It’s impossible to deny that Marvel Rivals hit the ground floor running when it was released last month. The “Hero Shooter” began with a staggering thirty-three characters to round out its roster but the video game is only getting started. January 10th will see the arrival of the multiplayer game’s first season, bringing in two of the biggest members of the Fantastic Four to its ranks. Thanks to the powers of Mr. Fantastic and the “skill kit” that he houses as a part of the game, Marvel and anime fans alike can’t stop seeing Monkey D. Luffy when they look at the game.
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Luffy might be the most popular anime character that can turn his body into rubber, but he’s far from the only fictional characters that have the ability to stretch their limbs and transform their hands into battering rams. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four was lucky enough to have his body pelted by Cosmic Rays, granting him the power to stretch on top of his already genius intellect. While Reed might not look to physically defeat opponents in many of his past battles, Marvel Rivals is putting Richards’ super powers to good use and One Piece fans have taken notice.
[RELATED: Marvel Rivals Confirms Mister Fantastic’s Abilities Ahead of Release]
The Fantastic Mr. Luffy
Reed might not have eaten a Devil Fruit but its hard not to see how Marvel and anime fans couldn’t spot the similarities between these two characters, especially in Marvel Rivals. On top of simply stretching his limbs, Mr. Fantastic also pulls off some tricks that Monkey has been known for such as boosting his muscles and bouncing back projectiles at opponents. To no one’s surprise fans are comparing the two popular franchises on social media in some hilarious ways.
The One Piece Easter Egg in Plain Sight
While Mr. Fantastic harboring stretching powers isn’t an official tie to One Piece, another Easter Egg was spotted by fans that might link Marvel Rivals with Eiichiro Oda’s brain child. During the recent “Winter Celebration,” the Marvel Hero Shooter allowed fans to create their own holiday card that introduced some major customization into the offering. For one particular snowman, as seen above, the winter creation sported a hat that looked quite familiar to that of Tony Tony Chopper, the reindeer doctor who will make their live-action debut in Netflix’s upcoming second season of One Piece.
Marvel’s Anime, Fantastic Four Not Included
Marvel in the past hasn’t been a stranger to the anime world, with series focusing on Iron Man, Blade, Wolverine and the X-Men being prime examples. Unfortunately, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm have never received an anime series of their own. With Fantastic Four: First Steps hitting theaters this summer, perhaps the Marvel Cinematic Universe debut will help the FF enter into a brand new medium.
When it comes to Marvel crossovers in the anime world, there have been some significant ones of note. The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy fought against the Titans of Attack on Titan in a unique comic book special years ago while Deadpool teamed up with My Hero Academia’s All Might to fight against the Mad Titan Thanos. The Straw Hats have never dove into the Marvel Universe so for now, seeing Mr. Fantastic pulling off Luffy moves will have to be enough.
Want to see where the Straw Hat Pirates show up next? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Grand Line and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
