A keen-eyed Valorant player discovered two Easter eggs in the 2023 anime Protocol: Rain, referencing the game and its esports circuit.
Protocol: Rain is a sports anime that follows a protagonist who enters an esports tournament to pay off debts left by his late father. It incorporates sports anime tropes and often references real-world esports and games, such as Valorant and Counter-Strike.
While watching the series, a sharp-eyed Valorant player spotted two clear references to the game and shared them on Reddit.
First reference is an obvious Easter egg for seasoned Valorant players: a photo of the map layout for Split, showcased in the fourth episode during a brief explanation of in-game tactics.
The second is a subtle nod to the Valorant Champions Tour, shown in the ninth episode through an in-game leaderboard. The leaderboard has the same background colors as the VCT broadcast and features esports team names resembling those in the competitive circuit, such as Clout7 (Cloud9) and 900 Thief (100 Thieves).
“That minimap is just straight-up Split, lmao, and the fake team names are pretty funny. Clout7 is my favorite,” one user commented.
Although the references were appreciated, the poster did not enjoy the anime, stating, “I wouldn’t really recommend it.”
Protocol: Rain is not highly rated, currently holding a 6.7/10 on IMDB.
A review on Anime News Network of the first episode explains why both esports enthusiasts and casual viewers might want to avoid it.
“It is wholly uninteresting if you don’t pay attention to esports and mind-numbingly stupid if you do. It’s to the point where the fake in-game scenes are more charming than the actual 2D animation,” the review said.
Valorant is a popular game and esport, with celebrities like Ben Affleck attending events and spending hours in ranked matches. However, the game’s inclusion in Protocol: Rain seems more humorous than validating for its players.