Akira

1988anime filmclassic

Akira is a Japanese manga by Katsuhiro Otomo that ran from 1982 to 1990 and its 1988 anime film adaptation set in post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo. The film's biker gangs, psychic powers, and Kaneda's red motorcycle slide became recurring references in online fan art, cosplay, and shot-for-shot homages across DeviantArt, Tumblr, and YouTube1.

anime mangacyberpunk memesfan art memesotaku culture memesjapanese internet memes

Overview

Akira is a Japanese manga and 1988 animated film best known for its cyberpunk post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo setting and its motorcycle-riding psychic teenagers. TVTropes credits it as the codifier for the 'Sliding Bike Stop' trope thanks to a scene where Kaneda throws his red bike sideways to bring it to a halt2.

On July 23rd, 2013, Kotaku published a roundup of the anime, cartoons, and games copying the slide beat for beat1. Fan art of Kaneda, Tetsuo, and Neo-Tokyo's collapsing skyline has been redrawn and remixed on DeviantArt, Tumblr, and YouTube for decades, including on mashup blogs like Bartika5.

How It Spread

Akira spread online through fan art, parody videos, and homages to specific shots. On October 28th, 2008, animator Harry Partridge uploaded an American cartoon parody of Akira to YouTube4 that reached over 3.2 million views. On February 2nd, 2010, Joe Peacock posted a short video titled 'Why Akira Matters' that zoomed in on a single hand-painted Neo-Tokyo background from the film3.

The motorcycle slide grew into its own recurring reference. Kotaku's 2013 article catalogued anime and games copying Kaneda's stop beat for beat1, and in April 2013 the Tumblr blog Bartika5 began redrawing scenes from Akira using characters from The Simpsons. Similar mashup accounts kept appearing across other platforms in the years after, and live-action fan projects like a crowdsourced 2014 remake trailer kept the film in front of newer audiences.

How to Use This Meme

References to Akira typically involve recreating the film's iconic imagery, especially Kaneda's red motorcycle slide, which TVTropes lists as the codifier for the 'Sliding Bike Stop' trope2. Common formats include shot-for-shot cosplay, fan-animated parodies, and screencap edits that swap in characters from other franchises, as with the Bartika blog's Simpsons mashups5.

Frequently Asked Questions

Akira

1988anime filmclassic

Akira is a Japanese manga by Katsuhiro Otomo that ran from 1982 to 1990 and its 1988 anime film adaptation set in post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo. The film's biker gangs, psychic powers, and Kaneda's red motorcycle slide became recurring references in online fan art, cosplay, and shot-for-shot homages across DeviantArt, Tumblr, and YouTube1.

anime manga cyberpunk memes fan art memes otaku culture memes japanese internet memes

Overview

Akira is a Japanese manga and 1988 animated film best known for its cyberpunk post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo setting and its motorcycle-riding psychic teenagers. TVTropes credits it as the codifier for the 'Sliding Bike Stop' trope thanks to a scene where Kaneda throws his red bike sideways to bring it to a halt2.

On July 23rd, 2013, Kotaku published a roundup of the anime, cartoons, and games copying the slide beat for beat1. Fan art of Kaneda, Tetsuo, and Neo-Tokyo's collapsing skyline has been redrawn and remixed on DeviantArt, Tumblr, and YouTube for decades, including on mashup blogs like Bartika5.

How It Spread

Akira spread online through fan art, parody videos, and homages to specific shots. On October 28th, 2008, animator Harry Partridge uploaded an American cartoon parody of Akira to YouTube4 that reached over 3.2 million views. On February 2nd, 2010, Joe Peacock posted a short video titled 'Why Akira Matters' that zoomed in on a single hand-painted Neo-Tokyo background from the film3.

The motorcycle slide grew into its own recurring reference. Kotaku's 2013 article catalogued anime and games copying Kaneda's stop beat for beat1, and in April 2013 the Tumblr blog Bartika5 began redrawing scenes from Akira using characters from The Simpsons. Similar mashup accounts kept appearing across other platforms in the years after, and live-action fan projects like a crowdsourced 2014 remake trailer kept the film in front of newer audiences.

How to Use This Meme

References to Akira typically involve recreating the film's iconic imagery, especially Kaneda's red motorcycle slide, which TVTropes lists as the codifier for the 'Sliding Bike Stop' trope2. Common formats include shot-for-shot cosplay, fan-animated parodies, and screencap edits that swap in characters from other franchises, as with the Bartika blog's Simpsons mashups5.

Frequently Asked Questions