Akane is the oldest of her several siblings, as a child, she lived in a very poor area where people were dying frequently. In the mornings, it wasn't that rare to find dead bodies. Because of this, she never bothered to make close friends, or even learn any names (it's also possible that she developed her fear of ghosts because of this). Akane was regularly starving and as a result, she values food more than anything. She learned to constantly search for food, often from trash she had to fight for with other people, and from anywhere else such as nuts and bird eggs from trees and small animals she managed to catch. She was also beaten up at times and was often chased by men and even a certain stray dog, though this stopped after Akane became stronger than her pursuers. Because her own home was so poor, she had a habit of resting in libraries during winters and summers, because there were proper air conditioning, free water and bathrooms unlike in her home. Through all this, no one helped her and she learned to rely on herself. She considered her home area a crappy place filled with crappy people.
Akane lived together with her several siblings and unemployed parents. She states that her "mom or dad would change", and that "there would be more siblings every time". Akane greatly loved her younger siblings, affectionately referring to them as the "li'l ones", and tried to make them happy whenever she could by doing things like fishing with them. She believed that it was her responsibility to take care of them, and thus she spent most of her time working many part-time jobs. When she worked as a waitress, she sometimes stole leftovers for her family.
In Akane's dark life, sexual harassment was the norm for her. She was often chased by perverts, which made her skilled at parkour. Her step-mother's lovers groped her when they were drunk and told her to do "weird" jobs, like serve them food while not wearing any underwear.
When Akane worked as an actual waitress, there was an old gymnastics coach that used to come to the cafe all the time. The man groped her and kept telling her that she had an amazing body. However, the man also suggested Akane join gymnastics. After many times being persuaded, Akane finally agreed. She started doing gymnastics for money and thanks to this, Akane and her siblings were able to move out and lived together in a new home.
As a teen, Akane previously attended Hikarimachi High School before being enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Gymnast, in the 77th Class.
