Kaori (Akira)
| Akira character | |
| Kaori, from the film adaptation of the manga, Akira | |
|---|---|
| Species: | Human |
| Gender: | Female |
| Age: | 15 (born 2004) (Deceased) |
| Seiyu: | Yuriko Fuchizaki |
| 1989 Voice Actor: | Barbara Goodson |
| 2001 Voice Actor: | Michelle Ruff |
Kaori (カオリ, Kaori, last name unknown) is a fictional character in the manga, Akira, and the adapted 1988 anime movie of that work, also called Akira.
Role in the story
Kaori is a shy, caring young girl who is part of the gang's following and a girlfriend to Tetsuo Shima. She is weak, like Tetsuo, but doesn't have the same energy or motivation.
Kaori in the manga
In the manga version of Akira, Tetsuo, now "prime minister" of the Great Tokyo Empire, first meets Kaori after the destruction of Neo-Tokyo. She and two other girls are recruited to be Tetsuo's sex slaves. However, Tetsuo gives them the government-issued pills (which are supposedly so powerful that the user would "go mad or die") he uses for his headaches. Kaori does not take her pill, and survives the resulting experience; however, the other girls are not so lucky. Kaori is eventually assigned to give Tetsuo his drugs and to act as Akira's babysitter. Tetsuo develops genuine affection for Kaori, and for a time she is the only one capable of calming his homicidal rages. After Tetsuo's psychic power starts to force his body to mutate and absorb its surroundings, his henchmen plan to kill him. Kaori tries to warn Tetsuo, but his lead henchman shoots her. She lies wounded until she dies in Yamada's gas attack. Tetsuo later makes an unsuccessful attempt to revive her. She is last seen in Akira's old cryogenic chamber.
Kaori in the anime
In the film version of Akira, Kaori has been Tetsuo's girlfriend for some time. After Tetsuo first escapes from the military's lab, he and Kaori get together and plan to run away. They steal Kaneda's motorcycle and head out of Neo-Tokyo, but the bike soon stalls due to Tetsuo's inexpert handling. They are ambushed by members of the Clowns, a rival bike gang to Tetsuo's. The Clowns attempt to rape Kaori and then try to destroy the bike, but Kaneda and his friends arrive just in time and drive the Clowns away. After Tetsuo's headache resurfaces and he begins hallucinating, the military takes him away again. After Tetsuo uses his powers to escape a second time and proceeds to destroy Neo-Tokyo to find Akira, Kaori meets him at the Neo-Tokyo Olympic Stadium. After Tetsuo's power starts to horribly mutate his body, Kaori is accidentally consumed by him and crushed to death by his churning insides.