Innocent was created by Sakamoto Shinichi and aired from 2013 to 2015. It tells the story of Charles-Henri Sanson, the fourth-generation family head of the Sanson Family, and executioner of Paris during the time of the French Revolution (1789 to 1799). Although parts of the story are exaggerated and fictitious for entertainment, Charles-Henri Sanson and his family of executioners were real. He lived from February 15, 1739, to July 4, 1806, and reportedly executed up to 3,000 during his time as the Royal Executioner of France. As an avid supporter of a clean, quick death, Sanson was the first executioner to use the guillotine. He performed the execution of many important figures such as King Louis XVI, revolutionist Robespierre, and Charlotte Corday, and his son Henri would go on to execute Marie-Antoinette.

Marie-Joseph's journey in this manga is unique as she wants to become an active participant in the executions, but is not allowed because she is a woman. These executions, and by extension the guillotine, were symbols of absolute power and control over life and death. Unlike traditional Gothic heroines who are often confined to passivity, Marie-Joseph is a figure of fury and ambition. Charles-Henri is her feminized brother who wants to escape his duties and is often seen sobbing from his guilt and how little control he has. On the other hand, Marie-Joseph is a powerful male figure who even, at times, dresses as a man to seduce high-ranking women like Marie-Antoinette. She has so much agency, so much freedom to move, she stages a rebellion at the end of the manga. She continually appears to disrupt Charles-Henri’s moral equilibrium. She haunts him with questions he cannot answer and challenges him to confront the blood on his hands.