Akira Blu-ray

Neo-Tokyo, 2019. Thirty-one years after World War III, the city has been rebuilt into a sprawling, neon-lit metropolis of inequality and simmering unrest. Shotaro Kaneda leads the Capsules, a motorcycle gang that runs the ruined outer districts at night. His childhood friend Tetsuo Shima rides with him — smaller, less respected, always in Kaneda's shadow. When Tetsuo nearly collides with a strange child during a night ride, military operatives descend on both of them and take Tetsuo away. The child is one of three survivors of secret government experiments conducted decades ago — experiments that produced psychic abilities of catastrophic power, and ultimately destroyed the original Tokyo. Tetsuo emerges from military custody changed. The power growing inside him is unlike anything since the experiments, and it is awakening something that has been sealed beneath the ruins of the old city. Kaneda infiltrates a revolutionary underground group pursuing the truth about the experiments. Tetsuo spirals toward a transformation that no human frame can contain. And deep below Neo-Tokyo, the entity called Akira waits.

Akira is the 1988 theatrical film written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, adapting his own 2,182-page manga. Produced by TMS Entertainment, the film required 160,000 animation cels — more than any anime film before it — and was the first anime to be lip-synced to a pre-recorded voice track rather than dubbed after animation. Its score by Geinoh Yamashirogumi uses gagaku, choral processing, and orchestral electronics to create one of the most distinctive soundtracks in film history. The film was the first anime ever released by the Criterion Collection on LaserDisc in 1992. It influenced the visual language of cyberpunk film and television globally and is consistently cited as one of the most important films ever made. Following the release of FUNimation Entertainment's Blu-ray version of the film in 2013, both English dubs — the 1988 Streamline dub and the 2001 Pioneer/Animaze dub — have been featured in American home media releases. This Blu-ray + DVD Combo collects both language versions alongside the original Japanese audio on a 3-disc set.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director / Screenplay: Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira manga, Steamboy, Memories, Spriggan supervision, Metropolis screenplay)
Co-Screenplay: Izo Hashimoto
Character Design: Takashi Nakamura
Studio: TMS Entertainment / Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Music: Geinoh Yamashirogumi
Production: Akira Committee (Bandai Visual, Kodansha, Mainichi Broadcasting, Toho, Hakuhodo)

Japanese Cast:
- Mitsuo Iwata as Shotaro Kaneda
- Nozomu Sasaki as Tetsuo Shima
- Mami Koyama as Kei (Tekkaman Blade II, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge)
- Taro Ishida as Colonel Shikishima
- Tessho Genda as Ryusaku (Gate Keepers, Z.O.E. Dolores I, Metropolis)
- Yuriko Fuchizaki as Kaori (Oh My Goddess! OVA, Tenchi in Tokyo, Sakura Wars)

1988 Streamline English Dub Cast:
- Cam Clarke as Shotaro Kaneda
- Jan Rabson as Tetsuo Shima
- Barbara Goodson as Lady Miyako (Tenchi Movie 2, Love Hina Christmas Special, RG Veda)
- Steve Kramer as Dr. Onishi (Shinesman — appears in both English dubs)
- Eddie Frierson as additional cast (appears in both English dubs)

2001 Pioneer/Animaze English Dub Cast:
- Johnny Yong Bosch as Shotaro Kaneda (Power Rangers, Trigun, Ah My Goddess The Movie)
- Jan Rabson as Tetsuo Shima
- Wendee Lee as Kei (El-Hazard, Tenchi Universe, Gestalt, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust)
- Barbara Goodson as Lady Miyako
- Lara Cody as Kaori (Rurouni Kenshin Trust & Betrayal)
- Steve Kramer as Dr. Onishi

Blu-ray Features (FUNimation 3-Disc Blu-ray + DVD Combo)

- Blu-ray Disc + DVD Disc + Digital Copy — 3-Disc Set
- 1988 Streamline English Dub & 2001 Pioneer/Animaze English Dub — Both Included
- Japanese Dolby TrueHD Stereo at 192kHz
- English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
- Storyboard Featurettes
- Interview with Katsuhiro Otomo
- Theatrical Trailers & TV Spots
- FUNimation Previews

Spoken Languages: English (1988 Streamline & 2001 Pioneer/Animaze dubs) & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: AKIRA (アキラ)
Runtime: ~124 Minutes
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Blu-ray + DVD Combo Release Year: 2013 (U.S. Release — FUNimation Entertainment, 3-Disc Set)
Original Release Date (Japan): July 16, 1988
Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
Rating: R
Region: Region A / Region 1 (North America)
Note: Includes both 1988 Streamline and 2001 Pioneer/Animaze English dubs on a single set — the first release to combine both dubs. 3-disc set: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital. Later 4K UHD releases available (December 2020 Limited Edition; January 2022 standard reissue).
Genre: Sci-Fi, Cyberpunk, Action
Themes: Psychic Powers, Neo-Tokyo 2019, Government Experiments, Tetsuo's Transformation, Landmark of World Cinema

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.