:Akira (1988 film)

File:Akira-Neo-Tokyo-Geography-2019.png.]]

In 2019, following a world war triggered by the sudden destruction of Tokyo on July 16, 1988, Neo-Tokyo is plagued by corruption, anti-government protests, terrorism, and gang violence. During a violent rally, the hot-headed Shōtarō Kaneda leads his vigilante bōsōzoku gang, the Capsules, against the rival Clown gang. Kaneda's best friend, Tetsuo Shima, inadvertently crashes his motorcycle into Takashi, an esper 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 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's cryogenic 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 an orbital 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, engulfing Kaneda and killing Kaori. The espers revive Akira to stop the growing mass. Reuniting with his friends, Akira creates a singularity, 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 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.

{{multiple image

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| footer = Cam Clarke and Johnny Yong Bosch (top to bottom) voiced Kaneda in the first and second English dub of the film, respectively.

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While working on the Akira 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.{{cite AV media |title=Akira Production Report |medium=DVD |publisher=Madman Entertainment |date=November 13, 2001}} He agreed to an anime film adaptation of the series on the grounds that he retained creative control of the project – this insistence was based on his experiences working on Harmagedon. The Akira Committee was the name given to a partnership of several major Japanese entertainment companies brought together to realize production of an Akira 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 of Kodansha, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Bandai, Hakuhodo, Toho, LaserDisc Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation who all forwarded money and promotion towards the film. The animation for the film was provided for by animation producers, Tokyo Movie Shinsha (now TMS Entertainment).

Akira had pre-scored dialogue (wherein the dialogue is recorded before the film starts production and the movements of the characters' lips are animated to match it;{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BFmrVHB44w |title=Interview with Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo (3/4) |work=Akira 2019 |date=December 29, 2009 |via=YouTube |access-date=November 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417162028/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BFmrVHB44w |archive-date=April 17, 2016 |url-status=live}} a first for an anime production and extremely unusual even today for an anime,{{cite web |url=https://www.funimation.com/blog/2019/05/22/the-great-and-powerful-akira/ |title=The Great And Powerful Akira |publisher=Funimation |date=May 22, 2019 | access-date=February 21, 2021 | archive-date=January 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127064116/https://www.funimation.com/blog/2019/05/22/the-great-and-powerful-akira/ | url-status=live}} although the voice actors did perform with the aid of animatics),{{cite book |last=Hughes |first=David |title=Comic Book Movies |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=0-7535-0767-6 |date=2003 |page=27}} and super-fluid motion as realized in the film's more than 160,000 animation cels.Production insights, Akira No. 3 (Epic Comics, 1988). Computer-generated imagery was also used in the film (created by High-Tech Lab. Japan Inc. and the cooperative companies for computer graphics, Sumisho Electronic Systems, Inc. and Wavefront 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. Unlike its live-action predecessors, Akira also had the budget to show a fully realized futuristic Tokyo.{{cite news |title=Akira: The Story Behind The Film |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/story-behind-film-akira/ |access-date=October 19, 2015 |work=Empire |date=June 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909041713/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/story-behind-film-akira/ |archive-date=September 9, 2018 |url-status=live}} The animation was photographed onto 65mm film, using an aspect ratio of 1.85:1.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

The film's production budget was {{¥|700 million}}{{cite web |last1=Harding |first1=Daryl |title=Akira Anime Film Producer Corrects 30-Year Fact on How Much the Groundbreaking Film Cost to Make |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2020/06/08-1/akira-anime-film-producer-corrects-30-year-fact-on-how-much-the-groundbreaking-film-cost-to-make |website=Crunchyroll News |access-date=June 8, 2020 |language=en-us |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610144842/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2020/06/08-1/akira-anime-film-producer-corrects-30-year-fact-on-how-much-the-groundbreaking-film-cost-to-make |url-status=live}} ({{US$|{{#expr:700/128.15 round 1}} million|long=no}}),{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) – Japan |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1988&locations=JP&start=1987 |publisher=World Bank |year=1988 |access-date=August 13, 2018 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603015312/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1988&locations=JP&start=1987 |url-status=live}} with the combined production and advertising budget believed to be reaching {{¥|1.1 billion}} ({{US$|9 million|long=no}}).{{Cite book |author1=Isao Taniguchi |author2=Hajime Asō |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=28c9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA75 |title=図解入門業界研究最新ｱﾆﾒ業界の動向とｶﾗｸﾘがよ〜くわかる本 |date=June 2017 |publisher=秀和システム (Shuwa System) |isbn=978-4-7980-5038-6 |edition=2nd |location=Japan |page=75 |language=ja |trans-title=Introductory Illustrated Industry Research A book that gives a good understanding of the latest trends and karakuri in the animation industry |access-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115102602/https://books.google.com/books?id=28c9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA75#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}} Some sources claim it to the most expensive anime film at the time of release, but this claim is disputed by Crunchyroll writer Daryl Harding.{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Daryl |title=Akira Anime Film Producer Corrects 30-Year Fact on How Much the Groundbreaking Film Cost to Make |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2020/06/08-1/akira-anime-film-producer-corrects-30-year-fact-on-how-much-the-groundbreaking-film-cost-to-make |access-date=August 12, 2022 |website=Crunchyroll |language=en-us |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610144842/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2020/06/08-1/akira-anime-film-producer-corrects-30-year-fact-on-how-much-the-groundbreaking-film-cost-to-make |url-status=live}}

The teaser trailer for Akira 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. He had great difficulty completing the manga; Otomo has stated that the inspiration for its conclusion arose from a conversation that he had with Alejandro Jodorowsky.{{cite web |url=https://www.austinfilm.org/page.aspx?pid=2961 |title=Akira Program Notes |publisher=Austin Film Society |access-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222092919/http://www.austinfilm.org/page.aspx?pid=2961 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite AV media |title=Director Interview |medium=DVD |publisher=FUNimation Entertainment |date=November 12, 2013}} Otomo has called making the film before finishing the manga "the worst possible idea".{{cite book |last=Clements |first=Jonathan |title=Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade |publisher=A-Net Digital LLC |year=2010 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=inWpe4hhc0IC&pg=PA36 36] |isbn=978-0-9845937-4-3}} 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.

Otomo is a big fan of Tetsujin 28-go. As a result, his naming conventions match the characters featured in Tetsujin 28-go: Kaneda shares his name with the protagonist of Tetsujin 28-go; Colonel Shikishima shares his name with Professor Shikishima of Tetsujin 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 in Tetsujin 28-go. The namesake of the series, Akira, is the 28th in a line of psychics that the government has developed, the same number as Tetsujin-28.

