Akira

Akira (アキラ) is a mysterious and eerie boy who seems to possess an uncanny resemblance to Soichiro, Teru Kurebayashi's older brother. However, as a number of characters note upon seeing Akira clearly, he does not actually resemble Soichiro that closely. To conceal his appearance, he wears a hoodie.

Personality
Akira's behavior is erratic and seemingly remorseless, though he is exceptionally attached and affectionate towards Chiharu Mori, whom he works with as an accomplice. His motives for causing trouble for DAISY are unknown, though he appears to garner a great deal of enjoyment from upsetting Teru Kurebayashi and Tasuku Kurosaki. He also blames Kurosaki and wants revenge on him for undisclosed reasons, often using his vindictive interest in Teru to hurt Kurosaki.

Abilities
Akira, like Kurosaki, is a highly skilled hacker; it is later revealed that Akira's ability stems from being able to near instantly decode complex code in his head simply from looking at encrypted data. He is also ambidextrous.

Background
Akira's background is disclosed in a disc that Soichiro Kurebayashi leaves for his friends and contains Professor Midorikawa's last words. Akira's unusual calculation abilities had been discovered in early childhood and he had likely been sold by his parents to the laboratory where he was studied by scientists. The scientists nicknamed him "M M", short for "Mad Machine" and he had developed a very difficult personality, creating difficulties for the scientists to gather data from the child. Midorikawa was the first person to see Akira as a human rather than an experiment or a machine. He personally cared for Akira's well-being; despite Akira's violent tantrums, they began to bond over time and Akira developed a sense of consequence regarding his actions.

As Akira became cooperative, research at the laboratory began to run smoothly and the atmosphere began to change. The other scientists referred to Akira by his name rather than the "Mad Machine" and research neared its conclusion. Midorikawa decided to adopt Akira once the experiments concluded, envisioning a happy future for them both. However, Akira became the target of a formidable organization and disappeared, with the research team being forced to erase all data even mentioning Akira's existence. Despite being told otherwise, Midorikawa refused to believe that Akira had died and used whatever resources for the next two years to find the missing child.

During his research on the "Jack" encryption code for Kenbashi Electronics, Midorikawa was contacted by Takahiro Kurosaki, who had found Akira at great personal and professional risk. Before he could disclose Akira's location or who had been responsible for abducting the child, Takahiro was killed.

Plot Overview
When he is introduced, little is known about Akira, save that he has a passing resemblance to Soichiro Kurebayashi. Akira is later identified as a gifted hacker from the cyber mafia, Hyperion, but is known to be a very poor operative due to his childish emotional state resulting from the special treatment he received until that point. He has also been hospitalized for an unknown illness. His apparent goal appears to be related to Professor Hideo Midorikawa's last testament and taking revenge against DAISY.

Early in the manga, Akira is seen periodically and seems to be behind the imposter DAISY incident. After Tetsuya Arai is captured and Chiharu Mori is exposed as the culprit, Akira appears before Teru, who notes his passing resemblance to her deceased brother. Akira steals Teru's wallet and approaches her when she is searching for it; he frightens her off by stealing her first kiss. He later appears at the grave of Hideo Midorikawa when Riko Onizuka goes to visit the cemetery.

In Akira's subsequent appearances, he is revealed to be associated with Chiharu and intent on taking revenge on DAISY while hurting Teru Kurebayashi to maximize Tasuku Kurosaki's agony. He confines Teru to a car on a ferris wheel and tricks her into sending a message to Kurosaki that states she cannot forgive him for causing her brother's death. Teru learns from the encounter not to fall for Akira's traps and rejects him when he offers a way for her to reunite with Kurosaki after he disappears.

When Rena Ichinose is engaged to Kazuki Morizono, Akira manages to assault Teru in a hotel elevator. She is saved by Kurosaki, who threatens and knocks Akira unconscious. Chiharu arrives to take Akira away and Akira is later seen in a hospital bed. When Teru and her friends go to rescue Rena and stop Morizono from auctioning off a new version of Jack Frost on a cruise ship, Kurosaki finds Akira unconscious in a storage room and in need of medical treatment. After making a remark about Professor Midorikawa's last testament, he provides Kurosaki with the necessary password to open the door to Morizono's room and save Teru. In exchange, Kurosaki deposits Akira outside the door where Chiharu Mori will recover him.

After the Neo-Jack Frost incident, its perpetrator Antler reveals he had promised Akira that the latter would be rewarded with the key to "M's Last Testament" if he followed orders. Furthermore, Antler adds that Akira was not a blood relation of Midorikawa's and that the professor had likely forgotten him. Akira is sedated by Chiharu when he tries to attack Antler, who comments that he has retained Akira's services because he is "still entertaining." When Chiharu returns to check on Akira's condition, she discovers that he has gone missing.

Chiharu discovers Akira in hiding, where he attempts to convince Chiharu to join his effort to find M's Last Testament. Chiharu brings Akira to the island where M's Last Testament is, where to his surprise, he finds Teru in the Church located on the island. Teru explains to Akira that M's Last Testament is a plot to kill him, and that he should not attempt to unlock the doors that lead to M's Last Testament. Akira ignores her words and takes an elevator down to begin to unlock the seals. At the last door until he reaches the Testament, and subsequently blows up the island, Teru stops him once more, insisting that everyone will die. Akira continues to dismiss her and punches Teru. However, Teru manages to pin Akira to a wall and explains to him that people do care about him, mentioning Professor Midorikawa and promises to teach him about the fun things in life. She faints due to hunger soon after. Akira does not attempt to open the last door, and Kurosaki finds the two and tells Akira that only he can save them by decoding a password, and answering a password question asking about a song. Akira does so, but is weak after decoding, but is carried out by Kurosaki, whilst Teru wakes up after being given a muffin. The three manage to enter a safe vault that leads to a boat that will allow them to escape the island. Before the boat departs, Teru is discreetly given a USB from Antler that is intended for Akira.

Akira is admitted to the hospital afterward, where a medical examination reveals a brain tumour that is speculated to be the cause of his inhuman arithmetic skills and is successfully removed. While recovering in the hospital, Teru gives him the USB, which contains a video series from Professor Midorikawa that fulfills the promise that Akira and the professor made: for the professor to sing "Daisy Bell" and dance for Akira on his birthday.

Following his discharge from the hospital, Akira enters the care of Masuda to integrate into society. He begins working at the master's restaurant. At the New Year's festival, Akira admits to Riko that he likes Teru, but does not act on his feelings, the reason most likely because of Teru's relationship to Kurosaki.

Gallery
Akira/Gallery