Otomo is a big fan of "Tetsujin 28-go". As a result, his naming conventions match the characters featured in "Tetsujin 28-go": Kaneda shares his name with the protagonist of "Tetsujin 28-go"; Colonel Shikishima shares his name with Professor Shikishima of "Tetsujin 28-go", while Tetsuo is named after Shikishima's son Tetsuo Shikishima; "Akira"s Ryūsaku is named after Ryūsaku Murasame. In addition, Takashi has a "26" tattooed on his hand which closely resembles the font used in "Tetsujin 28-go". The namesake of the series, "Akira", is the 28th in a line of psychics that the government has developed, the same number as "Tetsujin-28".