While most of our fantasy crossovers are yet a far-away dream, some major crossovers did happen. These crossovers were minute scenes that gave fans the heaven they were looking for. Some of the famous crossovers were One Piece x DBZ x Dream 9 Toriko, Isekai Quartet; It’s a Rumic World and Yu-Gi-Oh Bonds Beyond Time. However, many more crossovers and cameos happened and went unnoticed in anime as well as manga. Here are ten crossovers and cameos that happened in the anime industry. Read ahead and find out which ones you missed.
1. Gintama in The Disastrous Life of Saiki Kusuo
Saiki Kusuo is used to breaking the fourth wall. The psychic protagonist is often talking to the people outside the screen casually. It was not shocking to see another anime make an appearance. Saiki Kusuo broke a large chunk of the fourth wall in season 2. Saiki sees a big trailer of Gintama while watching tv. This does not stop here. He complains about how some other show is promoting themselves in his show. The cameo ends with Saiki changing the channel. This was a pretty long scene, so it’s rare to have missed this.
2. Saiki Kusuo and Koro Sensei
This is a very comedic encounter of the two super-beings, Saiki Kusuo and Koro-Sensei from the Assassination Classroom manga. The crossover takes place in the Saiki Kusuo no Sainan manga in the chapter named Korosensei Vs. Saiki Kusuo: Showdown In Iruma. Saiki goes to buy a special Manju of Iruma, Irumanju but right about when he is about to buy it; Koro Sensei takes it away from him. Koro Sensei’s lightning speed is a well-known feature in the assassination classroom universe. In the Saiki Kusuo no Sainan manga, he steals Saiki’s Manju 0.2 seconds before he can take it and also gives Saiki a manicure when he feels bad for stealing it within the 0.2 seconds. A comedic battle for Manju takes place between the two that ends with Saiki splitting it between themselves. This is definitely something I would like to see being animated.
3. Goku and Vegeta in Dr. Slump
Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball Z have been written and illustrated by the same mangaka, Akira Toriyama. Having created such overpowered characters, Toriyama decided to introduce his characters. In Dr. Slump, we see Goku and Vegeta meeting Arale, the protagonist of the Dr. Slump series. Toriyama has confirmed that Arale is actually stronger than any DBZ character. In the crossover, Vegeta decides to fight Arale only to be hilariously defeated.
4. Taki and Mitsuha in Weathering With You
This was a groundbreaking cameo that had people asking about a Shinkaiverse. Makoto Shinkai’s risky little cameo was a big success. Fans were happy to see their characters again in a movie after Your Name had won their hearts. Both the characters appear separately as they interact with Hodaka Morishima. In the crossover, we see Taki visiting his grandmother. Mitsuha works as an employee in a jewelry store. Their crossovers hold minute significance in the story as they help Hodaka in his romantic experience with Hina Amano.
5. Devilman and Cyborg 009 crossover OVA
This is a three-episode long OVA named Cyborg 009 Vs. Devilman. The OVA features the protagonists of both the anime who fight against each other. While both the anime were widely loved individually, the crossover was not much appreciated. Of course, the main idea behind the OVA was fan service, so it did a pretty good job at showing the fans of both the anime how an encounter between 009 and Devilman would go. It turns out that they are going to fight to the death.
6. Akashi Seijurou in Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakou
If we are talking about cameos and crossovers, this is definitely one of my favorites. It’s fun, surprising, and cute. The first season of Shingeki no Kyojin was already a big hit. Following the death and depression in Season 1, a chibi version based on the anime was released where everyone is alive and goes to middle school together. This spin-off is super fun to watch, and all the characters have the same personality. The anime focuses on Levi’s OCD of cleanliness. In one particular scene, he wears the Rakuzan jersey and holds his head to dribble. This is a reference to Akashi Seijurou from Kuroko no Basuke, who has the same voice actor as Levi. This scene is hilarious and one of the best cameos in anime.
7. Naruto x One Piece
Naruto and One Piece are two of the four biggest manga ever created. The crossover of these two mangas was a subtle one that many people seemed to have missed. We would love to watch Luffy meet Naruto and Sasuke, but the crossover we got was not exactly as we would expect it. In chapter 766 of One Piece, we see Nami wearing a dress with the Konoha symbol. Also, a fox has a whirlpool on the back. In the Naruto manga, we see Boruto drawing the One Piece Jolly Roger symbol on Naruto’s face in chapter 700. These two random references in both the manga were more than just fan service. This was a sign of appreciation of Masahiko Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda for each other for their works. This gesture was a strong and sweet implication of their healthy rivalry.
8. Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Movie
Lupin III is a 1973 seinen anime. However, the anime has a crossover in 2013 with Detective Conan. So, Lupin is a thief, and Conan is a very smart detective. The two team up in the Lupin III vs. Detective Conan movie to solve new crimes. The movie can be called a success after a fair amount of people actually liked the idea of this crossover. The movie features many characters from the older anime, such as Kaito Kid and Fujiko Mine. The two anime were in a good blend. Because Lupin III is a very old anime, a lot of people seem to miss the entire cleverness of the crossover.
9. Fairy Tale and Rave
People forget that Rave and Fairy Tale have the same mangaka because the latter has a superior fan base (in terms of numbers). Having written both the manga, Hiro Mashima freely created a crossover between these two universes. The characters meet each other and break out in a comedic fight. The conflict is settled with a mutual understanding. This hilarious crossover takes place in the Fairy Tale x Rave OVA. We see various characters like Ellie, Haru, Ezra, Musica, Grey, Natsu, and Lucy. The OVA was so good it had fans asking for more!
10. Nisekyuu!!
Nisekyuu!! is crossover manga between Haikyuu and Nisekoi was written by Furudate Haruichi and Komi Naoshi. The crossover is flawlessly written. The plot follows a beach volleyball game between the Karasuno team and the characters of Nisekoi. The crossover was out of the box. While Nisekoi is a comedic harem, Haikyu is a sports manga. However, the stories aligned very well, making the crossover a big success. While Kageyama is focused on volleyball, Tanaka and Nishinoya are focused on the popularity of Raku. They get jealous of him being surrounded by so many beautiful girls and wish to be cared for like him. Furious by his popularity, Tanaka decides to defeat Raku, thus creeping him out. The chapter ends with Tanaka and Nishinoya finally realizing that Raku is sort of like them when he says that it took him three years to get Onodera’s number. On another panel, we see that Kageyama and Hinata are getting acquainted with the girls at the same time. Kageyama inquires Chitoge about what training she is doing as he sees her eating a lot, and Hinata only nervously squeaks. These panels should be animated in an OVA because everyone would love to see this unexpected and unique crossover.