One of the film's key animators was Makiko Futaki; she went on to become a lead animator for Studio Ghibli films such as Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Princess Mononoke (1997) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004), before passing away in 2016.{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Trey |title=How Akira sent shockwaves through pop culture and changed it |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/31328/1/akira-anime-studio-ghibli-kanye-west-michael-jackson-pop-culture |website=Dazed |access-date=October 9, 2020 |language=en |date=May 31, 2016 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108120811/https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/31328/1/akira-anime-studio-ghibli-kanye-west-michael-jackson-pop-culture |url-status=live}} Another key animator who worked on Akira was former {{nowrap|Shin-Ei}} animator Yoshiji Kigami; he animated several entire scenes in Akira, such as the action scene in the sewers. He later joined Kyoto Animation.{{cite news |title=The Incredible Artists of Kyoto Animation: Part 1 |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2019-08-21/the-incredible-artists-of-kyoto-animation-part-1/.149150 |access-date=September 2, 2019 |work=Anime News Network |date=August 21, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=August 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823160001/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2019-08-21/the-incredible-artists-of-kyoto-animation-part-1/.149150 |url-status=live}}

Electric Media produced an English dub of the film in 1989 that was written by L. Michael Haller and directed by Sheldon Renan and Wally Burr.Interviews with Streamline Pictures' co-founders Carl Macek and Jerry Beck in Protoculture Addicts No. 9 (November 1990), and company spotlight in Protoculture Addicts No. 18 (July 1992).{{cite web |title=Michael Haller – LinkedIn |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-haller-0b7251179/ |website=LinkedIn |access-date=April 18, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Schultz |first1=Ian |title=Mondo Generator: Sheldon Renan On The Killing Of America |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/21395-killing-of-america-interview |website=The Quietus |access-date=January 1, 2024 |date=November 26, 2016 |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209224734/https://thequietus.com/articles/21395-killing-of-america-interview |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Gencarelli |first1=Mike |title=Interview with Jan Rabson |url=https://mediamikes.com/2011/09/interview-with-jan-rabson/ |website=MediaMike |access-date=April 18, 2023 |date=September 6, 2011 |archive-date=April 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418022823/https://mediamikes.com/2011/09/interview-with-jan-rabson/ |url-status=live}}

The English version saw limited release by Streamline Pictures in North American theaters on December 25, 1989, and grossed about {{US$|2.2 million|long=no}} in the United States."Otomo Takes Manhattan", Marvel Age No. 100 (Marvel Comics, May 1991).{{cite book |last1=Cohen |first1=Karl F. |title=Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America |date=2004 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0-7864-2032-2 |page=111 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gIyH_DLYhoIC&pg=PA111 |access-date=June 9, 2020 |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209224724/https://books.google.com/books?id=gIyH_DLYhoIC&pg=PA111#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}} Although Streamline was not involved in its production, this version became known as the "Streamline dub".

After Pioneer Entertainment acquired the rights to the film, a new English dub was produced by Animaze and directed by Kevin Seymour in 2001 for the DVD release to obtain THX certification.{{cite web |title=Akira Streamline Dub |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-04-26/akira-streamline-dub |website=Anime News Network |access-date=April 18, 2023 |date=April 26, 2001 |archive-date=April 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418022821/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-04-26/akira-streamline-dub |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Akira Press Release |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-05-15/akira-press-release |website=Anime News Network |access-date=April 18, 2023 |date=May 15, 2001 |archive-date=April 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418022853/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-05-15/akira-press-release |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-02-07/anime-dub-director-kevin-seymour-passes-away |title=Anime Dub Director Kevin Seymour Passes Away |publisher=Anime News Network |date=February 8, 2014 |accessdate=May 22, 2017 | archive-date=April 22, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422105533/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-02-07/anime-dub-director-kevin-seymour-passes-away | url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2014-02-28 |title=ANNCast: The Life of Kevin Seymour |publisher=Anime News Network |date=March 1, 2014 |accessdate=May 22, 2017 | archive-date=April 22, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422050852/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2014-02-28 | url-status=live}} Pioneer re-released the film with the new dub in select theaters from March through December 2001, making it the 20th digital cinema release in North America.{{cite journal |title=Digitally projected movies |journal=Screen Digest |date=2003 |page=60 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r0DvAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Screen Digest Limited |access-date=November 6, 2021 |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209224855/https://books.google.com/books?id=r0DvAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web |title=Akira 4K |url=https://www.funimationfilms.com/movie/akira-4k/ |website=Funimation |access-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118162404/https://www.funimationfilms.com/movie/akira-4k/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Akira 4K – In Cinemas Now |url=https://www.madmanfilms.com.au/akira-4k/ |website=Madman Films |access-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115144723/https://www.madmanfilms.com.au/akira-4k/ |url-status=live}}

In the United Kingdom, Akira was theatrically released by Island Visual Arts on January 25, 1991.{{cite news |first=Justin |last=Sevakis |date=September 14, 2015 |title=What Ever Happened to Manga Entertainment? |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2015-09-14/.92910 |department=Answerman (column) |work=Anime News Network |access-date=February 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722132743/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2015-09-14/.92910 |archive-date=July 22, 2018 |url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web |title=Akira |url=https://www.25thframe.co.uk/detail-page/?movie=akira |website=25th Frame |access-date=December 7, 2020 |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209224825/https://www.25thframe.co.uk/movies/akira |url-status=live}} 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.

The Streamline dub was first released to VHS through Streamline's Video Comics label in May 1991 and received wider distribution from Orion Home Video in September 1993. Orion also distributed the original Japanese version with English subtitles on VHS, making Akira one of Streamline's few titles to have a Japanese audio release. The Criterion Collection released a LaserDisc with the Streamline dub and Japanese audio in 1992, which was the company's first animated release and its only until Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2014.{{cite tweet |user=Criterion |number=128940222170931200 |date=October 25, 2011 |title=In 1992 we released Katsuhiro Otomo's landmark AKIRA on laserdisc: http://ow.ly/i/jTnf |access-date=August 16, 2015}}{{cite web |title=About Criterion |url=https://www.criterion.com/about_us |website=The Criterion Collection |access-date=August 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801154746/https://www.criterion.com/about_us |archive-date=August 1, 2015 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Amidi |first1=Amid |author-link=Amid Amidi |title=Criterion's First Animated Feature Release in 20 Years: A Sign of Things to Come? |url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/dvd/criterions-first-animated-feature-release-in-20-years-a-sign-of-things-to-come-93377.html |access-date=August 16, 2015 |work=Cartoon Brew |publisher=Cartoon Brew, LLC |date=December 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915043907/http://www.cartoonbrew.com/dvd/criterions-first-animated-feature-release-in-20-years-a-sign-of-things-to-come-93377.html |archive-date=September 15, 2015 |url-status=live}}

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.

