| Akira | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| アキラ | |
| Directed by | Katsuhiro Otomo |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Katsuji Misawa |
| Edited by | Takeshi Seyama |
| Music by | Shōji Yamashiro |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Toho |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | ¥700 million - ¥1.1 billion/$5.7 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $49 million[3] |
Akira (Japanese:アキラ,pronounced[aꜜkiɾa]) is a 1988Japanese animatedcyberpunkaction film[4] directed byKatsuhiro Otomo, produced by Ryōhei Suzuki and Shunzō Katō, and written by Otomo andIzo Hashimoto, based on Otomo's 1982 mangaAkira. Set in adystopian 2019, it tells the story ofShōtarō Kaneda, the leader of abiker gang whose childhood friend, Tetsuo Shima, acquires powerfultelekinetic abilities after colliding with a childesper in a motorcycle accident, eventually threatening an entire military complex in the sprawling futuristicmetropolis of Neo-Tokyo.
While most of the character designs and settings were adapted from the manga, the plot differs considerably and does not include much of the latter half of the manga, which continued publication for two years after the film's release. The soundtrack, which draws heavily from traditionalIndonesiangamelan and Japanesenoh music, was composed byShōji Yamashiro and performed byGeinoh Yamashirogumi.
Akira was released in Japan on July 16, 1988, byToho; it was released the following year in the United States byStreamline Pictures. It garnered an internationalcult following after various theatrical andVHS releases, eventually earning over $80 million worldwide inhome video sales.[5]Akira has since been cited as a masterpiece and among thegreatest animated films of all time, as well as one of the greatest in the action andscience fiction genres.[by whom?] A landmark in Japanese animation, and one of the most influential and iconic anime films ever made,[6][7][8][9][10][failed verification] it is also considered a pivotal film in the cyberpunk genre, particularly theJapanese cyberpunk subgenre,[11][failed verification] as well asadult animation.[12] The film had a significant effect on popular culture worldwide, paving the way for the growth of anime andJapanese popular culture in the Western world, as well as influencing numerous works in animation, comics, film, music, television, and video games.[3][12][13]
In 2019, following aworld war triggered by the sudden destruction ofTokyo on July 16, 1988, Neo-Tokyo is plagued by corruption, anti-government protests, terrorism, and gang violence. During a violent rally, the hot-headedShōtarō Kaneda leads his vigilantebōsōzoku gang, the Capsules, against the rival Clown gang. Kaneda's best friend, Tetsuo Shima, inadvertently crashes his motorcycle into Takashi, anesper who escaped from a government laboratory with the aid of a resistance organization. Assisted by fellow esper Masaru,Japan Self-Defense Forces Colonel Shikishima recaptures Takashi, has Tetsuo hospitalized, and arrests the Capsules. While being interrogated by the police, Kaneda meets Kei, an activist within the resistance movement, and tricks the authorities into releasing her with his gang.
At a secret government facility, Shikishima and his head of research, Doctor Ōnishi, discover that Tetsuo possesses powerful psychic abilities similar to Akira, the esper responsible for Tokyo's 1988 destruction. Esper Kiyoko forewarns Shikishima of Neo-Tokyo's impending destruction, but the city's parliament dismisses Shikishima's concerns, leading him to consider killing Tetsuo to prevent another cataclysm. Meanwhile, Tetsuo escapes from the hospital, steals Kaneda's motorcycle, and tries to flee Neo-Tokyo with his girlfriend Kaori, but the Clowns ambush them. The Capsules rescue Tetsuo and Kaori, but Tetsuo suffers intense headaches and hallucinations and is re-hospitalized.
Overhearing their plan to rescue Tetsuo and the other espers, Kaneda joins Kei's resistance cell. At the hospital, the espers try killing Tetsuo via hallucinations, but the attempt is thwarted. A frustrated Tetsuo searches for them, killing any orderlies and militiamen blocking his path. The resistance group infiltrates the hospital, and Kiyoko draws Kei and Kaneda into Shikishima's and the espers' futile attempts to stop Tetsuo. Kiyoko tells Tetsuo that Akira, located in cryonic storage beneath the Olympic Stadium's construction site, could help Tetsuo with his powers. After betraying everyone around him, especially Kaneda, Tetsuo flees the hospital to hunt for Akira.
