The film that changed animation

A biker gang tearing through a ruined, neon-soaked future Tokyo, a teenager with terrifying psychic powers and a city on the edge of destruction: Akira is one of the most influential animated films ever made, and it introduced a generation of Western audiences to the power of anime. Its images are legendary, from the red motorcycle and its glowing tail lights to the dense, glittering skyline. An Akira-inspired rug brings that cyberpunk energy into a room: a sleek red futuristic bike, neon light trails, a sprawling city at night or a glowing white blast dome. Every design is printed into soft velvet and goes in the washing machine.

Akira-inspired designs

Design	The look	Best in
Red motorcycle	A sleek, low futuristic bike in red	Garages, gaming setups
Light trails	Neon red streaks through a dark city	Hallway runners, game rooms
Cyberpunk skyline	A glittering, sprawling future city	Home theaters, bedrooms
Blast dome	A glowing white sphere over the city	Round rugs, gaming corners
Capsule pills	A pattern of red-and-white capsules	Dorms, studios
Kanji neon	Glowing signs in Japanese characters	Gaming setups, dens

The red motorcycle reads best on a 5×7 ft rug laid lengthwise, so the bike and its trail of light have room to stretch across the floor.

The manga and the film

Akira was created by Katsuhiro Otomo as a manga serialized from 1982 to 1990. In 1988, before the manga was even finished, Otomo directed the animated film, set in 2019 in Neo-Tokyo, a city rebuilt after a devastating explosion. Kaneda, the reckless leader of a teenage biker gang, tries to save his childhood friend Tetsuo, who is taken by a secret government project and develops uncontrollable psychic powers. Drawn entirely by hand with an extraordinary number of individual cels and unusually fluid, detailed animation, the film set a new standard for what animation could look like.

The red motorcycle

Kaneda's sleek red bike, low and futuristic and covered in stickers, is one of the most iconic vehicles in film. Its famous sideways braking slide has been recreated in countless movies, cartoons and games. A rug of our own sleek red futuristic motorcycle on black is a striking design for a garage, a gaming setup or a motorcycle lover's den. As a shaped rug cut to its silhouette, it's even more dramatic. Our shaped rugs come in sizes from 2.6×2.6 up to 5.2×5.9 ft (80×80 to 160×180 cm).

Light trails

The film's motorcycle chases leave glowing red tail-light trails streaking across the screen. A rug of neon red light trails racing through a dark city is a dynamic design, perfect as a hallway runner, where the trails stretch the length of the hall. A custom runner up to 10 ft long fits most hallways. Choose Standard, 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back, about 500 g/m², which stays put as people walk by.

A cyberpunk city

Neo-Tokyo is a dense, glittering city of towers, billboards, highways and neon, with crumbling ruins just beneath the surface. A cyberpunk skyline rug, glowing blue, red and gold against the night, is a cinematic design for a home theater or a bedroom. For more, see our cyberpunk rugs and Cyberpunk Edgerunners rugs.

The blast dome

The story opens with a huge white sphere of energy swallowing Tokyo, an image that echoes throughout the film. A glowing white blast dome on a dark round rug is a dramatic, abstract design for a gaming corner. Our round rugs come from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across.

Capsule pills

Red-and-white capsule pills are a recurring motif, worn as patches and handed out on the streets. A pattern of red-and-white capsules on black or white is a bold, graphic, slightly pop-art design for a dorm or a creative studio. Ours is an original pattern without any logo or slogan.

Kanji neon

The city's streets glow with neon signs in Japanese characters. A rug of glowing kanji signs in red, pink and blue is an atmospheric design for a gaming setup or a basement den. Ours use original, neutral words rather than any brand. Under a gaming chair, choose Standard in 3.3×5 or 4×6 ft, which stays put and lets the wheels roll. For more, see our gaming rugs.

A strange prophecy

The story imagines Tokyo preparing to host the Olympic Games in 2020, and in real life, Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Summer Olympics. Fans have long noted the eerie coincidence, which only added to the film's legend.

Its influence

Akira inspired filmmakers, game designers, comic artists and musicians around the world. Its imagery shows up in science-fiction movies, music videos and streetwear, and it's often credited with opening the door for anime in the West. For more classic anime, see our Ghost in the Shell, Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop rugs.

Hand-drawn in the 1980s

Every frame of the film was painted by hand, long before digital animation, with unusually detailed backgrounds and smooth, lifelike movement. The neon lights, glowing screens and tail lights were created with careful camera and lighting effects, which is why its glow still looks so rich today. A neon-lit rug is a small tribute to that craft.

Cyberpunk before the word was everywhere

Alongside films like Blade Runner, Akira helped define the cyberpunk look: high-tech cities, crumbling infrastructure, gangs, corporations and neon in the rain. Today, that aesthetic fills games, streetwear and music videos, and an Akira-inspired rug fits right into a modern cyberpunk setup.