In the United Kingdom, Akira was first released on VHS by Island World Communications in 1991.{{cite book |last1=Blanc |first1=Michelle Le |last2=Odell |first2=Colin |title=Akira |date=2014 |publisher=Macmillan International Higher Education |isbn=978-1-84457-809-2 |page=49 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hzooBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT49 |access-date=May 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205101619/https://books.google.com/books?id=hzooBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT49 |archive-date=February 5, 2019 |url-status=live}} By 1993, the film had sold 60,000 tapes in the United Kingdom, 100,000 tapes in Europe, and 100,000 tapes in the United States. The success of this release led to the creation of Manga Entertainment, who 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 by Bandai Entertainment under the Honneamise label.[http://www.mania.com/press-release-bandai-announces-akira-bluray_article_87492.html Akira on Blu-ray]. "Bandai Announces Akira Blu-ray" . Retrieved October 14, 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203040355/http://www.mania.com/press-release-bandai-announces-akira-bluray_article_87492.html |date=December 3, 2013 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.i4u.com/article8301.html |title=Akira comes on Blu-ray this Summer – I4U News |publisher=I4u.com |date=March 23, 2007 |access-date=March 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407044734/http://www.i4u.com/article8301.html |archive-date=April 7, 2009 |url-status=live}} A Blu-ray edition of Akira was subsequently released in Australia by Madman Entertainment under exclusive license from Manga and Kodansha.[https://www.madman.com.au/actions/catalogue.do?releaseId=12128&method=view Madman Entertainment release of Akira on Blu-Ray]. Madman.com.au . Retrieved November 19, 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203052702/http://www.madman.com.au/actions/catalogue.do?releaseId=12128&method=view |date=December 3, 2013 }} Madman has recently released a DVD/Blu-ray combo which 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 use the format's highest audio sampling rate (Dolby TrueHD 5.1 at 192 kHz for the Japanese audio track) and first to use the hypersonic 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 by Funimation following Bandai Entertainment's closure shortly after its DVD release.{{cite news |title=Funi Adds Seikishi, Yamato: R, One Piece: Strong World, Fairy Tail Film, Akira |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-07-28/funi-adds-seikishi-yamato/r-one-piece/strong-world-fairy-tail-film-akira |work=Anime News Network |access-date=July 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330093631/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-07-28/funi-adds-seikishi-yamato/r-one-piece/strong-world-fairy-tail-film-akira |archive-date=March 30, 2014}} The Funimation release includes both English dubs, Streamline in stereo and Pioneer in 5.1 surround (both TrueHD at 96 kHz).{{cite news |title=Akira 25th Anniversary Edition Includes Streamline, Pioneer Dubs |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-08-05/akira-25th-anniversary-edition-includes-streamline-pioneer-dubs |work=Anime News Network |access-date=August 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329073955/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-08-05/akira-25th-anniversary-edition-includes-streamline-pioneer-dubs |archive-date=March 29, 2014}} Funimation released a 25th anniversary Blu-ray/DVD combo and separate DVD release on November 12, 2013, which features the TrueHD Japanese audio and both English dubs (TrueHD at 96 kHz on Blu-ray).{{cite news |title=Akira DVD/Blu-ray 25th Anniversary Edition (Hyb) |url=http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/bhlxBJs6OiFRz6L21v/browse/item/99275/4/0/0 |work=Anime News Network |access-date=September 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130904181155/http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/bhlxBJs6OiFRz6L21v/browse/item/99275/4/0/0 |archive-date=September 4, 2013 |url-status=dead}} Best Buy released a limited edition exclusive Blu-ray Steelbook the same year.

On April 24, 2020, an Ultra HD Blu-ray version was released in Japan by Bandai Namco Entertainment, featuring a 4K HDR remaster sourced from the original 35 mm film print, as well as the 192 kHz audio transfer created for prior Blu-ray releases.{{cite web |last1=Lawler |first1=Richard |title=4K 'Akira' Blu-ray arrives next year before the series continues |url=https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/05/uhd-blu-ray-akira-otomo-orbital-era-anime/ |website=Engadget |date=July 5, 2019 |access-date=July 5, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=July 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705060209/https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/05/uhd-blu-ray-akira-otomo-orbital-era-anime/ |url-status=live}} The same remaster was released by FUNimation on December 22, 2020.{{Cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-09-15/funimation-to-release-akira-film-remaster-on-4k-blu-ray-disc-on-december-22/.164069 |title=Funimation to Release Akira Film's Remaster on 4K Blu-ray Disc on December 22 |website=Anime News Network |date=June 26, 2023|access-date=September 16, 2020|archive-date=September 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916112643/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-09-15/funimation-to-release-akira-film-remaster-on-4k-blu-ray-disc-on-december-22/.164069|url-status=live}}

{{As of|2014}}, the film has earned over $80 million in worldwide home video sales. In the United States, it was the seventh best-selling DVD anime film of all time {{As of|2006|lc=y}}{{Cite web |date=January 31, 2006 |title=Top Selling Anime DVD Movies |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-01-31/top-selling-anime-dvd-movies |access-date=April 28, 2022 |website=Anime News Network |language=en |archive-date=October 31, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031083038/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-01-31/top-selling-anime-dvd-movies |url-status=live}} and grossed $2,086,180 in Blu-ray sales {{As of|2022|1|lc=y}}.{{Cite web |title=Akira (1991) – Video Sales |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Akira-(1988) |access-date=April 28, 2022 |website=The Numbers |archive-date=January 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104144703/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Akira-(1988) |url-status=live}} In the United Kingdom, it was 2020's ninth best-selling foreign language film on physical home video formats and the year's second best-selling Japanese film (below the anime Weathering with You).{{Cite book |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/industry-data-insights/statistical-yearbook |title=2021 – Film on Physical Video |publisher=British Film Institute (BFI) |year=2021 |location=United Kingdom |pages=10 |access-date=April 27, 2022 |archive-date=April 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427095000/https://core-cms.bfi.org.uk/media/12815/download |url-status=live}}

The Streamline dub aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in the 1990s during the week-long anime events and Saturday Anime block. The Pioneer dub aired twice on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block, once on December 7, 2013,{{cite news |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-11-16/toonami-to-show-akira-summer-wars-1st-fma-film-trigun-film |title=Toonami to Show Akira, Summer Wars, 1st FMA Film, Trigun Film |work=Anime News Network |date=November 16, 2013 |access-date=November 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406000134/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-11-16/toonami-to-show-akira-summer-wars-1st-fma-film-trigun-film |archive-date=April 6, 2014}} 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 Australian FTA station SBS.{{Cite web |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/movie/akira|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016231539/http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/10577/akira |url-status=dead |title=Akira |date=February 17, 2014|archive-date=October 16, 2013 |website=SBS Movies}} In the United Kingdom, the film aired several times on BBC Two between 1994 and 1997.{{cite web |title=Akira (animation) |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?q=Akira+animation |website=BBC Genome |publisher=BBC |access-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610001507/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?q=Akira+animation |url-status=live}}

On review aggregator Rotten 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."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/akira/ |title=Akira (1988) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango |access-date=November 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220071325/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/akira/ |archive-date=December 20, 2017 |url-status=live}} {{Metacritic film prose|68|22|access-date=14 January 2025}}{{Cite web |title=Akira Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/akira/ |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=www.metacritic.com |language=en}}

From contemporary reviews, Tony Rayns commented in The Monthly Film Bulletin that the narrative was paced at such "speed and complexity" that "viewers who come to it without prior knowledge of the manga (comic-strip) version tend to find it almost overpowering" concluding that "The film virtually demands to be 'read' alongside the manga, and amounts to a kind of commentary on it."{{sfn|Rayns|1991|p=66}} Discussing the story, Rayns found the film "not particularly ground-breaking as science fiction" comparing the film to be between Blade Runner and 2001: 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 undoubted tour de force."{{sfn|Rayns|1991|p=67}} Variety praises aspects of the film "from the imaginative and detailed design of tomorrow to the booming Dolby effects on the soundtrack" but criticizes the "slight stiffness in the drawing of human movement".{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/akira-1200427683/ |title=Review: 'Akira' |work=Variety |date=December 31, 1987 |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018092624/http://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/akira-1200427683/ |archive-date=October 18, 2013}} Chicago Tribune's Dave Kehr commends 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".{{cite web |last=Kehr |first=Dave |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-03-30-9001260575-story.html |title=Japanese Cartoon Akira Isn't One For The Kids |work=Chicago Tribune |date=March 30, 1990 |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203030233/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-03-30/entertainment/9001260575_1_katsuhiro-otomo-japanese-akira |archive-date=December 3, 2013}}

