Michael B. Jordan could certainly be the biggest anime fan out there. The Creed trilogy began by picking inspiration from the Sylvester Stallone-starred series Rocky, but has uniquely found its own mixtures during its development, which is evident in the 2023 movie Creed III. The latest one actually pays tribute to the acclaimed 1988 film Akira.

Akira is considered to be one of the best anime creations even today. The cyberpunk movie became an inspiration for many future anime creations. But Creed III has managed to bring elements of the anime into a real movie with the minutest details that only fans can pinpoint.

How the Michael B. Jordan movie incorporated elements of Akira into the modern film

Raphael Imhotep recently took to Twitter to explain how Creed III is influenced by Akira. Lizz Wolf apparently contacted him to talk about incorporating anime into the movie, an idea that Jordan also fell in love with. The Easter bunny details were both in the costume and the way fight scenes were captured. Now, Kaneda’s red attire, including the red jacket, was a notable and distinct piece attached to the character. So it was the design and color of the jacket that ended up on Adonis Creed’s shorts, which he wore during the matches.

The other inspiration was the way anime covers action scenes. The editing, framing, and choreography of Creed’s fights will give a glimpse of the anime world into the real one. Even anime fan Jordan Peele recreated the replica of the Kaneda slide scene in his 2022 sci-fi horror movie Nope. Keke Palmer’s character, Emerald Haywood, pulled the exact sliding bike scene executed by Shōtarō Kaneda.

As for Creed, it has taken inspiration not just from Rocky and Akira, but we can see elements of several other anime throughout the film.

A look into the different anime that are incorporated into Creed III

As per Collider, multiple anime made parts of Creed’s third installment. The relationship between Adonis and Damian, who were brothers turned into rivals, is similar to Kakashi and Obito in Naruto. The other inspiration from the anime was the Handshake of Reconciliation to mark the end of a long conflict. Also, Adonis’ strong much aimed at Dame is a recreation of Goku’s hit on Frieza from the live-action Dragon Ball Z movie. 

ALSO READ: “I wanted to put my spin on it”- Michael B Jordan Reveals How His Directorial Debut, ‘Creed III’ is High on These Anime-Inspired Fights

What do you think of Michael B. Jordan taking inspiration from Akira for Creed III and other anime? Put your thoughts in the comments.