Caleb McLaughlin says Stranger Things Season 5 finale “felt like anime” but not for reason you’d expect

Stranger Things Season 5 will bring Netflix’s pop culture behemoth to a close, and actor Caleb McLaughlin compared the finale to anime, but not for the reasons you might expect.

The cast are currently on the world tour ahead of the first volume’s release on November 26, and there’s been plenty of talk about how emotional the last season will be, both for the actors involved and the audience at home.

Of course, fans have been hard at work with a flurry of ideas about how the series will actually end, and one major theory suggests that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) might take Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) place as the ruler of the Upside Down. But at this point, anything could happen to the Hawkins gang in the final battle against the monstrous villain.

Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas Sinclair in the show, compared the Stranger Things ending to anime — specifically because of the episode’s tone rather than its action.

Caleb McLaughlin compares Stranger Things finale to anime

The main cast were discussing the ending in a conversation with Collider when McLaughlin made the comparison, explaining that the episode’s soundtrack and score was what reminded him of anime.

“It honestly felt like an anime. Like one of those scenes, like those ballads, with the score in the background, and it’s slow and beautiful. I was looking at everyone’s face, and that’s how I felt, if anybody gets what I’m saying.”

He added: “Like a flashback. It almost felt like a flashback.”

The show’s use of music has always been met with praise, particularly during the Season 4 episode, ‘Dear Billy’. Fans will remember that Max (Sadie Sink) escapes from Vecna’s grip because she’s listening to Kate Bush — ‘Running Up That Hill’. The song quickly went viral because of the show as fans became obsessed with the emotional weight of the scene.

It’s clear that McLaughlin is being careful not to reveal what song is playing in the scene that he’s referencing, but Stranger Things fans should probably get ready for a brand new TikTok trend to explode when the final episode releases on Netflix on December 31.

How many episodes are in Stranger Things Season 5?

Netflix

There are eight episodes in Stranger Things Season 5. Since this is the grand finale, Netflix is splitting it into three parts to make it more of an event for audiences. Volume 1 releases on November 26, and has four episodes in total.

Then Volume 2 lands a month later on December 25 – yes, it’s a Christmas present from Netflix! Hopefully nothing bad happens to the beloved Hawkins gang and they’ll all live happily ever after… No? Worth a try. The final episode arrives on December 31 to ring in the New Year.

Until we learn how Season 5 ends, take a look at our ranking of the best Stranger Things episodes, discover the theory about Eleven’s “real” father, and read about the animated spinoff series, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.