One thing that's great about Easter Eggs is how wide-ranging they are. Where writers were once hesitant to use more than occasional hints, they now experiment with everything from subtle music montages to quoting famous movies and everything in between…all in the name of making audiences pay closer attention.
It's yet another reason to love anime, whose writers have taken the practice into the stratosphere with the variety they use. Probably the biggest trend to date is pop culture references, like famous movies/TV, books, popular snacks, or traditional foods. Even better, given how much freedom anime has always had with subject matter, the boldness (and often craftiness) of these references is constantly expanding. To better illustrate this, let's look at a choice selection of such Easter Eggs from a selection of different series, both what they are and what they mean.
The series is largely based on Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, starting with the infamous detective's image appearing on a window in the series' opening animation. Later, the series' protagonist, Aria Kanzaki, is revealed to be Holmes' descendant, as well as searching for a new incarnation of his partner, meaning Doyle's legendary narrator, Dr. John Watson.
During the plane sequence, Aria famously calls herself Lilliputian, referring to Lilliput, an island from the classic novel Gulliver's Travels whose residents are only a few inches tall.
Villain turned ally Jeanne's alias and, ironically, the name of her sword is Durandal, a term seen throughout anime. It's a famed reference to the medieval epic The Song of Roland, about a paladin of Charlemagne—more specifically, it's the name of the title character's sword.
Villain Vlad the Bad is an open retake on Bram Stoker's Dracula: his name, according to famed series Deadliest Warrior, refers to the man the vampire was based on, Prince Vlad Tepes ("The Impaler").
Popular Brands:
When Aria makes Kinji buy her lunch, the restaurant is an obvious take on McDonalds, especially given the infamous golden arches visible on its sign, bag, and cups.
Protagonist Tatsuya Asagiri's dad, Chiharu, openly spoofs Indiana Jones, namely the character's famed jacket and fedora hat.
There's a famous cooking competition between protagonist Feena Fam Earthlight and Tatsuya's BFF, Natsuki Takamizawa, that spoofs Iron Chef.
In a later episode, Feena's maid, Mia, tries to clean Tatsuya's house's attic, only to freak out when she finds a bug. The resulting hunt is a major spoof of Aliens, especially the film's infamous pulse rifles and motion tracker.
When Tatsuya and Karen land on the moon to rescue Feena, villain Jurgen's men face off with them in a hall. Karen's yellow suit, subsequent flexing and "Bring it on" wave, are a bold reference to Bruce Lee…all with the Kill Bill theme playing in the background.
Protagonist Kio's teacher, Ms. Itoukazu, is famously seen on her computer talking to a machine called HAL, which greets her with, "Good morning, Captain." It's a fun reference to HAL 9000, the infamous computer/villain from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
When Kio and love interests Aoi, Eris, and Manami go to Tokyo, their destination, Nakano, has numerous people walking around in cosplay, including outfits related to the protagonists from The Familiar of Zero and The Sacred Blacksmith.
In the final battle with villain Jenness, the suits and craft Aoi, Eris, and Manami use are all open copies of those used by pilots in the original Mobile Suit Gundam.
When the audience looks inside Kio's school's film club's room, there's a poster spoofing The Godfather, one next to it that's a blurred view of the 90's sci-fi thriller Armageddon, and later one that spoofs The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Video Games:
When in Nakano, there are numerous game systems on one shop's shelves, including a Game Cube and Xbox.
Books:
Just after the sequence with HAL, Ms. Itoukazu is addressed by her screen name Ender, which refers to Ender Wiggins, the title character from Orson Scott Card's legendary sci-fi epic Ender's Game.
When Eris and the mysterious Ichika are chatting about the cards used by Aoi to stop villain Jenness' assistroids, the latter comments, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." It's the most famous quote from famed sci-fi author/philosopher Arthur C. Clarke.
During season 2's festival, protagonist Tori wins love interest Horizon a trinket that spoofs the Tella-Tubbies.
