Akira is everywhere. Watch a modern Hollywood blockbuster and chances are you’ll see a reference to Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 anime masterpiece, probably in the form of the iconic “Akira motorcycle slide.” The extremely radical move has appeared in everything from Batman: The Animated Series (which shared animators with Akira), to Wolverine, to Nope. But Akira is so much more than cool imagery, which is one reason why Hollywood has been struggling to adapt Akira to live-action for decades.