Using Kei as a medium to stop Tetsuo, Kiyoko breaks her and Kaneda out of military custody. Shikishima stages a coup d'état against Neo-Tokyo's government and directs its military forces to destroy Tetsuo at any cost. At the Capsules' former hangout, Harukiya Bar, Tetsuo confronts gangmates Yamagata and Kai over Kaneda's bike and kills Yamagata after his protest. Kai relays the news to Kaneda, who vows to avenge his friend, while Takashi brings Kei away. Mistaken for Akira by cultists, Tetsuo rampages through Neo-Tokyo, arriving at Akira'scryogenic storage dewar under the stadium. Kei fights Tetsuo, but he defeats her and exhumes Akira, only to find his remains sealed in jars for scientific research.
Kaneda fights Tetsuo with a laser rifle, and Shikishima fires anorbital weapon at him. While the latter destroys his arm, neither can stop him. Shikishima and Kaori approach the stadium, where Tetsuo, now with a robotic arm, is in great pain and losing control over his powers. Kaori tries restraining Tetsuo while Shikishima unsuccessfully offers to heal his injuries and help control his abilities. Kaneda again fights Tetsuo, who, weakened from the missing arm, mutates into a gigantic mass of flesh, consuming the stadium, Kaneda, and Kaori, who is killed. The espers revive Akira to stop the growing mass. Reuniting with his friends, Akira creates asingularity, drawing Tetsuo and Kaneda into another dimension. The espers teleport Shikishima to a safe distance as the singularity destroys Neo-Tokyo in a mirror of Tokyo's previous destruction, and they agree to rescue Kaneda, knowing they will not return to this dimension as a result.
In the singularity, Kaneda experiences Tetsuo's and the espers' childhoods, including his and Tetsuo's friendship and the espers' psychic training before Tokyo's destruction. The espers return Kaneda to Neo-Tokyo, informing him that Akira will take Tetsuo to safety and that Kei is developing psychic powers. Ōnishi witnesses the birth of a universe but is killed in his lab's destruction. After consuming most of Neo-Tokyo, the singularity disappears, and water floods the crater left in its place. Mourning Tetsuo's loss, Kaneda discovers that Kei and Kai have survived, and they ride off into the ruins while Shikishima watches the sunrise. At an unspecified plane of reality, Tetsuo introduces himself and triggers the creation of a universe, finally transcending the limitations of human existence.
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| Character | Japanese[14] | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Media/ Streamline (1989)[15] | Animaze/ Pioneer (2001)[16][17] | ||
| Shōtarō Kaneda | Mitsuo Iwata | Cam Clarke | Johnny Yong Bosch |
| Tetsuo Shima | Nozomu Sasaki | Jan Rabson | Joshua Seth |
| Kei | Mami Koyama | Kay | Wendee Lee |
| Lara Cody | |||
| Colonel Shikishima | Tarō Ishida | Tony Pope | Jamieson Price |
| Ryūsaku (Ryu) | Tesshō Genda | Roy | Bob Buchholz |
| Steve Kramer | |||
| Doctor Ōnishi | Mizuho Suzuki | Lewis Arquette | Simon Prescott |
| Takashi (No. 26) | Tatsuhiko Nakamura | Barbara Goodson | Cody MacKenzie |
| Kiyoko (No. 25) | Fukue Itō | Melora Harte | Sandy Fox |
| Masaru (No. 27) | Kazuhiro Shindō | Bob Bergen | Travis Weaver |
| Kaori | Yuriko Fuchizaki | Barbara Goodson | Michelle Ruff |
| Yamagata | Masaaki Ōkura | Yama | Michael Lindsay |
| Tony Pope | |||
| Kai | Takeshi Kusao | Bob Bergen | Anthony Pulcini |
| Nezu | Hiroshi Ōtake | Insider | Mike Reynolds |
| Tony Pope | |||
| Terrorist 1 | Masato Hirano | Lewis Arquette | Steve Blum |
| Terrorist 2 | Yukimasa Kishino | Wally Burr | Michael McConnohie |
| Shimazaki | Yukimasa Kishino | Tony Pope | Robert Axelrod |
| Colonel's Council Liaison | Kōichi Kitamura | Lewis Arquette | Michael Forest |
| Eiichi Watanabe | Tarō Arakawa | Bob Bergen | Eddie Frierson |
| Mitsuru Kuwata | Yukimasa Kishino | Tony Pope | Skip Stellrecht |
| Yūji Takeyama | Masato Hirano | Jan Rabson | Ted Rae |
