The new dances in Overwatch are well received – but one specific dance might have caught the attention of anime fans …
With Patch 1.11 and the onset of the “Overwatch Anniversary” event, there are numerous new cosmetic items in Blizzard’s hero shooter. However, this time the undisputed highlight is not the skins, but the new dance animations. Every hero has been given their own dance.
This ranges from the Edgelord Reaper, who simply sways his foot coolly, to Soldier: 76, who displays the dancing talent of a “Commander Shepard,” and up to Reinhardt, who performs a noble little dance with his hammer.
Mei’s dance is inspired by Haruhi Suzumiya
The extremely life-affirming and cheerful dance of Mei has indeed generated enthusiasm among anime fans in the Overwatch community. Because the dance is not “freely invented,” but is from the popular anime “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu). You should directly compare the two dances.
Here is Mei’s dance:
And here is the dance from the ending song “Hare Hare Yukai” of the anime Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu:
That there is one or another developer at Blizzard who has a soft spot for anime was also noticeable in Update 2.0 of Heroes of the Storm. There, Genji and D.Va received skins that matched the colors precisely to the mechas from the anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion”.
What do you think about some anime references finding their way into Blizzard’s games? Great that the developers are addressing such things? Or should they keep them completely out of their games?
Cortyn says: I think it’s great that Blizzard acknowledges in this way that there are significant intersections between Overwatch and anime fans in the community. To be honest, I couldn’t have thought of a dance that would have suited Mei better. Could this provide hints for Mei’s lore? All the research in Antarctic laboratories must have been somewhat boring – one could easily sweeten their free time with anime!
Have you seen the skins from the anniversary event? We introduce them to you here!
