this vn has triggering themes > vndb
I first played this years ago when I was younger and my English was horrible; I believe I stopped played after getting one of Keisuke's endings + an unfinished Rin's route, LOL. Years later I did it...

Basically, WWIII happened and Japan got split into two. A crime organization took over the city, and started this game that is basically the fight club but, in here, everyone knows about it. In this city, though, the game doesn't allow killing your opponent. Akira gets falsely accused of killing someone, and to get out of that situation, he is sent to Toshima to kill the strongest man of the game. In that city, killing is allowed and the game works with who has the best 'cards' (as in poker), but with tags. Those who have good 'tags,' get to fight against Il Ren.

I loved everything about it. The characters not Arbitro, unfortunately, the world building, the interactions, and the routes. The game is very charming; the characters, in general, are interesting and each one of them has a motive to be in the city. It's hard to have a couple of love interests and have them exist by their own--be persistent with their own desires and decisions and still be a living character outside the protagonist's orbit. Maybe I'm picky about this, but sometimes it's easy to notice when a character is solely there to be an accessory for the protagonist or fill a certain trope :P

The story is simple at first, but if you know how Nitro Chiral operates, there are a lot of secrets following the protagonist who's unaware of all of it, which brings something to the story. Being honest, Akira resembles Cloud Strife, lol. When I got to Shiki's route I wondered if I was reading a Doujinshi in disguise... but anyway, Akira is a lovely protagonist whose side is different depending on the route. He doesn't have a concrete plan; he doesn't fight for anyone but himself, but his characteristic monotony is changed when he faces conflicts not only involving him, but also when the situation tangles those with whom he considers to be close.

I will say this from the get-go sorry, my favorite route and character is Motomi. I didn't expect to like him that much, but when I saw that stupid grin, hobo appearance, and goofy personality, I knew was going against my fate but in the end, I couldn't reject it. I thought Keisuke would've been my favorite one, but I found his route quite lackluster for my liking. I like Keisuke as well, though!

Motomi brings another "face" from Akira, which I found charming. I guess goofy old men are somehow my kryptonite :/ Their ending was my favorite too. Also, Motomi wanting to kill Nano but not doing so because Akira is, basically, the same as him, so he hears Akira out and even lets him take Nano with them was my favorite part of the game. right on my kokoro

Shiki... it's hard to say something about him. I thought I would like his character a lot, but maybe my favorite thing about him is his design LOL. He's the usual old yaoi seme... although seeing a nuance about him when he kills Rin, where he looks affected about it was pretty ok. I guess him being this unkillable guy with superior complex but still has a soft spot for Akira can be somehow charming for other players. It didn't make me fall in love with him, but I don't hate him. Although that Shiki x Nano ship...hear me out.

spoilers for his endings

what the fuck was that LMAO. first, what was that good ending??? and why did i remembered part of final fantasy vii when cloud is in a wheelchair? asjdsadjkjd i guess the only one i liked was the one with akira being a type of mistress? but the other one was wild LOL. who knows what nitro was smoking XD

Keisuke is such a sweetheart. He was my first route and I thought it was OK. His bad endings were iconic. Specially the one where stabs akira and plays with his guts????. Made Yandere by the circumstances. Endearing and shocking. Bad use of screwdrivers.

Rin was my third and I didn't expect such shift from him at all. Just like Akira, I also believed he was putting on a front, but he turned out more interesting that I expected. His ending is very good, too. but... im some type of prophet because when we see rin is obsessed with shiki, i said... "imagine if he's his brother or something. why is he obsessed" then i was right XD if i got nickles every time i guessed people are siblings, i would have two nickels. him resembling shiki when he gets older is a nice detail too.

I was excited for Nano. Did I like his route? So-so. Was it what I was expecting? No. I expected more, but alright LOL. I enjoyed it nevertheless. Nano is endearing in his own way, and also has his own problems too lmao. Akira tries to understand him, and, although he does, it seems Nano still needed time to shine. I would've liked, perhaps another ending to see more of him. In any case I liked him a lot, lol. Maybe his ending can be considered as a "true ending" for the game? Since it doesn't have one in general... In any case, Motomi and Akira adopted Nano and they're traveling the world in my mind idc.

I find this a good read. The majority of the characters are charming, so there's going to be at least one character that you'll like, imho. The setting and atmosphere are great, and, although the narrative is not that strong, it is character-driven, so it's not boring at all. Every character makes Akira show another part of him; he goes beyond the "idc" persona that welcomes us in the introduction, and we end with a satisfactory development from him. The thing with Nitro Chiral games is that they know how to make likeable characters and stories :P

18 aug 2026