Akira (often stylized as
AKIRA) is a Japanese
manga series written and illustrated by
Katsuhiro Otomo. Set in a
post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo, the work uses conventions of the
cyberpunk genre to detail a saga of turmoil. Initially serialized in the pages of
Young Magazine from 1982 until 1990, the work was collected into six volumes by its publisher
Kodansha. The work was first published in an English-language version by the
Marvel Comics imprint
Epic Comics, one of the first manga works to be translated in its entirety. Otomo's art is considered outstanding, and a breakthrough for both Otomo and the manga form. Throughout the breadth of the work, Otomo explores themes of social isolation, corruption, and power.