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Nutmeg_Juice's Blog

April 9th, 2017
Anime Relations: Kill la Kill
In most anime, fanservice is used to appeal to a certain demographic, attract a wider audience, ‘satisfy’ viewers, or sometimes just to cover up a badly-produced series. When done correctly, fanservice doesn’t detract from the story and themes of an anime, and is there for its pure entertainment/ masturbatory value. Kill la Kill implements fanservice into its story masterfully and with purpose, elevating itself beyond the level of just being another anime laced with fanservice.




(Please be aware that this piece contains minor spoilers. Only continue if you’re okay with that.)



The fanservice present in Kill la Kill has inherent meaning, and is not just sprinkled in whenever the directors feel like it. Most, if not all, viewers of Kill la Kill would agree with my latter statement – as the regular portrayal of racy and suggestive images/ scenes has almost woven itself into the fabric of the series.

However, is Kill la Kill’s abundant use of fanservice justified? I would argue that it most definitely is. Let’s start off by taking a look at the protagonist, Matoi Ryuko – whom is also the series’ most frequent outlet for displaying its fanservice.

At first, Ryuko Is thought of by the other characters (even by her closest friend Mako) as an exhibitionist who likes to wear barely concealing clothing for attention. This is due to the fact that her Godrobe, Senketsu – which enables her to defeat difficult opponents – is a kinky outfit that almost exclusively covers parts of her body that would be considered ‘not safe for television.’ To the contrary, the viewer understands that Senketsu is a source of power and that Ryuko is only wearing it as a tool to carry out her goals. Additionally, the characters in Kill la Kill don’t seem to pick up on the fact that she was utterly embarrassed when she initially donned Senketsu – while on the other hand, the series’ directors made sure that viewers were well aware of this fact, evident by her nervous tone and the over-exaggerated blushes on her face.

Considering the above, it is as if we, the viewer are directly put into the mind of our protagonist -experiencing her shame on top of being misunderstood. But Ryuko still persists, driven by pure willpower and the need to avenge her father. Not only does this scenario subconsciously let the viewer understand that Ryuko is someone that doesn’t give up easily, it also serves as the start to a long thread of themes the show displays later on. These themes include puberty, purity and ultimately women empowerment – all of which relies on the show being conscious of, and then cleverly taking advantage of the male gaze through fanservice.

The male gaze. This is what the staff of Kill la Kill manipulates to perfection in order to balance the show between being entertaining with deep themes and undertones, to being good eye candy that may eventually lead to commercial success. After all, the aim of making these shows are to make money. With that said, Kill la Kill is more than just an action/ fanservice anime like its first few episodes (when unanalyzed) would suggest.

Right from the get-go Kill la Kill establishes itself as a series that has over-the-top action scenes and exaggerated character designs – all of which are aesthetic and can be enjoyed at face-value. That’s why; the fanservice displayed in it is often accused for just being another form of meaningless entertainment. But if you factor in the idea that the show is well aware of the male gaze, the series can be appreciated in a whole new light. Allow me to explain by further exploring the scene in which Ryuko was first seen to be wearing Senketsu, as I have touched on earlier.



Ryuko first debuted in Senketsu to both the viewer, and the other characters, in a boxing match where she was the center of attention. In which, the show displays an immediate sense of self-awareness as the literal audience present at the scene of her match were shown to be furiously staring at Ryuko while hypnotically sticking out their tongues, just like animals. From this, it can be understood that this specific detail reflects on both the actual viewer’s (possible) mental state at first, and also the fact that having this mentality is extremely primal and uncivilized. This is the show’s way of expecting the ‘criticism’ it will get for being too fanservicey while simultaneously stating that it is not its (Ryuko’s) fault, but rather the viewers’ (the present audiences’) fault for perceiving it in such a uncivilized manner. To be even more specific in their message, the show presents everyone in the audience as males that are designed in the same dull, uninteresting way – symbolizing the fact that this is normal and to be expected, and even suggesting that this is the result of mob mentality. But most importantly, this scene is a directly showcases the fact that it is indeed aware of the male gaze. However, this type of scene is only present in the first few episodes of Kill la Kill, and is almost never seen again later on as Ryuko rises in power – which directly ties into the theme of women empowerment.

On the topic of women empowerment, the aforementioned scene also has a strong underlying message that supports women’s freedom of choice. If put into the context of everyday life in our society, the scenario Ryuko was in presents the fact that just because women may wear sexy/ revealing outfits – that doesn’t directly mean that they are attention seeking. Because maybe wearing this type of clothing makes them feel more confident and stronger (literally in Ryuko’s case), and is for themselves rather than anyone else. Women have this right to wear/ not wear whatever they want .This message is something that really stuck with me as a male viewer, as I was made to respect women in a new light.

The main males in Kill la Kill are from an organization called “Nudist Beach” where – you guessed it – they don’t wear any clothing at all. I will elaborate on the topic of nudity later on, but for now I will just be touching on the fact that the only nude characters we’ve seen from the organization are only males. You may be wondering how this ties into the theme of women’s freedom of choice, let me explain. The show is discretely poking fun at the fact that it is normal for males in our society to go topless/ be generally more exposed than women. My point is further enforced by the reality that no one even stopped to question why the male nudists were even nude in the first place. A huge contrast to the reaction Ryuko was given. Maybe the show is also suggesting that more men are perverts – who knows?

Now that I have established my statement that the Godrobes symbolize the male gaze, I will tackle another theme. Puberty.

