Michael B. Jordan says Creed 3 fights are “influenced by anime”

Don’t expect the same old boxing fights in Creed 3 – according to director and star Michael B. Jordan, he was “hugely” influenced by anime.

Rocky will forever hold the crown as the most influential boxing movie ever made. It didn’t change how fights were shot – it became the blueprint and formed the rules that other filmmakers could bend.

Across the franchise, these scenes have slightly evolved, but Ryan Coogler’s Creed upped the slickness without losing the fist-to-cheek, head-rattling oomph of each punch.

For the third installment, Jordan – who plays the spinoff series’ lead character Adonis Creed – took on directing duties, and he turned to anime for inspiration for the fights.

Anime is a “huge” influence in Creed 3

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jordan spoke about directing Creed 3 and how he approached the fight scenes, especially following the franchise’s legacy.

Fallon said he was taken aback by the “skin-flapping” fights and how Jordan managed to “change the game again.”

“It was a gift and a curse, you know, there’s been eight other movies before me,” Jordan explained.

“You could shoot a boxing match in so many different ways. I think ’cause I was kinda put in a corner, it kinda forced me to be more creative and think outside the box on how to make the fights different.

“So, we shot all the fights in IMAX. Also, I had a huge Japanese influence on a lot of my fighters. I’m an anime nerd, so, I found unique ways.”

In an earlier interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan revealed his favorite anime is Naruto: Shippuden, and how the genre also “motivated” one of his scenes in Creed II.

“I think there was a moment in Creed II actually during my training montage where I fall on the ground and kind of get up. It was like that legendary Goku, Gohan… get up,” he said.

“Like when Gohan had that dead arm when he was fighting Cell. That was definitely motivated by anime for me.”

Creed 3 hits cinemas on March 3, 2023. You can find out more about the movie here.