Esper (Akira)
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| Akira characters | |
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| Masaru, Kiyoko, Takashi | |
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| Number: | 27, 25, 26 |
| Birthyear: | 1980, 1979, 1980 |
| Age (by appearance): | 8, 9, 8 |
| Height: | 106 cm, 113 cm, 110 cm |
The Espers, Masaru (マサル?), Kiyoko (キヨコ) and Takashi (タカシ), are paranormal human test subjects of the Japanese government in the movie and manga Akira. The term "Esper" is never used in the film or manga, but refers to the character's extra-sensory perception.
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[edit] Past
[edit] The original four
The four children were the test subjects of a secret government project (most likely used for military-related purposes) which sought to unlock and harness their psychokinetic abilities. They were among the most talented of their series (numbers 20 to 29), with Akira having by far the most impressive powers. Kiyoko was designated "Number 25", while Takashi was "Number 26," Masaru "Number 27," and Akira "Number 28."
[edit] Akira
When Akira (perhaps unintentionally) destroyed Tokyo and started World War III, Masaru, Kiyoko, and Takashi were the only other test subjects that survived the catastrophe, and the only surviving remnants of the project. Akira was placed into a cryogenic chamber underneath the "Heart of Destruction" - the crater left from Akira's onslaught - to avoid another incident, while the other three children were kept in military custody.
[edit] Lady Miyako
In the manga version of the story, the religious leader Lady Miyako is revealed to be a former test subject herself, designated "Number 19". She is not a contemporary of the children. She informs the resistance, through Nezu, of the existence of Akira.
[edit] Powers developing
As the years progressed, the children began to exhibit a startling physical change. While their bodies didn't grow and they didn't mentally reach adult maturity, their faces became very wrinkled and their bodies grew weak with age (this was perhaps a side effect of the experiments done on them or of their own powers). Eventually, Kiyoko grew so weak she was confined to a bed, and Masaru was also confined to a chair. However, their powers were still impressive, especially when the children possessed Kei to battle Tetsuo Shima in the military's skyscraper headquarters in Neo-Tokyo.
[edit] Role in the story
[edit] The Espers in the Manga
In the manga version, the only female Esper, Kiyoko, has a dream of Akira and Tetsuo causing mass destruction. Kiyoko's precognitive vision greatly concerned Colonel Shikishima and spurred the children to attempt to kill Tetsuo. When the Colonel mounted a coup against the government, he used the children to find Akira, who had been freed by Tetsuo and was also being hunted by Kaneda and Kei, as well as Parliament member Nezu and his private army. Eventually, the Colonel managed to find and capture Akira, but Nezu, while trying to kill Akira, fatally shot Takashi in the head. His death traumatized Akira, and caused him to destroy Neo-Tokyo. After the event, the children became targets of Tetsuo's Great Tokyo Empire, but were taken in by Lady Miyako. As Tetsuo's powers were forcing his body to grotesquely expand to absorb his surroundings, Masaru and Kiyoko - along with a resurrected Takashi - worked with Lady Miyako to use Kei to fight Tetsuo. As Tetsuo "awakened" - i.e. he unleashed an Akira-style psychic blast of his own - the children worked with Akira to use his power to absorb Tetsuo and canceling out his event. The children and Tetsuo were never to be seen again.
[edit] The Espers in the Film
In the film version, Kiyoko has her vision of Akira's mass destruction, and later tells the Colonel that "you mustn't let [Tetsuo] go. His power..." Because of this vision, the Espers attempt to kill Tetsuo, causing an immense and bizarre psychic battle, where they disguised themselves as giant toys and attacked him in his bedroom. Tetsuo then broke out of his room and made his way to the so-called "baby room" where they lived. Tetsuo attacked them and destroyed the baby room before he escaped. During the climatic battle against a mutated Tetsuo at the Neo-Tokyo Olympic Stadium, the children appeared and summoned Akira, who started destroying Neo-Tokyo in an attempt to "take [Tetsuo] away." The three children then used their three combined minds to successfully rescue Kaneda (trapped inside Tetsuo inside Akira's blast). The children are never seen again after the event. By Kaneda and other characters, they are often called "Kids" or "Those kids".
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Shotaro Kaneda | Tetsuo Shima | Yamagata |
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