When Tomo Asama prompts Student Council Clerk Toussaint Neshinbara with a book he published in elementary school, the related imagery openly spoofs Dragonball (especially Goku's Flying Nimbus) and Dragonball Z ("rage induced power bursts").
Books:
The second season's England story arc is one massive reference to King Arthur, starting with its super-weapon, Excalibur-Caliburn, which is a combination of the current name of his infamous sword and its title from the original legends. Moreover, the sword is seen embedded in place, an open reference to the Sword in the Stone arc from the same tales.
England's clerk, Shakespeare, is a grand tribute to the famed bard, including references to his famed works MacBeth and King Lear.
In the second season, Soso's cooking presentation famously spoofs Iron Chef.
Books:
This series is one gigantic spoof of the epic The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Not only does it have fun retakes on the tale's infamous events (ex. The Yellow Turban Rebellion done as pop idols run amok), but it also its main characters:
During the burglar episode, protagonist Ikuto (in a dream sequence with potential love interest Rin) famously spoofs Humphrey Bogart's quip from Casablanca: "Here's looking at you, kid."
Games:
In the "Hide-and Seek-and Catch-the-Groom" tournament, Chikage tries to bait Ikuto by referring to a "legendary mushroom", the shape/color implying the famed mushrooms from Super Mario Bros; Ikuto later confirms such when he wonders whether eating it will make him bigger.
Food:
Love interest Suzu's pet pig, Tonkatsu, is named for a traditional Japanese-style breaded pork cutlet.
The orca protecting the waters around the island, Sashimi, is named for a famous Japanese raw seafood dish.
Protagonist Elda collects different models, some clearly based on Mobile Suit Gundam (the series calls it Mobile Samurai Gangem), while another visible on her shelf is of Mechagodzilla.
Games:
During one episode, Elda mentions the Dragon Quest franchise, along with Nintendo.
When Elda sorts through her old possessions, one item she pulls out is an old N64. Later in that episode, she finds an old tape that depicts her talking about the original Playstation, followed by an open reference to Final Fantasy VII, more specifically Aerith's death.
Popular Brands:
Elda is often seen drinking Red Bull and Monster Energy drinks, as well as Fanta soda (spelled Fonta in the series).
The restaurant Elda has Koito buy toys for her at is another take on McDonalds (the sign says WcDonalds).
Elda and her fellow elves often make use of delivery services openly spoofing Amazon and Uber (Amazen and Uher, respectively).
Across several conversations, Elda and Koito mention Twitter (Tweeter), as well as iPhones.
Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town
Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town
Movies/TV:
When protagonist Lloyd exorcises the evil demon Abaddon from Marie's dad, the villain famously cries, "I'm fading! What a world, what a world!" Those are the last words of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.
Books:
Hidden princess Marie famously has Lloyd help her retrieve the famed "Holy Sword", stuck into a rock in a small village and which can "only be removed by powerful magic." It's another spoof of the Sword in the Stone from Arthurian legend.
Video Games:
When villain Eug activates her golem in the coliseum battle, she controls it via a remote that's clear knock-off of a Playstation controller.
In Funco and Ichihachi's dorm room, there's a poster for the classic 90s action thriller Executive Decision on the wall.
Games:
During the school festival, the game where students can attack infamous drill instructor Garand is based on the popular game Pop Up Pirate.
There are plenty more such references hidden throughout other franchises—some more obvious than others—and the trend is picking up steam with each new debut. How far writers will take it is difficult to predict, but there's no question they'll continue with their craftiness…as will the search.
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Andrew's originally from Massachusetts, and has studied military history/tactics/strategy for almost 30 years. He has a BA in History (English minor) from UMASS Lowell and JD from Mass. School of Law. He can be found on Twitter (@AndrewNickers19) daily, analyzing characters via Sun Tzu.
Fun Fact
Andrew's a huge fan of anime music. He particularly recommends Crescent Love (Brighter than the Dawning Blue), Dream Riser (Girls Und Panzer), and the fight theme to Zoids: New Century.
