Anime can be a very self-aware form of entertainment. One of the biggest reasons is that many manga and anime writers are also huge anime fans and hold the same respect for their seniors/colleagues. Similarly, many producers and writers know what kind of audience they are targeting and what kind of anime they might have seen. This is why many times, they leave entertaining Easter eggs for fans to notice.
Many times these Easter eggs are hidden in a joke, which acts as breaking the fourth wall. While on the other hand, there are many references to different anime that the creators might be working on. Regardless of the motivation behind it, Easter eggs show that each anime series is a vital component of a small but closely-knit community of fans and artists rather than existing in a vacuum. Sometimes, even the biggest devoted otaku fails to see many of the best Easter eggs in anime. Here are nine Easter eggs that fans have missed in these popular anime.
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9 Saitama from One Punch Man is on Reigen Arataka’s Speed Dial From Mob Psycho 100
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There are many times when you can see the creator leaving certain Easter eggs, such as having a character’s name on something in the background, in order to make it as subtle as possible. This is exactly what happened in Mob Psycho 100. In one particular scene, one can see One Punch Man’s Saitama being on Reigen’s phone wallpaper. This mainly happened because the creator behind One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100 is the same person named One. However, it is so subtle that so many die-hard fans have missed out on it.
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8 Hunter X Hunter’s Alluka Zoldyck Plays with Sailor Moon’s Toys
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One scene in Hunter X Hunter will make the faces of Sailor Moon fans light up. It happens when Alluka Zoldyck plays with her doll house. As the watchers, upon paying close attention, can see that the doll she is holding is of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, both are two famous characters from the iconic anime Sailor Moon. Interestingly, the creators of Hunter X Hunter and Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi, and Yoshihiro Togashi, are married in real life, which makes this crossover all the more cute and wholesome.
7 Hunter X Hunter Video Game Reference in the Arcade From Sailor Moon Crystal
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In Hunter X Hunter, there is a video game realm called Greed Island where Gon and Killua venture to find more information regarding Gon’s father. The isekai storyline of Hunter X Hunter takes place during this portion of the show as they struggle to survive in a strange land. Ironically, Greed Island appears as a cheerful gaming machine in the backdrop, while Usagi and Ami are shown as having a good time at the arcade.
However, the fans know it is anything but a lighthearted game. The creator simply added it as an Easter egg. Despite it all, the crossover is adorable, considering the creators of both shows are married. Since both creatures in the shows are married, fans can expect many Sailor Moon, Yu Yu Hakusho, or Hunter x Hunter Easter eggs throughout either of their anime. In this episode, Usagi and Ami are seen enjoying themselves with the other sailor scouts in the arcade, when a short glimpse of Greed Island pops up. Avid watchers of anime can easily figure out what this title means.
6 Nisekoi Features Chitoge and Kosaki Creating A Titan Sandcastle
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In Nisekoi’s ‘At the beach’ episode, the audience can see Chitoge and Kosaki building a sandcastle with many walls and some titans from the well-known Attack on Titan. If one pays close attention, one can see a giant man eating a person in the sandcastle that Kosaki creates. This is actually a titan devouring a human, a classic part of Attack on Titan’s storyline. A sand model of Mikasa is also seen on top of the bigger titan sculpture.
5 Servant x Service’s Megumi Chihaya Cosplays Various Characters From Renowned Anime
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In Servant x Service, Megumi is the main lead, Yamagami’s senior coworker. However, the most interesting part about her personality is that she is a huge anime otaku. Since she also cosplays, this gave the creators a fun idea to leave some references to other anime. Fans can see her having costumes of characters from Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, Attack On Titan, Anohana and Bakemonogatari. In this image, she is cosplaying as the main character from Precure.
4 Studio Ghibli References in Angel Beats
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While this may not be as subtle of an easter egg as many others on this list, it made many fans extremely happy. In certain scenes of Angel Beats, the audience can catch blurred images of castles from Howl’s Moving Castle, and the Castle In The Sky blurred out in the background. Studio Ghibli is a household name for producing some of the most favorite childhood anime movies. So it’s no surprise that its references will appear in many anime.
3 Gintama Includes the Dragon Ball Z Parodies
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Gintama is a satirical shonen anime that enjoys making fun of pop culture, broadcast norms, Japanese culture, and viewer expectations while simultaneously taking itself seriously when the situation warrants it. If one were to describe Gintama, they would say it is a show about numerous parodies. One particular anime they love parodying is, without a doubt, Dragon Ball Z. In many episodes, the audience can see either clothes or actions, and at times even characters from this DBZ.
2 Staz Charlie Blood Pulls A Kamehameha In Blood Lad
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Anyone who is a Dragon Ball series fan would be aware of Kamehameha. It’s the very first energy attack fans are introduced to in the series. It also happens to be a signature technique of Goku. In Blood Lad, Starz Charlie is a major weeaboo who neglects his duties as a vampire and obsesses over watching anime and learning about Japanese culture. During his fight scene, Starz claims he will perform a huge finishing attack. However, being a major otaku himself, he ends up pulling Kamehameha, which obviously doesn’t work but is a hilarious reference for fans who catch it.
1 In Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Hatsune Miku Auditions For Meru’s Voice
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Hatsune Miku is a 16-year-old Japanese music phenomenon. She is this blue-haired girl with a highly distinctive voice with boundless energy. What separates her from the rest is the sheer fact that she is not a human but a Vocaloid who sings using 3D images and a computer-generated voice. In Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Meru is an extremely quiet girl who communicates through her text messages rather than talking. She is pretty much mute, and no one has heard any sounds from her other than some squeaks. Since her family in the show is absurdly wealthy, her father does voice casting for people to dub her in real-time. Her voice actress changes with each new episode of the anime. So in this episode, the audience gets to see Hatsune Miku auditioning for voice dubbing, which was so subtly added that many fans did not catch this Easter egg.
