The Three Classic Anime Movies That Inspired The Matrix

Action movies come and go, but the Wachowskis' seminal 1999 masterpiece endures. "The Matrix" remains not only the best entry of its respective trilogy, but a defining feat of sci-fi action cinema. The movie was so fresh and unexpected when it dropped at the turn of the millennium, that it almost seemed to transcend the live action medium. 

There's a reason to this, too. As it turns out, "The Matrix" was heavily influenced by three classic anime films – Katsuhiro Otomo's legendary 1988 cyberpunk "Akira," Yoshiaki Kawajiri's supernatural Edo period piece "Ninja Scroll," and Mamoru Oshii's futuristic 1995 work "Ghost in the Shell," the latter based on Masamune Shirow's manga of the same name. 

In a chatroom interview on the Warner Brothers website (via Matrixfans), the Wachowskis revealed that these three anime in particular influenced their seminal sci-fi action film, and also opened up on just how they shaped "The Matrix." "In anime, one thing that they do that we tried to bring to our film was a juxtaposition of time and space in action beats," they said. 

Apart from freely admitting the influence of "Akira," "Ghost in the Shell," and "Ninja Scroll," the Wachowskis also put their money where their mouth was. The duo brought on "Ninja Scroll" writer-director Yoshiaki Kawajiri to work on "The Animatrix," a 2003 animated anthology that still plays into "The Matrix" timeline.

Kawajiri wrote and directed "Program," a segment that focuses on a feudal Japan simulation where a woman named Cis (Hedy Burress in English, Kaho Kôda in Japanese) encounters a mysterious samurai figure called Duo (Phil LaMarr, Toshiyuki Morikawa), only to find that the situation is far more complicated than she assumed. What's more, Kawajiri also wrote the segment "World Record," about a dedicated Olympic runner (Victor Williams, Hiroki Tōchi) who temporarily frees himself from the Matrix through sheer willpower. 

In an interview (via Matrixfans), Kawajiri stated that he also appreciates "The Matrix," and shared his experience working on "The Animatrix." "It's a great project," he said. "It was very attractive to me because the only limitation was that I had to play within the world of the Matrix; other than that I've been able to work with complete freedom. And since it's a fairly short schedule and a short film — six to ten minutes — it's been great."