The official discord link if you wish to join the discord: https://discord.gg/j5RKwCvAFu

The background art comes from Cherylann1960.

Support the wiki on our official Ko-Fi page or Patreon page!

Tetsuo Shima (Film)

From The Codex
"Mature Content"
This character or verse has mature themes and concepts, thus those of young age are ill-advised to look through these.
Articles About Tetsuo Shima
AKIRA Manga - Film

Leave me alone!
*Ding*
UUGH!!
*Akira!*
UUUUUGH!!!

~ Tetsuo after experiencing Akira's thoughts
Kaneda, you've always been a pain in the ass, y'know. You've been telling me what to do since we were kids. You always treat me like a kid. You always show up and start bossing me around, and don't you deny it!
~ Tetsuo to Shotaro Kaneda

Background

Tetsuo Shima is the main antagonist of the AKIRA franchise. After a near-fatal accident on his bike, Tetsuo was taken in by the Military where he was tested on. He later became a powerful Esper who rapidly evolved over the course of the film.

This dropdown contains the synopsis of Tetsuo Shima’s story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise!

Early Life
Not much is known about Tetsuo’s early life. He was apparently surrendered by his mother and brought to an orphanage sometime after Kaneda, as shown in one of the flashback sequences in the film. Throughout the various flashbacks, it's revealed how Kaneda defended and protected Tetsuo growing, which he later resented Kaneda, alongside the rest of the world, for.

Present Day
When he is older, he takes a liking to motorbikes and, alongside Kaneda, joins The Capsules. After a collision with the Esper Takashi, he is transferred to a military institution. Here he begins to develop latent, powerful psychic abilities on the level of Akira, the individual who had engulfed the old Tokyo in a psychic explosion years prior. As these powers expand, they bestow devastatingly destructive abilities, but also cause tremendously painful headaches. The psychic trio, fearing he may cause Akira to awaken, try and fail to kill him, which encourages Tetsuo to instead seek him out. After finding out where Akira is, he leaves the facility and goes on to rampage through the city in search of him. The military, led by Colonel Shikishima, attempts in vain to stop him, fearing the threat of another Akira-sized disaster.

Upon finding the remains of Akira under Neo Tokyo's Olympic Stadium, he starts to lose control of himself and his abilities while confronted by the military, the Espers, and Kaneda. Here, he finally loses all control of his psychic abilities and becomes a mutated mass of flesh. Akira, called by the Espers, reawakens and draws Tetsuo into an alternate dimension.


Epilogue
Tetsuo’s fate is not elaborated upon by the end of the film. However, it is assumed that he transcended into a new universe alongside the Espers, of which he may have creative control. Tetsuo's voice can be heard at the end of the film, saying "Boku wa... Tetsuo" ("I am Tetsuo", in English). "Boku" is a form of "I" that implies humble, soft masculinity, and, from confronting the Espers and Kaneda up until that point, Tetsuo has elected to use "ore", a hard, tough-guy masculine form of "I", instead. The change back to "boku" in the original Japanese signifies that Tetsuo has cast aside his aggression and re-acquired a sense of humility in the face of this new universe. In English, the line may simply indicate that he is now a god of this plane of existence, which he has begun to shape.

Codex Statistics

Key: Pre-Awakening | Early Awakening | Mid-Development | Rapid Evolution | New Universe

Tier: 10-B physically, 9-C with Metal Mallet, Higher on his bike | 10-B physically, 9-B to 9-A with powers, Higher with Accelerated Development | 10-B physically, 8-B to 8-A with powers, Higher with Accelerated Development | High 8-C physically, 7-B with powers, 2-C with Universal Creation, Higher with Accelerated Development | Unknown

Name: Tetsuo Shima

Origin: AKIRA Movie

Sex: Male

Age: 15[1]

Classification: Esper

Species: Human

Occupation: Student, Member of the Capsules

Status: Other (By the end of the film, Tetsuo created a new dimension where he, along with the other Espers, were transported to[1])

