Blizzard has made a tremendous and fantastic announcement to Overwatch 2 anime collaborators fans. One of the biggest surprises is the installation of the Overwatch 2 x One-Punch Man crossover event, which will not only be celebrating classic anime through cosplay but also creating the epic battles in the game.
Through a post on Twitter, the Overwatch team presented a video in which Doomfist dressed up as Saitama and Wrecking Ball as Garou very accurately reenact a classic scene from the anime that everybody knows. The quote was “One-Punch-man anime had a scene so awesome we just had to do it ourselves,” along with the announcement that the players will be able to get these skins with the return of the event.
But this is not a normal cosmetic drop. The animation of some of the most famous scenes from the popular anime is what the developers really focused on, which is a very important issue. They could have simply made the skins and left it at that, but instead, they went into full weeb mode, and they actually brought to life segments from the show. That sure is a sign of dedication.
The community response has been very divided, which is almost expected with Overwatch players. Some of them are particularly pleased with the collaboration coming back. A user named JunosHyperRing has stated in a post, “thank you for bringing them back 🙏,” and that is indeed the feeling of the majority of anime fans in the Overwatch community.
But Blizzard has the usual mix of demands and grievances accompanying the good news. For instance, a lot of players are asking for the My Hero Academia collab to be resurrected next. Pushing things to the extreme, user spiceeed demanded, “MHA AGAIN PLS,” while lunvreclipses simply stated, “pls bring mha back next,” making it sound like they are trying to magically summon MHA back.
On the other hand, there is always the case of Wrecking Ball getting yet another collaboration skin. DreadlyKnight humorously remarked about “Wuyang not get a collab skin challenge (impossible)” and, to be honest, that is a valid point because that hamster keeps getting all the good cosmetics. Meanwhile, Captain_Phyco made a snide remark “Wuyang skin looks about as bad as season 3,” which is a bit too harsh.
The wittiest comment might come from Shrek5onBluRay, who noted “This got more frames than the actual anime 💔💔” not to mention that it is a legit burn against the One-Punch Man animation quality, and honestly? They are right.
Some players are already dreaming of the other scenes they would like to see done. wired_ow begged “DO THIS SCENE, I BEG YOU” pointing at a specific clip, while cinzanero1 just wrote “Do this” with another reference. It’s like everyone now has their favorite anime moment that they want to be in Overwatch.
But wait, what was I talking about? Oh, right, the actual event details. So, the One-Punch Man collab first happened in 2022, I think? and was quite popular despite the complaints regarding the prices. Even now, it is active, and it seems that new stuff has been added or at least the old stuff has been brought back or something for those who have missed it.
In addition, there are some random requests, besides the anime hype. User nazsneak seems to be holding a grudge against the developers because they are demanding, “Don’t think I forgot you need to buff Lifeweaver; I was in my one-on-one.” And mynameisadeli is on “day 9 of me asking to talk with us about the stadium situation” which sounds like some esports drama that I am not even caught up on.
GoldenEye89 had a more technical complaint about the presentation; they asked why the company does not create those cool 3D backgrounds for new skins anymore but uses plain images instead. They said “this is not the OW quality I’m used to” which, honestly, yes, I also understand their concern.
The artist community is also involved. AndoryuWenss showed a lovely fanart of Ashe as Fubuki and remarked that he/she/they “will definitely buy it when I can,” which is great because it shows the artistic side of the community welcoming the collab.
Nevertheless, this is yet more proof that Overwatch 2 is all in with these anime crossovers. In the wake of One-Punch Man, My Hero Academia, and that Transformers bundle that someone mentioned, it looks like they have found a niche. And do you know what? It works. People love it, even if they sometimes complain about it.
So, if you like Overwatch and missed the One-Punch Man stuff last time, now is the time to get the Saitama Doomfist skin and punch people into next week with anime energy. Or, if you are a collector who wants every Wrecking Ball skin, here is another one for your collection. Whichever is the case, it is another day in the Overwatch universe where a hamster in a mech can become an anime villain, and no one cares. What a time to be alive! For PlayStation and Xbox players, these crossovers are also available.
