“So, tell me. If you had the power to read people's minds... How would you use it?
”
—Akira
Akira Tadokoro is the protagonist of the Near Future chapter, The Outsider. A teenage punk with psychokinetic powers, he lives at the Bright Sparks Orphanage with his sister, unknowing of his true potential.
Profile
Appearance
Akira is a teenager. His hair color is a dark brown tan with blonde highlights. His eyes are an amber-yellow. He carries a large scar on his chest. Akira wears a blue long coat that has yellow lining on the inside. He wears a belt with a skull buckle. He wears a pair of black pants that have white stripes on the sides of them. On his feet, he wears a pair of sneaks with red straps on them. He wears a studded scarf around his neck and studded wristbands. His gloves are fingerless and have raised, metal studs on his knuckles.
Personality
Akira is a lazy and laid back teenager. He possesses a short temper and is quick to pick fights, often getting himself into trouble because of this. Despite his short temper, he is often kind to the people close to him. He often procrastinates on smaller tasks, such as selling taiyaki or helping around Bright Sparks Orphanage, but tackles bigger problems head-on as his temper thins.
Akira is very protective to those he considers family. He loves his sister Kaori dearly, and would go out of his way to keep her from harm. He has a brotherly relationship with Matsu, showing great concern when he puts himself in danger.
History
The Near Future: The Outsider
Akira and his sister Kaori were the children of riot police chief Tadashi Tadokoro. As a child, Akira looked up to his father, seeing him as an icon of justice. On one tragic night, however, as Akira was down by the city docks, he witnessed his father's death at the hands of the leader of the Crusaders. Soon after, he and his sister were taken in by the Bright Sparks Orphanage.
It was soon after these events that Akira's psychic abilities first begun to show themselves. Akira discovered he had the power to read the minds of others, conjure threatening mirages, and even teleport away from danger.
Akira is first seen lounging on a bench in the city park, procrastinating. As he gets up to leave, he is ambushed by a gang of the Crusaders. With the timely arrival of Matsu, Akira fends his attackers off, and hitches a ride with Matsu back to the orphanage. When he hears that his sister's pet turtle is dying, Akira heads down to Doc Tobei's antuiques shop to request his help. The mad doctor turns the turtle, Taroimo, into a robot, who chooses to follow Akira around, much to his initial chagrin.
While visiting Tobei is where Akira learns of the existence of the colossal robot known as the Steel Titan, a powerful mecha from ancient times. Learning from Tobei that the mecha can only be moved by psychokinetic powers, Akira volunteers to get it moving. However, despite his repeated efforts, he is unable to make the Titan do much of anything, save malfunction, and is forced to retire.
As Akira returns to the orphanage, he witnesses Kazu being abducted by the Crusaders, with Matsu in pursuit. Acting quickly, Akira hijacks a passing stranger's motorcycle and joins the chase, trailing the kidnappers to the docks where he and Matsu pummel them and rescue Kazu. When the kidnappers refuse to answer Matsu's questions, Akira takes the opportunity to read their minds, where he learns that the Crusaders are acting under the employ of the Tsukuba Research Facility.
After learning of Matsu's plans to break into Tsukuba, from Kaori, Akira vows not to let his friend go alone. He and Taorimo storm their way into the facility, fighting past several armed guards and reuniting with Matsu. As they make their way through the facility, Akira and his friends eventually learn the truth behind the kidnappings; they were orchestrated by several high-profile conspirators, with the goal of reviving their dark god, Odeo, so he may bring an end to humanity. Horrified by their deeds, Akira tries to fight back, but Matsu urges him to retreat,
As the heroes deliberate their best course of action, the Bright Sparks Orphanage is besieged by the Crusaders and set ablaze. Akira rushes in to save Kaori, but winds up trapped as the building begins to come down on them. The pair are rescued in the nick of time by Matsu, who had sacrificed his life to pilot the Steel Titan. Akira reads his friend's mind before he passes away, where Matsu confesses he is the former leader of the Crusaders, and the man who killed Akira's father; he had looked after Akira and Kaori in the hopes he could atone.
Seething with anger, Akira orders everyone outside of the Titan. Invigorated by the sacrifices of his friend, Akira takes control of the Titan, and, exerting previously unseen spiritual strength, is able to bring it to life. Akira successfully pilots the Titan to the Conspirators' headquarters at Odeo Temple, fending off an entire army along the way, and, calling upon Matsu's strength, annihilates Odeo's earthly vessel with the Titan's sacred power.
With the world at peace, Akira takes over Matsu's old job at the taiyaki stand. Though he is unable to rile the strength to control the Titan anymore, he has been blessed with a new sense of purpose.