Alignment: Initially Chaotic Neutral (Tetsuo was a member of the Capsules, which is a gang which rebels against lawful authorities and causes mischief around Neo-Tokyo), would become Chaotic Evil after acquiring his powers (Tetsuo, now having experienced control for the first time in his life, has gone fully rogue and has no problem killing innocent civilians who he feels crossed him)

Dimensionality: 3-D, Unknown in Tetsuo's new universe

Attack Potency: Human level physically (Tetsuo is an average high school student physically), bONE LEVEL with Metal Mallet (Carries a metal mallet on his person which he uses to strike foes whilst riding his bike[1]), Higher on his bike (Due to the speeds he can travel at, attacks from his mallet would naturally be far more lethal[1]) | Human level physically, Wall level (Effortlessly destroyed walls with psychic shockwaves[1]) to Room level with powers (Could destroy the floor of the massive playroom the other Espers occupied[1]), Higher with Accelerated Development (Due to Tetsuo's rapid growth, he can quickly grow in power to match far more experienced Espers and eventually Akira[1]) | Human level physically, City Block level (Could completely halt and block off a nuclear artillery shell and crush the tanks that fired them[1]) to City District level with powers (Destroyed a massive bridge in seconds[1]. Destroyed the massive SOL satellite in orbit[1]), Higher with Accelerated Development | Large Building level physically (His body has grown and mutated so much that his sheer size takes up a large portion of a stadium[1]), City level with powers (Is comparable to Akira at this point, who had previously created nuclear blasts that destroyed massive portions of Neo-Tokyo and was destroying the city after his revival[1]. It was stated that Tetsuo's powers were comparable to that of nuclear bombs[1]), Universe level with Universal Creation (Tetsuo's power was growing to such a level that he created a "cosmic rebirth"), Higher with Accelerated Development | Unknown (After Tetsuo is removed from the universe, it's implied he enters a state akin to Akira who is pure energy[1])

Durability: Human level physically (Tetsuo is an average high school student physically) | Average Human physically, Wall level to Room level with psychic barriers (Espers with comparable power to Tetsuo could block motor bike explosions[1]), Higher with Accelerated Development | Human level physically, City Block level (Tetsuo stopped and blocked a nuclear artillery shell[1]) to City District level with psychic barriers (Could create a barrier which stopped the SOL Satellite laser blast from hurting him any further[1]), Higher with Accelerated Development | Large Building level physically (Tetsuo's sheer size at this point would warrant a far greater level of physicality than before[1]), City level with psychic barriers (Should be comparable to his offensive psychic capabilities), Higher with Accelerated Development | Unknown

Striking Strength: Human Class (Tetsuo is an average high school student physically) | Human Class | Human Class | Large Building Class | Unknown (After Tetsuo is removed from the universe, it's implied he enters a state akin to Akira who is pure energy[1])

Lifting Strength: Average Human physically (Displays no abnormally superhuman capabilities prior to getting his powers) | Average Human physically, Class 5 with Teleportation (Could telekinetically lift tons of rubble with ease[1]) | Average Human physically, Class M with Telekinesis (Could lift entire portions of a bridge and sent the SOL Satellite into the Earth's Atmosphere while damaged[1]) | Class K physically (His sheer mutated size would warrant this[1]), Cosmic with Telekinesis (Could hold the cosmic rebirth of his own universe[1]) | Unknown

Travel Speed: Average Human (Tetsuo is an average high school student physically), Superhuman on his bike (Tetsuo can ride his bike in combat[1] which can travel between 70mph and 150mph) | Average Human physically, Superhuman with Aura and Statistics Amplification (Tetsuo can amplify himself to travel at high speeds in short bursts[1]) | Average Human physically, Superhuman with Aura and Statistics Amplification, Massively Hypersonic flight speed (Can fly into space in just a few seconds[1]) | Unknown (Tetsuo is so mutated that he can barely move his own body[1]) | Unknown (Exists outside the universe and eventually created his own universe[1])