Moving on from the scene in which Ryuko first wore Senketsu – the viewer is still shown the fact that she is embarrassed every time she wears it. Keep in mind that Ryuko is 17 years old and is still going through the phase of being a teenager. However, we are indirectly shown that isn’t the reason for her embarrassment, because another Godrobe user – Satsuki – is aged 18, but still dons hers with confidence and style. So what is the show trying to imply by this? I think that by using Ryuko and Satsuki, Kill la Kill is presenting the two sides of puberty.



Ryuko was (at first) shown to be ashamed of her outfit – more specifically, the revealing nature of it, which would heavily suggest that she is uncomfortable in her own skin. Not only does this reflect and portray insecurities that a teenager often feels, it also greatly humanizes Ryuko as a character, subconsciously allowing teenage viewers to relate to her. Satsuki completely contrasts Ryuko’s attitude when she wields her Godrobe, as she is confident, authoritative and bold. Satsuki symbolizes an individual who is comfortable with her body and doesn’t feel insecure, which also subconsciously makes teenage viewers want to strive to be like her. But more prominently – she is the embodiment of the fact that sheer ambition and willpower is what will help us get past these insecurities. This is shown by the fact that (comparatively) Statsuki’s ambitions (as we learn later on) are far more genuine and heartfelt than Ryuko’s personal wish to avenge her father. My point is further emphasized by the show itself, as upon initially defeating Ryuko with ease, Satsuki explains that the full power of the Godrobes can only be tapped into by the wearer if they are fully comfortable with wearing them like she is – and being comfortable wearing almost nothing basically translates to being comfortable with displaying your own skin.

In short, Ryuko (at first) represents teenagers who are struggling to come to terms with themselves/ their bodies, while Satsuki is used to state the fact that being disciplined and having a clear goal in mind to work towards is the key to finding your purpose, which will translate to being comfortable/ content with yourself.

All that I have mentioned above has only been able to be achieved by Kill la Kill through fanservice. However, fanservice itself can only be portrayed due to lack of clothing – which allows for revealing/ suggestive shots. This is another major theme that I will be analyzing next. Nudity.



Kill la Kill integrates nudity into its narrative cleverly with the shows heavy focus on clothing. Since clothing is such a huge part of the show – having the lack of it be a recurring theme won’t be that much of a stretch right? This exact example does an excellent job in driving home the fact that the show was crafted specifically for fanservice. Otherwise, why would they have chosen clothing, of all things, to be the item that the show revolves around?

In one of the episodes, Kiryiun Ragyou quoted the bible saying that “humanities first sin was clothing.” This statement is deeply true in both the world of Kill la Kill, and our world. This quote takes on a literal meaning in the world of Kill la Kill, as clothes are literally evil. While on the other hand, the quote morphs into something more complex when put into the context of our world. As I have established earlier, being uncomfortable when lacking of clothing translates to an individual being insecure with their own body. So, by wearing clothing are you trying to hide your insecurities in order to suppress them?

On the surface, Kill la Kill is promoting nudity (well the characters are anyway) but really, they are sending a significant message of accepting who you are, and to not conform to societal norms, as I have explained previously. I really like how the show can turn a controversial topic such as nudity right on its head and have it be embraced, rather than be avoided – which is perfect for them.

Is the nudity in Kill la Kill justified? I think it most certainly is.

However, that isn’t the full extent of fanservice Kill la Kill displays – let’s not forget about the girl-on-girl action that takes place throughout.

The show starts off small with this, as Mako gropes, and makes references to Ryuko’s breasts frequently. But over-time, the show escalates from just that, to having a scene in which Ragyou almost erotically cleans Kiryuin in the bath. What’s the point of this? Isn’t this just degrading women? No, I would argue against that.

Well, this fits in perfectly with the theme of women’s freedom of choice and equality, which ties all the way back to women empowerment. This might be a stretch and me overanalyzing, but I do honestly feel that having fellow women play the roles of – what would traditionally be – men, shows that women are just as capable as men. This is also the show taking a stab at many Shounen anime out there which (usually) centers on a male protagonist, as it blatantly chooses to not have a male lead. Even with that being the case – the show still manages to fit in a kiss scene.



A lot of people were surprised when the kiss actually happened – I certainly was. However, it wasn’t something that seemed out of place or unrealistic to me, as the entire prior intimate girl scenes prepared me for it. This is why I feel that every single fanservicey scene is done with purpose, since they slowly build up towards something bigger that couldn’t be smoothly included without these prior setups. Same goes for this kiss scene in which Ryuko kisses Nui. This scene serves one distinct purpose – to visually portray Ryuko’s messed up mental state.

Ryuko wasn’t herself when she did this, to say the least. Considering Nui was the one that killed her father, Ryuko would never under any normal circumstances be friendly – let alone kiss, her. So with that said, the moment their lips met the viewer immediately knew that something is seriously wrong. What better way to show the audience that Ryuko completely lost it than having her kiss the person she resents the most? Yet again, what allows for this effective way of storytelling is through the well-executed use of fanservice.

Upon taking a closer look into Kill la Kill’s implementation of fanservice, it is undoubtedly clear that it has magnificently woven itself into every fiber of the show, going as far as to have deep and powerful themes deriving off it. Needless to say, the fanservice displayed has inherent meaning and intentions behind them, and they are portrayed in a way that is both fun to watch, while deeply thought provoking at the same time. With everything considered – would the show be nearly as good as it is without it?

And that, is the brilliance of Kill la Kill’s fanservice.
Posted by Nutmeg_Juice | Apr 9, 2017 12:30 PM | 0 comments
It’s time to ditch the text file.
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