Akira, Original production cel

Akira is a 1988 Japanese science fiction anime film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, produced by Ryōhei Suzuki and Shunzō Katō and written by Otomo and Izo Hashimoto, based on Otomo's manga of the same name.

Set in a dystopian, cyberpunk-based Tokyo in 2019, Akira tells the story of Shotaro Kaneda, a leader of a local bōsōzoku gang who must stop his friend Tetsuo Shima from using his newly awakened superpowers to release the titular esper. While most of the character designs and settings were adapted from the manga, the plot differs considerably and prunes much of the last half of Akira.

The film has garnered a large cult following since its theatrical release, and is widely considered to be a landmark in Japanese animation. It is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest animated and science fiction movies of all time.