| Groupies | Kayoko Fujii Masami Toyoshima Yuka Ōno | Lara Cody Julie Phelan Barbara Goodson | Julie Ann Taylor Patricia Ja Lee Dyanne DiRosario |
| Lady Miyako | Kōichi Kitamura | Steve Kramer | William Frederick Knight |
| Inspector | Michihiro Ikemizu | Bob Bergen | Steve Staley |
| Army | Kazumi Tanaka | Steve Kramer | Tony Oliver |
| Takaba | Issei Futamata | ||
| Harukiya Bartender | Yōsuke Akimoto | Tony Pope | John Snyder |
| Committee members | Kōichi Kitamura Yukimasa Kishino Masayuki Katō Masato Hirano Taro Arakawa Michihiro Ikemizu | Cam Clarke Lewis Arquette Barbara Goodson Steve Kramer Jan Rabson Bob Bergen | Peter Spellos Dan Lorge Bob Papenbrook Michael Sorich Doug Stone Paul St. Peter Christopher Carroll |
While working on theAkira manga,Katsuhiro Otomo did not intend to adapt the series; however, he became "very intrigued" when the offer to develop his work for the screen was put before him.[18] He agreed to an anime film adaptation of the series on the condition that he retained creative control of the project – this insistence was based on his experiences working onHarmagedon.[14] The Akira Committee was the name given to a partnership of several major Japanese entertainment companies brought together to realize production of anAkira film. The group's assembly was necessitated by the unconventionally high starting budget of around ¥500,000,000, intended to achieve the desired epic standard equal to Otomo's over 2,000-page manga tale. The committee consisted ofKodansha,Mainichi Broadcasting System,Bandai,Hakuhodo,Toho,LaserDisc Corporation andSumitomo Corporation, who all forwarded money and promotion towards the film. The animation for the film was provided for by animation producers Tokyo Movie Shinsha (nowTMS Entertainment).[19]
Akira hadpre-scored dialogue (wherein the dialogue is recorded before the film starts production and the movements of the characters' lips are animated to match it;[20] a first for an anime production and extremely unusual even today for an anime,[21] although the voice actors did perform with the aid ofanimatics),[14] and super-fluid motion as realized in the film's more than 160,000 animationcels.[19]Computer-generated imagery was also used in the film (produced by High-Tech Lab. Japan Inc. and the cooperative companies for computer graphics, Sumisho Electronic Systems, Inc. andWavefront Technologies), primarily to animate the pattern indicator used by Doctor Ōnishi, but it was additionally used to plot the paths of falling objects, model parallax effects on backgrounds, and tweak lighting and lens flares.[14] Unlike its live-action predecessors,Akira also had the budget to show a fully realized futuristic Tokyo.[22] The animation was photographed onto65mm film, using an aspect ratio of 1.85:1.[citation needed]
The film's production budget was¥700 million[1] ($5.5 million),[2] with the combined production and advertising budget believed to be reaching¥1.1 billion ($9 million).[1][23] Some sources claim it to the most expensive anime film at the time of release,[22][23] but this claim is disputed by Crunchyroll writer Daryl Harding.[24]
The teaser trailer forAkira was released in 1987. The film's main production was completed in 1987, with sound recording and mixing performed in early 1988. It was released in 1988, two years before the manga officially ended in 1990. Otomo is claimed to have filled 2,000 pages of notebooks, containing various ideas and character designs for the film, but the final storyboard consisted of a trimmed-down 738 pages.[14] He had great difficulty completing the manga; Otomo has stated that the inspiration for its conclusion arose from a conversation that he had withAlejandro Jodorowsky.[25] He later recalled that the film project had to begin with the writing of an ending that would bring suitable closure to major characters, storylines, and themes without being extraordinarily lengthy, so that he could know in reverse order which manga elements would make the cut into the anime and thus suitably resolve the manga's various elements into a lean, two-hour story.[26] Otomo has called making the film before finishing the manga "the worst possible idea".[27] Although he came to like having two similar but different versions of the same story, he still felt too much of the original was cut out of the film.[27]
