Despite the hype for the John Wick universe’s upcoming Ballerina movie, there is already a female John Wick in the franchise, and it isn’t Ana de Armas’ character. Since 2014, the John Wick franchise has been focused on its тιтular character, with Keanu Reeves playing the ruthless ᴀssᴀssin until his unfortunate demise at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4. With John Wick being such a prevalent male figure in the world of ᴀssᴀssins, it does make us wonder if he has a female counterpart, especially as Ballerina is marketing Ana de Armas’ Eve to fulfill that exact role.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is an upcoming John Wick spinoff movie which is scheduled to release on June 6, 2025. The film will focus on Eve Macarro, a ballerina-ᴀssᴀssin training in the traditions of the Ruska Roma to avenge her father’s death. John Wick will make an appearance in the film, as teased by the trailer, and the marketing seems to be gearing up Ana de Armas as Keanu Reeves’ possible replacement. However, there is already a “female John Wick” in the franchise – Rina Sawayama’s Akira Shimazu – and she first appeared in John Wick: Chapter 4.
Akira Is Closer To Being “Female John Wick” Than Ana de Armas’ Eve
Eve Shares John Wick’s History, But Akira Has A Similar Persona
Arguably, Rina Sawayama’s Akira is closer to being the “female John Wick” than Ana de Armas’ Eve for a number of reasons. As the main character in John Wick’s Ballerina movie, Eve Macarro has connections to John Wick due to them both being trained by the Ruska Roma. Eve and John share a common history and subsequent bond as a result. With John Wick making an appearance in Ballerina – which is set between the third and fourth John Wick movies – it makes sense why the movie might be heading towards a “female John Wick” angle for Ana de Armas’ character.
“Eve Macarro is Eve Macarro. She’s not John Wick.”
In an interview with Collider about Ballerina, Ana de Armas noted the similarities and differences between Keanu Reeves’ John Wick and Eve Macarro, explaining that “there are some trademarks in the style of the fights in John Wick, and things that he does that are very particular to him.” However, she also emphasizes that “Eve Macarro is Eve Macarro. She’s not John Wick.” Therefore, while there are certainly similarities between the two because of their fighting styles, their overall characters are very different. This sparks hope that Ballerina could offer the John Wick franchise a new and interesting personality.
Akira is played by Japanese and British singer-songwriter, Rina Sawayama. John Wick: Chapter 4 marks her film debut.
Instead, in the context of story and persona, the character who is arguably the “female John Wick” is actually Rina Sawayama’s Akira. Although Eve shares his training, Akira maintains John Wick’s motivations in her first appearance in John Wick: Chapter 4, as both characters are thrust into a reluctant fight for family and legacy. Encapsulating John Wick’s “last stand” mentality, fighting against all odds, with a quiet determination, Akira is the perfect character if they were to ever replace John Wick, as she already mirrors his personality in many ways, unlike Eve, who merely trained in the same environment.
How & When Akira Could Return In John Wick’s Future
Akira May Return In Donnie Yen’s Spinoff Movie
With John Wick supposedly ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, there is no telling where the action-packed ᴀssᴀssin-filled franchise may lead. John Wick: Chapter 5 is currently in development, with Keanu Reeves returning, although it is unconfirmed where in the timeline the next instalment will take place. Therefore, ᴀssuming that the franchise doesn’t retcon John Wick’s death, John Wick will need to find a replacement for Keanu Reeves’ character. There are a number of candidates for the role, including Caine, who was a standout antagonistic character in John Wick: Chapter 4, as well as John Wick’s ally against the confident fighter, Rina Sawayama’s Akira.
In John Wick: Chapter 4’s post-credits scene, it is revealed that Akira had actually undertaken a new mission to hunt down Caine. As a result, hopefully we will see Akira return in the upcoming John Wick Donnie Yen movie, as she was a fantastic character, especially fighting alongside John Wick, and simply writing Akira off after that post-credit scene would feel like a waste. Little is known about Caine’s spinoff movie, other than its Hong Kong filming location and the fact it is set after John Wick: Chapter 4, so a storyline involving Akira could very much be a possibility.
Little is known about Caine’s spinoff movie […] so a storyline involving Akira could very much be a possibility.
In a 2023 Looper interview, John Wick director Chad Stahelski was given a choice of spinoffs between Akira and Caine. Stahelski said, “if I had to put my money somewhere,” he would choose Caine, which fortunately came to fruition with Donnie Yen’s movie announcement. However, the director also stated that “I want to watch what happens to Akira next. I’m a big Rina Sawayama fan, so that’s the one I’d want to follow.” This gives us hope that Akira’s story may not be finished just yet, as both fans and Stahelski are interested in Rina Sawayama’s John Wick future.
Sources: Collider, Looper
John Wick
- Created by
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Derek Kolstad
- First Film
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John Wick
- Latest Film
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John Wick: Chapter 4
- Upcoming Films
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Ballerina
- First TV Show
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The Continental
Summary
“John Wick” is a neo-noir action-thriller franchise centered around a retired hitman who returns to the criminal underworld to seek vengeance. Known for its intense and stylistic action sequences, the franchise has redefined modern action cinema with its choreographed gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, and intricate world-building. The series explores themes of loyalty, honor, and survival in a secret society of ᴀssᴀssins.
