Akira has been highly respected as one of the greatest anime films of all time while also introducing audiences to the cyberpunk genre in an apocalyptic setting. The film was a landmark for Japanese animation and was one of the first movies to strike an impact on the West, introducing a worldwide audience to the world of anime.
While visually captivating, the movie didn’t showcase the manga’s full potential. What audiences got were parts of a larger story, cutting much of the manga out of the film. We take a look at what the anime film didn’t put from the manga that would’ve given the story more scope.
10 Tetsuo Isn’t As Sympathetic
In both the anime and manga, Tetsuo was portrayed as the weakest of the group. He wasn’t particularly bright or a strong fighter, which made people push him around most of the time. Once he received his psychic abilities, that’s when he used his powers to finally get the respect he thinks he deserves.
In the manga, Tetsuo willingly gives into the immersive power; conversely, in the anime, it is explained why someone weak-minded like Tetsuo would turn evil. Tetsuo’s relationship with Kaori was more toxic than how the anime displayed it, showing just how sadistic he was in the original source material. This was a version we never got to see, which made Tatsuo more of a tragic villain than what was shown in the manga.
9 Kaori Dies Differently In The Manga
Kaori and Tetsuo’s relationship in the manga was really dark, especially the way she gets killed. When she learns that someone plans on betraying Tetsuo, Kaori runs to warn him but ends up getting shot by that person. Once Tetsuo finds out about her death, he kills everyone who conspired against him. He even went to great lengths to revive her with his psychic abilities, but it just never worked.
Instead, Tetsuo just stores her body inside Akira’s cryogenic chamber. In the anime, we just see Kaori getting crushed by Tetsuo’s transformation and dies in the aftermath. The death we got in the manga was more tragic than what we saw in the film.
8 The Manga Explores Kaneda & Kei’s Relationship Even Further
We saw some sparks fly between Kaneda and Kei in the film, but we only get to see a flirtatious encounter with them. In the manga, however, the creators got to invest more in their chemistry and turned it into a real relationship. These two characters got to learn about each other while being imprisoned together.
Readers even got to see them share a kiss. Protecting Kei became one of the driving forces for Kaneda to stop Tetsuo's murderous rampage. Even Kei would do the same for him, so it’s great to see how those two would do anything to protect one another.
7 Kaneda Didn’t Want To Save Tetsuo In The Manga
The story of Akira relies on the brotherhood shared between Kaneda and Tetsuo. Both of these guys have known each other since childhood and looked out for one another living at the orphanage. When Tetsuo goes power-hungry, Kaneda takes the responsibility to stop him from causing more destruction, straining their relationship.
In the film, Kaneda tries to lead Tetsuo towards the light but in the manga, he was ready to put Tetsuo down in order to save the world. This can be proven by how the final battle is shown. In the anime, Kaneda tries to reason with the guy who he considers to be a brother, while the manga has Kaneda kill his best friend.
6 The Espers' Origins Were Shown In The Manga
The psychic children from Akira played a very important role in the film. In the film, the government has been experimenting with the kids, which brought forth their telekinetic powers. Readers get a better understanding of these children in the manga, which delves into their terrible back-story and what led to the destruction of Tokyo as well as the start of World War III.
More information is provided about Akira as well as the other four test subjects. With Tetsuo being subject 41, there may have been 35 others who were also experimented, something the film never addresses.
5 Akira Appeared In The Original Story
With a film named after the powerful psychic child, it’s weird that we never got to see him at all in the anime. Other than visions, what’s left of Akira’s remains were stored underground and frozen by the scientists to study his capabilities. In the manga, Tetsuo releases Akira from his underground prison and teams up with him as they both unleash their power, causing destruction all around Neo-Tokyo.
Akira is soon worshipped by the less fortunate and becomes Emperor of the Great Tokyo Empire. He still appears as a child who hasn’t aged a day. Even though Akira comes out as a big character in the manga, he’s still a mystery like the anime and his existence only provides a highlight of his powerful abilities.
4 The Manga Heavily Depicts The Characters’ Drug Use
In Akira, the characters had an apparent drug addiction as they are shown popping pills into their bodies. The film showed the drugs but it was only implied that the characters were using them. The manga, on the other hand, does show that they have been using drugs and that it is becoming a problem for them.
Just like painkillers, the kids keep taking them at their school. Especially Tetsuo, who takes a handful into his mouth. Readers find out that the government has been distributing some sort of drug that would increase psychic energy in order to control those with telekinetic abilities. To normal people, these pills would give brain damage and kill them. Tetsuo even gives his henchmen those pills just to see them die for his amusement. It just shows just how horrible he is in the manga.
3 Kaneda Isn't The Definitive Protagonist In The Manga
The character of Kaneda Shotaro remained the same in both the anime and manga. Kaneda is always the impulsive defiant leader of the biker gang, The Capsules. The anime has portrayed him as the main protagonist of the film, but the manga depicts others as being just as important to the story.
The manga follows the lives of other characters living in Neo-Tokyo. Even though Kaneda is an important character, other members of his gang fight for control of the city against the police. There was a lot to explore in Akira, but the film only focused on Kaneda with its limited runtime.
2 Lady Miyako Is A Fascinating Character
One of the most important characters in the manga had such a small role in the film was Lady Miyako. She only had one short scene in the film acting as a spiritual fanatic. However, the manga actually gave her an important role where she helped Kei and Kaneda in their pursuit to stop Tetsuo.
It’s revealed that Miyako was a former test subject who had the ability to read minds. After the second explosion in Neo-Tokyo, she sheltered survivors inside her temple and tragically sacrificed herself in the final showdown against Tetsuo. Miyako had such a great arc that unfortunately wasn’t fully explored in the anime.
1 The Film Doesn’t Use The Entire Manga
The anime version uses the main premise of the manga to cover the majority of the story. While the anime focuses on the main story, the Akira manga takes a longer approach to tell a rich narrative filled with intrigue leading up to the devastating conclusion. The film doesn’t fully explore the world of Neo-Tokyo as the manga does.
The anime only implies the power struggle between the cops and the biker gang. It also doesn't go deep into the origin stories of the psychic children and the kids’ drug problems are more fleshed out in the manga. We only got a taste of the story from Otomo’s film, but his book is what will satisfy those who are curious about the overall story.