Otomo was a big fan of the mangaTetsujin 28-go. As a result, his naming conventions match the characters featured inTetsujin 28-go: Kaneda shares his name with the protagonist ofTetsujin 28-go; Colonel Shikishima shares his name with Professor Shikishima ofTetsujin 28-go, while Tetsuo is named after Shikishima's son Tetsuo Shikishima;Akira's Ryūsaku is named after Ryūsaku Murasame. In addition, Takashi has a "26" tattooed on his hand which closely resembles the font used inTetsujin 28-go. The namesake of the series,Akira, is the 28th in a line of psychics that the government has developed, the same number asTetsujin-28.[26]
One of the film's key animators wasMakiko Futaki; she went on to become a lead animator for Studio Ghibli films such asKiki's Delivery Service (1989),Princess Mononoke (1997) andHowl's Moving Castle (2004), before her death in 2016.[28] Another key animator who worked onAkira was formerShin-Ei animatorYoshiji Kigami; he animated several entire scenes inAkira, such as the action scene in the sewers. He later joinedKyoto Animation.[29]
| Territory | Release(s) | Distributor rentals | Gross receipts | Ticket sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 1988 | ¥750,000,000[30] | ¥1,900,000,000[31] | 1,699,463 (est.)[31] |
| 1989–2000 | ¥50,000,000[32] | ¥120,000,000[31] | 103,359 (est.)[31] | |
| 1988–2000 | ¥800,000,000[32] | Unknown | Unknown | |
| 2005–2007 | — | ¥137,000,000[33] | 111,253 (est.)[31] | |
| 2020 | — | ¥106,389,400[34] ($1,130,351)[35] | 92,576 (est.)[31] | |
| United States | 1989 | — | $2,200,000[36] | 542,097[37] |
| 2001 | — | $114,009[38] | 20,143 (est.)[39] | |
| United Kingdom | 1991 | — | £878,695[36] ($1,550,000) | 382,041[37] |
| 2011 | — | $18,813[40] | 3,419[41] | |
| 2015–2018 | — | Unknown | 15,108[41] | |
| 2020 | — | £224,884[36] ($325,657)[42] | 31,629 (est.)[43] | |
| France | 1991–2020 | — | Unknown | 167,372[44] |
| Spain | 1992–2013 | — | Unknown | 134,324[45][41] |
| 2016–2018 | — | Unknown | 2,018[41] | |
| 1992–2018 | — | Unknown | 136,342 | |
| Finland | 2020 | — | Unknown | 6,262[46] |
| Other European countries | 1999–2013 | — | Unknown | 25,047[41] |
| 2014–2018 | — | Unknown | 10,590[41] | |
| 1999–2018 | — | Unknown | 35,622[41] | |
| Quebec (Canada) | 2001–2002 | — | Unknown | 532[41] |
| Taiwan | 2006–2008 | — | US$230,000[47] | 40,000[47] |
| South Korea | 2017 | — | ₩86,224,200[48] | 10,574[48] |
| New Zealand | 2017 | — | US$36,342[49] | Unknown |
| Hong Kong | 2020 | — | US$148,415[50] | Unknown |
| Australia | 2020 | — | US$183,882[42] | Unknown |
| Worldwide | 1988–2020 | $49,000,000[3] | 3,569,771+ (est.) |
Akira was released byToho on July 16, 1988. At the Japanese box office, it was the sixth highest-grossing Japanese film of the year, earning adistribution income (distributor rentals) of¥750 million in 1988.[30] It topped the box office at the onset, making it a success in the Japanese market.[51][52] By 2000, the film had earned a Japanese distribution rental income of¥800 million.[32] The film's4Kremaster received a limited JapaneseIMAX re-release in May 2020.[53]
Electric Media produced an English dub of the film in 1989 that was written by L. Michael Haller and directed bySheldon Renan andWally Burr.[54][55][56][57]The English version saw limited release byStreamline Pictures in North American theaters on December 25, 1989, and grossed about$2.2 million in the United States.[36][58][59] Although Streamline was not involved in its production, this version became known as the "Streamline dub".
