If you are constantly updated about anime news, you may have probably heard about the latest collaboration between the popular anime “One Punch Man” and the popular game “Overwatch 2.” Well, this is the first big crossover of “Overwatch 2” with the worldwide favorite anime and manga. Everything is happening this March 7th.
Previously announced in February as part of the third season of “Overwatch 2,” with the unveiling of a Saitama-inspired skin for Doomfist, the developer behind the game, Blizzard Entertainment, has this time revealed the second skin coming as part of the tie-up.
It’s Kiriko, dressed as Terrible Tornado.
Kiriko’s legendary Terrible Tornado skin will be sold as part of a bundle costing 2,100 Overwatch Coins. Plus, this also includes the Terribly Impressive Victory Post and the Terrible Tornado namecard, as Blizzard Entertainment revealed on Xbox Wire.
Dion Rogers, the “Overwatch” art director, spoke with the official news website of Xbox, saying that the game’s approach to integrating “One Punch Man” into its world is literal cosplay.
Rogers said, “That’s our approach; that our heroes are basically aware of the anime and are fans too. And they’re cosplaying as the heroes. So when you see Doomfist wearing the Saitama outfit, he’s a fan too.”
Gamers can witness this hot collaboration in-game from March 7th until April 6th. The developer also said it would add multiple skins and a custom loading screen.
This is not the first time the “Overwatch” franchise collaborated with a big entity outside its realm with regard to external skins. In 2019, Blizzard Entertainment teamed up with The Lego Group to bring a Lego-themed Bastion skin and in-game challenge to the original “Overwatch.”
The third “Overwatch 2” season kicked off last February 7th and is expected to run until mid-April. The season also has another special event, PachiMarchi, which begins this March 21st.
“It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a while,” Rogers added, referring to the collaboration. “You know, Overwatch’s art style is kind of a marriage of West-meets-East aesthetics and values – there’s a bit of an anime look to Overwatch. So, being fans of anime, we were looking for a partner to collaborate with. And we looked at various studios, and then when One-Punch Man came up, it was surprising how many people on the team knew the anime, they loved it, they watched it. Aaron Keller, our game director totally knows all the characters and things backwards and forwards.”
“So it was pretty surprising. We felt like that’s a great one because the team would be very excited by this idea – because the team knew the anime so well, and they were so excited, it’s at that point that it really felt like the right fit,” he continued.
“One Punch Man” tells the story of Saitama, its protagonist and a mighty hero who easily defeats monsters or enemies with a single punch. However, because of this overwhelming strength, he becomes bored with his powers and constantly tries to look for more vigorous opponents who match him.
Launched in 2022, “Overwatch 2” is a first-person shooter game that intends a shared environment for player-versus-player modes while introducing persistent cooperative modes.
