Mako Mankanshoku
From Kill la Kill
Mako Mankanshoku is a main supporting character in Kill la Kill and Ryuko Matoi's best friend. She is voiced by Aya Suzaki in Japanese and Christine Marie Cabanos in English. Mako is a no-star student whose family takes Ryuko in, and her speeches and loyalty keep Ryuko human through the whole war.
About Mako Mankanshoku
Mako Mankanshoku is Ryuko's classmate in Kill la Kill and the first person at Honnouji Academy to treat her like a friend instead of a threat. A no-star student from the slums, Mako is cheerful, ravenous and fearless in the way of someone with nothing to lose. Her improvised 'Hallelujah' speeches, delivered with holy light and wild gestures, can stop any argument, including the hero's darkest moments.
Appearance
Mako is a short teenage girl with a round face, light brown hair in a bob with a fringe, and big brown eyes that are usually sparkling with excitement. She wears the standard no-star Honnouji uniform, a plain sailor outfit far simpler than the starred students' gear, and is drawn in a rounder, bouncier style than the rest of the cast. In her famous speech scenes she strikes dramatic poses with beams of light behind her, a visual gag the series returns to constantly. For one arc she wears a two-star Fight Club president uniform, with a long coat and cap, the most dangerous Mako has ever looked.
Personality
Mako is joy with no brakes. She eats anything, sleeps through anything, talks in joyful non sequiturs and loves Ryuko instantly and totally, without knowing a thing about her. People underestimate Mako because she is silly, but she is brave in a way the fighters are not: she walks unarmed into battlefields, stands between monsters, and tells the truth about feelings while everyone else is posturing. Her speeches work because she believes them completely. Mako is not stupid, either. When the Fight Club arc hands her family wealth and status, she sees what it costs them and throws it away herself. Her simplicity is a choice the series respects: Mako knows exactly what matters and never pretends otherwise.
Background & Story
Mako is the eldest child of the Mankanshoku family, who live in the slums at the base of Honnouji: her father Barazo is a back-alley doctor, her mother Sukuyo a cheerful homemaker whose croquettes contain mystery ingredients, and her little brother Mataro a small-time hustler, with their dog Guts completing the household. As a no-star student Mako has no rank, no powers and no prospects, and she befriends Ryuko on her first day anyway, offering her a home before Ryuko has done anything to earn it. The family takes Ryuko in completely, and their cramped, noisy warmth becomes her base for the whole series. Mako's own big arc comes when she becomes president of Ryuko's Fight Club and the family climbs the school's ranks into luxury, which nearly destroys them; Mako gives it up herself, beating sense back into everyone with a bat and tears. In the final war she serves aboard Nudist Beach's ship, talks Ryuko back from brainwashing with Gamagoori's help, and ends the series heading out on a date in peacetime Tokyo.
Powers & Abilities
- Hallelujah speeches: Mako can stop any scene, argument or breakdown with an impassioned improvised speech, complete with spotlight and gestures. It works on heroes and villains alike because she means every word.
- Fight Club uniform (former): As Fight Club president she wore a two-star Goku Uniform that made her a genuinely strong fighter, the only time Mako has had real combat power. She gave it up voluntarily.
- Fearlessness: Mako has no combat ability for most of the series and walks into danger anyway, to feed people, help people or talk people down. Even Ragyo's forces hesitate around her.
- Eating and sleeping anywhere: A running gag treated as a power: Mako can fall asleep mid sentence and eat anything, including her mother's croquettes of unknown content, without ill effect.
Key Relationships
- Ryuko Matoi: Her best friend and found family. Mako gives Ryuko a home, a family and a reason to fight that is bigger than revenge, and Ryuko protects her fiercely in return.
- Ira Gamagoori: The Elite Four giant who falls for Mako hard. Their dynamic, his discipline against her chaos, is a fan favourite, and they fight side by side in the finale.
- The Mankanshoku family: Her parents, brother and dog, the happiest poor family in anime. Mako's love for them and theirs for her is the series' picture of what normal life is worth.
Quick Answers
Who voices Mako Mankanshoku?
Aya Suzaki voices her in Japanese and Christine Marie Cabanos voices her in the English dub.
What is Mako's Hallelujah speech in Kill la Kill?
It is the series' running gag and secret weapon: when Mako needs to make a point, the scene stops, light pours down, and she delivers a rapid, heartfelt speech with dramatic gestures. Other characters take it completely seriously, and it works on almost everyone.
Does Mako have a Goku Uniform?
Briefly. As president of Ryuko's Fight Club she wears a powerful two-star uniform and becomes class president of her own club empire, but she gives the uniform and the status up to save her family from greed.
Do Mako and Gamagoori get together?
The series strongly implies it. Gamagoori's feelings for Mako are obvious to everyone, he protects her through the final battle, and the ending shows them together in peacetime.