Legendary anime Akira comes back to British cinemas this April

Glasgow-based distributor Anime Limited has announced that Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark cyberpunk anime Akira will return to UK cinemas and IMAX screens from 17 April. The rerelease marks 35 years since the film first introduced mainstream UK and Irish audiences to the cinematic potential of Japanese animation in 1991. Screenings will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles and English dubbed formats.

The return of Akira to the biggest screens available comes at a time when anime regularly challenges Hollywood blockbusters at the global box office. Decades before the current wave of international animation success, Otomo’s adaptation of his own manga set a new standard for adult storytelling in the medium. The film is widely credited with establishing the visual and thematic language of modern cyberpunk, directly influencing the aesthetics of blockbuster cinema, including The Matrix and Inception.

For players of tabletop roleplaying games, the neon-lit sprawl of Neo-Tokyo remains a foundational reference point. The corrupt corporations, biker gangs, and sprawling urban decay seen in Akira heavily informed the development of the cyberpunk tabletop genre, providing game masters with the definitive blueprint for running campaigns in systems like Cyberpunk Red or Shadowrun. The visual language of Kaneda’s iconic red motorcycle and the grimy, lawless streets of a post-World War III metropolis have been mirrored in countless board games and roleplaying settings over the last three decades.

Set in the futuristic megalopolis of Neo-Tokyo in 2019, the narrative follows Kaneda, the leader of a delinquent biker gang. When his close friend Tetsuo is injured in a crash after encountering a mysterious boy, the military intervenes. Tetsuo is taken to a secretive army research facility where extreme experimental procedures awaken terrifying psychic abilities, pushing him towards a destructive madness that threatens the entire city.

A visceral example of the future of animation.”

– The Washington Post

The film’s impact has endured through constant pop culture homages and critical reappraisals. Fans looking to experience the definitive anime masterpiece as originally intended can find screening details and sign up for updates at the official AkiraFilm UK website.

For those wanting to revisit the physical media or pick up franchise merchandise ahead of the cinema release, you can check the latest stock over at Zavvi.