AfterPioneer Entertainment acquired the rights to the film, a new English dub was produced byAnimaze and directed byKevin Seymour in 2001 for theDVD release to obtainTHX certification.[60][61][62][63] Pioneer re-released the film with the new dub in select theaters from March through December 2001, making it the 20thdigital cinema release in North America.[64] The restored 4K version was shown in North American movie theaters on September 24, 2020, and for multiple days in select IMAX auditoriums and other cinemas worldwide.[65][66]
In the United Kingdom,Akira was theatrically released byIsland Visual Arts on January 25, 1991.[67] It debuted at number three on the UK box office charts, grossing£439,345 in its opening weekend. The film was fourth place the following week, was in the top ten for four weeks, and in the top 12 for seven weeks, grossing £878,695 by early March 1991.[36] It was re-released on July 13, 2013, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the film, and again on September 21, 2016. The 4K and IMAX re-release in October 2020 debuted at number three on the UK box office charts, grossing £201,124 in its opening weekend.[36]
The Streamline dub was first released toVHS through Streamline's Video Comics label in May 1991 and received wider distribution fromOrion Home Video in September 1993. Orion also distributed the original Japanese version with English subtitles on VHS, makingAkira one of Streamline's few titles to have a Japanese audio release.The Criterion Collection released aLaserDisc with the Streamline dub and Japanese audio in 1992, which was the company's first animated release and its only untilFantastic Mr. Fox in 2014.[68][69][70]
Pioneer released a restored version to home media in 2001. The release featured a single- and two-disc DVD set, the latter in a Steelbook, with the second English dub and Japanese audio, along with VHS versions of these audio tracks. It was one of the few releases from Pioneer to feature THX-certified audio and video. Although Pioneer intended to have the Streamline dub in the release, it was excluded to maintain the THX certification.[60][61]
In the United Kingdom,Akira was first released on VHS by Island World Communications in 1991.[71] By 1993, the film had sold 60,000 tapes in the United Kingdom,[71] 100,000 tapes in Europe,[32] and 100,000 tapes in the United States.[59] The success of this release led to the creation ofManga Entertainment, which later assumed distribution. Manga released a two-disc DVD set in 2004, which featured the restored version with the Japanese audio and Pioneer dub on the first disc and a VHS transfer of the Streamline dub on the second.
A Blu-ray disc edition of the film was released on February 24, 2009, in North America byBandai Entertainment under the Honneamise label.[72][73] A Blu-ray edition ofAkira was subsequently released in Australia byMadman Entertainment under exclusive license from Manga and Kodansha.[74] Madman also released a DVD/Blu-ray combo; it's license is separate from the standalone Blu-ray release because instead of the DVD version being the Manga Video UK version, it uses Madman/Manga's 2001 Special Edition DVD release, which is licensed from Manga UK. The Blu-ray release is the first to use the format's highest audio sampling rate (Dolby TrueHD 5.1 at 192 kHz for the Japanese audio track) and first to use thehypersonic effect (only available on the Japanese track and on high-end audio systems). Beyond Japanese with English subtitles, the Blu-ray also features the 2001 Pioneer/Animaze English dub (TrueHD 5.1 at 48 kHz). The DVD version was again released in 2012 by Bandai Entertainment. The film was licensed again byFunimation following Bandai Entertainment's closure shortly after its DVD release.[75] The Funimation release includes both English dubs, Streamline in stereo and Pioneer in 5.1 surround (both TrueHD at 96 kHz).[76] Funimation released a 25th anniversary Blu-ray/DVD combo and a separate DVD release on November 12, 2013, which features the TrueHD Japanese audio and both English dubs (TrueHD at 96 kHz on Blu-ray).[77]Best Buy released a limited edition exclusive Blu-ray Steelbook the same year.
