Akira (1988)

Akira is a 1988 Japanese animated science fiction film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, based on his manga series. Set in 2019 Neo-Tokyo, a megalopolis built on the ruins of old Tokyo which was destroyed in a mysterious explosion that triggered World War III, the film follows Kaneda, the leader of a teenage biker gang, whose childhood friend Tetsuo develops immense psychic powers after a motorcycle accident and contact with a government test subject. As Tetsuo's powers grow beyond anyone's ability to control, threatening to recreate the cataclysm that destroyed the original Tokyo, Kaneda must stop his friend before he becomes a god — or destroys the city.

Akira was a watershed moment in animation history, demonstrating that animated films could tell complex, adult, and visually revolutionary stories with a level of detail and ambition that rivaled or surpassed live-action cinema. The film's depiction of Neo-Tokyo — a neon-drenched cyberpunk cityscape of staggering detail, animated with over 160,000 individual cels — set standards for animated production that have rarely been equaled. Akira is credited with introducing anime to Western mainstream audiences and influencing countless filmmakers including the Wachowskis.

Akira earned $49 million worldwide.