Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune

Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune (ヤキトリ) is a Japanese novel series written by Carlo Zen and illustrated by so-bin. It began publication by Hayakawa Publishing in August 2017.

Licensed by Netflix, an original net animation (ONA) series adaptation by Arect premiered in May 2023.

Plot

Set in a future where Earth and the wider solar system are dominated by powerful alien-led trade federations, which are constantly locked in constant warfare. Humanity exists under the influence of a superior extraterrestrial civilization, and opportunities for advancement are limited. Seeking to escape the constraints of his life in Japan, Akira Ihotsu enlists in an orbital drop infantry unit at the urging of his friend Pupkin, a military cook. These infantry soldiers are notoriously expendable, suffering casualty rates as high as seventy percent, being given the nickname "Yakitori," likening them to skewered meat.

As a member of this unit, Akira is deployed into brutal interplanetary conflicts where survival is uncertain and loyalty is tested. The series follows Akira's experiences on the battlefield and within the ranks of the federation's forces, portraying the cost of ambition in a system that treats soldiers as disposable assets in a vast power struggle.

Characters

• Akira Ihotsu (伊保津明)
• Japanese member of the K321 Unit known as Yakatori who values his independence but lacks cooperation.
• Zi Han Yan (楊紫涵)
• Chinese member of the K321 Unit who is calm under pressure and is a good strategist.
• Tyron Baxter (タイロンバクスター)
• American member of the K321 Unit who is good natured and physically very strong.
• Erland Martonen (エルランドマルトネン)
• Swedish member of the K321 Unit who is withdrawn and tries to encourage the others to cooperate.
• Amalia Schulz (アマリヤシュルツ)
• British member of the K321 Unit who is strong-willed and outspoken, and inclined to act rashly.
• Vasha Pupkin (ヴァーシャパプキン); Russian: Vasya Pupkin
• Recruiter for the Trade Federation who enlists Akira and known as the "cook".
• Rimel (リメル)
• Bulldog-like commander of a section of the Trade Federation forces.
• John Do (ジョン・ドゥ)
• Authoritarian and brutal training commander of Yakatori units who tries to get the K321 Unit to work as a team.
• Hatsune Mimi (初音ミミ)
• Artificial Intelligence assistant hologram allocated to the K321 Unit.

Media

See also

• Blade & Bastard, a light novel series with the same illustrator
• Overlord, a light novel series with the same illustrator
• The Saga of Tanya the Evil, a war themed light novel series with the same author

External links