Anime is an extremely self-aware medium of entertainment. Many anime and manga writers are also anime fans, and they have as deep a respect for the medium. The writers and producers know their audience, and their audience knows anime. Still, many of the coolest Easter eggs in anime are completely missed by even the most dedicated otaku.
Oftentimes, Easter eggs in anime take the form of inside jokes, which serve as a kind of breaking of the fourth wall. Other times, they are references to other series the producers of the anime are working on. No matter the reasoning behind it, Easter eggs prove that each anime series doesn't exist in a vacuum but is instead an integral part of a close-knit community of artists and fans.
Full Metal Panic: Second Raid
In the second season of Full Metal Panic, there is a humorous barbershop moment that results in Sousuke causing quite a scene. The commotion draws an unlikely set of onlookers in the form of characters from Death Note. In particular, Light, his father, and Misa look in from outside the window, while L unassumingly rides past on a bicycle.
This all may come off as strange considering how different Full Metal Panic and Death Note are. Full Metal Panic is a romantic comedy full of mecha battles and a hot-headed female protagonist while Death Note is a serious, dark series with a dramatic tone and sinister anti-hero. It just goes to show how far Death Note’s influence has spread.
9 Eiichiro Oda Won't Let Pandaman Go
One Piece
Pandaman is the most prominent Easter egg in One Peice. He is a joke character that was created by Eiichiro Oda for a contest by the popular manga series Kinnikuman and has since been implemented in numerous episodes and manga chapters as an extra character.
Pandaman’s physical appearance is constantly shifting in One Piece, presumably to keep him hidden from plain sight. In some episodes, he’s depicted as a muscular man, while in others he’s skinny and lanky. No matter his physique, Pandaman is always shown with his characteristic panda head.
8 The Only Show That Could Out-Parody South Park Was FLCL
FLCL
FLCL is known for its humorous take on coming-of-age themes. FLCL's sarcastic styling and subject matter warrant comparisons to another hugely popular animated series: South Park.
FLCL actually has more than one South Park reference, and it even has an entire scene in the cut-out animation styling of the latter series. This all fits FLCL's surreal, experimental vibe very well, but one of the most direct South Park references is when Kenny is literally seen falling out of a window with a spear protruding from the top of his head.
7 Scar Proves That Alchemy Is One Of The Coolest Quirks
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia takes place in a world full of heroes and villains with amazing superpowers. So, when Full Metal Alchemist's Scar shows up as an extra in MHA, he doesn't necessarily seem out of place.
Scar's own ability to completely take objects apart is reminiscent of the Quirks of MHA villains like Shigaraki or Overhaul. Overhaul in particular has the ability to destroy and rebuild his surroundings, which adheres to the Law of Equivalent Exchange from FMA.
6 Kill La Kill Confirms Its Tarantino Influence With Pulp Fiction Cameos
Kill La Kill
Kill La Kill is full of the kind of action and tongue-in-cheek humor akin to Pulp Fiction's. With those similarities in mind, it may not be surprising for fans to find that characters from Pulp Fiction actually show up as extras in an episode of Kill La Kill.
As Mako's father speeds past in his truck in Episode 4 of Kill La Kill, fans may notice a cast of familiar-looking characters watching him drive by. They're none other than Jules, Vincent, Mia, and Butch from Pulp Fiction, all standing by as extras to signify a clear influence on this unique anime series.
5 Hunter X Hunter Fans Got A Hint Of What's Next
Hunter X Hunter
In Episode 148 of Hunter X Hunter, there is a clerk holding a magazine with the title "Next" above a picture of Migi from Parasyte. Apparently, the studio that did the Hunter X Hunter remake, Madhouse, was about to release Parasyte as their next project, so this magazine cover was a sort of foreshadowing of that.
Hunter X Hunter's mangaka, Yoshihiro Togashi, is one of the most successful manga artists of all time, and it seems that Parasyte was worthy enough to make a cameo appearance in his anime.
4 Light Yagami's Fate Is Finally Revealed In Death Parade
Death Parade
Having the word “death” in the title isn’t the only way in which Death Note and Death Parade are similar. Both anime series were produced by Madhouse, and the Japanese voice actor that plays Light also voices a character in Death Parade, Harada.
With these unifying threads, Light’s brief cameo in Death Parade makes perfect sense. In it, he is shown on a screen to a girl named Mayu who is a huge fan of Harada’s band when he was a life. When Mayu is asked to choose between sending the man on the screen or Harada into the void, she can't decide. Ironically enough, both men are played by the same voice actor.
3 Nappa Blows Up The Starship Enterprise
Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z originally debuted in the late ’80s, around the same time that Star Trek: The Next Generation was released. Apparently, Akira Toriyama was a fan of this series, as Z has an interesting shout-out to Star Trek in one of its episodes.
In Episode 17, "The Saibamen Strike," there is a helicopter shown with the serial number NCC-1701-A. Interestingly, this is also the serial number of the Star Trek Enterprise. This is much too obvious to be a coincidence, confirming that Toriyama, or at least one of the animators of Z, was a fan of the sci-fi classic.
2 Yoshihiro Togashi References His Wife's Masterwork, Sailor Moon
Hunter X Hunter
As many anime fans are fully aware, the creators of Hunter X Hunter and Sailor Moon are essentially the biggest power couple in the manga industry. Yoshihiro Togashi and Naoko Takeuchi are both highly successful mangaka in their own right, and they have acknowledged each other's work in their own art.
Hunter X Hunter has Sailor Moon showing up as an Easter egg in the most unassuming place: The Zoldyck Mansion. In particular, Alluka is shown playing house with figurines of Usagi and Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. It's a somewhat humanizing moment for a family of otherwise heartless assassins.
1 Usagi & Ami Avoid Playing Greed Island At The Arcade
Sailor Moon
“Greed Island” is a video game world in Hunter X Hunter where Gon and Killua travel to learn more about Gon’s father. This part of the show is essentially Hunter X Hunter’s “isekai” arc as they fight for survival in another world.
So, when Usagi and Ami are shown enjoying a nice day at the arcade, Greed Island appears somewhat ironically as a lighthearted game machine in the background. Of course, if Usagi and her friends were to spend some time playing that game, they'd quickly learn that it's no ordinary arcade machine.
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