Combat Speed: Average Human (Tetsuo is an average high school student physically) | Superhuman (Can tag fellow Esper Takashi was able to react to Tetsuo's motor bike moments before getting hit[1] which can travel around 70mph to 150mph) | At most Relativistic+ (Tetsuo was able to avoid and redirect lasers at mid-range[1]) | Unknown: Undefinable (Upon Akira's return, he sent Tetsuo and the other espers outside the universe, where Tetsuo would create a "cosmic rebirth"[1]) | Unknown (Tetsuo's fate and status is left ambiguous, with him likely taking on a similar form to Akira himself[1])

Reaction Speed: Average Human (Tetsuo is an average high school student physically) | Superhuman (Comparable to fellow Esper Takashi was able to react to Tetsuo's motor bike moments before getting hit[1] which can travel around 70mph to 150mph) | At most Relativistic+ (Was able to put up a barrier around himself and Kaneda before the SOL Satellite could hit him[1]) | Unknown: Undefinable (Upon Akira's return, he sent Tetsuo and the other espers outside the universe, where Tetsuo would create a "cosmic rebirth"[1]) | Unknown (Tetsuo's fate and status is left ambiguous, with him likely taking on a similar form to Akira himself[1])


Stamina: Average (Is a healthy young high schooler with no notable health issues at this point in time) | Average | Above Average (Tetsuo's control of his power has made him very adapt in combat and capable of generating the stamina to fly to space[1]) | Above Average | Unknown, likely Limitless (Likely obtained a state of pure energy akin to Akira[1])

Range: Standard Melee physically, Extended Melee with metal pipe, Varies from Tens of Meters (Can deploy telekinetic barriers to prevent small scale explosions from harming him[1]), to Hundreds of Meters (Espers can create shockwaves which destroy the windows on office buildings several stories tall[1]), to Kilometers with psychic powers (Tetsuo used his psychic powers to completely destroy a massive bridge in just a few seconds), Universal with Universal Creation (Created a "cosmic rebirth" which was compared to the big bang), likely Multi-Universal with Teleportation and BFR (Likely comparable to Akira who could teleport Tetsuo, and the other three espers, outside the universe)

Intelligence: Average academically (Is a high school student), Gifted with his powers (Despite having only recently unlocked his true abilities, Tetsuo quickly became far more skilled in combat than Espers several decades older than him)


Powers and Techniques

Awakening and Accelerated Development (Passive; Abilities; Meeting fellow esper Takashi awoke Tetsuo's psychic powers in an early state, which proceeded to rapidly evolve over the course of several days to the point of matching Akira[1]), Telepathy and Memory Manipulation (After his awakening, Tetsuo began hearing Akira and witnessing his thoughts. Tetsuo can communicate via thought with other Espers and read the thoughts of people[1]), Shockwave Generation and Explosion Manipulation (Intense thoughts and feelings can cause potent shockwaves to disperse and destroy nearby objects[1]), Forcefield Creation (Espers can create an invisible barrier to prevent harm to their bodies[1]), Precognition (Premonitions; Tetsuo can receive glimpses of the future when reading the thoughts of people, although this typically overwhelms his mind[1]), Vacuum Manipulation (Tetsuo can create small vortexes which pull objects and foes in from every direction before crushing them all together[1]), Reality Warping and Spatial Manipulation (Espers can use their psychic powers to warp space enough to physically destroy structures and people[1]), Aura and Statistics Amplification (Tetsuo can engulf himself in a red aura which seemingly increases his physical endurance to perform greater physical feats[1]), Telekinesis and Pseudo-Flight (Tetsuo can use telekinesis to levitate in the air and lift objects around[1]).


