If you’re a fan of watching butt stuff on the internet, you’ve undeniably heard of Asa Akira. A quick google search of Akira cements her as the reigning porn queen of anal with results like “‘Anal Queen Asa Akira Is Having a Porn-Life Crisis’” and “ROB BRINK INTERVIEWS THE ANAL QUEEN, ASA AKIRA.” Even her Instagram handle, @asahole, is a more personal homage to her reputation.
But Akira is more than her legendary anal scenes—even if her Instagram bio still reminds us she has an “award-winning asshole.” Here are some interesting facts about porn star Asa Akira that you probably never knew.
9 surprising facts about Asa Akira
1) She’s the daughter of Japanese immigrants
Akira was born in Manhattan and grew up in Soho, but both her parents immigrated from Japan, where her grandfather had spent 45 years as a Japanese diplomat. Her family spoke Japanese at home, and when Akira turned 9, her family moved back to Tokyo where her father worked as a successful portrait photographer.
Though her family returned to the U.S. when she was 13, Akira continued to be influenced by Japanese language and culture throughout her life, taking the stage name “Akira” from the popular anime character.
2) Akira still isn’t sure of her sexuality
When it comes to her scenes, Akira has plenty of experience with boy-on-girl and girl-on-girl porn. In 2013, Akira wrote a blog on X Critic called “I Like Girls That Look Like Boys” in which she grapples with whether to call herself straight, gay, or bi:
I like girls that look like boys…Wait. Does that mean I’m straight? After over 10 years of fucking both boys and girls, im still confused!! i despise when i’m made to answer: “Straight, bi, or gay?” My secret answer: I dont know. I know i love to have sex with men. I know love to have sex with women. I know i love to have sex with both, at the same time! But everytime i refer to myself as “bisexual,” my heart cringes inside. It feels like… the wrong fit.
Since then, Akira has spoken out in interviews on the fluidity of human sexuality. When it comes to porn, Akira loves doing scenes with men and women.
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3) She recently released her second book, Dirty Thirty
Dirty Thirty, Akira’s second book, is a collection of memoir-style essays in which she talks about aging in an industry that values youth and sexual repression. She tackles bigger industry issues like motherhood and her relationship with porn and sexuality as well as the challenges she faced trying to get her shit together. The book is raw and gritty, filled with personal details about her life. Here’s an excerpt from Dirty Thirty:
I felt I’d done too much to only be thirty. I’d had two abortions…I’d been to jail, survived a minor opiate addiction. I’d contracted countless STDs, had more boyfriends than Lindsay Lohan, and fucked so many guys that my body count was (an extremely rough) estimate. I’d been married in Vegas (twice)! I’d been divorced once. I’d stripped, shot porn, worked in a dungeon, even hooked a couple of times. Worst of all, I’d smoked cigarettes for over 10 years, even though I had said I’d quit.
4) Akira is an outspoken feminist
In 2014, Akira wrote an article for Playboy called “Just Because I Do Porn Doesn’t Mean I’m Not a Feminist” in which she calls out the pitfalls of certain brands of feminism that exclude sex workers and women who work in the adult entertainment industry from the realm of what can be considered feminist. She goes on to explain that in a world where women make less than men on the dollar, porn stands out as an industry where women are consistently making more.
Akira disagrees with those who say she is degrading herself, capitalizing on the ideology of men, and presenting herself as a sex object—which therefore makes her anti-feminist. To her, the fact that she chooses these paths herself is extraordinarily empowering. In other interviews, Akira has spoken out about the double standard that men are allowed to be sexual and sexually curious creatures, while women are shamed for the same desires.
In a Reddit AMA, Akira has also said she doesn’t do scenes that degrade Asian culture.
5) Akira has tried tattooing, taxidermy, ice carving, and more
Hobbies With Asa Akira was a six-part series by streetwear brand and media company the Hundreds in which she explored different (and some outrageous) hobbies to find the perfect one to occupy her downtime. In the first episode, she tattoos a cartoon version of herself on tattoo artist Eric Alvino’s leg, and does a pretty good job—he even gave her a solid 8 out of 10 for the end result.
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6) She’s the inspiration behind the world’s most expensive sex doll
Manufacturers Abyss Creations have released a hyper-realistic Asa Akira sex doll, complete with removable deep-throat mouth inserts and a “completely realistic and natural torso” for a whopping $5,749 before tax or possible add-ons like elf-ears, customizable vaginal inserts, and duracast. That’s a lot of money to spend on something that will most likely (at least, according to Black Mirror logic) become sentient one day and possibly try to murder you and your family.
7) Akira believes the porn industry should prioritize regular STD testing and safe sex
Akira recognizes that she’s lucky to work for companies where she’s in a safe, controlled environment and believes that regular testing ensures the preservation of that safety and control. In an interview with Rutgers Professor Richard Heffner, she shares that many porn actors are tested every two weeks and she is explicitly made aware of the STD statuses of her scene partners. “Nobody will hire you without a clean test,” Akira said. “It’s taken very, very seriously.”
She also believes that prostitution should be legalized, primarily so that prostitutes and sex workers can have access to the same medical care and resources to practice safe sex that she does. Akira, like other sex-positive porn stars turned activists, believes that prostitution and adult entertainment are very similar industries that warrant the same protections.
8) Tina Fey is one of her biggest heroes
Akira is a huge fan of Reddit AMAs, and in a 2014 AMA, she revealed that Tina Fey is one of her favorite non-porn star idols. She cites MILF veteran porn star Lisa Ann as her porn hero and clarified that although both Fey and Ann have portrayed Sarah Palin (on SNL and in porn movies, respectively), Sarah Palin is not one of her heroes.
9) She’s totally addicted to working out
According to an interview in Cosmo, Akira’s been going to Barry’s Bootcamp for several years and spends the rest of her time doing yoga. Though she’d prefer to workout seven days a week, she forces herself to take a day off, something recommended by many fitness experts.
Editor’s note: This article is regularly updated for relevance.
