Colonel Shikishima

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Shikishima
Akira character

Born:	November 15, 1977
Age:	42
Blood type:	O
Height:	6'8"
Weight:	206
REMARKS:	Career military. On special assignment in Neo Tokyo. Father was a member of the Self Defence Forces and participated in the original Akira project prior to World War III. Shikishima knows the secret of Akira.

Colonel Shikishima (敷島大佐 Shikishima Taisa) (first name unknown) is one of the main characters in Katsuhiro Otomo's popular anime movie and manga, Akira. In both the film and the manga he is referred to only as 'The Colonel', although the name Shikishima was mentioned in the documentary Akira Production Report.

1 Basic information
2 Profile
- 2.1 Role in the story
- 2.2 Personality
3 External links

[edit] Basic information

Colonel Shikishima the head of the government project previously responsible for unleashing Akira's power.

[edit] Profile

[edit] Role in the story

The Colonel is an honourable man who knows the truth behind Akira and is wary of Tetsuo whose psychic ability nears Akira's. However no-one else outside of the military, except the Espers, trust him because they think Akira is a myth and because of his forceful methods. In turn, the Colonel trusts no-one outside of the military.

[edit] Personality

The Colonel's primary motivation is to protect Neo-Tokyo, and the world, from further destruction by the strange powers wielded by individuals like Akira. He despises the corrupt and bureaucratic ways of the politicians among whom he walks. His persona is very similar in the manga, where he controls the other Espers and is intent on stopping Tetsuo from working with Akira to expand his powers outside this control.

The Colonel does not seek political power for himself, but is willing to seize it in order to carry out his mission. Like his enemies, the resistance, he is very 'hands-on' and acts quickly and decisively on the Doctor's scientific theories/advice. In the movie version of the story, the Colonel seems to understand the situation perfectly, and the Doctor's input is often just a device for the viewer/reader to make the story explicable.