Tetsuo Shima

nihongo|Tetsuo Shima|島 鉄雄|Shima Tetsuo is a fictional character who appears as a major antagonist in the manga "Akira" and the adapted 1988 anime movie of that work, also called "Akira". Tetsuo's storyline in the manga diverges from his storyline in the film. In both the manga and the movie, he operates as both a hero and villain, alternating between the two at various points in the respective stories.

Biography

Status

One of the youngest members of a motorcycle gang, led by his best friend Shotaro Kaneda, he initially has problems with being seen as little more than an inexperienced "junior" member, weak and introverted.

Tetsuo is one of the main characters of both the anime movie and manga, "Akira". He is perceived both by himself and others somewhat as a runt, though this is not necessarily a correct assessment of his character. His misdirected views and intentions constantly lead to conflict with all the other characters and he is stubborn and naive about the consequences of his actions.

It often seems, in the earlier scenes of the movie, that he is enthusiastic about motorbiking but can't seem to 'catch up' to his friends.

Throughout the story he reflects more openly on feeling bossed around, and begins exhibiting an inferiority complex. It is when he is injured and later incarcerated by the government that he is left helpless on his own, and begins to take on a corrupt and arrogant attitude, absorbed in his new powers.

Plot

"Akira" is set in the futuristic and unstable city of Neo-Tokyo, built on an artificial island located just above Tokyo bay, not too far from old Tokyo, which was destroyed in World War III. It is hinted during the course of the story that the war wasn't begun in a conventional way, but was in fact the result of the actions of a young boy named Akira who possessed superhuman psychokinetic powers. These powers, it is implied during the movie, ran amok and triggered an explosion that engulfed most of Tokyo, causing mass destruction.

Following a near-collision with Takashi, a child-like military test subject possessed of various psychokinetic powers similar in type but not magnitude to Akira's, Tetsuo began developing these same abilities himself. The abilities soon grow and he becomes their next most powerful wielder besides Akira. The military under Colonel Shikishima attempt to incorporate Tetsuo into their on-going test program, but they are unable to contain him. Takashi and his fellow test subject friends, Masaru and Kiyoko, along with the Japanese Self-Defence Forces later attempted to kill Tetsuo before his powers become too great for him to control. These attempts are in vain and Kaneda, ultimately, does not succeed either.

Personality

Somewhat of an introvert, and possessing a severe inferiority complex, Tetsuo is one of the main characters in "Akira". Abandoned as a child and raised in an orphanage, Tetsuo's life was one of instability, his one constant being his friend, Shotaro Kaneda. They leaned on each other in their childhood days, and remained very close as they grew up, eventually belonging to the same motorcycle gang, of which Kaneda was leader.

Susan J Napier considers him to be a monstrous adolescent, a trope in modern Japanese media; "a classic example of the adolescent fascination with what Freud calls the 'omnipotence of thought', the ability to use psychic powers to change the world around oneself, a world that is seen as disappointing, rejecting and dangerous." [Susan J. Napier, 'Akira and Ranma 1/2: The Monstrous Adolescent,' pp. 39-62 in , Palgrave, 2001]

Newfound powers

Simultaneous with the burgeoning of his power, Tetsuo's mind becomes unhinged, and he is plagued with visions of the mysterious Akira. He comes to develop a vicious misanthropic streak, most keenly expressed in his sudden hatred of Kaneda, whom he still idolizes, but whom he also blames for his feelings of inadequacy and insignificance. Tetsuo rampages through Neo-Tokyo in a quest to discover the identity of Akira, destroying much of the city along the way and triggering a civilian uprising against the corrupt government. Eventually, he discovers the remains of Akira in Neo-Tokyo's Olympic construction site which, following the end of World War III, were gathered and frozen in an underground military installation. Tetsuo gathers that he shall share the same fate, bringing untold destruction prior to his own death. This epiphany further unhinges him.

