Stranger Things owes this anime the Duffer Brothers call an ‘ultraviolent ET’ (not Akira)

Stranger Thingsis finally gearing up for its swan song, with season 5 rolling out in two parts: one arriving this Thanksgiving week, the other on New Year’s Day. It’s wild to think how far the series, and its once-preteens stars, have come since its 2016 premiere. Those fresh-faced kids are now bona fide movie stars, Millie Bobby Brown is married, and the show’s place in pop culture is all but cemented (see: Netflix’s plans for multiple spinoffs). Though it’s widely celebrated for its ’80s-infused, coming-of-age sci-fi flair, many have forgotten that the series’ central character pulls from an anime you might not expect.