A new Spider-Man 2 launch trailer debuted just ahead of its October 20 release, and it’s got a brief clip that has anime fans going wild. The trailer, which shows off villains like Sandman, Mr. Negative, and Venom, also has what looks to be an attempt at an iconic move from the beloved 1998 anime film, Akira. Unfortunately, fans aren’t thrilled at Spider-Man 2’s tribute to the anime film—they’re laughing.
Akira is a touchstone in the animation community and beyond for its accomplished storytelling and stunning hand-drawn animation. The most memorable moment from the two-hour film is what fans call the “Akira Slide:” a two-second clip where protagonist Kaneda skids his 200-hp motorcycle on the highway. The anime move is so iconic that it’s been replicated in numerous anime, cartoons, video games, and live-action films like Jordan Peele’s Nope. Regardless, any media that has the Akira slide tends to get cool points on the internet— that is unless you’re Spider-Man 2.
In a brief scene from the Spider-Man 2 launch trailer, Mary Jane Watson does her own version of the Akira slide (around the 54-second mark) but things don’t go according to plan. Namely, she falls off her motorcycle before it reaches a complete stop. To her credit, we don’t know the context for why MJ biffed the Akira slide. Maybe she was being chased by one of the many goons Spider-Man is always dealing with and slid out of desperation rather than in an attempt to look cool. Regardless, lack of context hasn’t stopped less-than-charitable anime fans on Twitter and Reddit from dubbing MJ as the first fictional character to botch the Akira slide.
“Nah MJ fucking up the Akira slide gotta be the top 5 craziest fumble of all time,” Twitch streamer GamesCage wrote on Twitter.
“I actually found this funny bcs you don’t see people actually failed doing the ‘Akira Slide’,” ADC_Vr said.
“Mj busting her ass doing the Akira bike slide is some of the funniest shit I didn’t know I needed to see lmfaooo,” Anim0nk wrote.
“Yoshida-sama has been slighted by this homage through the scarlet woman,” fudgedhobnobs wrote on the r/Spiderman Reddit.
“She almost did it perfectly, guess not everyone can Akira slide,” Monkey_King291 replied in the same Reddit thread.
While some fans are trouncing MJ’s vehicular oopsie as developer Insomniac Games “not [understanding] the assignment” others offered the Marvel heroine an out by reminding fans that they don’t have the context for the clip and that the Akira slide is difficult to replicate in a real-world setting.
“No one can land it, the Akira slide is literally impossible on pavement unless it’s icy or your tires are greased up,” Red_Naxela_ wrote.
It’s unclear what set up the Akira motorcycle scene but perhaps we’ll learn more about it through an MJ-centric story mission.
Spider-Man 2 will release on October 20 exclusively on the PlayStation 5.
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