Climbing History

Akira is a route with a complicated history and a degree of controversy, largely around the fact that first ascenionist Fred Rouhling suggested a grade of 9b at a time when 9a was the cutting edge and no routes had been proposed at 9a+ (though some routes from the era have subsequently been upgraded to 9a+, for example Mutation at Raven Tor). Subsequent ascentionists have suggested 9a is more appropriate. To complicate things even further, the repeat ascentionists chose not use kneebars but did suggest that using them would lower the grade further.

Holds may have come and gone on the first part of the route:

Can confirm via a friend that worked Akira pretty hard that the initial section used to be 8B. His breakdown was 8B to a crap rest on a 3 finger pocket into a second 8B to the lip. He never tried the final rope section (8a?) as he thought it was pointless. [1] [2] [3]

Dani Andrada:

I almost did it [Akira]. I fell at the last move of the boulder crux. I find that section hard for 7C as Bouin and Lucien Martinez have now proposed. It's a boulder of about eight moves, which can be 8A or 8A+ in my opinion. I think the proposal of 9a is correct taking into account that they may have made some moves with kneebars as well. I went 7 or 8 days to try it. The place is quite ugly and I had a hard time finding someone to accompany me. The route is in the same style as Ali Hulk in the Cave of Ali Baba, in Rodellar, but the spot is so ugly that it is difficult to motivate oneself to go there. [4]

Jean-Baptiste Tribout, speaking in 2000:

I visited Akira in 1995 it is certainly one of the hardest routes in the world that I have ever seen, and I climbed on it and managed to do a lot of the moves, but I couldn't do the hardest moves. To be able to link up all thes hard moves into one clean ascent is incredibly hard. It's a completely natural route, which is great! The route i also very technical, and scary in a way because it is 3 to 4m off the ground it's difficult to commit to the moves, and with these moves you could fall flat on your back. [9]

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,10607.msg621712.html#msg621712

[2] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,10607.msg621740.html#msg621740

[3] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,10607.msg621741.html#msg621741

[4] https://woguclimbing.com/seb-bouin-lucien-martinez-repiten-akira-opinan-9a/

[5] https://www.grimper.com/news-25-ans-apres-akira-enfin-repetee-etions

[6] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2020/11/fred_rouhlings_akira_repeated_-_twice-72635

[7] https://www.instagram.com/p/CH52khijvz7/

[8] https://open.spotify.com/episode/4T8j5taHKyu11HnWMKvxWT?

[9] On The Edge Issue 102, page 43