Shotaro Kaneda

Born: September 5, 2003

Age: 16

Blood type: unknown

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 116

REMARKS: An outsider who is far from obediant and co-operative. He is known to act before thinking things out. The organiser and leader of a bike gang. He is perceived by his fellow students as more than a little egotistical. Known by his surname, Kaneda plays one of main roles in the film. In fact it could have been titled 'Kaneda' instead of 'Akira' for the amount of screen time he has! Definately the best known character, he is famous for his souped-up power bike and is envied for it asTetsuo explains- "Ceramic, double-rotor, two-wheel drive. Computer controlled anti-lock brakes. 12,000 RPM's!". He befriended Tetsuo at an orphanage when they were young as Tetsuo was lonely and afraid, and they were both new-commers. They remained friends at the end even though they tried to kill each other! Despite his tough exterior, Kaneda is compassionate as he mourns the loss of Yamagata (Yama) when told of his death by Kai. His attraction to Kay came when he saw her for the first time in the Police files; he met her in that same Station, and their uneasy relationship lasted to the end of the movie. His manga character is similar and just as theatrical, but his role is much smaller- Kay, Chiyoko and the Espers do more to 'save the day' than he does.

Choice Quotes:

"OK, Let's Ride"! -(to gang)

"Now YOU'RE King of the Mountain, but it's ALL garbage"! -(to Tetsuo)