Akira is a mysterious figure whose psychic powers were responsible for the cataclysmic explosion that destroyed Tokyo decades before the events of the film. His remains are kept in a secret government facility, and his name becomes synonymous with ultimate power.
The Akira character, is more of a concept or symbol of both mass destruction and potential for rebirth. Akira’s power is ultimately revealed to transcend the physical world, and his influence is felt in the profound changes that occur in Tetsuo and Neo-Tokyo.
Akira represents the power that humanity is trying to control. He is a force of nature personified, whose existence threats the established order. In the plot, the boy is the target of Tetsuo’s desperate quest for power, and his awakening causes the final confrontation.
Otomo assigned Akira the number 28 in direct reference to the mecha Tetsujin 28-go, one of his favorite manga when he was a child, and which served as inspiration for Akira in other aspects.
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