On April 24, 2020, anUltra HD Blu-ray version was released in Japan byBandai Namco Entertainment, featuring a4KHDR remaster sourced from the original 35 mm film print, as well as the 192 kHz audio transfer created for prior Blu-ray releases.[78] The same remaster was released byFUNimation on December 22, 2020.[79]
As of 2014[update], the film has earned over $80 million in worldwidehome video sales.[71] In the United States, it was the seventh best-selling DVD anime film of all time as of 2006[update][80] and grossed $2,086,180 in Blu-ray sales as of January 2022[update].[81] In the United Kingdom, it was 2020's ninth best-sellingforeign language film on physical home video formats and the year's second best-sellingJapanese film (below the animatedWeathering with You).[82]
The Streamline dub aired on theSci-Fi Channel in the 1990s during its week-long anime events andSaturday Anime block. The Pioneer dub aired twice onAdult Swim'sToonami programming block, once on December 7, 2013,[83] with a rating of TV-MA-V, and again on December 20, 2014, both times with explicit language and nudity censored. It has aired numerous times on AustralianFTA stationSBS.[84] In the United Kingdom, the film aired several times onBBC Two between 1994 and 1997.[85]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval score of 91% based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Akira is strikingly bloody and violent, but its phenomenal animation and sheer kinetic energy helped set the standard for modern anime."[86]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[87]
From contemporary reviews, Tony Rayns commented inThe Monthly Film Bulletin that the narrative was paced at such "speed and complexity" that "viewers who come to it without prior knowledge of themanga (comic-strip) version tend to find it almost overpowering" concluding that "The film virtually demands to be 'read' alongside themanga, and amounts to a kind of commentary on it."[88] Discussing the story, Rayns found the film "not particularly ground-breaking as science fiction" comparing the film to be betweenBlade Runner and2001: A Space Odyssey with the film's main achievement being "the sheer credibility of his vision of future-tech, as seen in fully thorough designs of vehicles, laboratory equipment" and that the film "yields some extremely arresting images in the film's closing scenes" and that "Simply as animation,Akira is an undoubtedtour de force."[89]Variety praised aspects of the film "from the imaginative and detailed design of tomorrow to the booming Dolby effects on the soundtrack" but criticized the "slight stiffness in the drawing of human movement".[90]Chicago Tribune's Dave Kehr commended Otomo's "excellent animation-specific ideas: Vehicles leave little color trails as they roar through the night, and there are a number of dream sequences that make nice use of the medium's ability to confound scale and distort perspective".[91]
From retrospective reviews,Anime News Network's Bamboo Dong commended the Limited Edition's DVD for its "superbly translated" English subtitles and the commendable English dubbing, which "sticks very close to the English translation, and the voice actors deliver their lines with emotion".[92] THEM Anime's Raphael See applauded the film's "astounding special effects and clean, crisp animation".[93] Chris Beveridge commented on the Japanese audio, which brings "the forward soundstage nicely into play when required. Dialogue is well placed, with several key moments of directionality used perfectly".[94] Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times commended Otomo's artwork, stating "the drawings of Neo-Tokyo by night are so intricately detailed that all the individual windows of huge skyscrapers appear distinct. And these night scenes glow with subtle, vibrant color".[95] Richard Harrison ofThe Washington Post commented on the pace of the film, stating that the author "has condensed the narrative sprawl of the comics to provide coherence, though there's a bit of "Back to the Future Part II" incompleteness to the story. That hardly matters, since the film moves with such kinetic energy that you'll be hanging on for dear life".[96]Roger Ebert compared the film toMad Max, calling it "very gory, very gruesome, but entertaining in its own demented way."[97]Kim Newman ofEmpire commended the film's "scintillating animated visuals, with not one – not one – computer-assisted shot in sight".[98]Helen McCarthy in500 Essential Anime Movies stated that the film "remains fresh and exciting, easily holding its own against the products of two decades of massive technical advancement".[99] In February 2004, Dan Persons ofCinefantastique listed the film as one of the "10 Essential Animations", simply referring to the film as "the film that changed everything."[100]
In 1992,Akira won the Silver Scream Award at theAmsterdam Fantastic Film Festival.[101] The film was one of the four nominees for the 2007American Anime Awards' "Best Anime Feature" award, but it lost toFinal Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
In July 2021, the Oktyabrsky District Court inSaint Petersburg banned the distribution ofAkira, along withHappy Tree Friends andMortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, claiming that the film posed possible damage to children's health and psychological development.[102]
AKIRA: Original Soundtrack (Symphonic Suite AKIRA) was recorded byGeinoh Yamashirogumi (芸能山城組).[103] The music was composed and conducted by musical director Shōji Yamashiro (pseudonym ofTsutomu Ōhashi), and performed by the collectiveGeinoh Yamashirogumi.[103] The soundtrack draws heavily from traditionalIndonesiangamelan music, in addition to elements of Japanesenoh music.[104]
It features music that was additionally re-recorded for release. "Kaneda," "Battle Against Clown," and "Exodus From the Underground Fortress" are really part of the same song cycle – elements of "Battle Against Clown" can be heard during the opening bike sequence, for example. The score is generally sequenced in the same order that the music occurs in the film. The North American version featured extensive production notes by David Keith Riddick and Robert Napton.
