No list of the best anime movies of all time would be complete with Akira on it, as the 1988 animated film is still widely regarded as being a landmark movie. While Akira has been available on 4K Blu-ray before, this new run of the film comes with a limited-edition steelbook case that’s bound to draw the attention of anyone who looks at it. Featuring Katsuhiro Otomo’s incredible art on a striking red cover, you can order this now through Amazon and the Crunchyroll Store ahead of its release on March 4, 2025.
$35
Akira’s Limited Edition Steelbook is currently priced at $35 at Amazon and $26.24 (plus $7 shipping) at Crunchyroll. Keep in mind that Amazon offers free shipping at this price point, even for non-Prime members, while Crunchyroll has a $7 shipping fee for orders below $75.
Amazon often matches Crunchyroll’s preorder deals for anime and offers a preorder price guarantee; you’ll pay the lowest price listed by Amazon until your order ships. Crunchyroll does not have a preorder price guarantee, though its prices typically don’t change ahead of launch.
Like the previous 4K releases, this version of the film is loaded with special features that go behind the scenes of the movie, like documentaries focused on the groundbreaking animation, a closer look at Akira’s soundtrack, and several other archival materials.
- Akira: Sound Making (2019 documentary)
- Akira sound clip by Geinoh Yamashirogumi
- End credits from the original 1988 theatrical release
- Trailer Collection with English subtitles
- Storyboard collection
Akira is set in an alternate and dystopian future version of Tokyo that is still reeling from a mysterious event that destroyed most of the city and triggered a new world war.
From the ashes rose Neo-Tokyo, but with the metropolis plagued by corruption and gang violence, it’s not the best place to call home.The film focuses on Shotaro Kaneda, leader of a motorcycle gang, who finds himself at odds with his childhood friend Tetsuo after gaining psychic powers and evolving into a new being who threatens all of Neo-Tokyo.
Manga fans can also pick up the original manga source material that the film is based on, as the Akira 35th Anniversary Box Set is on sale for $130 (was $220) at Amazon. This collection includes six meaty hardcover volumes that tell the complete Akira story that was published from 1982 to 1990, and it comes with a hardcover Akira Club art book and an exclusive pill patch. All seven books are stored inside a clamshell box with two doors.
If you’d prefer to buy the paperback volumes individually, they’re also available for purchase.
Akira Paperbacks
Akira has been a major influence on Hollywood over the decades. In the video game industry, Naughty Dog studio head Neil Druckmann says the movie was one of the major influences on the upcoming game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. If you’re looking to pick up Cowboy Bebop and another powerhouse anime film, Ghost in the Shell, you can get the cult-classic sci-fi series and cyberpunk movie at a pretty good price right now.