The best-known anime references in Dota 2 skins are the Caustic Steel set for Alchemist, which echoes Fullmetal Alchemist; Indomitable Legacy for Sven, a tribute to Berserk and its author Kentaro Miura; Magus Apex for Invoker, a nod to Dragon Ball; and the Feast of Abscession arcana for Pudge, which resembles Tokyo Ghoul. References also show up outside skins, such as a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure graffiti and Dark Seer's Aghanim's Scepter ability in One Punch Man style.
Most of these items were made by community authors whose work Valve adds to treasures; the developers make such references less often. Some similarities may be pure coincidence that only the creators could confirm, so below we point out the resemblance to Japanese works. For a different angle on Dota cosmetics, see our lists of the most expensive skins in Dota 2 and the rarest Dota 2 skins.
Caustic Steel
At first glance this Alchemist set has no references at all, but look closer and you will find three details that point to Fullmetal Alchemist:
Razzil's hairstyle (Razzil is the little partner riding on the ogre's back) has been changed and looks a lot like that of the anime's main character, Edward Elric.
Razzil's right arm resembles Edward's steel prosthetic.
Some parts of the armor carry patterns similar to the seal that binds the soul of Alphonse, the main character's brother.
The hero shares his name with the title of the series, so a reference like this was bound to appear sooner or later.
Indomitable Legacy
With this Sven set there is no need to guess whether it is a reference or a coincidence. The author said outright that it is a tribute to the late Kentaro Miura, creator of the manga Berserk.
Sven's armor resembles the main character's, and the pauldrons are shaped exactly like the face of the Beast of Darkness from the anime. One more detail is the modified crossbow on Sven's left arm, just like the one Guts used. Miura had a huge influence on pop culture, so the Dota community backed the set's author and voted to add this reference to the game.
Magus Apex
This item references both an anime and a meme. Invoker's fiery hair in Magus Apex (about $2 on LIS-SKINS) looks like a Super Saiyan's hair from Dragon Ball, and the item description, "The solar zenith spell, forgotten for over nine thousand years, gives its owner the chance to touch the sun, be showered with its radiant glory and curb its burning wrath. Only the chosen one can be so brave.", refers to the "It's over 9000" meme from the same fandom.
Feast of Abscession
The Pudge arcana Feast of Abscession came out on April 3, 2018, the same day the third season of Tokyo Ghoul premiered. On top of that, part of the Dota community had long identified with the show's main character, Ken Kaneki. Today the arcana costs about $15 on LIS-SKINS.
Besides the release date there is another similarity: the chain tentacles on Pudge's back look a lot like the kagune ghouls use against their victims, much as Pudge does.
Bonus
Anime references in Dota 2 are not limited to skins: they also appear in animations, item and ability descriptions, icons and graffiti. If you want to know how cosmetics are obtained in the first place, see our guide on how to get skins in Dota 2.
JoJo graffiti
The 2021 Nemestice event references the Dota anime through hero personas, but beyond that obvious nod there are others, such as a graffiti referencing JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
The scene where the protagonist walks up to the antagonist became a meme that fans adapted to characters from many universes. At battle pass level 135 players received a graffiti in which Doom walks toward Zeus exactly the way Jotaro walked toward Dio.
Aghanim's Scepter on Dark Seer
Another nod to a genre classic appears when you buy Aghanim's Scepter on Dark Seer. The first thing you notice is the ability icon shaped like a fist.
The ability animation clearly shows a fist in a red glove and pop-up Japanese characters, an unmistakable reference to One Punch Man.
The developers went further and gave Dark Seer a taunt in which he skips rope in red gloves, a reference to Saitama's training. To keep up with fresh cosmetics, check our roundup of new Dota 2 skins.
