All the anime references in Apex Legends’ Gaiden event

On July 19, Respawn Entertainment debuted Apex Legends’ Gaiden event, kicking it off with a fabulous anime-inspired cutscene. Through Aug. 2, players are able to log in and either purchase or earn a variety of anime-themed skins for their favorite characters.

Some of Apex Legends’ anime references are obvious, while others can be a bit trickier to puzzle out on your own. Let’s go over the eight new skins and talk about which anime each is derived from.

Wattson - Lightning Spirit Legendary skin

Image: Respawn Entertainment via Polygon

Wattson’s Lightning Spirit skin draws inspiration from Naruto. Her jacket is a slightly darker shade of orange than Naruto’s, but Wattson reps the anime with ninja stars adorning her devices.

Mirage - Marked Man Legendary skin

Image: Respawn Entertainment via Polygon

Mirage’s Marked Man skin draws inspiration from My Hero Academia’s protagonist: Izuku Midoriya (also known as Deku). Mirage has Midoriya's classic green hair, and both the mask and outfit match Deku’s hero outfit.

Revenant - Revelations Legendary skin

Image: Respawn Entertainment via Polygon

Revenant’s Revelations skin is a very clear pull from Neon Genesis Evangelion, specifically Unit 9. The shape of Revenant’s body in the skin matches the anime almost perfectly, and the Legend even wields Unit 9’s signature scythe during the Gaiden event’s introductory cutscene.

Octane - Sea Legs Legendary skin

Image: Respawn Entertainment via Polygon

Octane’s Sea Legs skin pays homage to Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece. There are a couple clear nods here: the red vest, the scar on the chest, and the blue pants. While Octane is missing Luffy’s classic straw hat, the Legend’s sun cap gets the idea across just fine.

Seer - Heart Stopper Epic skin

Image: Respawn Entertainment via Polygon

Seer’s Heart Stopper skin is based on Sailor Moon’s Tuxedo Mask. His costume is mostly black, like Masks, and roses animate over Seer’s pants, hat, and jacket. Respawn even gave him a little mask to go over his eyes.

Bangalore - Soldier of Justice Epic skin

Image: Respawn Entertainment via Polygon

Bangalore’s Soldier of Justice skin also pulls from Sailor Moon. She’s wearing an outfit that is based off of the Star Guardians (although the purple hair and red skirt suggests she’s supposed to be Sailor Mars). She even has purple eyes and a glowing gem in her forehead.

Bloodhound - Lifeblood Epic skin

Image: Respawn Entertainment via Polygon

Bloodhound’s Lifeblood skin is based on Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul. Aside from the all black outfit, the dead giveaway here is their normal right eye and red left eye. The white accents on Bloodhound’s helmet also evoke Ken’s white hair.

Crypto - Strength and Power skin

Image: Respawn Entertainment via Polygon

Crypto’s Strength and Power skin is clearly pulled from Dragon Ball Z. He’s sporting Goku’s classic orange and blue colors with his outfit. And while Crypto’s hair doesn’t quite have the volume of Goku and his friends, the yellow is a clear Super Saiyan nod.

Fuse - Down Thunder Epic skin

Image: Respawn Entertainment via Polygon

Fuse’s Down Thunder skin sees him dressed as Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist (and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood). The dead giveaway here is the metal arm (which Fuse always has) painted silver to match Edward. This skin also gives Fuse Ed’s blonde hair and classic black and red color scheme.