References and Easter Eggs

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR MULTIPLE MEDIA!!!
== Description ==
This is a page dedicated to all of the easter eggs and references to other works of media found in Deepwoken. Be warned that this may spoil many of the referenced media to you. View at your own risk.
== Armors/Equipments ==
* The style of the Double Strapped Hat seems to take inspiration from Bloodborne.
* The Providence Coat looks similar to Dante's coat from the Devil May Cry series.
* The mod spec Outfit Hive Leader's Garment along with the companion hat is Scaramouche's outfit from open world RPG Genshin Impact.
*The Outfit Black Diver's original design was Bondrewd's outfit from Made in Abyss.
**Made even more apparent when combining it with a Diver's Light Plate.
*The Big Alchemist's Hat and its smaller version are a reference to Big Hat Logan from Dark Souls.
*Master Thief Earrings are very similar to those of Chrollo Lucifer from Hunter × Hunter.
*The Flameguard Pauldrons may be a reference to the armor the Fire Nation wears in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
*The Old World Sun Pendant is a reference to Azura's Star from Skyrim. 
*The Outfit Veteran Adventurer is a reference to Sol Badguy's outfit from Guilty Gear Strive.
*Every Familiar Helmet from the Hallowtide event are helmets taken from Rogue Lineage.
**Church Knight's helmet is the Familiar Priest Helmet, the Wraith Knight helmet is the Familiar Heretic Helmet, and the Sigil Helmet is the Familiar Knight Helmet, respectively.
*Every Mushroom Costume is a direct reference to the Scroom race from Rogue Lineage.
==Attunements==
===Flamecharm===
*Flame of Denial and Flame Within are inspired by similar spells in Dark Souls. 
**Flame of Denial works similarly to Tears of Denial.
**Flame Within works similarly to Power Within.
*Flame Blind is inspired by Phoenix's Curve Ball ability in Valorant, blinding anyone who looks at the exploding projectile.
**Moreover, the Talent deck Duelist Flame refer to Phoenix's role in the game, being a duelist.
*Flame Ballista is directly lifted from Ryomen Sukuna's flame arrow move that he used against Jogo. 
*Flame Repulsion's Spring Spark modification strongly resembles Satoru Gojo's Reversal Red.
*Flaming Scourge is inspired by Charlotte Katakuri's Buzzcut Mochi.
===Thundercall===
*Lightning Cloak is a possible reference to Killua's Godspeed ability from Hunter × Hunter as it used to be blue, making it almost identical. 
** The name also matches up and works nearly the same as the "Lightning Release Chakra Mode" Jutsu from Naruto, often called "Cloak of Lightning".
*Grand Javelin is inspired by the Lightning Spear spells: Lightning Spear, Great Lightning Spear, and Sunlight Spear in Dark Souls.
*Bolt Piercer is a reference to Ishida Uryu's Licht Regen from Bleach. This becomes more apparent with the Surge path.
*Lightning Assault might be a possible reference to Zenitsu's Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash from Demon Slayer.
**It also bears striking resemblance to the spell Shock Assault from Wizard Of Legend, having a similar name and similar effects.
*Spark Swap is a reference to the snap version of Celeritas from Rogue Lineage. Both abilities share the same utility, and both have a similar sound effects and lightning visuals on usage.
*Contrary to popular belief, Rising Thunder was not based on Zenitsu's Thunderclap and Flash Sixfold, but rather Kakashi's Raikiri: Sōraishin from the videogame Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm.
===Frostdraw===
*The Ice Skate mantra is a reference to Frozone from The Incredibles, along with freezing ability being used to skate around.
**Previously, there was an advanced/legendary Talent with the same name, allowing the user of Ice Skates to skate on solid ground.
*The Ice Chains mantra looks similar to Gilgamesh's Chains of Heaven from the Fate series.
*Warden's Blades is a reference to Vergil's Summoned Swords from the Devil May Cry series.
*Iceberg is a reference to Mei's Cryo-Freeze ability from Overwatch.
===Galebreathe===
*The Aerogliding Talent is a reference to Jett, from Valorant, whose passive ability which allows her to glide instead of falling.
*Wind Blade could be a reference to the Moonlight Greatsword from the Souls games.
*Wind Forge modified with a Multiplying Spark is a reference to Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm "Gate of Babylon" from the Fate series.
===Shadowcast===
*Shadow Gun resembles the finger Cero technique used by Arrancars from Bleach. 
**A Shadow Gun modified with a Blast Spark resembles the Cero Metralleta used by Coyote Stark, especially when coupled with guns.
**It is also possibly a reference to Duelist Dash from Rogue Lineage, a move used by the Duelist, better known as Uber Spy, Class.
