Overwatch’s New Trailer Pays Homage to Classic Cartoons and Anime

With the reveal of the New Junkertown map during GamesCon 2017, Overwatch fans were treated with an extra special trailer featuring the dastardly duo of Junkrat and Roadhog. In “Junkertown: The Plan”, Junkrat and Roadhog are seen scheming to find a way back into Junkertown to get their revenge on Junkertown’s Queen after being kicked out. The short film is both hilarious, entertaining, and finds clever ways to pay homage to classic anime and cartoons alike. Take a look.

Missed the easter eggs? Try watching the trailer again, they may not be clear at first, but they become obvious once you recognize them. The first easter egg can be found during the opening credits of the film and is clearly a reference to Cowboy Bebop. Featuring jazz music and the iconic art style any anime fan would recognize, this opening is clearly a parody of Cowboy Bebop’s own opening sequence. Here’s Cowboy Bebop’s opening for reference.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Junkrat and Roadhog’s behavior clearly parody several Looney Tunes characters as well, with an emphasis on Rocky and Mugsy. Rocky, the shorter of the two, is the brains behind the operation, while Mugsy is the dimwitted muscle. These two gangsters are probably best remembered as the bank robbing duo that are always foiled by Bugs Bunny or by Mugsy’s own stupidity. However, the roles are seemingly reversed in the short, with Junkrat becoming the impulsive and idiotic one while the larger oaf Roadhog is the more intelligent and rational of the two. Besides the obvious character references, the ambient sound is also reminiscent of Looney Tunes, with several pieces being borrowed from the old cartoons.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Blizzard put a few easter eggs in a trailer or one of their games. In fact, it has almost become expected of them. Overwatch alone has dozens of references to famous movies, songs, and video games like World of Warcraft and Portal. Finding these easter eggs is not only enjoyable but a great reminder that the people behind our favorite games like to geek out every now and then just like us.

This post was originally authored by Eric Wilusz.