OVA
Description
Akira is a young orphan child who was recruited by the Japanese government for a secret parapsychology project, where he was designated as subject number 28. This project forced him to develop powerful psychic abilities, during which time he met and befriended other children involved in the experiments, notably Kiyoko, Masaru, and Takashi, who later became known collectively as the Espers. Akira's powers grew rapidly, eventually beyond his control. On July 16, 1988, he destroyed the original Tokyo in a cataclysmic event that the rest of the world mistook for a nuclear detonation, which subsequently triggered World War III. Following this destruction, Akira was retrieved by the scientists involved in the project. In an attempt to understand the cause of his sudden psychic growth, he was dissected, and his remains were sealed in canisters and cryogenically frozen in an underground facility to prevent any future disaster.
In terms of personality, Akira is portrayed as a child, and his behavior reflects a personality akin to that of a small child his age. He is shown to get along well with the other Espers, as they were fellow government test subjects, and displays delight in Masaru's demonstrations of telekinetic powers. However, it is also suggested that the immense scale of his power has replaced much of his personality, leaving him as an empty shell who rarely speaks or reacts to external stimuli. This childlike yet hollow nature makes him vulnerable to the manipulations of other characters who seek to either destroy him or take control of his abilities.
Akira serves as the key driving force in the lives of the main characters, particularly the psychic Tetsuo Shima. His existence becomes a contentious issue within the upper echelons of Japanese politics and a messianic figure among some cults in Neo-Tokyo, as periodic leaks of the project's secrets fuel legends about his almost divine power. His primary role in the story is as a catalyst and an object of pursuit. Tetsuo, upon learning of Akira's existence, rampages through Neo-Tokyo to find him, hoping to learn how to increase his own devastating power. Tetsuo eventually locates and destroys Akira's container, freeing him.
Key relationships in Akira's story include his bond with the three Espers, who were his companions during the original government experiments. In the manga, he is later taken in by Tetsuo and becomes the figurehead emperor of the Great Tokyo Empire, where he is worshiped as a god for his miraculous powers, even though Tetsuo is the one truly in charge. Kaori is also appointed to keep him company and look after him. Akira's relationship with Tetsuo is complex; Tetsuo views him with a mix of reverence as a superior being and as a tool to be used for his own ambitions.
The character's development in the anime film differs from the manga. In the film, Akira appears not as an ordinary human being but as a spirit-like form that has transcended the limitations of a human body. At the climax, when Tetsuo's powers grow beyond his control and his body mutates into a grotesque mass, the Espers summon Akira. He utilizes the same power with which he destroyed Tokyo to absorb Tetsuo and contain him in a new universe. In the manga, Akira's development is more extensive; after being released, he witnesses the death of his friend Takashi, which traumatizes him and causes him to lose control again, destroying Neo-Tokyo. He later forms a psychic link with Tetsuo, and in the final battle, he is shot but ultimately uses his powers to cancel out Tetsuo's explosion and absorb him.
Akira possesses a variety of psychic abilities as a result of the government's ESP experiments, including telekinesis, telepathy, and teleportation. These abilities have developed to an almost god-like level, where even a simple act of using them is capable of causing massive destruction on a large scale. His power is so immense that it can literally do anything, including creating a whole new universe. Akira is considered the unrivaled strongest psychic in his world, and his power is so dangerous that the government was forced to keep him cryogenically frozen for decades. Both in the film and the manga, the core of his tragedy lies in his inability to fully control these abilities, leading to the accidental destruction of Tokyo and, later, Neo-Tokyo.
In terms of personality, Akira is portrayed as a child, and his behavior reflects a personality akin to that of a small child his age. He is shown to get along well with the other Espers, as they were fellow government test subjects, and displays delight in Masaru's demonstrations of telekinetic powers. However, it is also suggested that the immense scale of his power has replaced much of his personality, leaving him as an empty shell who rarely speaks or reacts to external stimuli. This childlike yet hollow nature makes him vulnerable to the manipulations of other characters who seek to either destroy him or take control of his abilities.
Akira serves as the key driving force in the lives of the main characters, particularly the psychic Tetsuo Shima. His existence becomes a contentious issue within the upper echelons of Japanese politics and a messianic figure among some cults in Neo-Tokyo, as periodic leaks of the project's secrets fuel legends about his almost divine power. His primary role in the story is as a catalyst and an object of pursuit. Tetsuo, upon learning of Akira's existence, rampages through Neo-Tokyo to find him, hoping to learn how to increase his own devastating power. Tetsuo eventually locates and destroys Akira's container, freeing him.
Key relationships in Akira's story include his bond with the three Espers, who were his companions during the original government experiments. In the manga, he is later taken in by Tetsuo and becomes the figurehead emperor of the Great Tokyo Empire, where he is worshiped as a god for his miraculous powers, even though Tetsuo is the one truly in charge. Kaori is also appointed to keep him company and look after him. Akira's relationship with Tetsuo is complex; Tetsuo views him with a mix of reverence as a superior being and as a tool to be used for his own ambitions.
The character's development in the anime film differs from the manga. In the film, Akira appears not as an ordinary human being but as a spirit-like form that has transcended the limitations of a human body. At the climax, when Tetsuo's powers grow beyond his control and his body mutates into a grotesque mass, the Espers summon Akira. He utilizes the same power with which he destroyed Tokyo to absorb Tetsuo and contain him in a new universe. In the manga, Akira's development is more extensive; after being released, he witnesses the death of his friend Takashi, which traumatizes him and causes him to lose control again, destroying Neo-Tokyo. He later forms a psychic link with Tetsuo, and in the final battle, he is shot but ultimately uses his powers to cancel out Tetsuo's explosion and absorb him.
Akira possesses a variety of psychic abilities as a result of the government's ESP experiments, including telekinesis, telepathy, and teleportation. These abilities have developed to an almost god-like level, where even a simple act of using them is capable of causing massive destruction on a large scale. His power is so immense that it can literally do anything, including creating a whole new universe. Akira is considered the unrivaled strongest psychic in his world, and his power is so dangerous that the government was forced to keep him cryogenically frozen for decades. Both in the film and the manga, the core of his tragedy lies in his inability to fully control these abilities, leading to the accidental destruction of Tokyo and, later, Neo-Tokyo.