Rapper Kanye West has just shared one of his biggest inspirations, and fans are here for it.
On Monday, he tweeted out a photo of Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of the anime masterpiece Akira, captioning the film as his “biggest creative inspiration.”
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1034101919340347392
Akira, the 1988 film following biker gang leader Kaneda and childhood friend Tetsuo as they grapple with a dystopian hellscape (and Tetsuo’s burgeoning telekinetic powers), is considered one of the greatest animated films of all time. It’s also one of the reasons anime was able to secure such a strong influence in America today.
The film is clearly extremely important to Kanye, as he continued to tweet about it beyond his first shout-out.
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1034102337386700800
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1034102420530454528
This isn’t the first time Kanye’s given Akira its fair due, though. As he mentioned on Twitter, the rapper even paid tribute to the film with his techno-thriller video for his 2007 single “Stronger.”
Several scenes were taken from the movie shot-for-shot, including medical machines, motorcycle sequences, and the overall vibe. He’s never been shy about voicing his love for the film, though it’s a bit unclear as to why he chose today to sing its praises once more.
Fans are certainly excited about the reference, though—and they’re even prompting Yeezy to make his own anime.
https://twitter.com/peter71481886/status/1034102429988544512
https://twitter.com/MasterBatman3/status/1034102831651975174
https://twitter.com/Garrett_ftw/status/1034116414842568704
https://twitter.com/mangojuicepapi/status/1034102738836054016
https://twitter.com/MemeMan47445195/status/1034105298397655040
https://twitter.com/BILLYOCEAN_RSA/status/1034104864345870337
Kanye making the beats for the movie like pic.twitter.com/rjBNYPWcDX
— DarryG33ridezcbrz🏍❤️🔥 (@DGWadviceplug) August 27, 2018
Considering the bomb job he did with “Stronger,” it would probably be a pretty awesome concept.
Fans are also calling for a Yeezy x Akira collab of some sort, too. Sign us up.
I want an AKIRA inspired Yeezy season and a prog hip hop album that runs for 2 hours based on AKIRA.
— Dan (@strawberrydan) August 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/EgoIsShit/status/1034102863956459525
https://twitter.com/BlackistaniBae/status/1034103233629835264
Everyone else wants to talk anime and Akira with ‘Ye. And honestly, we’re very here for that.
Is kanye a weeb
— Sad man (@MLGBigBoss) August 27, 2018
Whatchu know about Akira, Ye pic.twitter.com/MQHJ1E9Olv
— ZONA JETSON 🚀 (@itsreallyZona) August 27, 2018
Have you read the manga? It enhances the movie a lot; check it out if you haven’t
— Dave (@QQQQO) August 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/Friendswithyou/status/1034125869717962752
— DeepQ4 (@afkumono) August 27, 2018
Come through, Kanye. And while you’re at it, go ahead and share the rest of your inspirations with us, too.
