the story, he becomes Akira's second-in-command, before he begins to lose control of his powers. Eventually, Kei battles Tetsuo, unlocking his full power and triggering another psychic explosion. Akira, watched by his fellow Espers, absorbs Tetsuo's explosion by creating one of his own. With Akira and the espers, he ascends to a higher plane of existence. The Colonel (born November 15, 1977), last name , is the head of the secret government project conducting research on psychic test subjects (including the Esper children, Tetsuo, and formerly Akira). Although he initially appears to be an antagonist, the Colonel is an honorable and dedicated soldier committed to protecting Neo-Tokyo from any second onslaught of Akira. Later in the story, he provides medical aid to an ill Chiyoko and works with Kei. He is usually referred to by Kaneda as "The Skinhead", due to his distinctive crew cut. The EspersThe Espers, also known as , are three children who are test subjects for the secret project. They are the only survivors of the test, following that of Lady Miyako ( 19), and given numbers between twenty and thirty. 23 was shown in the final chapter to have been amongst those "in whom the power awoke" but "were left with crippling handicaps". At the time of the story, test subjects 29, 30 and 31 are not mentioned, 32, 33, 36, 37, 38 and 40 had died from brain injuries during treatment and 34, 35 and 39, who was in the secret base when Akira destroyed Neo-Tokyo, were subsequently listed as missing (they do not appear in the story). Akira was the only one of this generation with true power, with the others being evaluated as "harmless" (their considerable powers notwithstanding; they did not, however, represent a destructive threat of Akira's magnitude). The three have the bodies of children but chronologically are in their late 30s. Their bodies and faces have wizened with age, but they have not physically grown. They are former acquaintances of Akira and survived the destruction of Tokyo. The Espers include: Kiyoko (born 1979) is an Esper who is confined to a bed at all times due to her lack of strength, which is why her companions Takashi and Masaru are protective of her. She can use teleportation, precognition and psychokinesis (as shown when levitating herself and Takashi's corpse when Akira destroys Neo-Tokyo). She predicted the demise of Neo-Tokyo and Tetsuo's