AKIRA: The Original Japanese Soundtrack; an alternate soundtrack was also released. This version included music as it appeared in the film, with dialogue and sound-effects, albeit ordered out of sequence.
The soundtrack spawned an album ofelectronica remixes from Bwana, calledCapsules Pride.[3]Samples from theAkira soundtrack have also been featured in numerous otherhip hop andelectronic music tracks.[105]
In 1988,Taito released anAkira adventure game for theFamicom exclusively in Japan.[106] AnotherAkira game for theJaguar,[107][108]Super NES,Genesis andSega CD was being developed,[109] but canceled along with prospects of anotherAkira title for theGame Boy andGame Gear handheld consoles.[110] International Computer Entertainment produced a video game based onAkira for theAmiga andAmiga CD32 in 1994.[111] To coincide with the DVD release in 2002,Bandai releasedAkira Psycho Ball, apinball simulator for thePlayStation 2.[112]
Warner Bros. Pictures had held the rights to create a live-action adaptation ofAkira from 2002[113] through 2025.[114] Multiple abortive attempts at the production took place over the decades, with at least five different directors and ten different writers known to have been attached to it.[115][116] Warner Bros.' final attempt had seen directorTaika Waititi attached,[117] with filming planned to start in July 2019[118] for a May 2021 release.[119] However, Warner Bros. put the film on indefinite hold just prior to filming due to Waititi's decision to first directThor: Love and Thunder;[120] years passed without any announcements onAkira whileWaititi took on additional projects.[121] In June 2025, Warner Bros. Pictures had let go of the distribution rights to the film, and Waititi was no longer involved with the project.[114]
Akira is widely regarded as one of the greatest animated movies of all time and helped to increase anime's popularity outside of Japan. In Channel 4's 2005 poll of the 100 greatest animations of all time featuring both film and television,Akira came in at number 16.[122] OnEmpire magazine's list of the 500 greatest movies of all time,Akira was ranked number 440.[123] It features again onEmpire's list of The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema, coming in at No. 51.[124]IGN ranked it 14th on its list of the Top 25 Animated Movies of All-Time.[125] The film also madeTime magazine's list of top 5 anime DVDs.[126] It ranked number 16 onTime Out's top 50 animated movies list[127] and number 5 onTotal Film's Top 50 Animated Films list.[128] The film was ranked No. 1 byWizard's Anime magazine on their "Top 50 Anime released in North America" list in 2001.[129] It was ranked No. 4 onThe Hollywood Reporter critic's list of "10 Best Animated Films for Adults" in 2016.[130]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times selectedAkira as his "Video Pick of the Week" in 1992[131] onSiskel & Ebert and the Movies. For its wider 2001 release, he gave the film a "Thumbs Up".
Akira has also been regarded as one of the greatestaction andscience fiction films of all time. It was ranked number 22 onThe Guardian's list of best sci-fi and fantasy films,[8] included onFilm4's list of top 50 science fiction films,[9] and ranked number 27 onComplex magazine's list of the 50 best sci-fi movies.[10]The Daily Telegraph listedAkira as the fifth greatest action film of all time.[4] Phelim O'Neill of theGuardian draws a parallel onAkira's influence on the science-fiction genre toBlade Runner andStanley Kubrick's2001: A Space Odyssey.[13]Akira is considered a landmark film in thecyberpunk genre, particularly theJapanese cyberpunk subgenre.[11] TheBritish Film Institute describesAkira as a vital cornerstone of the cyberpunk genre, along withBlade Runner andNeuromancer.[132] Rob Garratt ofSouth China Morning Post calledAkira one of "the most influential sci-fi visions ever realised" on film, comparable to the influence ofBlade Runner.[133]Akira is also credited as a breakthrough foradult animation, proving to global audiences that animation was not just for children.[12]
The "Akira slide" refers to a scene where Kaneda slides into view on his motorbike, as he uses a sideways slide to bring his bike to a halt, while the bike gives off a trail of smoke and electric sparks. It is widely imitated and referred to in many works of animation, film, television, and video games.[134][135][136][137][138]