Shaped and round rugs

A capsule-shaped rug, rounded at both ends, or a round blast-dome rug glowing at the center, is a fun alternative to a rectangle for a gaming corner or a dorm.

Motorcycle lovers

For anyone who rides, a red-bike or light-trail rug in a garage, a workshop or a den is a perfect fit, and it goes in the washing machine when it gets dusty. Choose Standard for its grip on concrete. Our man cave rugs page has more ideas.

For older fans

Akira is a violent, intense film for mature audiences. These designs suit teens and adults; the bike, the skyline and the light trails are the most widely appealing choices.

Bedrooms and dorms

A skyline or capsule-pill rug brings cyberpunk style to a bedroom or a dorm. Choose Standard on hard dorm floors. For a softer bedroom rug, choose Premium, 7 mm plush velvet on a bamboo and cotton back, about 700 g/m². Our bedroom rugs page has more layouts.

Home theaters

For a home theater, a cyberpunk skyline or blast-dome rug in front of the screen sets the scene for a classic anime night. Our home theater rugs page has more ideas.

Entryways

Just inside the front door, a small red-bike or capsule rug is a bold welcome. Keep it indoors, out of the weather, and choose Standard for its grip on tile and wood.

Pairing with furniture

These rugs suit industrial, neon-lit rooms: black metal furniture, red and blue LED strips, a motorcycle helmet on a shelf and a few framed prints of your own. Keep the walls dark so the reds really glow.

Roommates and shared spaces

The story's heart is a friendship between two boys who grew up together, tested to breaking point. For roommates or brothers who love the film, a light-trail rug in a shared living room or a pair of red-bike rugs makes a bold, fitting statement.

Colors

Akira-inspired designs look best in deep black with bold red, neon pink and electric blue, plus white for the blast dome and capsule pills.

Gifts

An Akira-inspired rug makes a great gift for a classic anime fan, a motorcyclist or a cyberpunk lover. The red bike is the most iconic; the light trails are the most dynamic and the best for a hallway.

Your own design

Want a red bike with your name on the side, light trails sized to your hallway or neon kanji spelling your own word? Our custom rugs can print it in any size up to 5′11″ × 10′, or cut it to shape. Please only send artwork you're allowed to use; official stills and logos belong to their owners. Custom rugs are made just for you and can't be returned.

Sizes, shipping and returns

Rectangles come in 2×3, 2.6×3.9, 3.3×5, 4×6 and 5×7 ft. Round rugs come from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across, and shaped rugs from 2.6×2.6 up to 5.2×5.9 ft (80×80 to 160×180 cm). Custom sizes go up to 5′11″ × 10′, including long runners. Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that. Unused rugs can be returned within 30 days on US orders; custom rugs can't be returned.

Care

Machine wash on a gentle, cold cycle and let it air dry flat. Vacuum on a low setting between washes, and blot spills with cold water right away. The design is printed into the fibers, so the red stays electric, wash after wash.

Neo-Tokyo, 2019

Akira opens with Tokyo destroyed by a mysterious explosion in 1988 and jumps to 2019, when a rebuilt, overcrowded Neo-Tokyo glows with neon towers, elevated highways and street protests. The city is as much a character as Kaneda or Tetsuo. Rain-slick streets reflect every sign, construction sites sprawl around the old blast crater, and the government hides its secrets under the city. Each of those layers suits a rug: a highway seen from above, a rainy street of reflections, or a dark crater ringed with lights.

The film's most copied moment is Kaneda's slide, the red bike leaning sideways into a long skid with its tail lights streaking behind it. Animators have paid tribute to it in cartoons, music videos and films ever since. As a long runner, the slide reads from one end of a hallway to the other: the bike at the far end, trails of red light running toward you.

Tetsuo's story brings a different palette. His red cape, the hospital whites and the pale blue of the government labs give a colder, eerie look for a room that wants something less neon. The rival biker gang, the Clowns, with their painted faces, are a deep cut for fans who know the opening chase by heart.

Katsuhiro Otomo drew the manga from 1982 to 1990 and directed the 1988 film himself, and the story he set in a fictional 2019 now sits in our past. That gap gives an Akira rug a retro-future charm: it shows the 21st century as the 1980s imagined it, all neon, concrete and red lacquer.

For fans who own the manga's large-format volumes, a Neo-Tokyo rug pairs naturally with a bookshelf of them and a framed print of the bike. Choose deep reds, concrete grays and electric blues, keep the lighting low and neon, and the room takes on the feel of a late-night street in 2019, as Otomo imagined it in the early 1980s. It also makes a striking gift for a motorcycle rider who loves animation.

Padrift is an independent studio. Akira is named to describe what our designs are inspired by; we are not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Katsuhiro Otomo, Kodansha, TMS Entertainment or the film's rights holders.