<\/p>\n
Now more than ever, anime\u2019s influence is everywhere. Once relegated to the import sections of your favorite video stores, the Japan-born style has taken over the mainstream. Think about it: Netflix\u2019s Oscar-winning film KPop Demon Hunters<\/a> is obviously influenced by anime, as is another Oscar winner, Michael B. Jordan, who has gone on record in the past to speak about how Naruto influenced<\/a> Creed III. Jordan is also the one whose answer to \u201cwhat is your favorite movie\u201d was<\/a> Princess Mononoke, without hesitation.<\/p>\n With anime making an impact on pop culture, you\u2019re bound to catch your favorite actors, rappers, or WWE superstars sharing what anime series they binge-watch in their free time. Some, like Lil Uzi Vert or Thundercat, may be obvious, as they lean into their nerd tendencies in their music, while some famous anime superfans may surprise you. Just know that Michael B. Jordan isn\u2019t the only anime fanatic. Here\u2019s a look at 10 celebrities who love anime<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Anime<\/strong>: Akira<\/p>\n In the summer of 2018, Kanye West posted<\/a> a series of tweets about how Akira was his \u201cbiggest creative inspiration,\u201d with that inspiration seemingly working through him subconsciously. \u201cEvery stage show I\u2019ve ever worked on,\u201d Ye shared, citing not just the \u201cStronger\u201d video (which draws from Akira), but other videos, and he\u2019d realize, \u201coh shit, this is like Akira.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anime<\/strong>: My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen<\/p>\n \u201cI literally begin my day watching anime and I end my day watching anime,\u201d Megan told GQ<\/a> in 2020. \u201cWhen I\u2019m doing my makeup, I\u2019ll have it playing in the background, and then before I go to sleep at night, it\u2019s what I fall asleep to.\u201d And while My Hero Academia is an obvious fav of hers, her 2024 track \u201cOtaku Hot Girl\u201d not only features a sample from Jujutsu Kaisen, but she sought out Adam McAurthur (who voices Yuji in the English Jujutsu dub) to drop a line on the song.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anime<\/strong>: Anything Studio Ghibli, apparently<\/p>\n In a conversation between DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese for Letterbox\u2019d<\/a>, DiCaprio was asked what films he put Scorsese onto. \u201cConsidering you\u2019ve seen every film ever made up until 1980,\u201d DiCaprio joked, \u201cit\u2019s pretty hard to say\u201d before remembering that it may have been Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, to which Scorsese chimes in, \u201cit was Spirited Away you told me to watch.\u201d That selection would fit with DiCaprio\u2019s activism<\/a> being focused on our environment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anime<\/strong>: Fist of the North Star<\/p>\n Aside from being a supremely talented musician, Thundercat is an anime aficionado. And even though he\u2019s dropped \u201cDragonball Durag\u201d and sang about how much of his money he\u2019s spent on anime, he\u2019s given a number of answers to the question of what his favorite is. He told The Face<\/a> that he\u2019d go Cowboy Bebop for anime novices, then Akira, saying, \u201cwhen I show my friends anime, if I go straight into shit like Fist of the North Star, they realize I\u2019m crazy.\u201d The 1986 film must be his real answer; in a conversation with Vulture<\/a>, Thundercat named his three favorite anime films, and Fist of the North Star (\u201cthe movie, not the series\u201d) was his first answer (before the animated Street Fighter II movie and Mind Game).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anime<\/strong>: Princess Mononoke<\/p>\n During the pandemonium after winning the Oscar for Best Actor, Michael B. Jordan was the man about town, and during one particular street interview, the Oscar winner was asked what his favorite movie was. His answer? Miyazaki\u2019s Princess Mononoke<\/a>. It makes sense; he\u2019s been vocal about Naruto\u2019s influence on Creed III<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anime<\/strong>: Spirited Away<\/p>\n In 2018, Ariana Grande posted<\/a> an image of a Spirited Away tattoo of Chihiro on her Instagram Story, explaining its meaning with the following text.<\/p>\n “Chihiro’s growth into a capable individual is a core factor to the movement of Spirited Away’s plot. During her adventure in the Spirit World, she matures from an easily-scared girl with a child-like personality to match her age to a hard-working, responsible, and brave young girl who has learned to put her fears aside for those she cares for.”<\/p>\n “To protect her friends and rescue her parents from a spell that has turned them into livestock, Chihiro sheds her former personality and adapts to her environment to become a courageous, quick-witted and reliable girl.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anime<\/strong>: It\u2019s hard to say\u2026<\/p>\n When Uzi gets asked about his favorite anime, you may not get the answer you\u2019d expect. Sometimes they may just say, \u201cme,\u201d<\/a> while other times, they\u2019re seemingly so into Steven Universe<\/a> that they got a pink diamond implanted in their forehead. You\u2019d assume Naruto if you listen to \u201cSasuke\u201d enough, but truth be told, Uzi may just like so much anime that they don\u2019t have a favorite off top. When asked<\/a> if they have a favorite anime series during a trip to Icebox, they shook their head no before shouting out Attack on Titan and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anime<\/strong>: Fist of the North Star<\/p>\n During his retirement tour, John Cena held an appearance at the 2026 FAN EXPO New Orleans, where fans could ask him questions. One fan asked him about his favorite anime, and while Cena admitted<\/a> that he doesn\u2019t \u201cwatch a ton of anime,\u201d he said that as a kid, he \u201cloved Fist of the North Star,\u201d talking about its post-apocalyptic vibe before warning the child not to watch it at their age.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anime<\/strong>: Death Note<\/p>\n The Transformers star told Seventeen<\/a> that she got into anime like many fans did: through Adult Swim. \u201cThey had a lot of anime cartoons on, like Cowboy Bebop and InuYasha,\u201d she shared. \u201cThat’s when I first started seeing it in cartoon form and actually started researching it.\u201d She\u2019s spoken about anime in other interviews, including telling EW<\/a> that she could see a Sailor Moon live-action remake working. One of her biggest anime shouts has been through cosplay, including this Death Note-inspired look<\/a> she pulled off with her husband, MGK.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anime<\/strong>: Too many to name one<\/p>\n During a Reddit AMA<\/a> (remember those?) in 2013, the legendary Robin Williams let it be known that when it came to anime, he knew ball. He stated that he\u2019d been into collecting anime since the laserdisc (you likely don\u2019t remember those), and named his five favorite anime films: Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Blood: The Last Vampire. It wasn\u2019t the first time he\u2019d mentioned his love for anime, either; during the press run for his film Robots, Williams was quoted<\/a> as saying that he was \u201ca big fan of Japanese animation\u201d because, in Japan, \u201cevery film pushes the envelope a little further.” Four years after his death, Williams\u2019 daughter posted images<\/a> of his figurine collection, which included figures from Appleseed and other anime he appreciated, in an effort to properly identify what he was holding onto. Again, Robin Williams knew ball.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n