How to Dress Like Tetsuo Shima from Akira
Hair:
Tetsuo has wild dark brown hair in shaggy spikes, which gets even messier and out of control the more his powers develop. You can use hair gel to style your own hair in a spiky style, or you can wear a dark brown wig and use hair gel or hairspray to style it.
You can find wigs at any Halloween store or costume website. Dust some dirt or makeup powder into your hair to create a more ragged look.
Outfit:
Tetsuo wears a sleeveless baggy white tank top which becomes more torn-up and unruly as the film goes on. He also wears a tattered red cape made from a resistance flag, black pants and black socks.
Use a light scattering of dirt and add some rips and tears with a pair of scissors to give your costume a more authentic look.
For the cape, you can purchase a red flag or use a red bed-sheet to create your own, or better yet you can purchase a real cape from a costume shop or party store.
Mix it up to create a look entirely your own! You can also use a hospital gown instead – after Tetsuo is captured, he wears one before his escape to the streets of Neo-Tokyo. Add some rips with a pair of scissors if you want more extra detail.
Accessories:
Tetsuo wears black shoes which you can find from any shoe shop or online retail website.
For one last extra accessory to make your costume pop out at your next convention, purchase a fake robotic mechanical arm to wear over your real arm.
In one scene during Akira, Tetsuo’s arm is severed off by mistake, but luckily for him his powers allow him to build a new arm from metal debris. This last detail will make you look like you just stepped straight from the movie screen!
Get your friends and family to dress up as other characters from the Akira movie like Kaneda, Kei and Colonel Shikishima so you can all go together as a group to your next big cosplay or Halloween event!
Don’t forget to practice Tetsuo’s angry facial expressions and lines as well so you can look and sound just like him!
About Tetsuo
Quotes:
Kaneda, we’re not back in school anymore. Ever since i was a kid, you’ve been telling me what to do. Always treating me like a kid. You made me look like a runt in front of the others.
Tetsuo from Akira in Action
Jamie
