Esper Experimentation

Lore & Background

Following the sudden destruction of Tokyo on July 16, 1988, which triggered a world war, the Japanese government established secret facilities to study children with psychic abilities. These espers were kept in cryonic storage beneath the Olympic Stadium construction site. The program was overseen by Colonel Shikishima and Dr. Ōnishi, who discovered that Tetsuo possessed powers similar to Akira—the very esper responsible for Tokyo’s original destruction. Kiyoko, another esper, warned Shikishima of Neo-Tokyo’s impending doom if Tetsuo wasn’t controlled. The military attempted multiple interventions, including hospitalizing Tetsuo and deploying special forces, but each effort failed as his abilities grew uncontrollable. The facility remained hidden from public view, known only to high-ranking officials, until Tetsuo escaped and began hunting for Akira’s remains.

In Their Own Story

In the sterile corridors of a secret government facility, Colonel Shikishima watched as Dr. Ōnishi analyzed test results showing Tetsuo’s rapidly expanding psychic capacity. The air hummed with tension as Kiyoko delivered her grim prophecy: Neo-Tokyo would fall again if Tetsuo wasn’t stopped. Meanwhile, at the hospital where Tetsuo was held, orderlies and militiamen were slaughtered as he tore through their ranks in search of the other espers. Tetsuo’s descent into madness accelerated after overhearing plans to rescue him from Kei’s resistance cell. Betraying everyone who sought to help—including Kaneda—he fled to the Olympic Stadium, where Akira’s remains were sealed in jars for scientific research. There, mistaken for Akira by cultists, he unleashed a cataclysmic burst of energy that consumed the stadium and mutated into a grotesque mass of flesh.

Reader's Guide

The Esper Experimentation program serves as the tragic core of Akira’s narrative, revealing humanity’s futile attempt to control forces beyond comprehension. After Akira destroyed Tokyo in 1988, surviving espers were locked away in cryonic stasis beneath Neo-Tokyo. Colonel Shikishima and Dr. Ōnishi led efforts to contain these children, fearing another apocalypse when Tetsuo manifested similar powers. The facility became a battleground as Tetsuo escaped his hospital confinement, slaughtering anyone who stood in his path. His quest for Akira’s remains led him to the Olympic Stadium, where he triggered a singularity that nearly destroyed Neo-Tokyo. Ultimately, the espers intervened, reviving Akira to stop the growing mass and teleporting Tetsuo and Kaneda into another dimension. This event marked the end of the program’s legacy, leaving behind only ruins and survivors like Kei, who began developing her own psychic abilities.

Did You Know?

• Tetsuo’s powers were triggered after he collided with Takashi, an escaped esper, during a motorcycle accident.
• Kiyoko warned Colonel Shikishima that Neo-Tokyo would be destroyed if Tetsuo wasn’t stopped.
• Akira’s remains were found sealed in jars for scientific research beneath the Olympic Stadium's construction site.
• The singularity created by Akira and Tetsuo drew both characters into another dimension before collapsing, leaving a flooded crater where Neo-Tokyo once stood.