Akira (1988)
Anime film · 120 min · Tokyo Movie Shinsha · directed by Katsuhiro Ootomo
ActionAdventureHorrorPsychologicalSci-FiSupernatural
Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 anime film Akira, from Tokyo Movie Shinsha, is a cyberpunk action-adventure set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian Neo-Tokyo. When a motorcycle gang leader's friend develops powerful psychic abilities after an encounter with a mysterious child, he becomes a target of a secret government project. This triggers a chain of events leading to a city-wide struggle involving supernatural powers and urban warfare.
Akira screencaps & stills
Reference frames from Akira.
Akira in motion
Short loops for study, each cut to a single shot.
The story
The year is 2019, decades after World War III. Neo-Tokyo is a sprawling, oppressive metropolis where biker gangs rule the streets. Shōtarō Kaneda leads one such gang, which includes his friend, Tetsuo Shima. Their lives take a drastic turn when a top-secret child with extraordinary psychic abilities escapes a government facility, inadvertently involving the gang in a high-stakes pursuit.
This encounter awakens latent psychic powers within Tetsuo, leading to his capture by the military for experimentation. As his abilities rapidly grow and his mind becomes increasingly unstable, Tetsuo embarks on a path of destruction, seeking vengeance against a society he perceives as having exploited and weakened him. Kaneda and his gang are drawn into a desperate struggle to confront Tetsuo and the powerful forces at play, with the fate of Neo-Tokyo hanging in the balance.
Credits & cast
- Studio
- Tokyo Movie Shinsha
- Director
- Katsuhiro Ootomo
- Story
- Katsuhiro Ootomo
- Script
- Katsuhiro Ootomo
- Animation
- Takashi Nakamura
- Voice
- Mitsuo Iwata as Shoutarou Kaneda
- Voice
- Nozomu Sasaki as Tetsuo Shima
- Voice
- Mami Koyama as Kei
Where to watch Akira
Streaming services that list it. Availability changes by country.
Akira colour palette
The main colours across the whole film, by share of the picture.
Colour script
The dominant colour of each sampled frame, from the first minute to the last.
Where Akira happens
nightstreetcityindustrialfuturisticurbanbuildingdesolate
Akira background art
Frames with no characters in them: the places, as painted.
More from Tokyo Movie Shinsha
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Magic Knight Rayearth 1994
Golgo 13: The Professional 1983
Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie 1982
Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus 1995
Lupin the 3rd: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon 2019
Panda! Go Panda! 1972
Aim for the Ace!: The Movie 1979
Jarinko Chie 1981
More by Katsuhiro Ootomo
Steamboy 2004
Anime like Akira
Recommended by fans who watched Akira, most votes first.
- 1
22 fan votes · Shared: Sci-Fi · Seinen
- 2
13 fan votes · Shared: Sci-Fi
- 3
7 fan votes · Shared: Action · Gore · Horror
- 4
7 fan votes · Shared: Action · Gore · Sci-Fi
- 5
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade 2000
6 fan votes · Shared: Action
- 6
6 fan votes · Shared: Action · Sci-Fi
- 7
6 fan votes · Shared: Gore · Horror · Sci-Fi
Looks like it
Matched frame to frame, on style and colour.
Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus 1995
Venus Wars 1989
Patlabor: The Movie 1989
Similar stories
Venus Wars 1989
Steamboy 2004
Questions about Akira
Who made Akira?
Akira (1988) was animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and directed by Katsuhiro Ootomo, from a script by Katsuhiro Ootomo.
Where can I watch Akira?
Hulu, Netflix, Tubi TV, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll list Akira. Availability changes by country.
What anime are like Akira?
Fans most often recommend Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Elfen Lied, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. In look: Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus, Venus Wars, Patlabor: The Movie.
See more of Akira
Every reference frame and clip, searchable by what is in the shot — a character, a place, a light.
Frames and loops from Akira (1988) © Tokyo Movie Shinsha, shown at reduced size as reference for study and commentary. Rights questions: copyright@framethrower.ai.