Fortnite, the super-popular battle game made by Epic Games, has a long history of mixing pop culture into its colorful virtual world. From teaming up with Marvel and DC comics to features from music stars like Travis Scott and Ariana Grande, Fortnite keeps finding new ways to blend different worlds into the game to keep it fresh and exciting for its fans.
In 2023, Epic Games has gone even further. In an unexpected announcement, Epic revealed that it’s bringing the rich worlds of two of the most loved anime — My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen — to feature in the game. These anime crossover packs have made huge waves with gamers and anime fans, kicking off a new level to Fortnite’s immersive entertainment.
Fortnite: a hub of pop culture
Fortnite is known for its ever-evolving map and diverse range of fun skins, emotes and items. The game does great at tapping into the wants of its fanbase, and bridges the gap between gaming and entertainment by introducing fan favorite characters and vivid imagery from movies, music and television into its world.
There are not many entertainment sectors that quite capture the diversity of immersive elements that Fortnite manages to pack into its games. The iGaming industry is one — its online casinos boast a huge number of vibrant themes and quests to lure players into another world, especially when it comes to slots such as Uncharted Seas and Fire in the Hole.
Dynamic and adaptable, Fortnite reels out ground-breaking amounts of time-limited events and collaborations. It creates an unrivalled buzz among its player base, and now it has found a fresh new entertainment culture to draw into the game.
Anime and Fortnite: a perfect fusion Epic’s new fusion is a big deal for both gaming and anime. While Fortnite has brought some anime elements into the game before, this might be the most ambitious and most anticipated partnership yet. Drawing on the elements of these two hugely popular shows, Fortnite is opening up to a whole new group of players and passionate fans.
My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen are both exciting and fantastical anime shows with a rich range of characters for Fortnite to draw on. My Hero Academia, created by Kōhei Horikoshi, is a homage to the superhero genre. It takes place in a world where people have superpowers known as “Quirks”. The story follows a teenager called Izuku Midoriya as he attends a famous school for superheroes and is plunged into a world of villains and danger.
Jujutsu Kaisen is a darker take on the supernatural. The anime produced by famous anime studio MAPPA explores the supernatural world of curses, sorcerers and a very different school to MHA’s UA — Jujutsu High. The goofball main character, Yuji Itadori, is entangled in a fight against curses after eating a mummified finger, a powerful, cursed object.
The My Hero Academia pack: become a hero
Fortnite’s My Hero Academia crossover lets players dive into the heroic world of UA High School. The big feature of this pack is the “Quirk Outfit”, which lets you dress up as a favorite My Hero Academia character. From the hot-headed Katsuki Bakugo to the determined Izuku Midoriya, fans can get the excitement of taking out other players, all while sporting your favorite character’s gear.
The Quirk Outfits aren’t the only thing to come out of this mashup. The pack has back bling, dances and pickaxes all decked out in My Hero Academia style. The “All For One” dance, for example, lets players channel the raw power of All For One, one of the series’ toughest villains. The insane detail in these cosmetics shows how dedicated Epic Games is to bringing My Hero Academia to life in Fortnite.
It doesn’t stop there, either — there are also limited-time challenges with the My Hero Academia pack, so players can grab rewards in the game. Doing these challenges adds extra fun, and rewards players for their time exploring the Fortnite world looking for adventure.
The Jujutsu Kaisen pack: welcome the curses
While the My Hero Academia pack is all about heroism, the Jujutsu Kaisen crossover brings players into the darker supernatural anime scene. At the core of this pack is the “Sorcerer Outfit”. The animators and artist behind Jujutsu Kaisen crafted loads of memorable and stylish outfits for the main characters, bringing together elements of streetwear and traditional Japanese clothing.
This makes for a set of iconic looks. As if the fits weren’t enough, Fortnite also introduced a “Cursed Weaponry” set. Players can pick from pickaxes, gliders and dances based on the weird curses and the supernatural battles in Jujutsu Kaisen. Players can unleash the power of these curses through dances and emotes, giving a chilling and thrilling vibe in Fortnite’s world.
This pack’s limited-time game mode immerses players deeply into the world of curses and jujutsu. Players can battle cursed spirits and acquire all the exciting cursed weapons woven throughout the quest options. It’s a refreshing twist on the Fortnite experience, combining elements of the anime with the game’s core mechanics.
How this impacts gamers
This exciting release really brings together both anime fans and Fortnite players, offering an immersive experience that’ll be loved by fans and regulars alike. It might even give players who haven’t seen the shows the incentive to check them out after seeing the characters in-game, introducing them to a brand-new entertainment culture.
On the back of that, it’s fantastic for the anime’s reach as well. Fortnite is one of the most popular games ever and has a huge userbase. Bringing more fame and a new generation of fans to these animes offers the studios huge potential for even greater things to come.
What crossovers may come next?
Epic Games is keeping its future collabs close to its chest, but fans have a few big theories about what’s waiting in the future — and Fortnite is known to listen out for what its fans want. There have been leaks about a Doctor Who collab swirling around since April this year. Even more Marvel collaborations are expected too, and fans have hopes that Fortnite will keep introducing anime packs after the success of its previous efforts. Demon Slayer would be a great modern anime to keep up the pace.