Tetsuo Shima is the main
antagonist in both the
animated and
manga epic versions of
Akira. Though the stories are wildly
different, Tetsuo plays pretty much the same
role in both.
He's a member of
Kaneda's biker gang in
Neo-Tokyo, an
orphan, and a kid who's been picked on his entire
life. He and
Kaneda were raised in the same
orphanage where
Kaneda protected him from constant bullying.
After an accident in which Tetsuo encounters
Takashi, one of a group of
children at the same time
gifted and
deformed by certain
experiments, Tetsuo begins to
hallucinate and certain powers
manifest in him, leading to a
conflict that will set
Neo-Tokyo aflame.
The image of Tetsuo is one of the most
powerful in both the
graphic novel and the
anime. He stands with his legs
apart and his arms hanging,
tensed. His clothes are in tatters and he wears an red,
impromptu cape thrown over his shoulder, emphasizing him as a
symbolic anti-hero. His
face is twisted in a
depraved grin, and his spiked hair flares up
violently.
He looks like
quite the
bad-ass.