Akito Takagi is one of the two protagonists of Bakuman. and serves as the writer half of the manga-creating duo known as Ashirogi Muto. He is a tall, slender young man with medium-length blond hair that is initially curlier and wilder before becoming straighter, yellow or gold eyes, and a red track sweater, often seen with a large pair of headphones around his neck. Takagi comes from a background that shaped his drive for self-determination: his father lost his job as a banker when Takagi was in elementary school, and his mother pushed him intensely to study hard to avenge this loss. In fifth grade, he rebelled against this pressure, declaring he would decide his own future, a principle he holds firmly throughout his life. Despite this, his natural intelligence remains a defining trait, as he consistently earns top grades in his school. In personality, Takagi is highly intelligent, calculating, and observant of his surroundings, applying strategic thinking to both creating manga and navigating the competitive industry. He is a talented writer but has notable weaknesses, particularly in writing comedic gag manga, a shortcoming that directly leads to the failure of an early series called Tanto. He is also awkward in romantic situations, often accidentally insulting his future wife, Kaya Miyoshi, in their early interactions. Takagi is fiercely competitive and hates losing in reader popularity polls, an emotion intensified by his rivalry with fellow writer Aiko Iwase. He is not good at hiding his frustration when his work is failing and can be deeply affected by public criticism. Despite his calculating nature, he is considerate of his friends and is known to become enraged when they are insulted, even physically confronting a classmate who mocked his partner Moritaka Mashiro’s art. Takagi’s primary motivation is to become a successful manga artist not merely for fame or money, but to prove he can succeed on his own terms rather than follow a conventional career path. He sees manga as a popular modern medium and a quick way to earn money, a practical consideration born from his family’s financial struggles. He initially considered show business but felt he lacked the singing ability or looks, so he settled on manga, realizing he needed a partner to draw what he would write. In the story, Takagi serves as the engine that drives the plot forward. He discovers Mashiro’s exceptional drawing talent and proposes they team up, and he uses his observational skills to deduce Mashiro’s feelings for Miho Azuki, orchestrating the promise that becomes the core of the series. As the writer for Ashirogi Muto, he is responsible for all storylines, character concepts, and dialogue, and he is sometimes referred to by the nickname Shujin. His key relationships are central to his development. His partnership with Mashiro begins with Takagi as a persuasive and somewhat manipulative classmate, but he grows to become Mashiro’s closest friend and trusted collaborator. They hit a critical low when Takagi suffers from writer’s block and temporarily split up, only to reunite when they discover they have independently conceived the same story idea. He later marries Kaya Miyoshi, a rowdy and energetic girl who originally had a crush on him; their relationship begins with misunderstandings but develops into a supportive and awkwardly affectionate marriage. He also has significant professional relationships with editors like Akira Hattori, whose strategic advice he values so highly that he once tailed the editor to find leverage. He maintains a friendly rivalry with the prodigy Eiji Nizuma, who respects Takagi’s abilities, and a more intense, competitive rivalry with Aiko Iwase, a fellow intellectual who sees him as both a crush and a target to defeat. He also collaborates with fellow manga creator Yuriko Aoki, helping her write from a male perspective while she helps him write female characters, a process that leads to her developing a brief, unacted-upon crush on him. Throughout the series, Takagi matures from a student who cynically uses romance as a tool for information into a dedicated husband. He learns to overcome creative blocks and professional setbacks, evolving from a writer who falters with gags to one capable of crafting sophisticated, unorthodox stories like the serious comedy of PCP Perfect Crime Party. His development is also marked by learning to balance his immense ambition with loyalty and empathy for his partner and wife. Takagi’s notable abilities lie entirely in his writing and strategic thinking. He is a master of structure and dialogue, able to craft complex and popular storylines, and is particularly known for a style called serious comedy, where humor is derived from fundamentally serious situations. His observational skills allow him to dissect what makes other manga successful and apply those lessons to his own work. Beyond writing, his strategic mind makes him a formidable negotiator and a savvy operator within the cutthroat environment of the magazine, with some in the editorial office even suggesting he would make a great editor himself.