Akira (character)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Akira
Akira character

Name:	Akira
Alias:	#28 (number 28)
Race:	Human (at first)
Gender:	Male
Age :	10 years/eternal (Born 1978)
Hair:	Black
Eyes:	Brown

Akira (アキラ, Akira^?) is one of the characters in the anime movie/manga Akira. Akira possessed psychokinetic powers that were developed through a military funded research project. His uncontrolled powers subsequently destroyed the project itself, igniting World War III after which he was placed into cryostasis.

1 Before World War III
2 After World War III
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Before World War III

[edit] Early past

As a child, Akira was part of a Japanese government project to investigate and enhance psychic powers in humans, most likely for military reasons. The project was presumably started in the 1960s by the Ministry of Defense. Infant individuals who showed exceptional mental talent or psychic ability were collected for research purposes.

[edit] Numbered

All of these child test subjects were given numerical aliases, and those who showed particular potential were numbered 20 through 29 -- Akira, being allocated number 28 (signified by the tattoo on the palm of his hand). Despite the fact that he was the least controllable of the experimental subjects, he demonstrated the most extraordinary results and potential.

[edit] Ascension to power

Eventually, Akira gathered enough control over his psychokinetic power to manipulate energy itself. In this moment of transcendence, he caused an explosion which destroyed the research facility and all records contained therein. The explosion was deadly and confusing enough to ignite World War III, and to destroy all research that led to the attainment of Akira's power.

[edit] After World War III

31 years later, Tokyo had been rebuilt as Neo-Tokyo, but the legend of Akira still lingered in the minds of the government. A high level Colonel in the Ministry of Defense was responsible for keeping Akira hidden, while simultaneously leading a project to discover how to harness Akira's power. With the Olympics approaching, the Colonel was very concerned about Akira.

A rebel faction secretly led by Parliament member Nezu, which included Kei and Ryu, knew about the plans of the government to keep Akira hidden, and wished to release him from containment, not realizing the magnitude of his power. The story proper begins when they rescue/abduct test subject Takashi from the government facility, thinking him to be Akira.

Soon after Tetsuo Shima, a member of a motorcycle gang led by Shotaro Kaneda, was inducted into the project as "Number 41," he learned about where Akira was hidden: in the cryogenic facility now located underneath Neo-Tokyo's Olympic stadium. Wanting to meet Akira to learn about his powers, Tetsuo escaped and reached Akira's sleep chamber, after wreaking destruction upon the soldiers protecting him. Akira sensed Tetsuo's power as he used it to defend himself, and the child was subsequently awakened. Tetsuo was leading Akira out of the facility when the Colonel used the laser satellite SOL to attack them both. Tetsuo lost his arm in the onslaught, and Akira was captured by Kaneda and Kei.

Now Akira was the quarry of many different groups set out to control him. The Colonel, for one, wanted to capture him before he could cause another incident; Mr. Nezu, the resistance leader, sought to use him as a weapon against the government; and Lady Miyako, herself a former test subject, sought to keep Akira out of the hands of Nezu.