It is not known exactly where the Men of Akavir came from, but some say they may share a common ancestor with the settlers of Tamriel (Atmora). Wherever they may have come from, they have long since died out as of the present, as they were eaten long ago by the Tsaesci; though the word "eaten" may not refer to literal ingestion. Certain sources seem to imply that humans, or humanoid beings, were actually just assimilated into the Tsaesci Empire. The Blades seem to hold a very small resemblance to Akavir culture. The Blades, which were thought of as the bodyguards of the Emperor, originated as Akaviri crusaders who invaded Tamriel for obscure reasons in the late First Era. They appear to have been searching for a Dragonborn—the events at Pale Pass bear this out—and the Akaviri were the first to proclaim Reman Cyrodiil as Dragonborn. In fact, it was the Akaviri who did the most to promote his standing as Emperor (although Reman himself never took that title in his lifetime). There is no known hereditary connection between Tiber Septim and any of the previous Dragonborn rulers of Tamriel.

The Akaviri are believed to have been much like other human races in terms of physiology and appearance. It is believed that they looked
similar to the other races of men. In fact, Imperials with Akaviri ancestry are virtually indistinguishable from pure-blooded Imperials.

It is unknown what happened to the humans of Akavir. One source says they were "eaten" by the Tsaesci. However, there is very little explanation of the meaning of "eat" in that context, and there are conflicting accounts of the Akaviri; the depiction of the Tsaesci in multiple sources indicates that they are literally serpentine. But other sources, such as the Akaviri Diary Translation, imply that there were humanoid people with the Tsaesci, this may mean that the humans of Akavir are still alive.