From retrospective reviews, Anime News Network's Bamboo Dong commends 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".{{cite news |last=Dong |first=Bamboo |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/akira/limited-edition |title=Akira Limited Edition Metal DVD Case |work=Anime News Network |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404115238/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/akira/limited-edition |archive-date=April 4, 2014}} THEM Anime's Raphael See applauds the film's "astounding special effects and clean, crisp animation".{{cite web |last=See |first=Raphael |url=http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=24 |title=Akira |publisher=THEM Anime |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403152222/http://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=24 |archive-date=April 3, 2014}} Chris Beveridge comments 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".{{cite web |last=Beveridge |first=Chris |url=http://www.mania.com/akira-special-edition-limited-edition_article_73374.html |title=Akira: Special Edition (& Limited Edition) |publisher=Mania.com |date=April 17, 2002 |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203031833/http://www.mania.com/akira-special-edition-limited-edition_article_73374.html |archive-date=December 3, 2013}} Janet Maslin of The New York Times commends 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".{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C0CE1DF113CF93AA25753C1A966958260 |title=Akira (1988) Review/Film; A Tokyo of the Future In Vibrant Animation |work=The New York Times |date=October 19, 1990 |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219174613/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C0CE1DF113CF93AA25753C1A966958260 |archive-date=December 19, 2013}} Richard Harrison of The Washington Post comments 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".{{cite news |last=Harrison |first=Richard |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/akira.htm |title='Akira' (NR) |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 25, 1989 |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910064144/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/akira.htm |archive-date=September 10, 2015 |url-status=live}} Roger Ebert compares the film to Mad Max, calling it "very gory, very gruesome, but entertaining in its own demented way."{{cite AV media |url=https://siskelebert.org/?p=12290 |title=White Sands, A Midnight Clear, Passed Away, The Playboys, Delicatessen, 1992 |date=July 3, 2021 |time=24:47|access-date=July 3, 2021 |via=siskelebert.org|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183346/https://siskelebert.org/?p=12290|url-status=live}} Kim Newman of Empire commends the film's "scintillating animated visuals, with not one – not one – computer-assisted shot in sight".{{cite web |last=Newman |first=Kim |url=https://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=7729 |title=Akira |work=Empire |date=March 18, 2002 |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203025206/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=7729 |archive-date=December 3, 2013}} Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies claims that the anime "remains fresh and exciting, easily holding its own against the products of two decades of massive technical advancement".McCarthy, Helen. 500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide. — Harper Design, 2009. — P. 12. — 528 p. — {{ISBN|978-0061474507}} Meanwhile, in February 2004, Dan Persons of Cinefantastique listed the film as one of the "10 Essential Animations", simply referring to the film as "the film that changed everything."{{cite journal |last1=Persons |first1=Dan |title=The Americanization of Anime: 10 Essential Animations |journal=Cinefantastique |date=February–March 2004 |volume=36 |issue=1 |page=48 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ly0nAQAAIAAJ&q=editions:0AFLRE736LO1AnqYXhN92VLUi3o6sFT1GgYU-Fw2cLmjwIZk1c7q9_ZE |access-date=April 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428143017/https://books.google.com/books?id=ly0nAQAAIAAJ&dq=editions:0AFLRE736LO1AnqYXhN92VLUi3o6sFT1GgYU-Fw2cLmjwIZk1c7q9_ZE |archive-date=April 28, 2017 |url-status=live}}

In 1992, Akira won the Silver Scream Award at the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival.{{cite book |last1=Clarke |first1=James |title=Animated Films – Virgin Film |date=2012 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-4481-3281-2 |page=76 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B090Ndx1o6cC&pg=PT76 |language=en |access-date=February 28, 2020 |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209224738/https://books.google.com/books?id=B090Ndx1o6cC&pg=PT76#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}

Akira was one of the four nominees for the 2007 American Anime Awards' "Best Anime Feature" award, but it lost to Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

In July 2021, the Oktyabrsky District Court in Saint Petersburg banned the distribution of Akira along with Happy Tree Friends and Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, claiming that the film posed possible damage to children's health and psychological development.{{Cite news |date=2021-07-08 |title=Russian Court Bans 'Happy Tree Friends,' Anime Films |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/07/08/russian-court-bans-happy-tree-friends-anime-films-a74457 |access-date=2023-11-17 |work=The Moscow Times}}

{{Infobox album

| name = AKIRA: Original Soundtrack (Symphonic Suite AKIRA)

| type = soundtrack

| artist = Geinō Yamashirogumi (芸能山城組)

| cover =

| alt =

| released = 1988

| recorded = 1988

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Anime, film, gamelan, noh

| length = 69:36

| label = Victor Music Industries, Demon Records/JVC Records, Milan Records

| producer = Shōji Yamashiro

| prev_title = Ecophony Rinne

| prev_year = 1986

| next_title = Ecophony Gaia

| next_year = 1990

}}

AKIRA: Original Soundtrack (Symphonic Suite AKIRA) was recorded by Geinoh Yamashirogumi (芸能山城組).{{cite book |last1=Goldmark |first1=D. |last2=Taylor |first2=Y. |last3=Maltin |first3=L. |title=The Cartoon Music Book |publisher=Chicago Review Press, Incorporated |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-56976-412-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5rfRdOMfTqsC&pg=PA221 |access-date=April 5, 2019 |page=221 |quote=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. |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209224740/https://books.google.com/books?id=5rfRdOMfTqsC&pg=PA221#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}} The music was composed and conducted by musical director Shōji Yamashiro (pseudonym of Tsutomu Ōhashi), and performed by the collective Geinoh Yamashirogumi. The soundtrack draws heavily from traditional Indonesian gamelan music, in addition to elements of Japanese noh music.{{cite news |last1=Bradley |first1=Paige Katherine |title=Cue the Gamelan Music, Maestro, Because the Best Anime Ever Made Is Back in Theaters! |url=https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/paw5bg/akira-30th-anniversary-anime-metrograph-kanye-approved |access-date=June 17, 2019 |work=Garage Magazine |publisher=Vice Media |date=August 28, 2018 |archive-date=June 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618020508/https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/paw5bg/akira-30th-anniversary-anime-metrograph-kanye-approved |url-status=live}}

It features music which 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 of electronica remixes from Bwana, called Capsules Pride. Samples from the Akira soundtrack have also been featured in numerous other hip hop and electronic music tracks.{{cite news |title='Akira' soundtrack featured music worthy of a visual masterpiece |url=https://features.japantimes.co.jp/akiraweek-music/ |access-date=October 9, 2020 |work=The Japan Times |date=August 29, 2016 |archive-date=October 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012163238/https://features.japantimes.co.jp/akiraweek-music/ |url-status=live}}

In 1988, Taito released an Akira adventure game for the Famicom exclusively in Japan.{{Cite web |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/akira_|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212064341/http://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/akira_ |url-status=dead |title=Akira for NES (1988)|archive-date=December 12, 2013 |website=MobyGames}} Another Akira game for the Jaguar,{{cite magazine |last=Ripper |first=The |url=https://archive.org/stream/Gamefan_Vol_2_Issue_05#page/n135/mode/1up |title=Europa! |magazine=GameFan |volume=2 |issue=5 |date=April 1994 |page=136 |access-date=August 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105155347/https://archive.org/stream/Gamefan_Vol_2_Issue_05#page/n135/mode/1up |archive-date=January 5, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AVideoGames_DE_1994-07.pdf&page=32 |title=Warpzone – Jaguar – Angekündigte Jaguar-Spiele |magazine=Video Games |issue=32 |publisher=Future-Verlag |date=July 1994 |page=32 |lang=de |access-date=August 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804201143/https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AVideoGames_DE_1994-07.pdf&page=32 |archive-date=August 4, 2018 |url-status=live}} Super NES, Genesis and Sega CD was being developed,{{cite web |last=Baird |first=Scott |url=https://screenrant.com/akira-video-game-sega-discovered-gameplay/ |title=Akira's Long-Lost Video Game On Sega Genesis Has Been Discovered |work=Screen Rant |publisher=Valnet, Inc. |date=December 26, 2019|access-date=December 2, 2020|archive-date=December 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228135113/https://screenrant.com/akira-video-game-sega-discovered-gameplay/|url-status=live}} but canceled along with prospects of another Akira title for the Game Boy and Game Gear handheld consoles.{{cite web |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/akira/jimgregory.htm |title=Jim Gregory interview – AKIRA – SNES |publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101 |date=December 22, 2012 |access-date=August 27, 2013 |last=Szczepaniak |first=John |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102000406/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/akira/jimgregory.htm |archive-date=January 2, 2014}} International Computer Entertainment produced a video game based on Akira for the Amiga and Amiga CD32 in 1994.{{Cite web |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/amiga-cd32/akira|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020171321/http://www.mobygames.com/game/amiga-cd32/akira |url-status=dead |title=Akira for Amiga CD32 (1994)|archive-date=October 20, 2013 |website=MobyGames}} To coincide with the DVD release in 2002, Bandai released Akira Psycho Ball, a pinball simulator for the PlayStation 2.{{Cite web |url=http://www.tothegame.com/game.asp?id=1739|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011145314/http://www.tothegame.com/game.asp?id=1739 |url-status=dead |title=Review of the Akira pinball simulator by Tothegame.com|archive-date=October 11, 2007}}

