Japan Release: 1988
Running Time: 124 minutes

Akira

Japanese Title

アキラ
[Akira]

Distributor: Production:

Toho
Toho / Kodansha / Bandai / MBS / Hakuhodo / Tokyo Movie Shinsha / Sumitomo Corporation

In 1988, Tokyo is obliterated in a massive explosion. By 2019 the city is rebuilt, reborn as Neo-Tokyo. In the modernized city Shotaro Kaneda leads the Capsules against a rival bike gang. During the skirmish, though, his friend, Tetsuo Shima, becomes injured when he crashes his bike. The cause is a small being, a psychic powered Esper that escaped from a government laboratory. However, the Esper is quickly captured by soldiers while Tetsuo is hospitalized. Shortly after, government officials start to realize that Tetsuo has powers of his own at a frightening scale. In fact, they believe them to be similar to Akira, a young Esper that was responsible for Tokyo's destruction in the 1980's...

Anime

Box Office - Stock Footage - DVDs - CDs - Pictures - Background - Concept Art - Cut Scenes - Reviews

Titles
International Title Akira	Initial US Title Akira US Distributor: Streamline Pictures (1989) / Time: 124 minutes
Alternate Titles
Akira [Literal translation]

Aliens, SDF & Misc.

Tetsuo Shima

Esper

Battle Tank

SOL

Staff

Cast

Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo
Writing credits Katsuhiro Otomo, Izo Hashimoto
Produced by James Yosuke Kobayashi, Haruyo Kanesaku, Shunzo Kato, Yutaka Maseba, Yoshimasa Mizuo, Sawako Noma, Ryohei Suzuki, Hiroe Tsukamoto
Music by Shoji Yamashiro
Cinematography by Katsuji Misawa
Film Editing by Takeshi Seyama
Production Design by Kuzuo Ebisawa, Yuji Ikehata, Koji Ono, Toshiharu Mizutani
Production Manager Yoichi Ikeda, Yokinori Sakai

Shotaro Kaneda Mitsuo Iwata
Tetsuo Shima Nozomu Sasaki
Kei Mami Koyama
Ryusaku Tessho Genda
Nezu Hiroshi Otake
Miyako, Priestess Koichi Kitamura
Inspector Michihiro Ikemizu
Kaori Yuriko Fuchizaki
Yamagata Masaaki Okura
Eiichi Watanabe Taro Arakawa
Kai Takeshi Kusao
Army Kazumi Tanaka, Taro Arakawa
Sakiyama, Engineer Masayuki Kato
Harukiya Bartender Yosuke Akimoto
Yuji Takeyama Masato Hirano
Mitsuru Kuwata Yukimasa Kishino
Masaru (No. 27) Kazuhiro Kamifuji
Takashi (No. 26) Tatsuhiko Nakamura
Kiyoko (No. 25) Fukue Ito
Terrorist Yukimasa Kishino
Assistant Yukimasa Kishino
Spy Masato Hirano
Follower of Miyako Kozo Shioya
Council Koichi Kitamura, Yukimasa Kishino, Masayuki Kato, Masato Hirano, Taro Arakawa, Michihiro Ikemizu
Girls Kayoko Fujii, Masami Toyoshima, Yuka Ono
Shikishima, Colonel Taro Ishida
Onishi, Doctor Mizuho Suzuki
- Issei Futamata
- Sanshiro Nitta
- Hideyuki Umezu
- Satoru Inagaki

Posters

Japan

Box Office

Release Date: July 16th, 1988 (Japan)
Budget: ¥1,100,000,000 / $8,000,000 (Rough Figure)

Release Date: December 25th, 1989 (US)
Opening Weekend: $11,263 (US, 2 Theaters)
Total: $439,162 (US)

DVDs and Blu-rays

	Region 1 Akira Geneon (2001)
	Region 1 Akira: Special Edition Geneon (2001)
	Region 1 Akira: Limited Edition Geneon (2001)
	Region 1 Akira: DTS Geneon (2002)
	Region 1 Akira: Signature Series Geneon (2004)
	Region 2 Akira: DTS Sound Edition Geneon (2002)
	Region 4 Akira: Special Edition Madman (2001)
	Blu-Ray Akira Honneamise (2009)
	Blu-Ray Akira: Collector's Case Funimation (2017)
	Blu-Ray Akira: 4K Funimation (2020)
	Blu-Ray Akira: 4K Funimation (2022)

CD Soundtracks

Akira - The Original Japanese Soundtrack
(DSCD-7)

Akira Symphonic Suite
(5240-2)

Background and Trivia

Based on the 1988 manga of the same name by director Katsuhiro Otomo.
The movie was submitted to the US copyright office on August 2nd, 1989 under the registration number PA0000441316. It used the title Akira for the movie and noted the movie as belonging to the "Akira Committee" rather than a specific company.
Was re-released worldwide to IMAX theaters in 2020, with Toho managing distribution in Japan.

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