*Eclipse Kick resembles the Axe Kick, an attack from Rogue Lineage used by the Oni class.
**Oni itself is a reference to Akuma, one of the characters from Street Fighter.
*Shadow Assault resembles Akuma's Ashura Senku technique.
**Its Blast Spark modification is a spin on the famed Shun Goku Satsu.
*Shadow Travel may be a reference to Reaper's Shadow Step from Overwatch.
*Rising Shadow is a reference to Shadow Tendrils, one of Lannis' abilities from Rogue Lineage.
===Ironsing===
*Needle Barrage is near identical to Autumn Rain from Rogue Lineage, a move used by the Shura, better known as Uber Shinobi, class.
*Being able to consume ores for buffs could be a reference to Allomancy from Mistborn.
=== Bloodrend ===
* Veinbreaker may be a reference to Slayer's Super Mappa Hunch from Guilty Gear -STRIVE-
===Attunementless===
*Punishment may be a reference to Dante's Royal Guard from Devil May Cry.
==Oaths==
*Arcwarder's activation animation is a reference to the Iron Man suit from Marvel Comics.
*The description for Arcwarder quotes Karl Marx, a reference to the Ignition Union's socialist beliefs.
*Starkindred has many references:
**The Celestial underneath the Delerict Highchurch is a reference to Lilith from Neon Genesis Evangelion. The white body, red cross, and pool of blood are all traits shared with it.
**The different characters met for this Oath have mythological or religious origins: 
***The trainer, Samael, is an angel in Judaism.
***Iblis, The Fallen Angel is named after Iblis, the leader of the devils in Islam.
***Abaddon, Sinner of Ice is named after Abaddon. In the Bible, it is both a place of destruction and desolation but also the name of an angel of the abyss.
***Minos, Sinner of Flame is named after the mythological Cretan king, Minos, who became one of the judges of the underworld after his death.
***Astaroth, Sinner of Wind is named after Astaroth "Great Duke of Hell" in Demonology.
**Typing "I will never be a memory" before using a Starkindred Mantra will activate only one of the wings in reference to Sephiroth from the Final Fantasy series.
*Silentheart originally inspiration from the Fire Emblem series:
** The ship named after the Beloved Zofia, the signature weapon of Celica in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
**Dread Fighter is a class in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, that, similar to the Oath, boasts high magical resistance.
**Lodestar is a lord class in Fire Emblem: Awakening and Fire Emblem: Fates.
**Mani Katti is Lyn's signature weapon Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. The critical hit animation is similar to that of the Talent, slicing the enemy multiple times.
*Dawnwalker's Radiant Kick is slightly similar to Minos Prime's dropkick attack where he says "Judgement!" from ULTRAKILL.
*The obtainment for Contractor was inspired by finding Darkstalker Kaathe in Dark Souls.
*Bladeharper appears to heavily reference other media in all of its abilities.
**The obtainment resembles the method of obtaining Bankai in Bleach. Both are fights against your 'inner spirit'.
***The inner world you are taken to reinforces this by being named 'The Blade Within', which is similar to the title of the 13th episode of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War: 'THE BLADE IS ME'.
**Lithe Step resembles Shunpo or Sonido from Bleach.
**Having True Strength active, activating Soaring Storm, using Float Like a Butterfly, or using Decimate, create slashes that strongly resemble Ryomen Sukuna's Cleave and Dismantle, from Jujutsu Kaisen.
==Enemies/Bosses ==
* Megalodaunts are inspired by the Shark Giants/Giant Fishmen from Bloodborne.
*The Mudskipper Brute, and Broodlord are both based on Clickers from The Last of Us. 
*Terrapods are almost certainly a reference to Headcrabs, from the Half-Life series.
*Angels are nearly identical to Angels from the Castlevania Anime.
*The Dread Serpent is inspired by Kaidou's Beast Form, from One Piece. 
**While Kaidou's beast form is indeed based on Dragons from Eastern Mythology, The Dread Serpent shares many similarities with Kaidou, in specific.
**The Dread Serpent's roar comes from Monster hunter 4 Ultimate. its the same audio as Gore Magala's roar.
*The Duke is inspired by the Accelerator from Toaru Majutsu no Index.
**The moves he uses are taken from Accelerator's moveset in Anime Battle Arena. They also both laugh manically after landing a counter.
***Par, one of the developers of Deepwoken, who designed the Duke, also works on Anime Battle Arena. This could be the reason why their movesets are the same.
*The Enforcer's design is very similar to the Kraeken Cyclops from Salt and Sanctuary. 
**This may also be where the Nautilodaunt comes from as it is very similar to The Enforcer, possessing a humanoid frame and similar AI intelligence, being able to parry and block. Kraeken themselves are derived from the Kraken, which are often depicted as squid monsters.