{{Main|Akira (planned film)}}

Since 2002, Warner Bros. acquired the rights to create a live-action remake of Akira as a seven-figure deal.Linder, Brian et al. (April 12, 2002). [https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/04/12/akira-hollywood-remake "Akira Hollywood Remake!?"] IGN. Retrieved October 24, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313174510/http://movies.ign.com/articles/357/357213p1.html |date=March 13, 2010}}{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/09/akira-taika-waititi-director-thor-ragnarok-1202173164/ |title='Akira' Back? 'Thor: Ragnarok' Helmer Taika Waititi In Talks |first1=Anita |last1=Busch |first2=Mike Jr. |last2=Fleming |date=September 19, 2017 |access-date= September 25, 2017 |work=Deadline Hollywood |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925181309/https://deadline.com/2017/09/akira-taika-waititi-director-thor-ragnarok-1202173164/ |archive-date=September 25, 2017 |url-status=live}} The live-action remake has undergone several failed attempts to produce it, with at least five different directors and ten different writers known to have been attached to it.{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/04/06/akira-the-tortured-history-of-the-unmade-live-action-adaptation |title=Akira: The Tortured History of the Unmade Live-Action Adaptation |first=Christopher |last=Marc |date=April 6, 2017 |access-date= August 31, 2017 |work=IGN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901073049/http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/04/06/akira-the-tortured-history-of-the-unmade-live-action-adaptation |archive-date=September 1, 2017 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/akira-production-shut-down-budget-warner-bros-278729 |title='Akira' Production Offices Shut Down As Warner Bros. Scrutinizes Budget (Exclusive) |date=January 5, 2012 |first=Borys |last=Kit |work=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316095559/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/akira-production-shut-down-budget-warner-bros-278729 |archive-date= March 16, 2014}} By 2017, director Taika Waititi was named as the film's director for the live-action adaptation. Warner Bros. had scheduled the film for release on May 21, 2021,{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/akira-movie-release-date-set-sets-may-2021-1213499 |title=Taika Waititi's 'Akira' Sets 2021 Release Date |first=Aaron |last=Couch |date=May 24, 2019 | access-date = May 24, 2019 |work=The Hollywood Reporter | archive-date = May 24, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190524173817/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/akira-movie-release-date-set-sets-may-2021-1213499 | url-status = live}} and filming was planned to start in California in July 2019.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/leonardo-dicaprio-akira-california-tax-credits-warner-bros-paramount-1202586735 |title=Leonardo DiCaprio Produced 'Akira' Scores In Latest CA Tax Credits Allocation |first=Dominic |last=Patton |date=April 2, 2019 |access-date=April 2, 2019 |work=Deadline Hollywood |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402155119/https://deadline.com/2019/04/leonardo-dicaprio-akira-california-tax-credits-warner-bros-paramount-1202586735/ |archive-date=April 2, 2019 |url-status=dead}} However, Warner Bros. put the work on indefinite hold just prior to filming as Waititi had chosen to first direct Thor: Love and Thunder, the sequel to Thor: Ragnarok, which he had also directed.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/taika-waititi-direct-thor-4-1224464 |title=Taika Waititi to Direct 'Thor 4' (Exclusive) |last=Kit |first=Borys |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=July 16, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716174750/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/taika-waititi-direct-thor-4-1224464|archive-date=July 16, 2019|url-status=live}}

{{Further|Akira (franchise)|Akira (manga)#Legacy}}

Akira is widely regarded as one of the greatest animated movies of all time and prompted an increase in popularity of anime movies in the US and, generally, outside Japan. It is still admired for its exceptional visuals. 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/cartoons/results.html |title=Channel4 – 100 Greatest Cartoons |publisher=Channel 4 |access-date=June 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520014452/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/cartoons/results.html |archive-date=May 20, 2009 |url-status=dead}} On Empire magazine's list of the 500 greatest movies of all time, Akira is number 440.{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/500/12.asp |title=The 500 greatest Movies of All Time |work=Empire |access-date=March 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214213958/http://www.empireonline.com/500/12.asp |archive-date=December 14, 2013}} It showed again on Empire{{'}}s list of The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema, coming in at No. 51.{{cite web |title=The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema |url=https://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=51 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014141447/http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=51 |archive-date=October 14, 2013}} IGN also named it 14th on its list of Top 25 Animated Movies of All-Time.{{cite web |title=TOP 25 Animated Movies of All-Time |work=IGN |date=June 25, 2010 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/06/25/top-25-animated-movies-of-all-time?page=3 |access-date=July 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731202624/http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/06/25/top-25-animated-movies-of-all-time?page=3 |archive-date=July 31, 2017 |url-status=live}} The Akira anime also made Time magazine's list of top 5 anime DVDs.{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1088692,00.html |title=5 Top Anime Movies on DVD |magazine=Time |date=July 31, 2005 |access-date=March 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825213945/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1088692%2C00.html |archive-date=August 25, 2013 |url-status=dead}}{{subscription required}} The film also made number 16 on Time Out{{'}}s top 50 animated movie list{{cite web |url=https://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/8839/ |title=Time Out's 50 Greatest Animated Films – Part 4 – Time Out Film – Time Out London |work=Time Out |access-date=March 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106221843/http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/8839/ |archive-date=January 6, 2013}} and number 5 on the Total Film Top 50 Animated Films list.{{Cite web |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/totalfilm/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523152706/http://www.totalfilm.com/features/50-greatest-animated-movies |url-status=dead |title=Total Film |archive-date=May 23, 2014 |website=GamesRadar+}} The film was ranked No. 1 by Wizard's Anime magazine on their "Top 50 Anime released in North America" list in 2001.{{cite news |date=July 6, 2001 |title=Wizard lists Top 50 Anime |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-07-16/wizard-lists-top-50-anime |work=Anime News Network |access-date=February 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402111019/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-07-16/wizard-lists-top-50-anime |archive-date=April 2, 2014}} It was ranked No. 4 on The Hollywood Reporter critic's list of "10 Best Animated Films for Adults" in 2016.{{cite web |title=Critic's Picks: 10 Best Animated Films for Adults |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/critics-picks-10-best-animated-919190 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=August 12, 2016 |access-date=November 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201005210/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/critics-picks-10-best-animated-919190 |archive-date=December 1, 2018 |url-status=live}} Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times selected Akira as his "Video Pick of the Week" in 1992{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-sxAQAAIAAJ&q=ebert%20akira |title=Animation in Asia and the Pacific |last=Lent |first=John A. |date=2001 |publisher=John Libbey |isbn=978-1-86462-036-8 |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626083000/https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=P-sxAQAAIAAJ&dq=ebert%20akira&source=gbs_book_other_versions |archive-date=June 26, 2018 |url-status=live}} on Siskel & Ebert and the Movies. For its wider 2001 release, he gave the film "Thumbs Up".

