The following contains spoilers for Nope, now playing in theaters.

Jordan Peele’s genre-bending new movie Nope has several references to cinema history, from countless Steven Spielberg homages to a direct name-drop of 2002’s The Scorpion King. However, the movie’s most surprising send-up is to one of the most legendary anime films ever made. But on top of being a fun nod, it also lends Nope one of its coolest moments.

Nope centers on the brother-sister duo of OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer), the inheritors of a horse training and handling business stretching back to what many consider the first motion picture, The Horse in Motion. However, their business and lives are in jeopardy after an unidentified flying object appears above their ranch. Near the film's end, Emerald races away from danger on a motorcycle before sliding to a complete stop in the middle of a Wild West theme park called Jupiter’s Claim. Even audiences unfamiliar with anime may find the move familiar, but those in the know will instantly recognize the slide from the 1988 Japanese masterpiece Akira.

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Kaneda Slams The Breaks In Akira

Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira -- an adaptation of the seminal manga of the same name -- is easily one of the most influential animated films of all time. Its vivid depiction of a dystopian cyberpunk city has inspired various science fiction on a level comparable to Frank Herbert’s “Dune” and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. In the movie, the slide gets pulled off by protagonist Kaneda during a high-speed showdown between his biker gang, The Capsules, and their rivals, The Clowns. While there are plenty of downright unforgettable visuals throughout the film, the undeniably cool design of the bike and the slide’s placement early in the movie made it a natural showpiece for the movie’s sleek sense of style and unbelievably fluid animation.

Not only has Kaneda’s slide become Akira’s most well-known moment, but it’s also one of the most-referenced images in all animation. Indeed, the move has become something of a "Wilhelm scream" for the animation world, recreated and remixed in dozens and dozens of animated projects, from the Pokemon anime to Adventure Time. Nope isn’t the first time the Akira slide has been featured in a big Hollywood movie, either, with the maneuver getting pulled off in major releases such as 2017’s The Lego Ninjago Movie and 2020’s Luca. However, Peele’s film may be the most high-profile Hollywood production to feature the classic Easter egg thus far.

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Emerald outraced the alien in Nope

The moment in Nope is indicative of anime’s influence on a new generation of filmmakers. It's been evident this year in big movies like Pixar's Turning Red, Everything Everywhere All At Once and Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, which features cameos from Naruto, Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon characters. As for Akira, Warner Bros. has long sought (and failed) to mount a live-action U.S. adaptation, with Taika Waititi attached to direct since at least 2017. The last update came in 2021, and it remains unclear if this version will ever reach theaters.

While Akira and Nope have little to do with each other -- other than providing fun, frightening sci-fi spectacle -- the reference reinforces just how iconic that moment, and Akira as a whole, continues to be. It also highlights just how packed Peele’s newest movie is with Easter eggs to all manner of pop culture goodness. As Peele continues his career, it will be fascinating to see what other nods he can sneak into his movies.

To see Emerald's Akira slide, Nope is now playing in theaters.