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Last updated: 10 November 2026

Quick Answer

Kill la Kill is a 24-episode original anime by Studio Trigger that aired from October 2013 to March 2014, directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and written by Kazuki Nakashima, the pair behind Gurren Lagann. Ryuko Matoi transfers to Honnouji Academy to find who killed her father, and clashes with student council president Satsuki Kiryuin and her army of power-granting Goku Uniforms. Ryuko's own weapon is Senketsu, a living sailor uniform. A 25th OVA episode works as an epilogue, and the story is fully complete.

About Kill la Kill

Ryuko Matoi wanders into Honnouji Academy, a school run like a military state, looking for the person who killed her father with the other half of her Scissor Blade. The school's president, Satsuki Kiryuin, rules through Goku Uniforms woven with Life Fibers that grant superhuman strength. After a first defeat, Ryuko finds Senketsu, a living uniform made entirely of Life Fibers, and fights her way up the school's ranks. What begins as a revenge story grows into a war over the secret origin of clothing itself.

Kill la Kill is a TV anime from 2013, first released in Fall 2013. It belongs to the Action and Comedy and Sci-Fi genres and is listed as a completed series. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.

Story & Plot

Honnouji Academy sits on an island in Tokyo Bay and works like a tiny dictatorship. Your uniform decides your rank, your home and your worth: top students wear Goku Uniforms threaded with Life Fibers and gain superhuman powers, while no-star students live in slums below the school. Into this walks Ryuko Matoi, a drifter with half of a huge scissor-shaped sword, hunting the woman who killed her father, Isshin Matoi, and stole the blade's other half. Student council president Satsuki Kiryuin clearly knows something, so Ryuko challenges her on day one and is beaten flat.

Hiding in the ruins of her father's house, Ryuko finds his last invention: Senketsu, a sailor uniform made of pure Life Fibers that talks, drinks her blood and, when they synchronise, transforms into armour of enormous power. With Senketsu, her excitable new friend Mako Mankanshoku, and a teacher who is more than he seems, Ryuko battles through Satsuki's Elite Four and the school's club captains, one absurd duel at a time.

The trail leads past the school gates to REVOCS, the clothing empire run by Satsuki's mother Ragyo, and to the truth about Life Fibers: they are not fabric at all, but a parasitic life form that has steered human evolution so it can one day feed on the whole planet. Old enemies become allies, family secrets come out, and the fight moves from school raids to an all-out war for Earth.

Kill la Kill was the first television series made by Studio Trigger, formed by former Gainax staff, and it carries the Gurren Lagann team's fingerprints everywhere: speed, scale, hot-blooded speeches and a plot that keeps doubling its stakes. Under the noise it is also a sharp joke about fashion, uniforms and conformity, built into the story itself rather than pasted on top.

Story Arcs & Episode Guide

The Kill la Kill anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.

ArcEpisodesYearsAbout
Challenge at Honnouji Academy1 to 72013Ryuko arrives, finds Senketsu and starts fighting through the school's club captains.
The Elite Four and the Naturals Election8 to 122013 to 2014Ryuko faces Satsuki's Elite Four, and the mysterious Nui Harime reveals herself as Isshin's killer.
The Great Kansai Raid13 to 182014Satsuki's army conquers the last free schools, Nudist Beach is exposed, and the truth about Life Fibers breaks open.
War Against Ragyo19 to 242014Family secrets, a brainwashed Ryuko, and a final battle that leaves Earth itself at stake.
Graduation (OVA)25 (OVA)2014An epilogue episode released with the home video set, set at the academy's graduation ceremony.

Why Watch Kill la Kill

  • Studio Trigger's first TV series, from Gurren Lagann director Hiroyuki Imaishi and writer Kazuki Nakashima
  • A complete 24-episode story plus an OVA epilogue, with no waiting for a sequel
  • Senketsu, a talking uniform, is one of anime's strangest and best sidekicks
  • Mako Mankanshoku's improvised speeches steal every episode she is in
  • A pounding Hiroyuki Sawano score, with the track Before My Body Is Dry as its signature

Who Is It For?

Kill la Kill is aimed at older teens and adults. The transforming Kamui outfits are deliberately revealing and the show jokes about nudity a lot, alongside cartoon violence and some blood. The story underneath is about resisting control and being comfortable in your own skin, but it is not one for younger children.

Main Characters

View all characters →

Voice Actors

The Japanese voices behind the main characters of Kill la Kill.

