Gachiakuta builds its fights around a clever power system where characters channel 'value' into objects and turn them into weapons. That makes the Cleaners Association a fun grab bag of personalities and abilities, from pacifiers that buff their user to umbrellas that can end you in one swing. Below is my no-healers, no-support-skills ranking of the Cleaners we have met so far, strictly on combat performance. Yes, there are six Cleaner teams in play at this point, and yes, some of these powers are delightfully odd.
Spoiler warning: this pulls from the Gachiakuta manga.
Ground rules before we start: I am only looking at combat capabilities, so folks who are primarily healers or utility (like Stilza and Shikage) are out. If a character is raw but inexperienced, that affects placement; if their potential is still a big question mark, that does too.
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Guita Hebby Fantasia (chapter debut: 7) — Team Childs living, breathing kaiju fandom. Her Vital Instrument, Guida, lets her blow up into a giant monster form with serious destructive output. The catch: she is green and we have not seen the ceiling on that power yet. Big promise, not a ton of polish.
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Dear Santa & Bro Santa (chapter debut: 7) — Also Team Child. Dear Santa looks like a doll, fights like a bruiser. His Centralian Vital Instrument is literally a pacifier; the more damage he dishes out, the more it amplifies him. Bro Santa plays bodyguard and babysitter with Cloth, a defensive toolset that keeps chaos contained. One punches, the other protects.
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Delmon Gates (chapter debut: 20) — Team Eager. Easygoing until it is time to work, then deadly practical. Thirst Quencher is a hose that manipulates water content in whatever it hits: enemies swell like sponges until they pop. Swap the nozzle, swap the effect. It is brutally efficient and adaptable.
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Amo Empool (chapter debut: 31) — The Watchman Series Boots make her a nightmare in close quarters, and her Jinki releases a scent that lets her control anyone who breathes it in. She is still leveling up, but with the Doll Festival arc on the horizon and her growing bond with Rudo giving her some focus, do not be shocked if she spikes up this list soon. Sweet until someone threatens her people.
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Riyo Reaper (chapter debut: 6) — A core piece of Team Akuta. Ignore the anime design discourse; in the ring she is all gas. Her Vital Instrument, The Scissor, cuts through tough targets like they are paper. Reliable, relentless, and a fan favorite for a reason.
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Zanka Nijiku (chapter debut: 4) — The poster child for how Gachiakuta turns 'average-looking' gear into terrifying weapons. Lovely Assistaff does not look flashy, but Zanka squeezes every ounce of utility out of it. Will, technique, and constant self-improvement put him over a lot of flashier fighters.
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Fu Orostor (chapter debut: 47) — First impression: scrappy underdog. Reality: not someone you want to test. The cursed doll Hii can weaponize his entire body, giving him monstrous power. When he flips the switch, he steamrolls threats like Jabber Wonger without sweating.
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Adderoy brothers, Otto & Epalte (chapter debut: 117) — Team Danger, and the name fits. Even under Mymo's control, they stayed lucid and broke others free. Their Vital Instrument is a Twin Doll that grows into colossal avatars mirroring their moves, which means giant synchronized beatdowns and city-block problems. Limited screentime, huge ceiling.
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Semiu Grier (chapter debut: 7) — The Cleaners HQ gatekeeper. Her Vital Instrument, Eyes, is a pair of glasses that amps her vision so hard she can effectively 'live' a few beats ahead of you, reading motion at different speeds and making you feel slowed. Pair that with sharp combat instincts and you are not sneaking past her, period.
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Rudo Subrec (chapter debut: 1) — A Hybrid Giver who assigns value to objects and then pushes them to their limit. Most Givers partner with one tool; Rudo's Watchman Gloves let him turn just about anything he touches into a weapon. That improvisational freedom makes him wildly unpredictable and brutally efficient.
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Enjin (chapter debut: 2) — Team Akuta's anchor. Umbreaker looks like a regular umbrella until it absolutely does not; in his hands, it ends fights before they start. The pressure of leadership only sharpens him, and he keeps finding new gears when the team needs it.
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Tamsy Caines (chapter debut: 1) — The Angel, and the most unsettling puzzle piece on the board. He moves between the Ground and the Sphere like it is nothing. Tokushin Net can lock enemies down or spin up clones to do the dirty work, and after snagging the Watchman Book, he can tinker with memories too. Friendly on the surface, sadistic underneath, and we still have not seen the bottom of that well.
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Arkha Corvus (chapter debut: 22) — The Cleaners top dog. He does not win by brute force flexing; he wins by brains and precision. The wild part: nobody in the Cleaners has even seen his Vital Instrument yet. When every heavy hitter in the organization treats you as the unquestioned leader, you are the bar until the story proves otherwise.
Side note for newcomers: the Cleaners are split into six teams we have met so far, and the series loves to spring new wrinkles on how Vital Instruments work. Expect this pecking order to shift as certain characters finally get their big showcase.
Quick refresher on Gachiakuta
Title: Gachiakuta
Release date: February 16, 2022
Serialization: Weekly Shounen Magazine
Genre: Action, fantasy
Where to read: K Manga App
The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll, and if you want to jump ahead of the show, the manga is available on the K Manga App.