Akira Chapter 60 Discussion

[I am reading the DarkHorse issue of Akira. Here 120 chapters are converted into 38 parts. And the sequence of event is mixed up to match the new format. So, I know how many chapters I have read but do not know what part belong to which chapter.]



I never expected Chiyoko to become my favorite character. She is trashing everyone and I hope she survives through the whole event. I am eager to see what will USA or USSR will do later on. Try to neutralize Akira or try to make their own psychic soldiers.

Episode 60: Pages 182-200 of volume 4 of the Kodansha publication.



So this chapter turned out to be one heck of a brain teaser. Tetsuo meets with Miyako seeking more information on Akira, and Miyako obliges the information willingly. However, the way she describes it is very complicated, and it's clear Tetsuo doesn't pick up on most of it. At the very least, it's revealed that Tetsuo has been inhibiting the growth of his own powers with the drugs he's constantly using.



If there is any chapter of this manga that could really benefit from having more of a discussion, I think it's this one. What Miyako says about the streams of destiny is very interesting, and begs for interpretation. My personal understanding is that she talks about streams the way I imagine most people talk about time as if it were a separate dimension. As a whole, the story deals heavily with powerful people trying to control the streams with great futility, as they possess no greater influence over their timeline as anyone else. However, Miyako believes that Akira does possess this ability to alter the course of a timeline, which is perceived by the general public as a force of mass destruction. In reality, his power is the ability to take control of the "stream" in all the ways the government wish they could do themselves. So he creates like a time paradox? Maybe?



This chapter does confirm something I was wondering earlier in the volume, however. Akira has developed beyond a need for the sedatives that all the other espers are so deeply dependent on now, especially Tetsuo. And by eliminating any need for the drugs, Akira's power has grown to levels unmatched by any of the other numbered test subjects. Miyako seems to understand this and also be beyond the need for the drugs too, but since she's not among the espers in the 20s, I suppose her powers were never destined to rival any of the strongest espers in the lab. So if Tetsuo is to ever hope to reach Akira's level of power, he has to ditch the drugs. If he does, he might very well become as strong as Akira, if not stronger.



Quite a lot to unpack in one chapter.