Films have been influenced by other films as long as time is time, and Akira is one of the most important ones. The cultural references and the way the film handled its story changed the way we perceived animated films. Since its release and until now, it’s still very important in pop culture, and we will show you why.
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Isle of Dogs
Wes Anderson is one of the greatest contemporary directors nowadays. He is one of the best examples of an auteur, so it’s not a surprise that he references Akira in one of his movies. Isle of Dogs references many pieces of Japanese media at some point, including Akira. This is very obvious during the scene when the five dogs ride over a bridge on motorcycles, as the bikers in the film.
Matrix
One of the topics that Akira shares in its story, it’s the self-destructive nature of humanity. Matrix and Akira both depict the consequences of this in the same fashion, cities destroyed by warfare and humans struggling to live in those conditions. In the Matrix, the fallout doesn’t have a cyberpunk aesthetic; however, it depicts almost the same problems.
Ghost In The Shell
This is a bonus mention, almost, because it shares many things with The Matrix and Akira. But, again, here we can see the consequence of warfare and how humans destroyed themselves. However, we think that the most important fact is that, before Akira, Ghost in The Shell couldn’t have been made. Why? Because Akira set the foundations of what adult animation finally became nowadays.
Teen Titans
If you haven’t seen Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, you should run and do it now. This animation was a masterpiece of T.V animated films for teens. With this being said, during the Sumo fight, almost at the beginning of the film, you can see somebody with Kaneda’s iconic red jacket.
Steven Universe
This is another silly reference, but it was done in such an incredible way that we must mention it. When Connie emerged from a portal riding Lion, she slides just like Kaneda slides in the film with his bike. You can see the scene below, and if you are interested in cartoons, you should watch the movie.
Looper
The film features a kid with telekinetic powers who lose control, just like The Spers, or Akira himself in the film. Even though the premises aren’t the same, you can see the influences of Akira In the film. If you don’t believe us, the director, Rian Johnson, said that he uses Akira as inspiration for Cid’s character in the film.
