadium speechless. Run is left amazed at his skills and Wave delcares Tatsumi the winner. When Tatsumi sees everyone cheering for him, he blushes in joy and smiles happily at his victory, which, after witnessing, causes Esdeath to fall in love with him.

Esdeath stands up and tells Run they found their target. He asks if she is talking about a capable Teigu user but she says it was for another reason. Tatsumi notices her coming into the arena, and after coming face-to-face with her, internally seethes rage at her for issuing the orders of the Three Beasts, and that if she didn't exist, then Bulat would still be alive. Esdeath tells Tatsumi that she was pleased by the match she watched and wanted to give him a reward, which Tatsumi thanks her for, despite knowing he was receiving a prize from the enemy. To his, and the entire audience's shock though, Esdeath puts a collar on him, and declares that from this day onwards, he belongs to her. She proceeds to drag him away to the Palace for some privacy and knocks him unconscious to stop his struggling, wanting to talk with him in her room alone together. Leone and Lubbock, who were watching the whole thing, are left horrifyingly confused on the events that just transpired.