Michael B. Jordan said anime series like 'Naruto' and 'Dragon Ball Z' inspired the storyline for 'Creed 3'

• Michael B. Jordan spoke to IndieWire about the inspiration behind his directorial debut, "Creed 3."
• In the interview, Jordan highlighted his love for popular animes like "Naruto" and "Dragon Ball Z"

First-time director Michael B. Jordan spoke about the making of "Creed 3" and his anime inspirations in an interview with IndieWire published Tuesday.

"I love the themes of anime, culturally, what they say about the bonds of friendships, betrayal, revenge, promises," Jordan told the outlet.

In the third installment of the "Rocky" spin-off, Jordan's character, Adonis Creed, must face off against childhood friend and former boxing prodigy Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) to prove that he's still the best.

Jordan told the outlet that he referenced popular characters and storylines from the anime series "Naruto" and "Dragon Ball Z." The actor-turned-director mentioned being inspired by "outcast" heroes that must "overcome all odds" in the genre of anime.

"I love the thought process of anime, the internal dialog, and seeing the world through how [characters] think. They just achieve a level of action that live action just sometimes doesn't give you," Jordan said to IndieWire.

Jordan also detailed to IndieWire the different technology and camera lenses he used to make "Creed 3." The actor said he focused on the boxers' perspective to zero in on their rivalry during pivotal fighting scenes.

"I thought that was the perfect kind of like world to take Adonis and Damian to," Jordan said. "Because it wasn't about anybody else. I wanted to see if I could make it feel like it was just two brothers that had to go settle some shit."

Jordan was specifically inspired by "Naruto" while filming Adonis and Damian's fighting scene. "I wanted it to feel very emotional, like it's just them. It's just the two of them," he told the outlet. "It's kind of like in 'Naruto' when you go inside of Naruto where the Ninetails Fox is sealed. It's a void."

Majors has also spoken about Jordan's love for anime.

"Michael is a big fan of anime. He always talked about the complexities of the friendships in those stories and the rivalries and all that," Majors said in an interview with the Irish publication Entertainment.ie.

Though Majors didn't name any specific anime, the actor detailed a storyline that heavily inspired "Creed 3."

"He showed me one of his favorite anime cartoons and it was these two best friends, and we really parallel this in some ways in our picture. They get to a point in the fight and their battles where everything else seems to fall away," Majors continued.

"Creed 3," which premiered March 3, is on course to open at the top of the box office and will have the biggest first-weekend opening of the spin-off series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.