Final Chapter: The Dominion of Hate
Akira in Fugalia Village
Akira, along with the other six heroes across time, is transported to the Dominion of Hate by the will of Odio soon after his ordeal, and can be chosen as the chapter's protagonist. As a party member, he is found in the Condemned Village, reclining on a bench. Upon meeting the party, he preemptively assumes that they do not trust him, which the player can agree or disagree with. If the player agrees, Akira will draw the primary hero into a fight, and upon being beaten is able to be recruited. If the player disagrees with Akira, however, he will correct himself and can be recruited immediately.
In the Trial of Heart
Akira's Trial is the Trial of Heart, only accessible through his Teleport battle command. Akira can read the minds of the wayward spirits within the Trial to learn of their plights and regrets. His ultimate weapon, the Guts and Glory Glove, lies at the very end.
If Oersted is chosen as the chapter's protagonist, Akira, inside of the Steel Titan, is fought as an enemy in an alternate outcome of The Outsider, with the player in control of Odeo. In this timeline, Akira's determination falls against Odeo's miasmic hatred, and he and the Titan are annihilated.
After Odio is defeated once and for all in the true ending, Akira, if chosen as the primary hero, confronts Oersted over his actions. He admonishes Oersted for exclusively blaming everyone else for what he became, looking only at the worst of people and using it as an excuse. Moved, Oersted at last returns the seven heroes to their original time periods with his final breath. Finally back home, Akira visits his friends at Timeless Wonder's Antiques, joining them in watching one of Tobei's faulty experiments.
Etymology
Akira is a common unisex name in Japan, which can be written using several different kanji. The kanji used to write Akira's name, 晃, means "clear". Tadokoro (田所) is a common Japanese last name, written using the kanji 田 (ta, rice field) and 所 (dokoro, place).
Trivia
- Akira's character is likely inspired by the character of Tetsuo from the AKIRA franchise, from which he derives his name. Both share psychic abilities, a thin temper, and a love of motorcycles.
- Akira shares a lot of traits with Tokusatsu Kamen Rider characters.
- Akira's chest scar is noticeably absent from his concept art in the remake. In the promotional artwork for The Outsider, the scar is returned.
| The Near Future: The Outsider |
|---|
| Characters |
| Akira • The Steel Titan • Lawless • Taroimo • Kaori • Doc Tobei • Taeko • Tadashi Tadokoro • The Crusaders • Conspirators • Odeo |
| Locations |
| Bright Sparks Orphanage • Timeless Wonders Antiques • Public Park • City Docks • Tsukuba Research Facility • Matango Paradise • Odeo Temple |
| Enemies |
| Crusader Thug • Crusader Enforcer • Crusader Road Captain • M-1 RC Car • M-1 Lariat Unit • M-2 RC Car • M-1 Kyokushin Unit • M-1 Komatsu Bulldozer • M-3 Lariat Unit • M-1 Hebel Slab • M-1 Psycher • M-2 Kyokushin Unit • Tense Suit • Dobermann Alpha • Private Security • Commander • M-93 MBT • Roaring Thunder • LH Combat Unit W1 • Vengeful Dragon • The Great Inko |
| Music |
| Go! Go! Steel Titan! • Wait for Truth • Playing with Psychos • Playing with Psychos on Matango |
| Transcripts |
| 2022 (English) • 1994 (English, Japanese) |
| Final Chapter: The Dominion of Hate |
|---|
| Characters |
| Pogo • Earthen Heart Master (Yun Jou • Lei Kugo • Hong Hakka) • The Sundown Kid • Oboromaru • Masaru Takahara • Akira Tadokoro • Cube • Oersted • Odio |
| Locations |
| Seat of the Betrayers • Silent Wood • Condemned Village • The Last Hero's Grave • The Archon's Roost • Trials (Instinct • Skill • Time • Keys • Power • Heart • Wisdom) |
| Enemies |
| Xavier • Polydectes • Oedipus • Daedalus • Teil Queen • Pawnbert • Ruby Tyrant • Cerberus • Lightbringer • Souleater • Dreadbulb • Phantom Rider • Deathfist Disciple • Chrono Legionary • Ravenous Bear • Nekomata • Mecha-Satake 98 • Earthshaker • Entomophilia • Claustrophilia • Babaliyan • Grand Visages • Dragon Killer • Ishtar • Glasya Labolas • Tsunayoshi • Pup Lord • Grammoth • Pistachio • Titanblood • Riftwalker Genzaemon • Roly Poly • Ship of Horrors • Acrophilia • Scotophilia • Hygrophilia • Helios Hound • Darkwall • Shadow • Lucretius • The Bountiful Heart • Jaggedy Jacks • Apophisphilo • Euraokos • Death Prophet • Headhunter • Eyes of Odio • Maw of Odio • Brow of Odio • Purity of Odio • Arm of Odio (Left) • Arm of Odio (Right) • Sin of Odio |
| Music |
| The Dominion of Hate • Silent Labyrinth • Illusion • Pure Odio • Armageddon • Live over Again • Live for Live • Gigalomania |
| Transcripts |
| 2022 (English) • 1994 (English, Japanese) |