Warning! The following contains spoilers from the South Park Season 29 premiere, "South American Biker Gangs." Stream the episode with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
South Park, or I guess I should say "South America," returned to the 2026 TV schedule and featured a few surprises. None were as unexpected, however, as the show featuring a reference to one of the most iconic anime movies of all time: Akira.
Hollywood may never get the live-action Akira movie off the ground that fans have wanted for years, so it's perhaps a good thing South Park can keep memories of the anime film alive with its latest homage. After seeing them side by side, I can't decide what's crazier: the fact that it happened at all, or that this isn't even the first time the show has referenced it.
South Park Recreated A Classic Scene From Akira
If you love Akira and watched South Park and have no idea what I'm talking about, it's ok. The reference actually went completely over my head until I saw both scenes back-to-back on X, which can be seen below:
Anyone else catch the Akira reference in the new episode of South Park? pic.twitter.com/x4uuaSuUKzSeptember 17, 2026
I guess it's an on-point reference for South Park to work Akira into this episode, considering both are centered around biker gangs. That said, the references pretty much ended there, as the episode decided to focus on the growing trend of young kids getting e-bikes and allegedly causing havoc across towns. Which...[checks notes]...isn't where Akira goes with its second act.
South Park Last Referenced Akira Back In 2000
South Park also paid homage to Akira in the Season 4 episode "Trapper Keeper," when Cartman fused with the Trapper Keeper and became a mutant blob. It's similar to the point in Akira in which Tetsuo takes on the same form, but it's not quite as funny.
References aside, I also couldn't help but notice that South Park backed off its ongoing storyline with a parody of President Trump, the focal point of last season. While the jabs generated numerous headlines and responses from the White House, some fans complained that the series spent too much time away from its central characters as a result.
I'll be curious to see if upcoming episodes will feature more character-focused adventures, or if the show will circle back to calling out politicians again in Season 29. Honestly, I'm fine with whatever they go with, provided it's funny, and the series has been on fire over the past few years with its episodes.
South Park is back for Season 29, and when we get new episodes, we can expect them on Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET. Last season, the schedule jumped around quite a bit as to when we'd get those, so keep an eye out for updates as they arrive!
