Michael B. Jordan Credits This Anime as Key Inspiration for ‘Creed III’

by

Michael B. Jordan has shared that he looked to anime for ideas while directing his first film, Creed III.

During a recent Vanity Fair interview, actor Jordan discussed his passion for anime, specifically mentioning his enjoyment of My Hero Academia.

He pointed to a particularly intense fight in the seventh season – Bakugo versus Shigaraki and the League of Villains – as an example of the visually exciting moments that fueled his work.

Jordan explained he’s often watched fight scenes in anime and thought, ‘Wow, it would be amazing to capture that same energy and impact in my own work.’ He’s interested in figuring out how animators create those incredibly dynamic and almost otherworldly moments, and how to translate that feeling into other forms of media.

In the 2023 film Creed III, Michael B. Jordan returns as Adonis Creed, a boxer who has hung up his gloves. He’s forced to confront a figure from his past: Damian Anderson, a talented boxer from their childhood, portrayed by Jonathan Majors.

I’m really excited to see Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Mila Davis-Kent, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad in this movie! I’ve also learned that Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin wrote the script, building on a story idea they developed with Ryan Coogler. And it’s amazing to know that legends like Sylvester Stallone, Irwin Winkler, and Michael B. Jordan himself were involved as producers.

Reviewers loved the film, especially its story, acting, action sequences, and how it was directed. It went on to become the most successful movie in the Creed series, bringing in over $276 million globally. This also makes it the second-highest-grossing film in the entire Rocky saga.

As a critic, I have to say the fight choreography in this film is really something special. The director, Jordan, clearly drew a lot of inspiration from anime – specifically series like Megalobox, Naruto Shippuden, Hajime No Ippo, and the classic Dragon Ball Z. He wasn’t just copying moves, though; he was trying to capture that over-the-top, incredibly energetic feel of anime battles and translate it into realistic boxing. And honestly? He mostly succeeds. It gives the fight scenes a unique, almost larger-than-life quality that you don’t often see in live-action boxing films.

Read More

2025-11-23 17:14