Which anime studio will actually work on One Punch Man season 3 might still be up in the air, but what we know for damn sure is that the mega-popular anime is making its way to Overwatch 2.
Today the Overwatch team announced that its villain, Doomfist, is turning over a new heroic leaf — aesthetically at least — because he’s getting a new skin based on iconic One Punch Man protagonist Saitama. Overwatch 2 season three begins tomorrow, and the collaboration event will run from March 7 through April 6.
Earnable Rewards 💪
New Control Map 🧊#OnePunchMan Collab 👊
Seasonal Events 💘#Overwatch2 Season 3 and an all new Battle Pass arrive Feb 7! Free to play for everyone on console & PC. pic.twitter.com/FxiHOk4Lnj— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) February 6, 2023
“Together we’ve created a collection of cosmetics from the beloved anime, including Saitama skin for Doomfist,” Blizzard wrote in a blog post. “We’ll reveal each item before they drop on March 7, with one being a Legendary skin that’s earnable via themed challenges.
The announcement makes a lot of sense when you consider the number of anime references already stuffed into the game. Chief among them is a Moira Neon Genesis Evangelion spray, Sombra’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure-esque ultimate, and a Baptiste Dragon Ball Z spray. Hell, prior to the new Doomfist Saitama skin, Blizzard’s punch-happy hero already had a spray that spoofed Saitama’s memed-to-death punch.
While Doomfist’s new skin does a serviceable job recreating the essence of OPM’s caped baldy, I can’t help but wonder what else could have been if Overwatch made OPM skins for heroes who had similar powers and personalities. So because nobody asked, I assembled a quick list of Overwatch characters Blizzard should’ve given their own One Punch Man skins.
Honorable mentions go to (deep breath) Tracer as Flashy Flash, Roadhog as Pig God (I mean c’mon), Reaper as Zombie Man, Ramattra as Metal Knight, Kiriko as Tatsumaki, Mercy as Fubuki, Moira as Psykos, and Hanzo as Atomic Samurai. I could go on, but…
Actually, I will. Fans of One Punch Man will observe that OPM X Overwatch 2 is very fertile crossover ground that lends itself to a ton of thematically interesting skin ideas. Here are a few that come to mind.
D.Va / Child Emperor
![Junk food-eating child prodigies. (Image: Blizzard / J.C. Staff / Madhouse / Shueisha / Viz Media / Kotaku)](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/07/79be27550fd68882916e5c24e2a341c7.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
Should Overwatch decide to do another OPM collaboration, the easiest skin decision they could make would be giving their off-brand Dorito-eating gremlin, Hana Song, a Child Emperor skin. Much like D.Va, Child Emperor, as his name suggests, is a child prodigy within the OPM mythos thanks to his technical know-how with an array of gizmos at his disposal. Chief among them is his big-arse mecha, Brave Giant.
Zenyatta / Mumen Rider
![Brittle-bone bois. (Image: Blizzard / Madhouse / Kotaku)](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/07/c966a89c095065e80c725403d7c81472.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
Imma be honest, I mostly went with this choice because, much like Zenyattta, Mumen Rider’s bones might as well be made of glass any time he’s pitted against a big bad, but his determination to keep fighting the good fight is inspiring. Plus, Zeny would look cute floating around with a little green biker helmet atop his chrome dome. Arguably, Blizzard could’ve gone the route of giving Zenyatta a Saitama skin with how much force his kicks have.
Genji / Genos / Speed o’ Sound Sonic / Metal Bat / Sweet Mask
![It just makes sense. (Image: Blizzard / Shueisha / Viz Media / Kotaku)](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/07/e014dd6ad8d84e217cc0d10fd26625a3.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
In accordance with the Overwatch doctrine’s rule that Genji gets the “most goodest skins in the game,” I wager the annoying cybernetic ninja would get the skins for the coolest characters in OPM as well. Off the top, Genji, like Genos, is a cybernetically modified dude who often steals the limelight from other characters. Coincidentally, both characters often receive mechanical updates that can hinder or enhance their combat ability. Think of all those Geji nerfs, and you’ll know I’m right on this one.
Genji players deserve a skin that appeals to their already-inflated vanity, which is where the Sweet Mask skin suggestion comes into play. Genji also comes off as a cool guy, so giving him a pompadour and a baseball bat skin, à la Metal Bat, makes sense on a skin-design level. Because Genji is one of the fastest characters in Overwatch 2 and is a ninja, giving him a Speed-o’-Sound Sonic skin just makes sense. Plus, both disaster men’s speed often works to their detriment.
Soldier: 76 / Bang / Blast
![Zaddies, rise up. (Image: Blizzard / J.C. Staff / Shueisha / Viz Media / Kotaku)](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/07/f6d82f2f6cb5c7f11d34096dccd92a6e.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
Soldier: 76 embodies strength, courage, and the will to fight on when the rest of the team has rage-quit or thrown a match. His helix rockets come in clutch as a one-tap kill to squishy heroes, he’s one of the few heroes who have the ability to run, and his ultimate can wipe out an entire team single-handedly. These are all qualities that point toward giving Jack Morrison OPM skins of the veteran hero Bang and the legendary sequestered hero, Blast. Morrison’s already sporting Bang’s silver-fox hairdo, so all Blizzard would have to do is give him a black shirt and call it a day. Plus, Blizzard can repurpose Morrison’s OG skin to have all the elaborate bells and whistles of Blast’s hero costume.
Reinhardt / Puri Puri Prisoner
![Gods among men. (Image: Blizzard / Madhouse / Kotaku)](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/07/d7fedfb9ea6239a785dafe9fac6a2e02.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
Remember when you were down and out and a D.Va exploding mech was about to wreck you and your entire squad’s chances of winning? Who dropped their shield and charged the mech at a safe distance away from you at the cost of their own well-being? A Reinhardt player, that’s who. Just as Reinhardt is self-sacrificing and a mother hen to his lil heroes, so too is OPM’s Puri Puri Prisoner. Give Reinhardt his own magical girl transformation, cowards.
Brigette / Captain Mizuki
![Yusuke Murata and Blizzard's body-type preferences are one and the same. (Image: Blizzard / Viz Media / Shueisha / Kotaku)](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/07/81998045b1284e567a95f57887db8bf1.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
All I’m saying is Overwatch should give Brigitte a rest from her skins not passing the bootlicker allegations and let her homegirl show off her muscles while she shield bashes and rallies the troops like OPM’s Captain Mizuki. They can even turn her mace into Mizuki’s baton for good measure.
Garo / Junkrat
![Like looking in a mirror. (Image: Blizzard / J.C.Staff / Kotaku)](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/07/c626e21deccb3b54964c9f2753cf2d9c.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
They may not have emerged out of the same womb, but OPM’s Garo and Overwatch’s Junkrat might as well consider each other blood brothers for how much damage they can take and dish out. Even “defeating” these two in their respective mythos results in them getting even via Garo’s power-ups and Junkrat’s “you eliminated me while stepping on my bombs, idiot” ability. Junkrat’s already got the hair for a casual Garo cosplay. All he’ll need is an all-black suit, like my proposed Soldier 76 Bang skin. Easy peasy.
This concludes my Overwatch x One Punch Man what-if skins Ted Talk.
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