| “ | You can if you believe you can. | „ |
| ~ Akira[src] |
| “ | No, you just got pain. | „ |
| ~ Akira showing his skill to Homer[src] |
| “ | Technique. Ha ha! | „ |
| ~ Akira telling Homer how he won last year's eating contest[src] |
Akira (あきら) is the sensei of a karate dojo, a waiter at The Happy Sumo sushi restaurant, a waiter at the Swanky Fish sushi restaurant, and an employee at Costington's department store.
History
As a young boy in Japan, Akira was a minor child-star on television. He spent four years playing the part of "Whitey" on "Let Trouble-Makey Beaver Do Himself." a Japanese sitcom inspired by a 1950's American TV show. As he grew older, acting jobs became scarce, so Akira enrolled in a cooking school. Upon graduation, he came to America and opened a restaurant in Springfield called "The Happy Sumo." In addition to the culinary arts, Akira practices the martial arts, teaching karate at the Springfield Learning Annex. Lately, Akira has returned to his first love, acting. He has recently been seen on the stage of the Little Tokyo Theater in Kabuki productions of "Sumo Like it Hot" and "A Raisin in the Rising Sun."[1]
Relationships
Akira has a mixed relationship with Homer. Akira helped Homer, Bart, and Lisa Simpson to discover the origin of the mysterious Mr. Sparkle dishwashing detergent box (Homer was mystified by Mr. Sparkle's striking resemblance to him).[2] However, he nearly killed Homer (albeit not intentionally) when he served him the fugu blowfish, which can only be properly prepared by the Master Sushi Chef (who was busy making out in his car with Mrs. Krabappel when Homer ordered the fugu).[3] Also, Akira, Luigi, Captain McCallister, and other restaurant proprietors of Springfield attempted to assassinate Homer for giving their restaurants bad reviews.[4]
On yet another occasion, Akira demonstrated a vibrating recliner for Homer in the furniture department at Costington's at Homer's insistence, with the chair set to full power. Homer loved the chair, but Marge talked him out of buying it.[5]
Akira trained Marge in Jiu-Jitsu for an MMA fight working with her in his own karate studio.[6] Bart also signed up for one of Akira's karate classes, but skipped the sessions to go play video games.[7]
Akira had to take a citizenship test when a proposition called for all illegal immigrants in Springfield to be deported.[8]
Non-canon appearances
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The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened/existed. |
The Simpsons Game
Akira is featured in level three of The Simpsons Game, "Around the World in 80 Bites". He is shown as the former winner of the Duff eating contest because of his technique of dipping food in milk then swallowing it whole. In the Wii Version, he is the opponent of the minigame Bite Night found in the level Game Over.
"The Man Who Came to Be Dinner"
Akira can be seen in the closing credits as Sulu from Star Trek, as a nod to George Takei, who played Sulu, providing the voice of Akira in his first appearance.
Appearances
Episode – "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" - Episode – "When Flanders Failed"
- Episode – "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?"
- Episode – "Homer's Triple Bypass"
- Episode – "Marge vs. the Monorail"
- Episode – "Much Apu About Nothing"
- Episode – "In Marge We Trust"
- Episode – "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?"
- Episode – "A Tale of Two Springfields"
– The Simpsons Movie - Episode – "The Great Wife Hope"
- Episode – "The Fool Monty" (Waiting in line outside Springfield General Hospital for a vaccination)
- Episode – "Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts" (At the school auction)
- Episode – "The Food Wife"
- Episode – "What Animated Women Want"
- Episode – "Mommie Beerest" (On the plane)
- Episode – "The Man Who Came To Be Dinner" (Ending credits)
- Episode – "Halloween of Horror"
- Episode – "The Old Blue Mayor She Ain't What She Used To Be"
THOH – "Treehouse of Horror XXXIV" (Lout Break)
Video game – The Simpsons Game- Video game – The Simpsons: Tapped Out
Commercials – Butterfinger
| The Simpsons: Season Two | ||||
| "Bart Gets an "F"": | "Simpson and Delilah": | "Treehouse of Horror": | "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish": | "Dancin' Homer": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Dead Putting Society": | "Bart vs. Thanksgiving": | "Bart the Daredevil": | "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge": | "Bart Gets Hit by a Car": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish": | "The Way We Was": | "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment": | "Principal Charming": | "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?": |
| Minor | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Bart's Dog Gets an F": | "Old Money": | "Brush with Greatness": | "Lisa's Substitute": | "The War of the Simpsons": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Three Men and a Comic Book": | "Blood Feud": | |||
| Absent | Absent | |||
| The Simpsons: Season Three | ||||
| "Stark Raving Dad": | "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington": | "When Flanders Failed": | "Bart the Murderer": | "Homer Defined": |
| Absent | Absent | Minor | Absent | Absent |
| "Like Father, Like Clown": | "Treehouse of Horror II": | "Lisa's Pony": | "Saturdays of Thunder": | "Flaming Moe's": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk": | "I Married Marge": | "Radio Bart": | "Lisa the Greek": | "Homer Alone": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Bart the Lover": | "Homer at the Bat": | "Separate Vocations": | "Dog of Death": | "Colonel Homer": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Black Widower": | "The Otto Show": | "Bart's Friend Falls in Love": | "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?": | |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Minor | |
| The Simpsons: Season Four | ||||
| "Kamp Krusty": | "A Streetcar Named Marge": | "Homer the Heretic": | "Lisa the Beauty Queen": | "Treehouse of Horror III": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie": | "Marge Gets a Job": | "New Kid on the Block": | "Mr. Plow": | "Lisa's First Word": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Homer's Triple Bypass": | "Marge vs. the Monorail": | "Selma's Choice": | "Brother from the Same Planet": | "I Love Lisa": |
| Cameo | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Duffless": | "Last Exit to Springfield": | "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show": | "The Front": | "Whacking Day": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Marge in Chains": | "Krusty Gets Kancelled": | |||
| Absent | Absent | |||
| The Simpsons: Season Eight | ||||
| "Treehouse of Horror VII": | "You Only Move Twice": | "The Homer They Fall": | "Burns, Baby Burns": | "Bart After Dark": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "A Milhouse Divided": | "Lisa's Date with Density": | "Hurricane Neddy": | "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)": | "The Springfield Files": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson": | "Mountain of Madness": | "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious": | "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show": | "Homer's Phobia": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Brother from Another Series": | "My Sister, My Sitter": | "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment": | "Grade School Confidential": | "The Canine Mutiny": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "The Old Man and the Lisa": | "In Marge We Trust": | "Homer's Enemy": | "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase": | "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson": |
| Absent | Minor | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| The Simpsons: Season Nine | ||||
| "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson": | "The Principal and the Pauper": | "Lisa's Sax": | "Treehouse of Horror VIII": | "The Cartridge Family": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Bart Star": | "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons": | "Lisa the Skeptic": | "Realty Bites": | "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "All Singing, All Dancing": | "Bart Carny": | "The Joy of Sect": | "Das Bus": | "The Last Temptation of Krust": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Cameo |
| "Dumbbell Indemnity": | "Lisa the Simpson": | "This Little Wiggy": | "Simpson Tide": | "The Trouble with Trillions": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Girly Edition": | "Trash of the Titans": | "King of the Hill": | "Lost Our Lisa": | "Natural Born Kissers": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |