“Akira” (アキラ), Ultra‑Rare Original Japanese Bookstore Display / Kodansha Promotional “A Newly Drawn Epilogue — The True Ending Is This!! / PART 6” Poster 1993, Size (66 x 21 cm) P189
This is an original Japanese bookstore display poster (promotional poster) issued by Kodansha to advertise AKIRA PART 6, the concluding tankōbon volume. Produced for bookshop point‑of‑sale use in 1993, it is an extremely scarce long-format piece intended for in-store display and never meant for public sale.
Ultra‑rare: original manga-era Kodansha promotional material for the release of Part 6. Posters of this type were printed in small numbers for bookstores, used briefly, and usually discarded. Surviving examples are genuinely uncommon on the market, especially in this dramatic narrow format.
The central copy proclaims 「描き下ろされたエピローグ、本当の結末はこれだ!!」 (“A newly drawn epilogue — this is the true ending!!”). At the foot, the printed sales line reads “OTOMO KATSUHIRO / PART 6 / SPECIAL PRICE 1200 YEN (TAX INCLUDED) / KODANSHA / NOW ON SALE!”
Akira (1988) is Katsuhiro Otomo’s epoch-defining post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk landmark—based on his manga that began in 1982 in Young Magazine. Its world-building and animation reshaped anime and global pop culture; original bookstore promotionals like this sit at the very heart of Akira’s manga-era marketing.
Poster design
A striking red monochrome collage of manga panels dominates the full length of the sheet, with a bold white vertical slogan cutting through the centre and pulling the eye down into the huge AKIRA title block. The imagery captures climactic late-series moments, including Kaneda confronting Tetsuo, the Colonel at centre, ominous dialogue balloons, grotesque transformation imagery, and final action panels above the footer. The lower section is especially powerful, combining the oversized AKIRA / アキラ masthead with the release copy “OTOMO KATSUHIRO / PART 6 / KODANSHA / NOW ON SALE!”. The 66 x 21 cm proportions give the piece a dramatic, banner-like presence designed to command attention in-store.
Why collectors prize this example
Original 1993 bookstore display poster tied directly to the release of AKIRA PART 6—far scarcer than later posters or reproduction prints.
Printed in very small numbers for in-store use; most were discarded after the campaign, so survivors are exceptionally hard to find.
Features superb period graphic design with bold red-and-black manga art, a towering central sales line, and the huge AKIRA logo.
Authentic Kodansha promotional material from one of the most important and collectible manga / anime franchises ever published.
Details
Country: Japan
Year: 1993
Type: Bookstore display / Kodansha promotional poster (non-sale item)
Size: 66 x 21 cm
Printed identifiers on sheet: 「描き下ろされたエピローグ、本当の結末はこれだ!!」; AKIRA / アキラ; OTOMO KATSUHIRO; PART 6; “SPECIAL PRICE 1200 YEN (TAX INCLUDED)”; KODANSHA; NOW ON SALE!
Condition
Very good / excellent overall. Original horizontal folds (as issued); light handling; mild fold wear and a few small surface ripples / creases; colours strong and vivid on the front. The blank verso shows age toning, light marks, and old tape / adhesive residue from prior display. Please review the photos (front and back); they show the exact item.
It is over 30 years old.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