Akira has also been regarded as one of the greatest action and science fiction films of all time. It was ranked number 22 on The Guardian{{'}}s list of best sci-fi and fantasy films, included on Film4's list of top 50 science fiction films, and ranked number 27 on Complex magazine's list of 50 best sci-fi movies. The Daily Telegraph listed Akira as the fifth greatest action film of all time.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/best-action-movies-ever-made/akira/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/best-action-movies-ever-made/akira/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Akira, Beat it, Kingsman: the 24 greatest action movies of all time |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=March 20, 2017}}{{cbignore}} Phelim O'Neill of the Guardian draws a parallel on Akira{{'}}s influence on the science-fiction genre to Blade Runner and Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.{{cite web |last=O'Neill |first=Phelim |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jun/23/akira-film-review |title=Akira – review |work=The Guardian |date=June 24, 2011 |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203070323/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jun/23/akira-film-review |archive-date=December 3, 2013}} Akira is considered a landmark film in the cyberpunk genre, particularly the Japanese cyberpunk subgenre.{{cite news |title=What is cyberpunk? |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/8/30/17796680/cyberpunk-2077-history-blade-runner-neuromancer |work=Polygon |date=August 30, 2018 |access-date=October 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014091351/https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/8/30/17796680/cyberpunk-2077-history-blade-runner-neuromancer |archive-date=October 14, 2018 |url-status=live}} The British Film Institute describes Akira as a vital cornerstone of the cyberpunk genre, along with Blade Runner and Neuromancer.{{cite web |title=30 years of Akira – teenage kicks, anime-style |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/30-years-akira-teenage-kicks-anime-style |website=British Film Institute |access-date=June 15, 2019 |date=July 16, 2018 |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102031002/https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/30-years-akira-teenage-kicks-anime-style |url-status=live}} Rob Garratt of South China Morning Post calls Akira one of "the most influential sci-fi visions ever realised" on film, comparable to the influence of Blade Runner.{{cite news |last1=Garratt |first1=Rob |title=How Akira and Blade Runner predicted the neon urban ugliness of Tokyo and Hong Kong in 2019 |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3037944/how-akira-and-blade-runner-predicted-neon-urban |access-date=April 23, 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=November 17, 2019 |archive-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425052013/https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3037944/how-akira-and-blade-runner-predicted-neon-urban |url-status=live}} Akira is also credited as a breakthrough for adult animation, proving to global audiences that animation was not just for children.

File:Akira Slide.jpg

The "Akira slide" refers to a scene where Kaneda slides into view with 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 caused by the slide. It is regarded as one of the most iconic anime scenes of all time, widely imitated and referred to in many works of animation, film, and television.{{cite news |last1=Burke |first1=Carolyn |title=You've Definitely Seen The "Akira Slide" Before, Even If You Don't Watch Anime |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/12/07/youve-definitely-seen-the-akira-slide-before-even-if-you-dont-watch-anime |access-date=March 10, 2022 |work=Crunchyroll |date=December 7, 2018 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310172740/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/12/07/youve-definitely-seen-the-akira-slide-before-even-if-you-dont-watch-anime |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Knox |first1=Kelly |title=Watch Two Full Minutes of the AKIRA Motorcycle Slide Across the Years |url=https://nerdist.com/article/akira-motorcycle-slide-kaneda-homage-compilation-video/ |access-date=March 10, 2022 |work=Nerdist |date=September 29, 2021 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401082836/https://nerdist.com/article/akira-motorcycle-slide-kaneda-homage-compilation-video/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=That Famous 'Akira Slide:' Watch the Supercut |url=https://www.heavymetal.com/news/videos/akira-slide-supercut/ |access-date=March 10, 2022 |work=Heavy Metal |date=October 11, 2021 |archive-date=February 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202071329/https://www.heavymetal.com/news/videos/akira-slide-supercut/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Barnett |first=Sam |date=July 26, 2022 |title=Nope's Climax Calls Back to One of Anime's Most Iconic Moments |url=https://www.cbr.com/nope-jordan-peele-calls-back-akira-motorcycle-slide/ |access-date=July 27, 2022 |website=CBR |language=en-US |archive-date=July 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727052838/https://www.cbr.com/nope-jordan-peele-calls-back-akira-motorcycle-slide/amp/ |url-status=live}}

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.{{cite web |url=http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/akira/ |title=Akira – Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Uk.rottentomatoes.com |access-date=March 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307121115/http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/akira/ |archive-date=March 7, 2009 |url-status=dead}} Manga author Masashi Kishimoto, for example, recalls becoming fascinated with the way the poster was made and wished to imitate the series' creator Katsuhiro Otomo's style.{{cite book |last=Kishimoto |first=Masashi |title=Naruto, Volume 10 |year=2006 |publisher=Viz Media |isbn=978-1-4215-0240-3 |page=157 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/splendidninjanar10kish}} The film had a significant effect on popular culture worldwide. The film led the way for the growth in popularity of anime outside Japan as well as Japanese popular culture in the Western world. Akira is considered a forerunner of the second wave of anime fandom that began in the early 1990s and has gained a massive cult following since then. It is credited with setting the scene for anime franchises such as Pokémon, Dragon Ball and Naruto to become global cultural phenomena.{{cite web |title='Akira' Is Frequently Cited as Influential. Why Is That? |url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/akira-influence-12cb6d84c0bc/ |website=Film School Rejects |date=April 3, 2017 |access-date=May 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107205951/https://filmschoolrejects.com/akira-influence-12cb6d84c0bc/ |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |date=September 21, 2016 |title=How 'Akira' Has Influenced All Your Favourite TV, Film and Music |url=https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/kwk55w/how-akira-has-influenced-modern-culture|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730204751/https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/kwk55w/how-akira-has-influenced-modern-culture|archive-date=July 30, 2017|access-date=July 23, 2017 |work=VICE |quote=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.}} According to The Guardian, the "cult 1988 anime taught western film-makers new ideas in storytelling, and helped cartoons grow up".{{cite news |title=Akira: the future-Tokyo story that brought anime west |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jul/10/akira-anime-japanese-cartoon-manga |access-date=January 2, 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=July 10, 2013 |archive-date=April 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425003837/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jul/10/akira-anime-japanese-cartoon-manga |url-status=live}}

