Summary
Whether you love it or hate it, or have no feelings whatsoever, there is no denying how popularanimeis. That immense popularity has allowed anime to go beyond television broadcasts and manga pages.
Games likeCall of Dutyhave featuredmultiple anime collaborations, such as with Attack on Titan or Mobile Suit Gundam, and titles likeFortnitehaveoutright included anime characters, like Goku from Dragon Ball Z. And if none of those two things are possible, then video games are ripe with anime references or callbacks.
As first spotted on Twitter,World of Warcraftbecame the latest game to reference anime. The end result might be the cheekiest thing you’ve seen all week.
OK, 3, 2, 1, Let’s Jam!
Included in The War Within expansion are multiple dungeons, andper Wowhead, Goldie Baronbottom in Cinderbrew Meadery can drop a new pet named Bop.
But get this. Bop is a bee wearing cowboy clothing. Put it all together, and you get Cowboy Bee Bop.
That, of course, is a direct reference toShinichirō Watanabe’s seminal 1998 anime, Cowboy Bebop. The futuristic western anime is often cited as one of the best and most influential works of all-time, and this new pet pays homage directly to that in its own unique way.
As expected,the WoW subredditwas immediately in love with this cheeky little insect. “THAT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM,“one user emphatically exclaimed.
In a separate thread,another user had this spot-on comment, which is a riff on one of the show’s most iconic lines: “You’re gonna carry that pollen.”
Either way, this is exactly the sort of cool thing that the popularity of anime affords. It’s not too in your face, and it isn’t so vague that no one gets the joke. Simply put, it’s perfect, just like the bee.
