Akira

Akira (アキラ) (stylized as AKIRA) is a cyberpunk & action manga written and illustrated by Katsuhiro Otomo, serialized from 1982 to 1990. It was later adapted into a 1988 animated film of the same name, also directed by Otomo. 
The story follows Shōtarō Kaneda, a biker gang member living in Neo-Tokyo after the destruction of Tokyo decades prior. During a gang confrontation, a government escapee with psychic powers interrupts the fight. After Kaneda's friend Tetsuo Shima comes into contact with the escapee, Tetsuo gains psychic powers himself. The government then kidnaps Tetsuo and subjects him to human experimentation. With his newly acquired abilities, Tetsuo escapes and rampages through the city, with Kaneda trying to stop his destruction.
Both the manga and the film versions of Akira have developed a substantial fandom. Film scholars and resources often cite the film's fanbase as an example of a cult following. In addition, the film has had a sizable impact on popular culture, contributing to the growth of the anime and manga fandom in the Western world. Many works have been influenced or inspired by Akira, particularly those in the action, cyberpunk, and science fiction genres.
== Canon ==
=== Manga ===
=== Film ===
== Fandom ==
=== Influences on other works ===
=== Bartkira ===
=== Bike replica ===
==== Kanye West ====
=== Live-action film adaptation reaction ===
=== Fansites ===
=== 2020 Tokyo Olympics ===
==== Bid ====
In 2012, the International Olympics Committee announced that Tokyo was a candidate city for the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2013, the IOC selected Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. This coincides with Akira's setting, which takes place leading up to the 2020 Neo-Tokyo Olympics, which serves as a plot point. 
After the 2013 announcement, several popular culture blogs and news outlets published articles noting the similarities between Akira and the real world announcement.Ashcraft, 2013Moran, 2013McFarland, 2013Otaku Mode, 2013William, 2013ねとらぼ (Netorabo), 2013 In addition, search queries for アキラ (the Japanese title of Akira) in Japan increased on both Google and Yahoo! on 8 September 2013, the day of the announcement. Some fans noticed the similarities before the 2013 announcement, with a NAVER Matome blog post on the similarities published in August 2012.みすたちるさん (Misutachiru-san), 2012 
Fans made jokes and comments on the coincidence in various places online, such as in the comments section of news articles and on social media. Due to the dystopian setting of Akira and the destruction of Tokyo that occurs within the story, some comments were apocalyptic in nature. A few commentators also drew comparisons between the explosion at the beginning of Akira's plot and the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
==== Cancellation ====
In early 2020, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, some health experts, governmental figures, and portions of the public were concerned about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes and attendees of the Tokyo Olympic Games and called for their cancellation. Similarly, in the film version of Akira, a piece of graffiti beneath a sign advertising the Neo-Tokyo Olympic Games reads "Just cancel it" (中止だ中止).
On 27 Feburary 2020, 147 days before the planned start of the Games (24 July), Japanese fans of the film began to use the hashtags #中止だ中止 and #147日 (147 days) on Twitter to call for the cancelation of the Games.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-28/30-year-old-anime-prediction-sparks-talk-of-olympic-cancellationhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jp/rihotakatsuto/neo-tokyo-akira-respecthttps://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/how-japanese-sci-fi-anime-akira-became-a-global-pop-culture-phenomenon-7409659/https://www.slashfilm.com/582722/the-anime-classic-akira-foresaw-the-2020-tokyo-summer-olympics-and-its-empty-stadium/https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-04-20-intl-hnk/h_aeefc0d2fc12ad6b29d6b6cfdb25715f This trend was accompanied by fan art and other types of fanworks. Political demonstrators adopted 中止だ中止 for use in protests, with the phrase appearing on signs and banners used in demonstrations. 
A few replicas of the in-universe sign were constructed by fans or demonstrators and displayed in public locations, such as Kyoto University and Japan National Stadium.https://twitter.com/toto34466974/status/1132144102076628992 In addition, a cosplay of the sign by WANIGUNNSOU at Comiket Summer 2019 went viral on Twitter during Feburary 2020, in a tweet made by a Kaneda cosplayer who had met WANIGUNNSOU during the convention.https://twitter.com/SHONATiN/status/1233044941925863425
===== Gallery =====
File:Akira sign replica.jpg|Kyoto University sign replica. Fanart is placed next to the replica, with a picture of Tetsuo on the left and a picture of Kaneda on the right.
File:Akira sign cosplay.jpg|Sign cosplay at Comiket Summer 2019.
=== Bike slide ===
The 'Akira bike slide' or 'Akira slide' refers to a scene in the film version of Akira in which Kaneda comes to a stop on his bike perpendicular to a sliding skid. This shot is a popular subject of Akira fanart and other visual fanworks. In addition, the scene has been referenced or homaged in many works of animation, film, television, and video games, such as Steven Universe, Adventure Time, No More Heroes 3, and Nope. The inclusion of the homage has resulted in fan artists for other fandoms referencing the scene in their works.
==== Examples Gallery ====
File:Akira Slide.jpg|The original slide as seen in the 1988 film.
File:Nope-bikeslide-xiaobaofufu.png|Fanart for Nope, depicting the character Emerald “Em” Haywood performing the slide. Art by xiaobaofufu.
File:Dragonbooster-bikeslide-itslanners.png|Fanart for Dragon Booster, depicting the character Artha Tannis Penn performing the slide with Beau. Art by itslanners.
File:Dc-bikeslide-toymadness.jpg|Toy photography for Batman, depicting a Batman figurine posed to resemble the slide. Photo by toymadness.
File:Persona5-bikeslide-luuxxart.png|Fanart for Persona 5, depicting the character Makoto Niijima performing the slide. Art by luuxxart.
File:Kirishima doing Akira slide.JPG|Fanart for Boku no Hero Academia, depicting the character Kirishima Eijirou performing the slide. Art by Rainy Soul.
File:Mha-bikeslide-kiisaes.gif|Fan animation for Boku no Hero Academia, depicting the character Bakugou Katsuki performing the slide. Art by kiisaes. 
== Example Fanworks ==
=== Cosplay ===
=== Fanart ===
=== Fanfiction ===
=== Fanvids ===
=== Gifsets ===
=== Meta ===
* The Impact of Akira: The Film that Changed Everything by Super Eyepatch Wolf
=== Memes ===
=== Other ===
== Communities & Blogs ==
* /r/akira on Reddit
* AKIRA PORTFOLIO on Tumblr
== Archives & Fannish Links ==
* Akira (Anime & Manga) tag on Archive of Our Own
* Akira tag on Fanfiction.net
* akira tag on DeviantArt
* Akira Wiki
* AKIRA (Manga) article on TV Tropes
=== Fansites ===
=== Tumblr ===
* akira tag on Tumblr
* akira movie tag on Tumblr
* akira 1988 tag on Tumblr
* akira manga tag on Tumblr
=== Wikpedia ===
* Akira (1988) article on Wikipedia
* Akira (franchise) article on Wikipedia
* Akira (manga) article on Wikipedia
== References ==
=== Citations ===
=== Works cited ===
Category:Akira