In fact, it could be argued that he didn't survive the obliteration of Neo Tokyo and only pulled through because of an odd application of the Timey Wimey Ball.
Tetsuo Shima
Ax Crazy: Moreso in the manga, where he simply kills people because he feels like it.
Gone Horribly Right: The military succeeded only too well in unlocking Tetsuo's powers.
Hey, It's That Voice!: Tetsuo in the 2001 redub is voiced by Joshua Seth, who most American anime fans know as the voice of freaking Tai from Digimon. On the video game side of things, Josh Seth is more commonly known for voicing chaos from Xenosaga. Notable, because the range between the two characters are very different, making it difficult for fans to see a connection if they hadn't known it already.
Took a Level in Badass: The Colonel, after the timeskip in the manga. Before, he's a very angry Elite Mook who spends his whole time shouting conflicting orders. After, he's a much more thoughtful and outright heroic character who shows that he's a very badass fighter who's not to be messed with as time goes on, leading up to him attempting to take out Tetsuo head on.
Akira
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence The big explosion that left that massive crater was caused by him ascending into an energy form. E=mc^2 and all that.
Apologetic Attacker: Takashi uses his Psychic Powers to pretty much blow up a girl named Mozu, but it's clear that he saw it as the only alternative and apologizes before and after doing so.
Sacrificial Lion: Takashi, who gets shot in the head by no real reason at all. And right when he had found Akira and was happily going to him! This completely causes an horrified Akira to release his powers, taking almost all of Neo Tokyo with him.
Morality Chain: In the manga, she's one of the few persons Tetsuo cares for. When she died, he went APESHIT.
Stockholm Syndrome: In the manga, Kaori comes to feel sympathy towards Tetsuo, despite the fact he forcibly recruited her and tried to turn her into a sex slave.
Blondes are Evil: Toyed with in regards to the blonde Mozu. She's not exactly evil, but very ruthless. So much that she won't stop attacking Takashi, causing him to release his powers and kill her in self-defense.
