Futurama Might Have Referenced Fullmetal Alchemist: Brother Once

There are few things which anime fans love more than easter eggs and in-house references. There are hundreds of anime tie-ins spread throughout the community as shows like One Piece, Sailor Moon, and even Mobile Suit Gundam have housed nods to other titles in their episodes. Since anime made its grand entrance in the west, more and more U.S. shows have started to insert subtle anime references. Classic series like The Simpsons have become known for their pop culture barrage of anime, and it seems like another one of Matt Groening may have slipped in a clever Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood nod into an older episode of Futurama.

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Over on Reddit, user @hydroxy spotted the nod during a rewatch of Futurama. The potential reference supposes that Futurama saw one of its scenes inspired by the 28th episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. In “Father,” fans watched as Greed confronts Ling. The encounter sees Ling floating in front of Greed’s massive red form which looks uncanny to Marvel’s Carnage. And, about two years later, Futurama featured a scene which saw Bender confront Fry in a similar fashion. The sarcastic robot became overpowered, and Fry failed to convince Bender to tamper his new omniscient gifts.

Of course, the similarity between the two scenes doesn’t mean there is a definite connection. No word has ever been given to confirm the scene is a direct reference to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. However, the folks who’ve worked on Futurama do have a history of tying in anime to its shows. In Futurama specifically, the episode “Reincarnation” brought in anime in a big way. The episode’s third segment was drawn in the style of 1990s anime, and its gag aesthetic packed in plenty of easter eggs.

The Simpsons has also used anime to its advantage in the past. The show has referenced shows such as Naruto, Attack on Titan, Pokemon, Bleach, One Piece, and Spirited Away. The series were all included in a Halloween special known as “Treehouse of Horror XXV,” and The Simpsons has also done a ‘cough gag’ with all its leads drawn in the style of anime.