In the year 2030, Neo-Tokyo is recovering from World War III, and a group of teenagers led by Kaneda encounters a telekinetic child known as Number 26, which entangles them in a conflict with a mysterious organization led by the Colonel. Tetsuo, one of Kaneda's friends, undergoes experiments that awaken his psychic powers, leading to a violent rampage and a desperate search for another powerful child, Akira, who has been in cryogenic sleep since the war. As tensions escalate, the Colonel's forces clash with the resistance, and Akira's awakening threatens to unleash catastrophic consequences.