All Anime References in Absolute Batman, Explained

The DC comic Absolute Batman is not like the others. The revamped Dark Knight immediately caught readers' attention upon its October 2024 release. Exactly as DC intended, the series seems like a love letter to manga and anime.

With this fresh interpretation of Bruce Wayne, editor Chris Conroy affirmed that the publisher aimed to appeal to manga aficionados. "We knew that the Western superhero comics audience and the manga audience were overlapping like never before," he stated to Publishers Weekly. The objective? Write a piece that appeals to readers who were raised on Japanese comics rather than conventional American superheroes.

The Akira Relationship

Absolute Batman and Akira (Image Credit: DC Comics and Kodansha)

In September 2024, the comic made its first significant anime homage. A variant cover by artist Javier Fernandez made a clear tribute to the iconic Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo. One of the manga's most recognizable pictures, a beefed-up Batman in a position that anime fans quickly recognized, was replicated for the cover.

Everything from Batman: The Animated Series to Steven Universe has made homage to that iconic motorcycle sequence from Akira. Therefore, it seemed fitting that Absolute Batman would carry on that legacy. The series' author, Scott Snyder, posted the cover on social media, where it immediately received over 100,000 views.

Kagurabachi's Time Comes

Batman and Kagurabachi (Image Credit: DC Comics and Shueisha)

In August of 2025, Absolute Batman honored yet another manga. Dan Mora paid homage to Kagurabachi, a more recent fight shounen manga that has been acquiring a lot of popularity, by designing a variant cover for the mainline Batman series. Thanking fans and honoring the original creator, Mora shared the cover on Twitter.

People were taken aback by the Kagurabachi connection because it isn't a classic that has been around for decades. That's the point, though. Absolute Batman isn't merely giving classic anime a nod. It interacts with what manga readers are currently reading.

The Impact of Chainsaw Man Is Deep

The Batman cover that looks like Chainsaw Man (Image Credit: DC Comics)

February 2026 was the most recent, and possibly most appropriate, mention. For Absolute Batman #18, Clay Mann and Seth Mann designed a variant cover that directly referenced Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man. On their website, the cover sold out in a day.

Why was this reference ideal? In Absolute Batman #17, Batman does, in fact, employ chainsaw hands. The cover's energy, composition, and color scheme all shouted Chainsaw Man. And fans saw it right away. When you consider it, the analogy between Bruce Wayne and Denji, the main character of Chainsaw Man, actually makes sense. Isolation and early tragedy define both personalities. A fan coined the name "Chainsawbat Man" to represent this variant.

Aside from Cover Homages

However, Absolute Batman is more than just variant covers. The battle scenes don't feel like those found in other superhero books. The action has been likened by readers to shounen manga, particularly the Bane fight, which fans have characterized as a "shounen battle."

The self-contained storytelling style of manga is also incorporated into the series. Absolute Batman doesn't require you to read five previous books in order to grasp its plot. Like manga series, it tells a single story with a distinct beginning. The story isn't interrupted by frequent crossovers or universe-wide occurrences.

Manga's impact on the business was acknowledged by DC President Jim Lee. In contrast to American comics, which primarily feature superheroes, he noted that manga spans a far wider range of genres. Manga has a larger readership because of this broader spectrum, and DC is attempting to take note of that success.

There is also a noticeable manga influence in the character designs. In the Absolute Universe, Wonder Woman's enormous sword appears to have been thrown out of Berserk. Many readers have noted the similarities between Chainsaw Man's devils and Absolute Batman's monster designs.

Beyond a few fantastic variant covers, the comic stands for something greater. DC is making an active effort to combine Western and Eastern comic book storytelling. And that experiment is succeeding, according to sales figures and fan feedback. The series continues to top monthly sales records and was the 2024 best-selling comic.

In conclusion

The comic provides something fresh for you, whether you’re a longtime DC fan or a manga reader just getting into Western comics. And those anime references? They’re more than mere marketing tools. They're reflections of love for the stories that have inspired this unique reimagining of Gotham's Dark Knight. Absolute Batman has its own identity, and if it keeps on going like this, it'll be one of the best to ever do it.

Edited by Nabil Ibrahim-Oladosu

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