Akira is a 1988 Japanese animated cyberpunk action film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. Set in a dystopian 2019, it tells the story of Sh?tar? Kaneda, the leader of a biker gang whose friend, Tetsuo Shima, acquires powerful telekinetic abilities after colliding with a child esper in a motorcycle accident. The film had a significant effect on popular culture worldwide, paving the way for the growth of anime and Japanese popular culture in the Western world.