Anime community names Spider-Man 2's MJ the "first fictional character to fail" an iconic move
The latest trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 shows MJ failing an iconic anime bike stunt, and the fandom isn’t sure how to handle the fumble.
The ‘Akira slide’ refers to a scene from the 1998 anime where one character tilts and stops his motorbike in ultra-cool fashion. In a film stuffed with unforgettable images, the Akira slide has endured and been recreated in countless other films/games/shows/manga. Basically, an homage to the move is pretty much mandatory if there are bike chases and futuristic settings involved.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 understood the memo, as its newest trailer includes a small snippet referencing the scene. As you can see below, MJ attempts the iconic drift-and-stop before her front wheel detaches and leaves her on the ground. Completing the move with one back wheel is impossible - in her defense - and characters rarely ever fail the slide, so I think the clip is pretty funny out of context.
MJ missions in Spider-Man 1: taking pictures with your phoneMJ missions in Spider-Man 2: pic.twitter.com/rNNpjBqXl5October 15, 2023
The slide fandom, meanwhile, is in tatters. “First fictional character to fail the Akira slide,” AzuGleam joked on Twitter. Other memers posted that Mary-Jane’s missions in the original game revolved around “taking pictures with your phone” but the sequel was stepping up with stunts that only Tom Cruise would perform.
Other forums instead theorised about the character's revamped role. One Redditor speculated about a possible MJ-centric set piece: “Using a motorcycle to get away from symbiote-affected Peter? Count me in.” Over on ResetEra, one fan joked that MJ would master and attempt the slide again: "Maybe somewhere around the end-game moments, swooping in with some gizmo to
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