Danica Davidson
January 30, 2024 
If you’ve ever wanted to own your own motorcycle from Akira — a.k.a. the Kaneda Bike — now’s your chance. If you have the funds to buy it, anyway.
There are some fan-built examples in the past, including one that cost more than $100,000. This time around, though, Bel&Bel, which is a European company described as a “transportation-themed art studio,” has made its own version of the motorcycle, so it’s not just fan-built. Now that people can see how it looks, they have the option of ordering their own.
These bikes are made to order, and they’re only going to be available for a limited time. How limited, exactly, has not been revealed. Forbes Magazine said the going price is a bit less than $30,000.
And these bikes are not just for looking at. At the price they’re going for, you will be able to ride them. Bel&Bel’s Kaneda Bike allegedly can go over 90 miles per hour and its wheels have LED strips to light up.
Who’s ready to go for a ride?
Kodansha publishes the original Akira manga by Katsuhiro Otomo and gave this description for it:
In 1982, Kodansha published the first chapter of Akira, a dystopian saga set in Neo-Tokyo, a city recovering from thermonuclear attack where the streets have been ceded to motorcycle gangs and the rich and powerful run dangerous experiments on destructive, supernatural powers that they cannot control. Today, Akira remains a touchstone for artists, writers, filmmakers, and fans, retaining all the brutal impact and narrative intensity it had when Otomo first unleashed it onto the world.
Katsuhiro Otomo’s stunning science-fiction masterpiece is considered by many to be the finest work of graphic fiction ever produced. This edition includes a new foreword from the author and a postscript from Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson.
Source: Forbes Magazine
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
