Based on the manga by Kei Urana and graffiti artist Hideyoshi Andou, Gachiakuta follows Rudo, a kid from the slums of a floating city. After getting framed for a crime he didn’t commit, he’s thrown into the disgusting trash pit below. Now stuck in a nightmare, he’ll do whatever it takes to survive.
The floating city is divided into two sides, A city with white brick streets floats high above the ground. Its wealthy citizens casually dump their trash down chutes without a second thought—even things that could’ve been easily repaired end up tossed into the depths below. The other side is a the tribesfolk live in patched-up, rusted buildings across the slums. A boy named Rudo sets out his salvaged junk to sell. The others know he’s the one raiding the trash—and they’re worried he’s gonna bring the Apostles down on them.
Was Rudo’s dad a murderer?
Chiwa scolds Rudo for raiding again, but he insists the items are usable and help him earn money. A group of boys show up and mock him, claiming he wears gloves to hide something gross. Rudo stays calm—until they bring up his dad being a murderer. His glare shuts them up, and after throwing in a few more insults about him turning out like his father, they leave.
Chiwa tells Rudo she trusts him and knows he’s a good person. He blushes and tries to give her a stuffed dog he repaired, but her mom interrupts. Back home, Regto teases Rudo about the whole scene—he saw everything. Then he gets serious: they need to talk about the raids.
The Pit
Regto, the man who found and raised Rudo as a baby, says things aren’t bad enough to justify taking such a huge risk. He notices Rudo’s arm injury and tells him to take off his coat and gloves so he can treat it. Regto also changes the bandages on Rudo’s scarred, blackened hands. Rudo only knows the damage came from his father. The gloves, a gift from Regto, help numb the pain.
Regto reminds him that anyone caught committing a crime gets thrown into the Pit—just like Rudo’s father. He quickly shifts gears, telling Rudo to finally confess his feelings to Chiwa. Rudo blushes. As they talk, a hooded figure watches from the shadows.
A grisly scene
The next morning, Rudo heads to Chiwa’s house with a stuffed dog but can’t stop thinking about the Pit—where all the trash ends up. He watches as another criminal falls into the darkness while the crowd cheers. Chiwa snaps him back to reality, and Rudo awkwardly offers her the toy, warning it came from the garbage. She smiles and accepts it, making them both blush.
Pumped up, Rudo rushes home to tell Regto he finally got the courage to give the gift. But on the way, he runs into a group of Apostles and gets knocked down. He shakes it off and keeps going—only to open the door and find Regto brutally stabbed, with a masked attacker looming over him. Rudo charges forward—and then, everything goes black.
Rudo sentenced to the Pit
Rudo wakes up, nose bleeding, as the mysterious figure picks up a book from the floor. Regto, weak and fading, tells Rudo to run and change the world before his hand slips away. Suddenly, the Apostles burst in and accuse Rudo of murder. Despite his protests, he’s arrested and dragged to the execution area where an angry crowd has gathered.
Rudo looks for a friendly face and sees Chiwa—but when he calls to her, she coldly calls him a murderer’s son and drops the toy he gave her. Furious, Rudo spots the masked figure in the crowd just before he’s thrown into the Pit, vowing revenge as he falls.
He jolts awake on a massive dumpsite that stretches out endlessly. The ground shakes, and a monstrous creature rises from the garbage with a deafening roar.
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