Actor Michael B. Jordan has long been open about his passion for anime. The star of Black Panther, Creed, Sinners, and more shares a special connection with series like Attack on Titan, Naruto, and others. Recently, he sat down with Austin Butler (Elvis) and Paul Mescal (Gladiator 2) for a fun segment watching viral videos.
During the meet-up, Jordan couldn’t help but introduce his two co-stars to My Hero Academia by showing them one of the most pivotal moments from the anime’s penultimate season.
In a new video from Variety magazine, Jordan, Butler, and Mescal took part in a segment called “Guys Hanging Out Watching YouTube.” In it, Michael B. showed the other two a scene from My Hero Academia season 7 where Bakugo appears to sacrifice himself fighting Shigaraki and the League of Villains.
Humorously, Austin Butler pointed out that showing this scene spoiled the series’ plot. Jordan responded that the emotional impact of the scene is something you have to see to believe. During the segment, Jordan discussed various themes from the anime, including friendship, self-sacrifice, and more, once again highlighting his deep love for the medium.
How Anime Influenced Michael B. Jordan
In the past, Jordan has drawn major inspiration from the world of anime for his projects.
In Marvel’s Black Panther, the villain Killmonger’s armored suit was clearly inspired by Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z.
When Michael B. had the chance to direct Creed 3, he openly took inspiration from anime like Hajime no Ippo for many of the boxing scenes. Jordan even used this video to talk about how anime influenced his latest boxing film:
“There are so many fight moments I’ve seen in anime that I thought would be amazing to bring into Creed 3 to really evoke the emotion of this action sequence. Like, how do you achieve something in animation that feels so supernatural? How do you bring that into other media?”
During the discussion, Austin Butler mentioned he has watched legendary anime films like Paprika and Perfect Blue, while Paul Mescal seemed to have more catching up to do. Mescal said he’s seen Dragon Ball Z, which he called a “pillar” of the anime world, but had never watched My Hero Academia before Jordan showed him the Bakugo sacrifice scene.
With Jordan directing Creed 3 and expressing interest in one day directing a live-action anime adaptation, it will be exciting to see if this star takes on an established anime franchise in a future project.