The great popularity of Japanese animation leaves its mark wherever it can, Dota was not left out. The developers themselves rarely make references compared to the community, whose skins are often added to treasure troves.
It is possible that these skins are not references to certain anime at all, but just a coincidence. This is known only to the creators of the skin, and we in turn will note the similarity of skins with Japanese works.
Caustic Steel At
first glance this skin on the alchemist does not have any references, but looking closely you can find three features that refer to the steel alchemist:
Razil's hairstyle (the alchemist's little sidekick who sits on his back) is modified and very similar to the one worn by the main character.
Razil's right arm resembles the steel prosthetic armor that Edward Elric uses.
Some parts of the armor show patterns that resemble those in which the soul of the protagonist's brother is imprisoned.
The name of the hero of Dota 2 is similar to the name of the work, so such a reference was bound to appear sooner or later.
Indomitable Legacy
In the case of this skin on sven, we do not have
to
guess whether it is a reference or a coincidence. The author himself said that this skin is a tribute to the deceased Kantaro Miura, the creator of the Berserk manga.Sven's armor is similar to that of the main character, and the shoulders are made exactly like the face of the beast of darkness from the anime. The final similarity is the modified crossbow on Sven's left arm that Gats used. The creator of berserk has greatly influenced the world's pop culture, so the Dota community supported the skin creator's decision and voted to add this reference to the game.
Magus Apex
This skin kills two birds with one stone, referring not only to the anime, but also to the meme. Invoker's fiery hairstyle is similar to that of Super Saiyan from Dragonball, and the skin description is: “The Sun's Zenith spell, forgotten for over nine thousand years, gives its wielder a chance to touch the sun, be showered with its shining glory, and curb its blazing wrath. Only the chosen one can be so brave.” refers to the meme “It’s over 9000”, which is related to the fandom of this anime.
Feast of Abscession
Arcana for Puja was released on April 3, 2018, the exact same day that season 3 of the anime Tokyo Gulch was released. Since the bearded times, only a nascent subculture in dota deadinside associated itself with the main character Kaneki Ken
In addition to one day of release there is another similarity, namely the tentacle-chains behind the back of the pudge, they very much resemble the kagune, which is used by gulis to eat their victims, exactly like the pudge.
BonusThe
anime
references
in Dota 2 are found not only in skins, but also in animations, descriptions of items and abilities, even in icons and graffiti.
Graffiti jo-jo
The 2021 Battle Pass called Enmity has anime references on Dota in the form of personalities on the characters, but there are others besides such an obvious reference. For example, graffiti referring to The Incredible Adventures of Jo-Jo.
The meeting between the protagonist and the antagonist has evolved into a meme that has been adapted for characters from different universes. For level 135 Battlepass, the player is given an obvious reference where Doom goes to meet Zeus just as Jotaro went to meet Dio.
Aganim on Dark Seer
Another reference to a classic of the genre can be spotted after purchasing the aganim scepter on Darkseer. The first thing that catches the eye is the ability icon in the form of
a
fist.Using the aganim abit, during the animation you can clearly see a fist in a red glove and pop-up characters, this is undoubtedly a
referenceto the anime One Punch Man.
The developers were not enough such a fat reference and they added a mockumentary on the same Darxir, during which he jumps on a rope in red gloves. It refers back to Saitama's training.