Akira

Japan, 1988. An explosion caused by a young boy with psychic powers tears through the city of Tokyo and ignites the fuse that leads to World War III. In order to prevent any further destruction, he is captured and taken into custody, never to be heard from again. Now, in the year 2019, a restored version of the city known as Neo-Tokyo—an area rife with gang violence and terrorism against the current government—stands in its place. Here, Shoutarou Kaneda leads "the Capsules," a group of misfits known for riding large, custom motorcycles and being in constant conflict with their rivals "the Clowns."

During one of these battles, Shoutarou's best friend Tetsuo Shima is caught up in an accident with an esper who finds himself in the streets of Tokyo after escaping confinement from a government institution. Through this encounter, Tetsuo begins to develop his own mysterious abilities, as the government seeks to quarantine this latest psychic in a desperate attempt to prevent him from unleashing the destructive power that could once again bring the city to its knees.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kaneda, Shoutarou Main

Iwata, Mitsuo Japanese

Shima, Tetsuo Main

Sasaki, Nozomu Japanese

Kei Main

Koyama, Mami Japanese

Shikishima Main

Ishida, Tarou Japanese

Akira Supporting

Kai Supporting

Kusao, Takeshi Japanese

Kaori Supporting

Fuchizaki, Yuriko Japanese

Yamagata Supporting

Ookura, Masaaki Japanese

Kiyoko Supporting

Itou, Fukue Japanese

Miyako Supporting

Kitamura, Kouichi Japanese

Maseba, Yutaka Producer

Otomo, Katsuhiro Director, Script, Original Creator, Original Character Design

Aketagawa, Susumu Sound Director

Hashimoto, Izou Script

Reviews

Jan 15, 2026

Chihab__2006

Recommended

Honestly, I knew this film was gonna be great, but it somehow managed to blow my expectations even more.

The animation in Akira is genuinely one of the best I’ve seen, I really love 80’s/90’s anime aesthetic. from the explosions, the bike scenes, the gun shots, Neo Tokyo, etc. everything was amazing, fluid and meticulously crafted, and the fact that this film is almost entirely HAND-DRAWN  is Genuinely impressive. 

The story was great, I really loved how it offers deep social commentary on post-war trauma (like the nuclear bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki), governmental distrust, unchecked technological advancement, and societal breakdown. The characters were well written and ... interesting, especially Kaneda, Tetsuo, and colonel shikishima.

Honestly tho, i really wish Kodansha would approve a new akira adaptation that adapts the entirety of the manga.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 15, 2026

UglyBastardNTR

Mixed Feelings

From the early '80s through the '90s, there was a trend of revisiting biblical stories in filmmaking, which later developed into a whole movement, such as Gnosticism. In Akira, the plot revolves around the previous coming of a supreme being named Akira, who is a personification of the god-man. Tetsuo is the Antichrist, elevated to glory more by people than by his own actions. As in the Bible, the Antichrist is destroyed by God in his second coming. For contemporaries, I think this anime was top-notch. I appreciated the animation, and the bionic arm made of shit and bricks stood out to me because I ... reasoned that such a thing had obviously not been shown in anime before '82. However, I'm watching the anime in 2025, and I notice plot holes and illogic, especially with a trio of mutant children who apparently represent the Trinity. Overall, the plot isn't bad, but the story is weak. I liked how Kaneda was revealed to be such an infantile, dominant beta orbiter, but the portrayal still needs work to convince the audience. But there are simply no more revealed characters for me.

It's a semi-serious social fantasy with a focus on visuals. Though I wouldn't say the title stands out from other works of that time, there are fucking a lot of close-up shots. This is standard for the director. However, this action title is noticeably smarter than Bubblegum Crisis and Megazone 23, which are trashier but more fun. The plot, written on uppers based on the manga by its author, tends to come across as streams of consciousness and quotations with philosophical themes.
There are flying bikes in the sewers and patients roaming freely in a hospital of national importance, ahem. Yes, and the semi-fail astral ending is a classic anime cancer.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Dec 28, 2025

Leogos

Not Recommended

Funny

Akira is absolute trash, the only reason why it is so hyped is because someone feels edgy and thinks they are cool for watching it, or pretend to have acquired taste.

This might have been a hit back in the day, but it was only due to being absolutely weird and having animation that no other animated film had and that's it.

If you watch it in modern day you realize that it just doesn't live up to any hype and is actually very very bad, characters are dull, there is no development, anime has no message, story doesn't make any sense, and nothing is connected.

Only good ... thing about this anime is Music and Animation.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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