**Early in Deepwoken's development, the group the game was published under, Vows by the Sea, used the Kraeken Cyclops as its profile picture.
*Nautilodaunts draw inspiration from Cthulhu, a fictional squid-faced monster first created by the writer H.P. Lovecraft. They also draw heavy inspiration from Dagon from Jujutsu Kaisen, with their physique being near identical.
*Humanoid enemies casting mantras have a chance to say "behold my magic spell" as a spell shout.
**Originally, this was a bug, where enemies would always say the line on any mantra cast, which was a debug quote to test spell shout.
==Resonance ==
*Run It Back is a reference to Phoenix's ultimate from Valorant.
*Crazy Slots is a reference to the Nen ability with the same name used by Kite from Hunter × Hunter.
*Wind Up is a reference to the Nen ability, Ripper Cyclotron. It is used by Phinks from Hunter × Hunter.
*Dimensional Travel is a reference to Obito's Kamui from the anime Naruto.
*Payback is a reference to Meliodas' Full Counter from the anime Seven Deadly Sins.
*Portals is a reference to Yoru's ultimate from Valorant.
*Teleportation is a reference to Minato's Flying Raijin from Naruto.
**Could also possibly be a reference to the Accompany Card from the Hunter × Hunter Greed Island Arc.
*Shard Bow may be a possible reference to the Grandbows from The Stormlight Archive.
**It's triple-shot variant is also a bit similar to Huntress's Ballista from Risk of Rain 2, although this is a bit of a stretch.
*Jar of Souls is possibly a reference to The Binding Of Isaac: Repentance item, Urn of Souls.
**It may also be a reference to an item of the same name from Risk of Rain.
**Also may be a reference to the Corrupted Beacon from Minecraft Dungeons, as it functions practically the same.
==Talents==
*Captain Etrea is a reference to Captain America.
*Battle Tendency is likely a reference to the second part of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
*Boom, Headshot is a reference to a line in Meet the Sniper from the game Team Fortress 2, where said Sniper said the iconic line, or possibly this meme.
*Fishman and its description are possible references to two series. 
**The name is maybe a reference to a race of the same name from the anime One Piece, who, as the name suggests, are a race of fish people.
**The description is a reference to the famous quote made by Qui Gon Jinn in Star Wars: A Phantom Menace.
*The One Eyed King is possibly a reference to The One Eyed King in Tokyo Ghoul.
**One Eyed King is the category name for the Talent "Strength Unbound", possibly referencing the one-eyed swordsman Guts due to his profound strength.
*The Vow of Mastery line of Talents is a possible reference to Lelouch vi Britannia's ability from Code Geass. 
**The Command: Live also reinforces this fact, as during one of the episodes Lelouch tries commanding someone to live.
*Murmur: Ardour could be a reference to Busōshoku (Armament) haki from One Piece.
*Ardour Scream is a reference to Abyssal Scream from Rogue Lineage, both have the same animation and similar use. Abyssal Scream itself used to be called Ardor Scream, Referring to one of the Gods in Rogue Lineage. It could also be a reference to Haōshoku (Conqueror's) haki from One Piece.
*Ice Age Talent section name may be a reference to Aokiji's Ice Age ability name.
* A bit of a stretch, but the Safety Dance Talent can be referencing a song with the same name by Men Without Hats.
* The Lord Commander Talent is probably a reference to the Lord Commander of the Nights Watch/Kingsguard/City Watch in Game of Thrones.
*Pocket Sand is a reference to the "Pocket Sand" move from Rogue Lineage, obtained from Tal, the last part of description is also a reference to his phrase: "So... We're even now, right?".
* The vfx and ability of the Talent Last Resort is a reference to the Red Tearstone Ring from the Dark Souls franchise.
*The name of the Talent, Ultrakill, is a direct reference to the game ULTRAKILL, even requesting the player goes play it. 
**However, it actually consistently spells the name incorrectly.
*Underdog may be a reference to a skill of the same name from Fire Emblem Awakening. 
*The name of Dragon's Song—and by extension, the uppercut game mechanic—is derived from the Shoryuken from the Street Fighter series, wherein it is colloquially referred to as the "dragon punch"; the Shoryuken is an uppercut that is typically used to counter an opponent's aerial attack. 
*Action Surge is similar in effect to the Rogue Lineage skill of the same name, albeit much less potent.
*Blood and Iron is a reference to the Roblox game of the same name.
*The Mystic quote for the Talent category Quack Doctor is "My cure is most effective."
==Weapons==
*The old model of Divine Spear's model resembles the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear from Genshin Impact.
*The model of Divine Longsword resembles the unsealed version of Excalibur Proto, a weapon from the Fate series.
*Rifle Spear is a reference to the weapon with the same name from Bloodborne. 
