Kanye West Surprises Anime Fans with Manga Shout Out

Sharing his latest endeavor with fans on Twitter, West gave a surprising “manga all day” shout out with a photo that is, as many anime and manga fans have clarified, is not technically from a manga. It’s a photo of an mecha model catalog, and it’s rare all on its own but probably the most surprising aspect of the photo is that it’s actually featuring a mecha from an early 2000s series that no one really talks about anymore, Linebarrels of Iron.

Linebarrels of Iron was written by Eiichi Shimizu with illustrations provided by Tomohiro Shimoguchi Akita Shoten’s Champion Red magazine back in 2004. It’s not one of the many series fans often point to, or one that fans would ask for a revival for, but it’s certainly an obscure reference. While West may not be entirely correct when it comes to what actually is “manga,” the rapper, producer, and hopeful United States presidential candidate still made a deep cut.

As for West’s would be presidential campaign, things aren’t going quite as planned as he will no longer be listed on Illinois’ state ballot following a lack of signatures needed to petition his name on the ballot. Following a state review, West has been given the option to withdraw from the running gracefully. Meaning his campaign was over before it truly began, and now he has more time to read manga.

What did you think of this surprise manga shout from Kanye West? Did you ever read through or watch Linebarrels of Iron when it had its run? Would you want to see more of the series someday? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or you can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!