Akira (character)

nihongo|Akira|アキラ is a fictional character in the manga, "Akira", and the adapted 1988 anime movie of that work, also called "Akira". The character possesses psychokinetic powers that he developed through a military funded research project. His uncontrolled powers subsequently destroyed the project and ignited World War III. In the aftermath of the war, Akira was placed into cryostasis.

Before World War III

Early past

As a child, Akira was part of a Japanese government project to investigate and enhance psychic powers in humans, most likely for military reasons. The project was presumably started in the 1960s by the Ministry of Defense. Infant individuals who showed exceptional mental talent or psychic ability were collected for research purposes.

Numbered

All of these child test subjects were given numerical aliases, and those who showed particular potential were numbered 20 through 29 -- Akira, being allocated number 28 (signified by the tattoo on the palm of his hand). Despite the fact that he was the least controllable of the experimental subjects, he demonstrated the most extraordinary results and potential.

Ascension to power

Eventually, Akira gathered enough control over his psychokinetic power to manipulate energy itself. In this moment of transcendence, he caused an explosion which destroyed the research facility and all records contained therein. The explosion was deadly and confusing enough to ignite World War III, and to destroy all research that led to the attainment of Akira's power.

After World War III

(Anime Version)31 years later, Tokyo had been rebuilt as Neo-Tokyo, but the legend of Akira still lingered in the minds of the government. A high level Colonel in the Ministry of Defense was responsible for keeping Akira hidden, while simultaneously leading a project to discover how to harness Akira's power. With the Olympics approaching, the Colonel was very concerned about Akira.

A rebel faction secretly led by Parliament member Nezu, which included Kei and Ryu, knew about the plans of the government to keep Akira hidden, and wished to release him from containment, not realizing the magnitude of his power. The story proper begins when they rescue/abduct test subject Takashi from the government facility, thinking him to be Akira.

Soon after Tetsuo Shima, a member of a motorcycle gang led by Shotaro Kaneda, was inducted into the project as "Number 41," he learned about where Akira was hidden: in the cryogenic facility now located underneath Neo-Tokyo's Olympic stadium. Wanting to meet Akira to learn about his powers, Tetsuo escaped and reached Akira's sleep chamber, after wreaking destruction upon the city and soldiers protecting him. When reaching Akira's resting place he learns that Akira was killed by the blast he created in 1988 and his body parts were studied to discover the truth of his power. This however yielded no information so his body parts were cryogenically put into stasis for further research by future generations (in the manga Akira was not dissected and was frozen in his entirety to prevent his powers from awakening again). Tetsuo places the canisters containing Akira in a place where they are later recombined by the three children. Once recombined he uses his powers to absorb Tetsuo and send him to an undisclosed location. This process destroys Neo-Tokyo and it is hinted that Akira may have helped Tetsuo channel his energy into the creation of a new universe.

References