Akira

Play trailer

0:55

Akira

R

1988

2h 4m

Sci-Fi

Anime

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after nuking the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles against anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo's supernatural power suddenly manifests. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment's secrets.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Akira is strikingly bloody and violent, but its phenomenal animation and sheer kinetic energy helped set the standard for modern anime.

Read Critics Reviews

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Apr 20

4/5

This is ideologically bleak, incessantly violent and astonishing.

Go to Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

01/25/2021

A

The opening motorbike chase is still thrilling, but the dedication to the backgrounds as well as crowds of people filling the screen, explosions happening in the distance, and a jaw-dropping sense of scope make Akira the classic that it is.

Go to Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

10/08/2020

4/5

Akira's strangeness is very startling and sometimes bewildering. But there is a thanatonic rapture to its vision of a whole world ending and being reborn as something else.

Go to Full Review

Andrew Murray

The Upcoming

Apr 15

5/5

There are several reasons why Akira is frequently considered to be a masterpiece. Not only is it visually spectacular, but it’s uncompromising in its vision.

Go to Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Sep 17

4/5

It's a classic for a reason! This seminal anime film is filled with incredible visuals, dense themes, and (it turns out) a bunch of content missing from the comics. It's exciting, but occasionally overwhelming.

Go to Full Review

Howard Waldstein

CBR

07/18/2023

Akira is one of the great anime sci-fi classics and has been influential across various forms of media.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Joshua

10/17/2022

Neo Tokyo really blew up

See more

Mckenzie M

@CriticKenz 2d

8/10. great movie, i really enjoyed it.

See more

Shea C

@SheaRants 6d

The animation is beautiful and the neo Tokyo backdrop is amazing but the plot itself is so random

See more

Steve R

@RT72705910 Apr 19

Ive seen this film so many times, but just saw it in IMAX. Glorious

See more

Chirag P.

@trini Apr 6

Finally seeing this after so long. Have a lot of appreciation after seeing a documentary on the animation process which is especially impressive for the time.

See more

Matthew C

@MercurialOne Apr 3

Akira is one of those films that hits differently because of what it meant at the time. For me, it’s pure nostalgia - the first proper anime I’d seen as a kid. Even though I watched it in the late 90s, a full decade after it came out. That says a lot about its staying power and influence. Even then, it still felt completely different to anything else around, and you can see why it helped push anime further into western culture.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Katsuhiro Ohtomo

Director

Mitsuo Iwata

Shôtarô Kaneda

Nozomu Sasaki

Tetsuo Shima

Mami Koyama

Kei

Tessho Genda

Ryûsaku

Hiroshi Otake

Nezu

They Live

86%

80%

They Live

Watchlist

TRAILER

for They Live

Cyborg

22%

32%

Cyborg

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Cyborg

The Fly II

32%

24%

The Fly II

Watchlist

Alien Nation

52%

44%

Alien Nation

Watchlist

Freejack

29%

25%

Freejack

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

2022 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month TV & Streaming Calendar

12 Unique Depictions of Tokyo in the Movies

Ready Player One Easter Egg Watchlist: What To See Before Seeing Spielberg’s Latest

Akira: Trailer 1

0:55

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after nuking the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles against anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo's supernatural power suddenly manifests. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment's secrets.

Director: Katsuhiro Ohtomo
Producer: Shunzo Kato, Ryôhei Suzuki
Screenwriter: Izou Hashimoto, Katsuhiro Ohtomo
Distributor: Streamline Pictures
Production Co: Akira Committee Company, Ltd.
Rating: R (Graphic Violence|Brief Nudity)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1988, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 2001
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 12, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $390.0K
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)