Akira is regarded by many critics as a landmark anime film, one that influenced much of the art in the anime world that followed its release, with many illustrators in the manga industry citing the film as an important influence.[139]Naruto authorMasashi Kishimoto, for example, recalled being fascinated with the way the poster was made and wished to imitate the series' creator Katsuhiro Otomo's style.[140] The film had a significant effect on popular culture worldwide, leading the way for the growth in popularity ofanime, as well asJapanese popular culture in general, in the Western world.Akira is considered a forerunner of the second wave of animefandom that began in the early 1990s and has gained a significantcult following since then. It is credited with setting the precedent for anime franchises such asPokémon,Dragon Ball andNaruto to become global cultural phenomena.[12][3] According toThe Guardian, the "cult 1988 anime taught western film-makers new ideas in storytelling, and helped cartoons grow up".[141]
Akira has influenced numerous works in animation, comics, film, music, television, and video games.[12][3] It inspired a wave of Japanese cyberpunk works, including manga and anime series such asGhost in the Shell,Battle Angel Alita,Cowboy Bebop,Serial Experiments Lain,[11] andElfen Lied,[142] live-actionJapanese films such asTetsuo: The Iron Man,[143] and video games such asHideo Kojima'sSnatcher,[144]Policenauts andMetal Gear Solid,[11] andSquare Enix'sFinal Fantasy VII.[145] Outside of Japan,Akira has been cited as a major influence onHollywood films such asThe Matrix,[146]Dark City,[147]Kill Bill,[148]Chronicle,[149]Looper,[150]The Dark Knight,[151]Midnight Special,Inception,[3]Pacific Rim,Godzilla,[152]Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,[153]Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,[154] andPredator: Killer of Killers,[155] television shows such asStranger Things,[142] and video games such asCore Design'sSwitchblade,[156]Valve'sHalf-Life series,[157][158] andDontnod Entertainment'sRemember Me.[159]John Gaeta citedAkira as artistic inspiration for thebullet time effect inThe Matrix films.[146]Akira has also been credited with influencing theStar Wars franchise, including theprequel film trilogy and theClone Wars film and television series.[160]Todd McFarlane citedAkira as an influence onHBO animated television seriesSpawn.[161]
Akira has also influenced the work of musicians. The music video for theMichael Jackson andJanet Jackson song "Scream" (1995) features clips fromAkira.[162]Kanye West citedAkira as a major influence on his work,[162] and he paid homage to the film in the "Stronger" (2007) music video.[3]Lupe Fiasco's albumTetsuo & Youth (2015) is named after Tetsuo Shima.[163] The popular bike from the film, Kaneda's Motorbike, appears inSteven Spielberg's filmReady Player One,[164][165] andCD Projekt's video gameCyberpunk 2077.[166]Deus Ex: Mankind Divided video game developerEidos Montréal also paid homage to the film's poster.[167] The season four premiere ofRick and Morty ("Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat") features a scene in whichMorty, and thenRick, are transformed into a giant tendrilled monster that Jerry and Beth later refer to as "an Akira". The 2000South Park episodeTrapper Keeper has references toAkira,[168][169] such as one of the characters transforming into a giant blob organism before absorbing several other characters, similar to the film. The stage name of pornographic actressAsa Akira also comes fromAkira. The music video forGrimes's "Delete Forever" pays homage to Tetsuo's penultimate moments on the Olympic throne.
When Tokyo was chosen to host the2020 Summer Olympics inthe 2013 bidding process, several commentators claimed thatAkira predicted the future event.[170][171] In 2017,Akira was referred to in several Tokyo Olympic promotions.[172][173] In February 2020, during thecoronavirus pandemic and 147 days before the Olympics, a scene inAkira which calls for the cancellation of the 2020 Olympics or a graffiti statingJust Cancel It! (147 days before the event) led to a social media trend calling for the cancellation of the 2020 Olympics, where it topped Twitter topics in Japan.[174][175] The Summer Olympics were eventually postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic.
Akira's combination of cyberpunk dystopia, youth alienation, scientific-based philosophy and grand scale visual bombast was already a staple part of the western sci-fi genre throughout the 80s, and its appeal became evident when it went on to gross $49 million worldwide when it was first released in cinemas – a lot of money for a film back then.
作品サ'位 100 万円丄'し (...) 6 アキラ 750
The Akira soundtrack, constructed by Shoji Yamashira and performed by the group Geinoh Yamashirogumi, slides through musical cultures and knits them together with the easy grace of Toru Takemitsu.
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