Epic Games has once again announced a massive collaboration, and this time they are taking us to the Soul Society. BLEACH has officially entered Fortnite, and now we have Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Uryu Ishida, and Orihime Inoue as new characters in the Item Shop. The announcement was heard on social media with gamers already wanting the Shinigami skins. This is yet another case of Fortnite making itself the ultimate pop-culture hub by putting together the battle royale and anime genres in a way that couldn’t be more perfect. To be frank, did we even anticipate a crossover of this nature five years ago?
The very first post on Twitter by Fortnite merely displayed the principal graphics and announced the new characters for purchase immediately. But, as it happens the discussion is mostly hidden in the replies—the replies to the Tweet contain the most part of the story. The community of gamers is thrilled, puzzled, and even asking for more—sometimes all at once—already. One user going by the handle The Bay Harbør Butcher was very vocal with his excitement and sent out a tweet saying ‘cant WAIT for the villain drop😭😭🔥🔥’ while also sharing a hype video. It is this kind of immediate and powerful response that tells us how much a certain segment of the gaming community is indeed close to the anime fandom.
But in case you are a bit lost, not everybody is aware of all the details. A comment from the account known as chikn_fried_spm read, ‘I have no idea who these people are…’ which is very understandable! The way Fortnite collaborates is to mix various eras of movies and pop culture. On Monday it was ‘John Wick’, and the next day you could meet an anime idol from the 2000s. For some, it is a need to buy; for others, it is just a fleeting star on the horizon. A comment from PSS gave a more analytical viewpoint, calling these collaborations a means of keeping ‘classic anime aesthetics alive for a totally different generation of players.’ Optimistically, that is a very smart comment. It is not just about selling a skin but also about introducing a legacy property to the large, young, and present in Fortnite audience.
Of course, people jump off to other discussions pretty fast. A typical mix of requests and complaints was what the first replies were. One gamer was all about an old movie’s revival or boxing skins’ addition and even namedropped Jake Paul. Another user requested Marvel’s Bullseye. And there was also a bit of a weirder suggestion than the others, to say the least. One user known as VideogameFan narrated his dream for an Escaflowne collaboration but he portrayed it as ‘an anime where they have mechs with swords and flame throwers and metal spike tentacle launchers, and cloaking devices.’ Quite frankly? Sounds cool and yet it is still a different genre. But that is the Fortnite community, always thinking of something greater.
On the other hand, there are the unfortunate gamers who with the same breath that the crossovers are fantastic still consider the core gameplay to be such an experience that they crave more. Many responses crossed reference problems that were experienced in the game. ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if matchmaking really worked and put people in the proper lobbies!!!’ tweeted Tines. Another user, G_wizzyOg expressed his sorrow, ‘can’t wait to play with my friends, oops I can’t because you messed up matchmaking and it’s uninstalled now.’ It is a wake-up call that portrays in front of us the very core of the game—though all the
glamorous collaborations the gameplay itself still draws players in. One can be the owner of the most amazing Ichigo skin, but if he/she is being killed mercilessly in competitive matches or he/she can’t join friends, the fun is gone.
The financial aspect also brought up a lot of discussion among gamers. A user named Bennett_offdeah retold his story of sorts about the long process of leveling up to acquire the exact amount of V-Bucks, assuming the deal would cost him 3,800 instead of 4,000. However, the user’s newly acquired 200 top-up caused other users to sardonically suggest him to ‘get a job.’ The user’s comeback was brilliant: ‘I have a job; that’s why I can afford V-bucks, lol.’ This is and it is, the Item Shop micro-drama, played out in real-time. Every new launch has the subplot of budgeting, grinding, and sometimes, regret attached to it.
Of course, we should not forget about the old-school unapologetic wishlisting. ‘Can you please bring back solid snake???’ one player wondered. ‘Bullseye, deliver the game! MCU or comic version. Or both, I’m willing to pay for both, lol,’ shouted another. This vibrant community plays across many platforms, including PlayStation and Xbox.
