Supreme’s 2017 collaboration featuring characters such as Kaneda and Tetsuo was inspired by Akira.
Akira is the landmark Japanese manga created by Katsuhiro Otomo. Its story is set in a post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo and follows teenagers, military forces, and psychic phenomena. The manga originally ran from 1982 to 1990, while Otomo’s animated film adaptation was released in 1988.
Supreme’s collection used imagery associated with the manga and its characters, bringing Akira’s distinctive cyberpunk visual language into streetwear. The partnership attracted attention because Supreme often combines its own logo-driven identity with references from music, film, art, and popular culture.
Akira is sometimes confused with the 1988 film alone, but the source of the collaboration is the broader Akira franchise, especially Otomo’s manga and its recognizable characters. The collection is therefore generally identified simply by the title Akira.