Akira has influenced numerous works in animation, comics, film, music, television, and video games. It inspired a wave of Japanese cyberpunk works, including manga and anime series such as Ghost in the Shell, Battle Angel Alita, Cowboy Bebop, Devilman Crybaby, Gantz, Garo: Vanishing Line, Serial Experiments Lain, and Elfen Lied,[https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-stranger-things-the-duffer-bros-on-how-they-made-the-tv-hit-of-the-summer Inside ‘Stranger Things’: The Duffer Bros. on How They Made the TV Hit of the Summer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012001214/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/07/inside-stranger-things-the-duffer-bros-on-how-they-made-the-tv-hit-of-the-summer.html |date=October 12, 2016 }}, The Daily Beast, August 7, 2016 live-action Japanese films such as Tetsuo: The Iron Man,{{cite web |title=Tetsuo: The Iron Man |work=Mandiapple.com |url=http://www.mandiapple.com/snowblood/tetsuo.htm |access-date=July 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217122100/http://www.mandiapple.com/snowblood/tetsuo.htm |archive-date=December 17, 2014 |url-status=live}} and video games such as Hideo Kojima's Snatcher{{cite web |url=https://gamecritics.com/great-games-snatcher/ |title=Great Games Snatcher |work=GameCritics.com |first=Ben |last=Hopper |date=February 20, 2001 |access-date=August 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021214258/http://www.gamecritics.com/great-games-snatcher |archive-date=October 21, 2011 |url-status=live}} and Metal Gear Solid, and Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII.{{cite web |title=Final Fantasy VII's Legacy Gets Everything About Final Fantasy VII Wrong |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/04/final-fantasy-viis-legacy-gets-everything-about-fi.html |work=Paste Magazine |date=April 13, 2016 |access-date=June 11, 2019 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202165741/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/04/final-fantasy-viis-legacy-gets-everything-about-fi.html |url-status=live}} Outside of Japan, Akira has been cited as a major influence on Hollywood films such as The Matrix,{{cite journal |date=February 2006 |title=200 Things That Rocked Our World: Bullet Time |journal=Empire |issue=200 |page=136 |publisher=EMAP}} Dark City,Proyas, Alex. {{cite web |url=http://mysteryclock.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1647 |title=Dark City DC: Original Ending !? |access-date=August 29, 2008 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014191637/http://mysteryclock.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1647 |archive-date=October 14, 2007}}. Mystery Clock Forum. Retrieved July 29, 2006. Kill Bill,{{cite news |title=30 Years of Akira: The Triumph and Legacy of a Legendary Film |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/07/16/30-years-of-akira-the-triumph-and-legacy-of-a-legendary-film |work=Crunchyroll |date=July 16, 2018 |access-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128075345/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/07/16/30-years-of-akira-the-triumph-and-legacy-of-a-legendary-film |archive-date=November 28, 2018 |url-status=live}} Chronicle,{{cite web |last=Woerner |first=Meredith |title=Chronicle captures every teen's fantasy of fighting back, say film's creators |url=http://io9.com/5881852/chronicle-is-a-movie-about-every-teens-fantasy-of-fighting-back |publisher=io9 |access-date=May 25, 2012 |date=February 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226195315/http://io9.com/5881852/chronicle-is-a-movie-about-every-teens-fantasy-of-fighting-back |archive-date=February 26, 2014}} Looper,{{cite web |title=Rian Johnson Talks Working with Joseph Gordon-Levitt on LOOPER, Hollywood's Lack of Originality, Future Projects and More |work=Collider |date=September 25, 2012 |url=https://collider.com/rian-johnson-reddit-ama/ |access-date=July 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619134519/http://collider.com/rian-johnson-reddit-ama/ |archive-date=June 19, 2015 |url-status=live}} The Dark Knight,{{cite news |last1=Osmond |author-link=Andrew Osmond (journalist) |first1=Andrew |title=Akira: The Story Behind The Film |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/story-behind-film-akira/ |work=Empire |date=June 21, 2011 |access-date=September 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909041713/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/story-behind-film-akira/ |archive-date=September 9, 2018 |url-status=live}} Midnight Special, Inception, Godzilla,{{cite web |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/10-things-we-learned-about-godzilla-from-gareth-edwards/ |title=Godzilla: 10 things we learned from Gareth Edwards |last=Lambie |first=Ryan |work=Den of Geek |date=March 4, 2014|access-date=May 26, 2020|archive-date=July 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725011130/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/10-things-we-learned-about-godzilla-from-gareth-edwards/|url-status=live}} Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,{{cite news |last1=Morrissy |first1=Kim |title=Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Directors Discuss Film's Japanese Anime Influences |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-05-19/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-directors-discuss-film-japanese-anime-influences/.146685 |access-date=March 2, 2022 |work=Anime News Network |date=May 19, 2019 |archive-date=March 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302164053/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-05-19/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-directors-discuss-film-japanese-anime-influences/.146685 |url-status=live}} and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,{{cite web |url=https://discussingfilm.net/2022/12/21/puss-in-boots-the-last-wish-director-joel-crawford-talks-breaking-new-ground-in-the-shrek-franchise-exclusive-interview/ |title='Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' Director Joel Crawford Talks Breaking New Ground in the Shrek Franchise – Exclusive Interview |date=December 22, 2022 | access-date=December 22, 2022 | archive-date=June 1, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601151152/https://discussingfilm.net/2022/12/21/puss-in-boots-the-last-wish-director-joel-crawford-talks-breaking-new-ground-in-the-shrek-franchise-exclusive-interview/ | url-status=live}} television shows such as Astronaut, Batman Beyond and Stranger Things, and video games such as Core Design's Switchblade,{{cite magazine |last=Whitta |first=Gary |url=https://archive.org/stream/theone-magazine-15#page/n113/mode/1up |title=Review – Swtichblade – From the team that put the dangerous into Rick comes Gremlin's mix of action and exploration. Gary Whitta's going underground... |magazine=The One |issue=15 |publisher=EMAP |date=December 1989 |pages=113–114}} Valve's Half-Life series,{{cite news |title=Half-Life tiene varias referencias a Akira |url=https://as.com/meristation/2018/08/29/noticias/1535543681_545901.html |work=MeriStation |publisher=Diario AS |date=August 29, 2018 |language=es |access-date=October 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014010144/https://as.com/meristation/2018/08/29/noticias/1535543681_545901.html |archive-date=October 14, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=The most impressive PC mods ever made |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/the-most-impressive-pc-mods-ever-made |work=TechRadar |date=June 14, 2018 |access-date=October 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616224054/https://www.techradar.com/news/the-most-impressive-pc-mods-ever-made |archive-date=June 16, 2018 |url-status=live}} and Dontnod Entertainment's Remember Me.{{cite news |title=FEATURE: "Life is Strange" Interview and Hands-on Impressions |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2015/01/28/feature-life-is-strange-interview-and-hands-on-impressions |work=Crunchyroll |date=January 28, 2015 |access-date=October 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014053106/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2015/01/28/feature-life-is-strange-interview-and-hands-on-impressions |archive-date=October 14, 2018 |url-status=live}} John Gaeta cited Akira as artistic inspiration for the bullet time effect in The Matrix films. Akira has also been credited with influencing the Star Wars franchise, including the prequel film trilogy and the Clone Wars film and television series.{{cite web |title=The Cinema Behind Star Wars: Akira |work=StarWars.com |date=October 26, 2015 |url=https://www.starwars.com/news/cinema-behind-star-wars-akira |access-date=July 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730203627/http://www.starwars.com/news/cinema-behind-star-wars-akira |archive-date=July 30, 2017 |url-status=live}} Todd McFarlane cited Akira as an influence on HBO animated television series Spawn.{{cite AV media notes |title=Todd McFarlane's Spawn 2 |first=Todd |last=McFarlane |author-link=Todd McFarlane |type=Special features |publisher=HBO Home Video |year=1998}}

