Crunchyroll Adds 'Akira' To Catalog

There are plenty of good anime features out there, but only a select handful can be called iconic. Films by Hayao Miyazaki are often welcomed into the exclusive group, but there are other directors out there with top-tier works. Katsuhiro Otomo is one of them, and his work on Akira is still praised to this day. So, you should definitely check out the sci-fi flick if you have not already.

Don't know how? Well, it has never been easier to stream the flick online. Crunchyroll just added the heralded title to its massive catalog.

Yes, you can watch Akira online for free through Crunchyroll, and it is totally legal. For classic features, the biggest hurdle in watching them comes down to whether they're available online, and illicit streaming of the movies have given the anime fandom a bad name. By partnering with Funimation, Crunchyroll has made it possible to stream Akira legally, and fans are applauding the much-wanted deal.

Right now, the deal only applies for Crunchyroll members in the US and Canada. There is no word if the streaming site will be able to extend availability to other countries at this time.

If you are not familiar with Akira, then you should check it out ASAP. The film is based on a manga created by Otomo, and the artist went on to direct its anime feature. The movie debuted in 1988, and it is often credited with being one of the greatest sci-fi films of all-time, anime or not. The series is set in a future world where Tokyo was annihilated at the start of World War III. In the distant future, Neo-Tokyo thrives as a post-apocalyptic metropolis teeming with crime. When gang leader Shotaro Kaneda learns his friend Tetsuo Shoma has been taken captive by the government for his psychic gifts, the renegade devises a plan to save him. However, things get complicated when Kaneda learns how strong Tetsuo really is and his connection to the psychic Akira who prompted World War III so many decades ago.

Have you seen Akira already? Which other classic anime features should Crunchyroll strike a deal over? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!