Creed 3’s ending punch ties it to one of anime’s greatest tropes

The most flexible form of animation, anime is among the best. Japanese animation is no longer a niche cultural export but a global success story.

An interview with Polygon Creed III Michael B. Jordan was the director of Starman and Michael B. Jordan. He cited anime for his writing and cinematography. Jordan emphasized the intense battle between Naruto (and his opponent Sasuke) from “Anime”. Shippuden: Naruto as an inspiration for the climactic confrontation between protagonist Adonis Creed (Jordan) and his nemesis, Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors), in the film. The moment stands out: During Adonis and Damian’s titanic bout, the two childhood friends turned adversaries punch each other square in the face at the same time.

“That punch is Naruto and Sasuke,” Jordan told Polygon. “[T]Hat punches have been seen in anime a couple of times. […]For me however, [the Creed III scene] was about the relationship between two brothers, so the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke was where the inspiration for that relationship kind of stemmed from.”

Image: Pierrot/Viz Media

Image: Toei Animation/Crunchyroll

From the death-defying dogfight acrobatics of the “Itano circus” to the plaintive pastel-chalk aesthetic of “postcard memories,” anime — like any other stylistically distinctive take on the medium of film and animation — boasts an array of unique narrative and visual callbacks upon which its aesthetic language is founded. Jordan pointed this out. NarutoTo a lesser extent Dragon Ball Zas inspiration behind the pivotal scene Creed III, the trope itself dates back further than either of those series, and in fact originates from not only one of the film’s other cited anime influences but technically predates the phenomenon of anime altogether. For anime fans, the “cross counter” refers to a moment when a confrontation between two fistfighters of equal skill culminates with one of the combatants countering a hook punch by throwing a punch along their adversary’s arm, resulting in the two simultaneously punching each other in the face.

Within the context of anime, the trope dates as far back as 1970’s Ashita no Joe (aka “Tomorrow’s Joe”), the iconic boxing anime directed by Osamu Dezaki about a young drifter’s hard-won journey to become a heavyweight boxing champ. Several instances of the cross-counter punch appear throughout the course of the anime’s 79-episode run, as well as in the 1980 anime film that used reedited and reanimated footage from the series. Combined with the postcard memories trope — also attributed to Dezaki via his work on such anime as Ashita no JoeThe 1973 Sports Romance anime You can aim for the AceThe 1982 sci-fi pulp manga Space Cobra, and more — the cross-counter trope left an indelible impression on a generation of Japanese youth who would grow up to become some of the most influential creators of anime in their own right.

In countless anime releases since then, the Cross-Country trope is prominent. Ashita no Joe’s conclusion: 1986’s Dragon Ball(and the 1989 sequel series). Dragon Ball Z); 1988’s Legend of the Galactic Heroes; 1992’s YuYu Hakusho; 2001’s Digimon Tamers; 2004’s Bleach; 2006’s Death Note; and 2007’s Gurren LagannTo name a few, MegaloboxThis is the spiritual successor and 2018 sci-fi anime for sports. Ashita no Joe produced in honor of the anime’s 50th anniversary, naturally also boasts several examples of the cross-counter trope, including one during the climactic bout between Joe and his rival Yuri.

Image: TMS Entertainment/Viz Media

While Dezaki’s influence on anime is undeniable, it’s worth noting that the cross-counter trope itself is not wholly attributable to anime. The earliest cinematic instance of a cross-counter-style punch might be Charlie Chaplin’s 1931 comedy-drama The City Lights, wherein Chaplin’s character The Tramp comically trades blows with a burly no-nonsense prizefighter before they promptly knock each other out with a simultaneous hook shot to the jaw. People have been socking each other at the same time for eons, so it’s hard to imagine even the silents being the beginning of the trope.

While this may be the first, it certainly isn’t the OnlyFor instance, before Creed IIILive-action movie reveals where cross-counter punches have been seen. 2003’s The Matrix RevolutionsThe film, which was directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski (respected anime fan Lana), features Neo, his antagonist, and Agent Smith trading their cross-counter punch. And 1982’s Rocky IIIIt ends famously with an iconic freeze frame shot of Apollo Creed & Rocky Balboa fighting each other before it fades into an oil-painted portrait that captures the friendship between the rivals.

Is this an unassuming nod to Osamu Delzaki? Ashita no Joe? Are Sylvester Stallone and his secret otaku identity? Although we may not know the answers to this question, it is clear that there are some things (not least in light of Creed III’s release) is the incalculably vast influence that anime has had and continues to have over the medium of film and vice versa.