Child Number 1

Lore & Background

In 2019, Neo-Tokyo is plagued by corruption and gang violence. During a violent rally, Shōtarō Kaneda leads his bōsōzoku gang against the rival Clown gang. The conflict escalates when Kaneda's best friend, Tetsuo Shima, inadvertently crashes his motorcycle into Takashi, described in the source as an 'esper who escaped from a government laboratory'. This collision is the catalyst for the entire story, granting Tetsuo powerful telekinetic abilities. The source identifies three specific espers involved in these early events: Takashi, Masaru, and Kiyoko. While the text does not explicitly label them with numbers like 'Child Number 1' in the plot summary, it establishes that they were part of a group escaping a government facility where they had been held.

In Their Own Story

The narrative shifts when Colonel Shikishima and his team recapture Takashi after the motorcycle accident. Tetsuo is hospitalized, but the situation quickly spirals out of control as he develops abilities similar to Akira, the esper responsible for Tokyo's destruction in 1988. The other espers, including Kiyoko, attempt to intervene. Kiyoko forewarns Shikishima of Neo-Tokyo's impending destruction and later draws Kei and Kaneda into a futile attempt to stop Tetsuo. She reveals that Akira is located in cryonic storage beneath the Olympic Stadium. When Tetsuo hunts for Akira, he confronts the reality that the entity he seeks is merely remains sealed in jars. The espers eventually revive Akira to stop Tetsuo's mutation into a mass of flesh.

Reader's Guide

However, it details their critical function: they are former government subjects who escaped with resistance help. Their powers include telepathy (communicating warnings) and telekinesis (used by Tetsuo after his collision). The group's dynamic is defined by their attempts to control or stop the destructive potential of Akira and later Tetsuo. Kiyoko specifically acts as a mediator, using Kei as a medium to break Kaneda out of custody. The source notes that these children possess powers similar to Akira, which can lead to catastrophic events if not managed.

Did You Know?

• Tetsuo Shima acquired his powers after colliding with an escaped child esper named Takashi during a motorcycle accident.
• The source identifies three specific child espers by name: Takashi, Masaru, and Kiyoko.
• Colonel Shikishima recaptured Takashi but had to treat Tetsuo for the injuries sustained in the crash.
• Kiyoko forewarned Colonel Shikishima that Neo-Tokyo faced impending destruction due to the psychic events.
• The espers eventually revived Akira, who created a singularity to stop Tetsuo's transformation.