At this point Tetsuo is confronted by Kaneda, and the pair engage in combat. During the fight, it appears that both of them view their fighting much as a childhood game; there is much exchange of taunting throughout, and both of them keenly dislike outside interference. Tetsuo loses his right arm during the fight due to the Colonel's intervention with the laser satellite SOL. Using his psychokinesis, he constructs a new one from mechanical parts scattered in the wreckage of the installation; despite this remedy, the wound has inflicted a great deal of damage, and his mental deterioration accelerates. Deprived of the stabilizing drugs(heavy sedatives) he needs to control his powers, his body begins to mutate, growing uncontrollably to a monstrous size, attempting to assimilate all organic matter nearby. During the process, he accidentally absorbs, crushes and kills Kaori, his girlfriend, which further unhinges him (even as he kills her he assimilates the pain her dying body experiences) and sends him tumbling into madness. (This only occurs in the animated feature. In the manga, Kaori is killed by the 3rd in command of the Neo-Tokyo empire, the first being Akira and the second being Tetsuo himself. Tetsuo then proceeds to avenge her ever so mercilessly.) Kaneda is nearly killed but manages to escape from Tetsuo's grotesque, swelling body, which has assumed the shape of a fetus, colossal in size.

Downfall and new universe

Tetsuo's powers are now completely beyond his control; the same fate that claimed Akira is now unavoidable for him. In an effort to save Neo-Tokyo (which has now been gripped by a revolution), Takashi, Masaru and Kiyoko combine their powers and recall Akira; with his apparent help they send Tetsuo 'away' (though the audience is shown some intriguing footage showing Tetsuo's childhood memories interspersed with a white void filled with the wreckage of Tetsuo's rampage, the exact location of his forced refuge is not known). The final shot of the movie is of an apparent Big Bang, in contrast to its first image of an atomic explosion, during which may be heard the words "I am Tetsuo." Like the opening explosion, this moment of creation otherwise occurs in complete silence. It is thereby possible to infer that, through Akira, Takashi, Masaru and Kiyoko's influence, Tetsuo's power was able to be channeled into an ultimately creative force, which potentially brought about the creation of a new universe.

In the manga, the Colonel designates Tetsuo as #41, and Lady Miyako later tells him that it is his destiny to discover what Akira is. However, he is impatient and doses drugs to enhance his abilities, or so he believed. In fact, the drugs acted as a suppressant to his powers' growth. It eventually found a way to maximize itself by breaking free of the limitations of Tetsuo's body by absorbing items around him (as an amoeba) and is why Tetsuo appears to be mutating towards the end.

Akira in Popular Culture

*K9999 from "The King of Fighters" series is based on Tetsuo, with Nozomu Sasaki providing his voice.

*Near the end of the "South Park" episode titled "Trapper Keeper", the character Eric Cartman mutates into a huge, techno-organic blob monster, which is an obvious reference to when Tetsuo did near the end of the movie. During his initial mutation, a spoof on the theme "Mutation" from the Akira Soundtrack is played, and a reference to the famous Tetsuo arm mutation is made. Cartman even keeps repeating the line "We are Trapper Keeper, We Are One".

*Similarly, in the manga "Naruto", the character Gaara, who is a host of the Shukaku demon, once mutated to assume the true form of the Shukaku, which causes his body to swell into blobbish flesh (though actually sand) akin to what happened to Tetsuo. The manga artist of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto, had also commented that Akira was one of his favourite anime, and it had influenced some of his works.

*In a "Robot Chicken" episode, a spoof upon Japanese cartoons involves Mrs. Claus to transform into a large creature similar to the one Tetsuo turns into at the end of "Akira". Tetsuo also make an appearance in the same skit. Kaneda also appears in a quick skit in which he is on a stage and screams TETSUO!!!!!

*In the "Homestar Runner" cartoon "3-Times Halloween Funjob", an easter egg creates a minigame where the player can give one of three items to Stinkoman, an anime satire. If the jar labeled "Akira" is chosen, Stinkoman's arm will turn into a tentacle, a reference to Tetsuo's transformations.

*The song "You Can't Run Away" by The French uses dialogue from the film. In particular, a line from the Espers, "You know we aren't meant to exist in the outside world. Come on, let's go home."

*Kanye West's video for "Stronger" was inspired by the movie including scenes such as the testing, in the hospital before making his way to the "baby room" and also includes clips of motorcycles in the streets of Tokyo.

Notes and references