‘Akira’ on 4K UHD Blu-Ray coming from Funimation in Jan. 2022

Fans can now relive the groundbreaking sci-fi anime film Akira when it returns with remastered 4K visuals and remixed audio early next year.

Funimation announced that the iconic 1988 film Akira will reemerge once again on 4K UHD Blu-ray on Jan. 18, 2022, alongside numerous other Blu-ray releases from Funimation.

The 4K edition will come with a host of special features, including behind-the-scenes clips and interviews on the influential anime.

#Akira returns to 4K Blu-ray next month. https://t.co/enOaNuOmbJ

— Collider (@Collider) December 22, 2021

For those not familiar with the film, Akira is a 1988 Japanese cyberpunk action film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, based on Otomo's 1982 manga of the same name. 

Set in the dystopian world of 2019, the story centers on  Shōtarō Kaneda, a leader of a biker gang that tears through a futuristic Neo-Tokyo metropolis. 

When caught in a motorcycle accident, Kaneda’s friend Tetsuo Shima gains telekinetic abilities, eventually discovering a secret government project as chaos and rebellion breaks out in the city.

 

Akira is widely regarded by critics as one of the greatest animated and science fiction films ever made. The film become one of the most influential works in Japanese animation history, paved the way for the growth of anime and Japanese popular culture globally, and making an impact on countless other projects in animation, comics, film, music, television and video games.

Special features in the Akira 4K edition on Blu-Ray include behind-the-scenes clips and interviews on the sound design and music by Geinoh Yamashirogumi, an interview with director Katsuhiro Otomo, original storyboards, trailers, sound clips and the process of restoring the iconic film to 4K.