Ducktales has become one of Disney’s most ambitious series nowadays, and fans are geeking out after its most recent episode showed off its otaku colors. The episode followed the McDuck clan as they traveled to Japan on an adventure, and things got interesting as our heroes explored their destination. And over on Twitter, director Tanner Johnson confirmed the episode hints at numerous anime series through some clever references.
The whole thing began when a user known as Pelle Creepy shared some trivia about the references in the Ducktales episode. It didn’t take long before Johnson caught on and commented on the various cues himself.
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In case you don’t know: We on Ducktales love Lupin III and we know what we’re about. Astro BOYD is a triumph. Props to @jason_zurek and his team for a wonderful episode that makes me cry. https://t.co/CuRBFF82yW
— Tanner Johnson (@TannerTrue) May 2, 2020
“In case you don’t know: We on Ducktales love Lupin III and we know what we’re about. Astro BOYD is a triumph. Props to Jason Zurek and his team for a wonderful episode that makes me cry,” he said,
As for those of you who missed the cues, well – there are a lot of them. To start, one of the major characters introduced in this episode is Inspector Tezuka. Not only is the character named after Osuma Tezuka who created Astro Boy but is also heralded as the Father of Manga.
But that is not all! Oh no, there is more to explore. Inspector Tezuka may be named after the artist, but their design comes from Lupin III. They are dressed after Inspector Zenigata, and Ducktales‘ detective even walks the same way as their role model.
From its animation to its Akira nod and a bit of Itano Circus, there are plenty of anime nods in this Ducktales episode if you look closely. And as you can see in the slides below, the homages were a big hit with fans!
Did you notice this little nod? What did you think about this brand-new Ducktales episode? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
Stan Lupin!
Disney owes a lot to Lupin III, actually. The Great Mouse Detective was where Disney was starting to find their place, and that movie took a lot of inspiration from Castle of Cagliostro.
— SpecSpidey-Verse (@SpecSpideyVerse) May 3, 2020
A Model Episode
My 11 year old as soon as it was over, “Well, that was an awesome episode!”
— Andrew Steger (@acsteger) May 3, 2020
We Agree!
Hmmm, that’s a super respectable homage
— Larry Holder-OTAS: Lunar Rise, Now Funding on IGG (@pollmh) May 2, 2020
Clever and We Love It
I knew it. I spotted so many Lupin III references in this episode and other animes too. You as well as the entire DuckTales team are insanely clever.
— Gregory Charles (@gtc_kdw99) May 3, 2020
All the References!
This was a good episode, I loved it. I didn’t catch the Zenigata reference, but I did notice that Officer Tezuka shares a last name with Astro Boy’s creator.
— Alex Davis (@Ajax_DV) May 2, 2020
Subtle Who?
The weeb that I am screamed in joy at all the various anime references. Including the Akira one….not very subtle there hehe
— Otaku Dragon (@OtakuDragonLLC) May 3, 2020
