Akira is a 1988 Japanese adult animated science fiction film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, produced by Ryōhei Suzuki and Shunzō Katō, and written by Otomo and Izo Hashimoto, based on Otomo's manga of the same name.
Set in a dystopian, cyberpunk-themed 2019, Akira tells the story of Shōtarō Kaneda, a leader of a local bikergang whose childhood friend, Tetsuo Shima, acquires incredible powers after a motorcycle accident, eventually threatening an entire military complex amidst chaos and rebellion in the sprawling futuristic metropolis of Neo-Tokyo. While most of the character designs and settings were adapted from the manga, the plot differs considerably and removes much of the last half of Akira.
Akira was released on July 16, 1988 by Toho. It garnered a large cult following since its theatrical release and is widely considered to be a landmark in Japanese animation. It is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest animated and science fiction films of all time.