Resistance to Mind Manipulation (As an esper, Tetsuo's mind is naturally more developed and potent than a regular mind[1]), Fragrance Manipulation (Unknown gas chemicals potent enough that soldiers needed gas masks did not affect Tetsuo in any meaningful way[1]), Reality Warping and Spatial Manipulation (Was able to survive the spatial wave attack performed by both Takashi and Masaru[1])

All previous abilities now rapidly evolving. Superhuman Speed (Can telekinetically stop and redirect various military firearms[1]), Enhanced Forcefield Creation (Tetsuo's powers allow him to block attacks that can completely vaporize parts of his body[1]), Flight (Tetsuo now has the ability to freely fly outside of the Earth's atmosphere[1]), Self-Sustenance (Respiratory Sustenance; Due to his psychic abilities, Tetsuo can survive in the vacuum of space with no drawbacks[1]), Cyborgization (Partial; After losing his arm to the SOL, Tetsuo built a mechanical arm that completely replaces his biological one[1]), Teleportation and BFR (Forced Teleportation; Espers can freely teleport around the world and teleport others large distances[1]), Mind Control and Empowerment (Espers like Kiyoko can mind control people and empower them with psychic energy[1]), Illusion Manipulation (Standard Illusions; Espers can create potent illusions that feel real enough that the only way to see through them is to disrupt the user's train of thought[1]. Tetsuo's own powers were causing him to have severe hallucinations[1]), Matter Manipulation (Molecular Manipulation; Espers can use objects to construct new products with different properties from their original source material[1]).
Resistance to Extreme Colds (Tetsuo was able to enter Akira's test chambers which were cold enough to freeze the doors solid and were monitored at temperatures of 5° Kelvin[1]), Radiation Manipulation, Gravity Manipulation, and Biological Manipulation (Can survive in the vacuum of space long enough for the sun to set over Neo-Tokyo[1]), Pierce Resistance and Heat Manipulation (Irregular Pierce Resistance; Tetsuo's body developed enough that laserfire couldn't fully pierce his body[1])

All previous abilities now rapidly evolving. Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Fusionism (Due to Tetsuo's powers rapidly becoming unstable, his body began to fuse with the environment in an abomination of flesh and metal[1]), Transformation and Regeneration (Shapeshifting; At least High-Low, likely much higher; Tetsuo's body was growing at such a rapid pace that he began to consume the entire stadium he was in[1]. In addition, he grew back his lost limbs[1]), Large Size (Skyscraper Sized; Tetsuo was large enough that his body took up a notable portion of the stadium[1]), Universal Creation (Tetsuo was able to create a "cosmic rebirth"[1]), Reality Separation (Spatio-Temporal Lock; After Tetsuo's power became too unstable, Akira removed him and the other espers from the universe[1]).


Resistance to Explosion Manipulation and Vacuum Manipulation (Tetsuo's powers were so immense that Akira's nuclear blast wasn't able to fully consume him right away[1])

All previous abilities, now fully controlled. Likely Energy Physiology and Incorporeality (Assuming Tetsuo entered a state akin to Akira, he is likely now pure energy after being transferred outside the universe[1]. This is further proven by his lack of a body when creating a universe[1]), Likely Omnipresence and Cosmic Awareness (Spatial Omnipresence; The pure life energy of the all things is said to be present across the whole cosmos and even predating time, with this energy holding the memory of the universe itself[1]), Life Manipulation (The energy of the universe is described as being the life force that inhabits all beings[1])


Equipment


  • Tetsuo's Bike: Tetsuo's Bike is his mode of transportation across Neo-Tokyo and how he keeps up with opposing gangs. Despite using it, he actively dislikes his bike and would much prefer Kaneda's.

Other

Standard Tactics: Prior to getting his powers, Tetsuo either brawls it with his foe, or uses his metal mallet to wack people over the head with. | Upon getting his powers, Tetsuo will do various telekinetic-related attacks such as warping space, throwing objects at his foe, creating shockwaves from a distance, and creating explosions. | After losing control of his powers, Tetsuo has no way of comprehending himself and will simply let his body mutate and grow at a rapid pace. He will eventually start a cosmic rebirth purely out of instinct.

Weaknesses: Tetsuo is a rather clumsy driver and is lacking in skill when it comes to combat. | Due to Tetsuo's rapid evolution, his powers can and will overwhelm him over the course of a day or two without medication.

Gallery

References

Battle Records

None.

None.

None.