The Acanti resemble gigantic fish and they have the ability to breathe in space, propel at light speed, maintain atmosphere and gravity within them and cause small pseudopods to extend and contract within their digestive system. Technology can be implanted in their hides without causing them harm or breaching their natural atmospheric seals. The Acanti are gentle, sentient beings that were being hunted by the Brood and used as living starships once they have been infected by the slaver virus. The slaver virus would attack the higher reasoning centers of the Acanti and slowly destroy their conscious, mind and self awareness thus making them easier to control.

Among those that were infected by the slaver virus was the Prophet-Singer which was the leader of the Acanti and caretaker of the soul of the entire race. Normally when the Acanti die, they hurl themselves into the heart of a star. In the case of the Prophet-Singer, this is essential because if it is not consumed by a star then the Acanti racial soul it carries cannot be released and passed on to its succesor. When the Prophet-Singer dies, the Brood grounded it in their third world and turned his rotting corpse into their throne city. The combine effort of the X-Men, the Starjammers and Binary were able to defeat the Brood and release the Acanti soul.