Creed 3 to include an anime short during Japanese cinema release

Japanese cinemagoers are in for a treat when Creed 3 finally releases in the East on May 26, as it'll have an anime short attached to it that wasn't shown in theaters in the UK or US.

This week, Michael B. Jordan, who directed the critically acclaimed sequel, took to Instagram to share a stylized graphic of his character Adonis Creed in action. "Hi Japan," he wrote in English, alongside a Japanese caption. "We made a special anime as a surprise for Japanese fans that will play at the end of the film. Creed 3 opens in theaters in Japan next weekend - get your tickets now to see what it's all about!"

Set seven years after the events of its predecessor, Creed 3 sees Jordan's Adonis living the high life, having made a name for himself in the world of heavyweight boxing. Both at the top of their game, the biggest challenge Donnie and his musician wife Bianca (Thompson) find themselves facing these days is juggling their successful careers with raising their deaf daughter (Mila Davis-Kent). But when Adonis's bitter former friend Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) gets out of jail and challenges him in the ring, he discovers it's more than just his championship title on the line. 

Anime super-fan Jordan has previously touched on how certain genre titles not only influenced how he staged the film's fight sequences, but also the central conflict between Adonis and Damian. "[It's] about the relationship between two brothers, so the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke was where the inspiration for that relationship kind of stemmed from," he told Polygon.

"The fight between Creed and Damian had to be an even battle, and in an emotionally high place where these two men were both baring their souls to one another. The emotional level they were at, where they were coming at it from, the emotions between those two characters. That was the moment I leaned into with that scene from Naruto."

Also starring the likes of Wood Harris, Selenis Leyva, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad, Creed 3 releases on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on May 22, and the following day in the US. In the meantime, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies coming our way throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond.