9 Famous Storylines That Hollywood Stole From Anime

3. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (Multiple)

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is the first entry on this list that unashamedly borrows from not just one Japanese anime storyline, but several of them... At the same time. This entry isn't just an oddity in that it borrows many different Japanese conventions, but it doesn't really rip off a specific anime storyline, but anime in general. There are so many Japanese conventions used in the film that it's hard to name them all off the top of our heads, but some are blatantly obvious. Aside from the actual structure of the film being very Japanese in nature i.e. the protagonist must save a girl from several increasingly powerful boyfriends, but the use of flaming katanas, the ability to inexplicably fly and the concept of 'powering up' for an attack are all features you would likely find in a Japanese anime. Of course, director Edgar Wright has stated numerous times that the film obviously borrows from Japanese and videogame culture, so at least he's honest about the film's inspirations. Then again, when one scene sees one of Scott's enemies gain an aura of energy and spiky blonde hair to go with it, it's kind of hard to deny that such a scene wasn't a direct result of some Dragonball Z inspiration.