Synopsis
In 1988, a boy wielding psychic abilities triggers a catastrophic explosion in Tokyo that sparks World War III. To avert further devastation, he is detained and disappears from public knowledge. Three decades later, the rebuilt Neo-Tokyo is plagued by gang warfare and anti-government terrorism. Shoutarou Kaneda commands "the Capsules," a crew of delinquents famous for their oversized custom bikes and ongoing feud with their rivals, "the Clowns." During a clash with these rivals, Kaneda’s best friend, Tetsuo Shima, collides with an esper who has fled a government facility. This incident awakens latent, dangerous powers within Tetsuo. As the authorities move to contain this new psychic threat before it can destroy the city once more, Tetsuo’s escalating abilities place him at the center of the chaos.
Background
Akira won the Silver Scream Award, the audience award of the Amsterdam-based Imagine Film Festival, in 1992 and was nominated for the American Anime Awards' Best Anime Feature award in 2007.
