Akira isn’t just a movie — it’s the genesis of a genre. Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark, cyberpunk classic obliterated the boundaries of animated film and forced the world to look into the future. Akira’s arrival shattered traditional thinking, creating space for movies like the Matrix to be dreamed into reality. Without Kaneda and Tetsuo, without espers and psionic assassins, without that iconic motorcycle — our world would be a far less exciting place.

The manga became the movie and the movie became a phenomenon. The world took notice. Now Akira is everywhere. If you can’t see it in the streets — if you can’t feel it crawling around inside your brain — then you have yet to be initiated.