Akira (1988): The anime film that altered pop culture forever

The year 2023 marks the 35th anniversary of the cult classic Akira. It is a quintessential masterpiece in the film industry worldwide.

Set in Neo-Tokyo after World War III, Akira is the story of a gang of teenage biker rebels, specifically childhood friends Kaneda and Tetsuo, who accidentally stumble across a military project that plans to use telekinetic humans as weapons. The government captures Tetsuo and he develops telekinetic powers that rival those of the project's most powerful weapon, a child named Akira.

Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira (1988)

Akira combines cyberpunk dystopia, youth alienation and scientific-based philosophy in this grand-scale visual bombast. The movie grossed $49 million worldwide when it was first released in cinemas which was a lot of money for a film back then. It has significantly shaped the modern sci-fi genre as we know it with its thematic and stylistic designs.

Looper

Looper follows a group of time travelers who take down mob targets in different eras. Director Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) admitted to using Akira as inspiration for a Looper character named Cid. Cid is a young boy who loses control over his psychic powers, much like Tetsuo does at the end of Akira. In a Reddit Ask Me Anything, he wrote, "You can see the range of stuff I drew from, from Terminator to Akira."

Josh Tanks’ Chronicle

Chronicle is a found-footage sci-fi thriller about three boys who gain telekinetic powers after contact with a mysterious object. Of the three boys, two use their powers to indulge in trivial pranks, one of them delves into the darker aspect of his abilities. he eventually loses control and goes on a murderous rampage similar to Tetsuo's meltdown at the end of Akira. In an interview with Gizmodo, the director Josh Tank said, “I'm a huge fan of all things Akira, it's definitely a big influence on the movie. And since you've seen the movie, you can tell there are many influences on the film [including]Carrie[and] The Fury.”

Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs

Isle of Dogs was influenced by multiple pieces of Japanese media, ranging from Hayao Miyazaki's Porco Rosso to Drunken Angel by Akira Kurosawa. One such influence was the movie Akira. The scene with five dogs riding over a bridge on motorcycles mirrors the human bikers in Akira.

Furthermore, Katsuhiro Otomo, the manga artist and director behind both versions of Akira, created a poster for Isle of Dogs.

“When I first saw Isle of Dogs, I thought it might be difficult to make a poster that would add something to the movie. It is filled with homage to Japanese cinema, including music directly from Kurosawa, and seemed fully realized already, with all its details in place. It was its own complete world. Then I had an idea: to paint a very traditional Japanese dog to represent the island itself, and a very traditional Japanese wooden floor as the sea. I hope my drawing will be a meaningful way to help share this film with the world,” said Katsuhiro Otomo.

Netflix’s Stranger Things

Stranger Things is a homage to 80s sci-fi. The series’ protagonist Eleven, is a child trained to use her telekinetic powers as a weapon but ultimately escapes the experimental government facility. It reflects Akira’s storyline with Tetsuo and Espers. In an interview with the Daily Beast, the creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, stated that "Akira was obviously a big one" in regard to their cultural influences on the characters and setting.

The Simpsons’ fanwork Bartkira

Bartkira is an unofficial The Simpsons/Akira crossover. It is a fanwork Created by more than 500 fans from around the world. Bartkira follows The Simpsons in the world and style of Akira. Despite the variation in art style, the connection is apparent in the character designs. Bart is portrayed as Kaneda, Milhouse as Tetsuo, and Ralph Wiggum as Akira himself.

The cartoonist who headed the project, James Harvey said, “Both pieces depict a world of children at war with adults... Both Bart and Kaneda were avatars for [an] aggressive brand of anti-establishmentarianism -The Simpsons lampooned society with barbed wit while Kaneda's gang literally smashed it with hammers. Both pieces, then, were a massive moment of catharsis for the cultures they sprang out of.”

Kanye West’s Stronger

Kanye West has never hidden his love for anime and Akira is one of his favourites. The music video for "Stronger" was based on Akira’s storyline. The video featured a kind of Kanye/Tetsuo hybrid as the main protagonist. The video also replicates some of the most distinctive scenes from Akira as a live-action version. The director of the music video, Hype Williams talked about Akira’s influence on Kanye.

"He was always inspired by Akira. There was a point where we really dove in and wound up filming parts of that movie for the video, but we decided to back off of it and do something a little more abstract for the final version.

Akira, which was released in 1988. It's based on a manga of the same name, written by Katsuhiro Otomo, who also directed the film. The film continues to be one of the most beloved movies in anime history

Akira was the first time the West had engaged with Japanese culture en-masse. It also changed theview of anime through its theatrical releases across the globe. Anime was previously considered a childish cartoon-like form of entertainment. Due to Akira, the medium became respected for its maturity and complexity within its narratives and themes. This legendary classic is both genre-defining and culture-setting.