  • Ryuko MatoiTransfer student hunting her father's killer
    Japanese voiceAmi Koshimizu
  • Satsuki KiryuinStudent council president who rules Honnouji Academy
    Japanese voiceRyoka Yuzuki
  • Mako MankanshokuRyuko's classmate, best friend and landlady's daughter
    Japanese voiceAya Suzaki
  • Nonon JakuzureElite Four member in charge of the school's culture clubs
    Japanese voiceMayumi Shintani

Staff & Production

Director
Hiroyuki Imaishi
Series Composition and Script
Kazuki Nakashima
Animation Studio
Trigger
Character Design
Sushio
Music
Hiroyuki Sawano

Manga & Source Material

Kill la Kill is an original anime created by Trigger and Kazuki Nakashima, planned from the start as a single television series. A manga version and a video game followed, but the anime is the source everything else adapts.

  • Original work credited to Trigger and Kazuki Nakashima
  • The 24-episode TV series aired in Japan from October 2013 to March 2014
  • A 25th episode was released as an OVA with the final home video volume in September 2014
  • A manga adaptation by Ryo Akizuki ran in Young Ace from 2013 to 2015 and filled 3 volumes
  • It was Studio Trigger's first original television anime production
  • The arena fighter game Kill la Kill the Game: IF followed in 2019 with an alternate take on the story

Music

Hiroyuki Sawano's score mixes rock, rap and orchestral pieces, and his vocal track Before My Body Is Dry became the sound of Ryuko's transformations. The series swaps its theme songs halfway through the run.

Opening Themes

  • “Sirius”by Eir AoiFirst opening, episodes 1 to 15
  • “ambiguous”by GARNiDELiASecond opening, from episode 16

Ending Themes

  • “Gomen ne, Iiko ja Irarenai”by Miku SawaiFirst ending, episodes 1 to 15, returning in extended form at the end of episode 24
  • “Shin Sekai Koukyougaku”by Sayonara PonytailSecond ending, from episode 16

Series Timeline

  1. May 2013

    Kill la Kill is announced as Studio Trigger's first original TV anime, reuniting director Hiroyuki Imaishi and writer Kazuki Nakashima.

  2. October 2013

    The series premieres in Japan on MBS's Animeism block, and Ryo Akizuki's manga adaptation begins in Young Ace.

  3. March 2014

    The TV run ends with episode 24.

  4. September 2014

    The OVA epilogue episode is released with the ninth home video volume in Japan.

  5. 2015

    The English dub airs on Adult Swim's Toonami block in the United States.

  6. 2019

    Kill la Kill the Game: IF is released, and Aniplex of America issues a complete Blu-ray box set.

Release Schedule

Episodes
24 TV episodes, plus 1 OVA epilogue
First aired
October 2013 (Japan)
Final episode
March 2014 (Japan)
OVA
September 2014 (Japan, home video)
Studio
Trigger
Status
Finished, complete story

The series is complete and no sequel has been announced. Details as of 10 November 2026.

Quick Answers

Is Kill la Kill finished?

Yes. Kill la Kill has finished airing, so you can watch the complete story from start to end without waiting for new episodes.

What genre is Kill la Kill?

Kill la Kill is a Action and Comedy and Sci-Fi anime. You can browse more titles like it on our Action anime page.

When did Kill la Kill release?

Kill la Kill first released in Fall 2013. It is a TV series.

How many episodes is Kill la Kill?

The TV series has 24 episodes, aired from October 2013 to March 2014. A 25th episode was released as an OVA epilogue in September 2014, and together they tell the whole story.

Is Kill la Kill connected to Gurren Lagann?

Not in story, but the same key people made both: director Hiroyuki Imaishi and writer Kazuki Nakashima. Kill la Kill has the same escalating scale and hot-blooded speeches, moved to a school setting.

Why are the outfits in Kill la Kill so revealing?

It is a deliberate part of the story. The Kamui uniforms feed on blood and cover less as they grow stronger, and the show uses that to talk about shame, confidence and control. Ryuko starts out embarrassed by Senketsu's transformed form and ends up owning it.

Do I need to watch the Kill la Kill OVA?

It is not essential, but it is a fun goodbye. Episode 25 is set at Honnouji Academy's graduation, two weeks after the final battle, and closes out the school's story.

Is there a Kill la Kill Season 2?

No. The anime was planned as one complete series, and the story ends fully in episode 24 plus the OVA. Later projects were the manga adaptation and the 2019 game Kill la Kill the Game: IF, which retells the story with changes.

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