Akira has also influenced the work of musicians. The music video for the Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson song "Scream" (1995) features clips from Akira.{{cite news |last1=McMahon |first1=James |title='Akira': how the '80s anime classic changed pop culture forever |url=https://www.nme.com/film-features/akira-anime-rerelease-2777512 |access-date=October 9, 2020 |work=NME |date=October 8, 2020 |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209225259/https://www.nme.com/en_au/features/film-features/akira-anime-rerelease-2777512 |url-status=live}} Kanye West cited Akira as a major influence on his work, and he paid homage to the film in the "Stronger" (2007) music video. Lupe Fiasco's album Tetsuo & Youth (2015) is named after Tetsuo Shima.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lupe-fiasco-is-avoiding-politics-on-tetsuo-youth-20131025 |title=Lupe Fiasco's 'Tetsuo & Youth' Avoiding Politics |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=October 25, 2013 |access-date=December 2, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117113659/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lupe-fiasco-is-avoiding-politics-on-tetsuo-youth-20131025 |archive-date=November 17, 2014}} The popular bike from the film, Kaneda's Motorbike, appears in Steven Spielberg's film Ready Player One,{{cite web |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/42981-ready-player-one-anime-easter-eggs-gundam |title='Ready Player One' Anime Easter Eggs Include Gundam, Voltron and Much More |work=inverse.com |first=Eric |last=Francisco |date=March 30, 2018 |access-date=August 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822050245/https://www.inverse.com/article/42981-ready-player-one-anime-easter-eggs-gundam |archive-date=August 22, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Peters |first1=Megan |title=Steven Spielberg Reveals How Hayao Miyazaki Inspires Him |url=https://comicbook.com/anime/2018/04/25/steven-spielberg-hayao-miyazaki-influence-anime/ |work=ComicBook.com |date=April 25, 2018 |access-date=October 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028151538/https://comicbook.com/anime/2018/04/25/steven-spielberg-hayao-miyazaki-influence-anime/ |archive-date=October 28, 2018 |url-status=live}} and CD Projekt's video game Cyberpunk 2077.{{cite news |title=Cyberpunk 2077 devs 'will be significantly more open' |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/cyberpunk-2077/cyberpunk-2077-announcement-future |work=PCGamesN |date=June 12, 2018 |access-date=October 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014093101/https://www.pcgamesn.com/cyberpunk-2077/cyberpunk-2077-announcement-future |archive-date=October 14, 2018 |url-status=live}} Deus Ex: Mankind Divided video game developer Eidos Montréal also paid homage to the film's poster.{{cite news |title=Here's Some Spiffy Unused Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Art, Inspired by Akira |url=https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2017/07/17/heres-some-spiffy-unused-deus-ex-mankind-art-inspired-by-akira |work=Kotaku |date=July 17, 2017 |access-date=October 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014091607/http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2017/07/17/heres-some-spiffy-unused-deus-ex-mankind-art-inspired-by-akira |archive-date=October 14, 2018 |url-status=live}} The season four premiere of Rick and Morty ("Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat") features a scene in which Morty, and then Rick, are transformed into a giant tendrilled monster that Jerry and Beth later refer to as "an Akira". The 2000 South Park episode Trapper Keeper has references to Akira,{{Citation |title=South Park – IGN |url=https://www.ign.com/tv/south-park |language=en|access-date=December 15, 2020|archive-date=January 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105085730/https://www.ign.com/tv/south-park|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=South Park episode Parodies Anime |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2000-11-17/south-park-episode-parodies-anime|access-date=December 15, 2020 |website=Anime News Network |language=en|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126011841/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2000-11-17/south-park-episode-parodies-anime|url-status=live}} such as one of the characters transforming into a giant blob organism before absorbing several other characters, not unlike the movie. The stage name of pornographic actress Asa Akira also comes from Akira. The music video for Grimes' "Delete Forever" pays homage to Tetsuo's penultimate moments on the Olympic throne.

When Tokyo was chosen to host the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 2013 bidding process, several commentators claimed that Akira predicted the future event.{{cite news |last1=McFarland |first1=Kevin |title=Akira predicted that the 2020 Olympics would be held in Tokyo |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/iakira-ipredicted-that-the-2020-olympics-would-be--102654 |access-date=July 27, 2016 |date=September 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818140438/http://www.avclub.com/article/iakira-ipredicted-that-the-2020-olympics-would-be--102654 |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Ashcraft |first1=Brian |title=The 2020 Tokyo Olympics Were Predicted 30 Years Ago by Akira |url=http://kotaku.com/the-2020-tokyo-olympics-were-predicted-30-years-ago-by-1276381444 |access-date=July 27, 2016 |date=September 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803030535/http://kotaku.com/the-2020-tokyo-olympics-were-predicted-30-years-ago-by-1276381444 |archive-date=August 3, 2016 |url-status=live}} In 2017, Akira was referred to in several Tokyo Olympic promotions.{{cite news |last1=Baseel |first1=Casey |title=The Tokyo Olympics might be taking its Akira anime connection too far【Video】 |url=https://soranews24.com/2017/07/25/the-tokyo-olympics-might-be-taking-its-akira-anime-connection-too-far%E3%80%90video%E3%80%91/ |access-date=February 28, 2020 |work=Sora News 24 |date=July 25, 2017 |archive-date=January 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200120203220/https://soranews24.com/2017/07/25/the-tokyo-olympics-might-be-taking-its-akira-anime-connection-too-far%e3%80%90video%e3%80%91/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite journal |last=Tagsold |first=Christian |date=January 2, 2023 |title=Akira and the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and 2020/21: Reading the games through manga and anime—reading manga and anime through the games |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/18692729.2023.2168840 |journal=Contemporary Japan |language=en |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=117–135 |doi=10.1080/18692729.2023.2168840 |s2cid=258313153 |issn=1869-2729 |access-date=July 13, 2023 |archive-date=July 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713003016/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/18692729.2023.2168840 |url-status=live}} In February 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic and 147 days before the Olympics, a scene in Akira which calls for the cancellation of the 2020 Olympics or a graffiti stating Just 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.{{cite news |title='Just Cancel it!' trending hard as coronavirus gets Olympic push from '88 anime 'Akira' |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/28/national/just-cancel-trending-hard-coronavirus-gets-olympic-push-88-anime-akira/ |access-date=February 28, 2020 |work=The Japan Times |date=February 28, 2020 |archive-date=August 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821093710/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/28/national/just-cancel-trending-hard-coronavirus-gets-olympic-push-88-anime-akira/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Reidy |first1=Gearoid |title=30-Year-Old Anime Prediction Sparks Talk of Olympic Cancellation |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-28/30-year-old-anime-prediction-sparks-talk-of-olympic-cancellation |access-date=February 28, 2020 |agency=Bloomberg News |date=February 28, 2020 |archive-date=February 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228213359/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-28/30-year-old-anime-prediction-sparks-talk-of-olympic-cancellation |url-status=live}} The Summer Olympics were eventually postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

• List of cult films

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite magazine |magazine=Monthly Film Bulletin |title=Akira |last=Rayns |first=Tony |volume=58 |date=March 1991 |issue=686}}

• {{cite book |last=Bolton |first=Christopher |title=Interpreting Anime |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4529-5683-1}}

{{Wikiquote|Akira}}

• {{Official website}} {{in lang|ja}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://akira2001.com/ American site] (archived by the Wayback Machine)
• {{IMDb title}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1988/dl001700.htm |title=Akira |access-date=July 19, 2007 |publisher=Japanese Movie Database |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070821031651/http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1988/dl001700.htm |archive-date=August 21, 2007 |url-status=live |language=ja}}
• {{anime News Network|movie|375|Akira}}
• {{cite book |chapter=Akira (p. 11) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zx9dDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA11 |title=100 Cult Films |year=2011 |last1=Mathijs |first1=Ernest |last2=Mendik |first2=Xavier |author-link1=Ernest Mathijs |author-link2=Xavier Mendik |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=London |isbn=978-1-84457-571-8 |title-link=100 Cult Films}}

{{Akira manga|state=expand}}

{{Katsuhiro Otomo}}

{{TMS Entertainment films}}

{{Portal bar|Anime and manga|Speculative fiction|1980s}}

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