16 Celebrities Known For Going All In On Anime
Some celebrities drop an anime reference and keep it moving like nothing happened. Others fully commit, weaving it into their style, their work, and occasionally their entire vibe like they just stepped out of an opening theme.
Mentions turn into full-on influence, and before long it is less “they like anime” and more “anime might actually be part of the brand now.”
1. Michael B. Jordan
When Michael B. Jordan was designing the fight sequences for Creed III, he did not call a boxing historian first.
Jordan has openly credited anime, especially Naruto, as a major visual influence on the film’s most electrifying moments. That phone buzz you get when a trailer drops?
Creed III gave anime fans a reason to pause and rewatch.
Naruto’s emotional storytelling clearly left a permanent mark on how Jordan sees conflict, sacrifice, and style.
2. Megan Thee Stallion
Anime fandom does not stay quiet in her world, it gets broadcast at full volume across every platform she touches.
Megan Thee Stallion names favorite characters in interviews and shows up in cosplay that sends audiences into full celebration mode.
Energy carries the same charge as a Saturday morning cartoon marathon that somehow lasts all week. Role has shifted into anime’s most glamorous hype presence.
3. John Boyega
The kind of excitement that hits when a new season drops at midnight comes through clearly whenever John Boyega talks about anime.
Naruto, Attack on Titan, and several other series have all surfaced in his interviews, along with ideas about potential live-action adaptations.
Genuine enthusiasm shines through, feeling more like a group-chat conversation than any form of celebrity branding. Always ready with a recommendation, he fits the role of the friend who keeps the watchlist growing.
4. Ronda Rousey
Anime references never felt like casual name-drops. They showed up as part of a much larger identity.
Visible connections to Dragon Ball and Pokémon became part of Ronda Rousey’s wrestling character, ring gear, and public image.
Revisiting a favorite arc could easily be part of a pre-match routine, which says plenty about how deep that connection runs.
5. Billie Eilish
An interview moment turned into something closer to a diary entry when Billie Eilish spoke about the emotional pull of Hayao Miyazaki’s work.
Spirited Away, in particular, has surfaced as a creative touchstone, linking her visual style to the dreamlike worlds Miyazaki creates.
On a rainy evening, watching a film like that alone can leave a lasting shift in how everything feels. Studio Ghibli could not have asked for a more fitting admirer.
6. Samuel L. Jackson
Anime interest did not stay at the level of watching and posting, it turned into full-on creation.
Samuel L. Jackson pushed Afro Samurai forward as a passion project while also voicing the lead character.
Most people wait for a premiere date to show up on a calendar, while he went ahead and made the show himself. Level of commitment moves far beyond typical fandom.
7. Denzel Curry
Open any in-depth interview with Denzel Curry and anime surfaces quickly, not as a footnote but as a foundation.
Direct references to its impact show up in how his creative instincts, visual storytelling, and emotional range take shape. Intensity in his music carries the same kinetic charge as a final-arc battle scene playing at full volume.
Anime played a role in shaping him into the artist he became.
8. Thundercat
Thundercat talks about anime the way most people talk about their closest friends: with warmth, detail, and zero irony.
In multiple interviews, the bass virtuoso has made clear that anime is not a background interest but one of the central pillars of how he experiences creativity and joy. Think of a calm morning where the kettle clicks off, a favorite series is queued up, and the whole day feels softer.
That is Thundercat’s relationship with anime, bottled perfectly.
9. Open Mike Eagle
The album title Anime, Trauma and Divorce makes the connection impossible to miss. Open Mike Eagle also joined Crunchyroll for a conversation on Japanese animation and hip-hop that felt like a college seminar worth attending.
Connection runs through his identity as an artist rather than sitting as a surface-level reference.
Work proves the medium can anchor an entire artistic statement.
10. Xavier Woods
Xavier Woods has been open about anime as a major part of his fandom life, and he has discussed it directly with Crunchyroll and other outlets. From his ring presentation to direct conversations with Crunchyroll, no effort appears to separate fandom from professional identity.
Picture glancing at a bag by the door and finding both a gym kit and a complete manga collection packed side by side.
Living exactly that blend of passions looks fantastic.
11. Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams and Takashi Murakami really did team up on an anime – and Pokémon-inspired visual for “It Girl.”
Pharrell leans fully into Japanese animation aesthetics, not as a passing trend but as a creative language he has spoken for years.
Morning glare from a calendar reminder fades quickly once a project like this comes into view. Approach feels closer to a design philosophy than a simple influence.
12. Lil Uzi Vert
Throughout Lil Uzi Vert’s visual universe, anime DNA runs strong, shaping everything from music video aesthetics to outfit choices that feel lifted from a character sheet.
No phase, no PR angle, just a genuine passion that consistently shows up as a defining part of their artistic identity.
Coverage often frames that connection like a recurring theme playing beneath every scene in a great series. Anime ends up functioning as Uzi’s signature soundtrack.
13. Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco has been folding manga and anime references into his lyrics since before most mainstream artists knew how to spell Naruto correctly.
Recent interviews confirm that the connection has never faded. His approach is less fan-service and more genuine literary influence, the way a great book sits on your shelf and quietly shapes how you see everything else.
For Lupe, anime and manga are part of the reading list.
14. Zac Efron
Pop-culture chatter has connected Zac Efron to Death Note for years, and an older interview included him mentioning his enjoyment of the series and that a project was under discussion.
That context makes him a notable example of celebrity anime interest, though this entry remains more cautious than some others on the list. Fans continue to speculate, keeping the connection alive in online discussions.
15. Avril Lavigne
A pop-culture crossover like Avril Lavigne contributing to One Piece Film Z sounds like a fun hypothetical until you realize it actually happened.
Coverage surrounding the project connected her to One Piece fandom in a way that felt organic rather than like a marketing move. Picture socks sliding across tile in a burst of excitement when the collaboration was announced.
Avril Lavigne and the Straw Hats somehow make total sense.
Note: This article is based on publicly available interviews, collaborations, visual references, and reported fandom connections linking celebrities to anime and related Japanese pop-culture influences.
Judgments about who has gone “all in” are editorial in nature and reflect a mix of direct statements, creative work, cosplay, collaborations, and recurring aesthetic choices.