**The original model was a direct copy of it.
*The Obfuscation enchant is a possible reference to Saber's Invisible Air from the Fate series.
*Petra's Anchor is a reference to May from Guilty Gear.
**Its critical attack lunge the user forward, which makes it more in line with May's Mr. Dolphin attack, more commonly known as "TOTSUGEKI!".
*The Railblade's critical attacks, both ground and mid-air, are based on moves from Kyojuro Rengoku from Anime Battle Arena.
*The Krulian Knife has the exact same design as Chrollo's knife in Hunter × Hunter.
*The Shattered Katana is a reference to the black mortal blade that was used by Genichiro from Sekiro.
*The older model of Curved Blade of Winds along with its aftercut effect may be a possible reference to Windshear, a scimitar from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
**The current model was inspired by the Seedler from Terraria.
*The critical attack for the Gremorian Longspear may be a reference to Chain Pull, a move used by Deep Knights in Rogue Lineage.
*The Stormseye is inspired by the Touch of Malice from Destiny and the Wunderwaffe DG-2 from Call of Duty.
*Ysley's Pyre Keeper is a reference to the Farron Greatsword from Dark Souls III and it's fire infused state used by the Abyss Watchers during their second phase.
*The Imperial Staff is inspired by Sun Wukong's 'Ruyi Jingu Bang', including the little effects around the head the staff gives you imitating the controlling crown Sun Wukong wore.
*The Death's Reverie's description reads "Have the lambs stopped screaming?" which is a line from the film The Silence of the Lambs.
== Enchantments==
*Stormbreaker is a reference to the weapon used by Thor of the same name from Marvel Comics.
*Elastic is a reference to Hisoka's Bungee Gum from Hunter × Hunter.
*Obfuscation and Heroism are references to Artoria Pendragon's Excalibur from the Fate franchise.
*Multiple enchants are taken directly from Pixel Dungeon. A list of these are... 
**Blazing.
**Grim.
**Vampirism (Vampiric).
**Chilling.
** Unstable.
**Wild.
==NPCs/Characters==
*Akira references the archetypal 'edgy anime character,' with much of his design and mannerisms meant to reflect this.
*Rabanastre is a reference to Patches, a recurring character in the soulsborne games produced by Fromsoftware.
*Carrion, Father of Evolution is modelled after a real life player.
==Names==
*The names Cadaver and Skulduggery are in reference to two characters from the Skulduggery Pleasant franchise.
*The name Sisyphus references Sisyphus from Greek mythology, due to him being extremely prevalent in meme culture at the time.
*The names Ornstein and Smough are a reference to the iconic duo from the first Dark Souls.
*The name Aldrich is a reference to the boss of the same name from Dark Souls III.
*The names Shabriri, Vyke, Maliketh, and Godfrey are references to Elden Ring.
*The names Laios, Falin, Senshi, Izutsumi, Chilchuck and Marcille are a reference to the manga Dungeon Meshi.
*The names Frieren, Fern, Stark, and Eisen are a reference to the manga Sousou no Frieren.
*The names "Angela," "Binah," "Chesed," "Gebura," "Hokma," "Netzach," "Tiphereth," "Roland," "Argalia", "Xiao", "Zena", and "Iori", while references to older media such as the Kabbalah Tree of Life, and Orlando Furioso, were added in reference to the games Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina.
*The names Phos, Padparadscha, Rutile, Diamond, and Cinnabar are references to the manga Land of the Lustrous.
*The name Yakub is a reference to Yakub, the creator of white people (actually, he started the process and his followers completed it) in Nation Of Islam doctrine.
==World==
===The Etrean Luminant===
*The Knives of Eylis are based on Whalers from Dishonored due to multiple similarities.
**The Knives of Eylis wear Whaler Initiate and use the Whaling Knife. They use a similar type of magic to Bend Time spell. The name 'Knives of Eylis' could be a reference to Daud's nickname 'Knife of Dunwall'
*Erisia may be based on the Nameless God's island from Salt and Sanctuary.
* A golem named Marcus can be found in an area hidden under a house in the Hidden Village.
*Zana's quest is a reference to a certain player type in the game early on, specifically, those seen as 'metamancers'. 
**These players were often Flamecharmers, used the shattered katana or hero blades, were often Vesperians and wore either Deepwoken, Pathfinder Elite, or Royal Pathfinder cloaks.
**The locations he are encountered in were the prime PVP and ganking spots where these were seen.
**The reward is a reference to how many of these players believed themselves to be or tried to act like 'anime characters,' with the poser's ring's ability mirroring a trope often seen in anime, in which wounds created by a character's attacks are only registered once they sheath their weapon.
**He has negative Navaen Nomad reputation. He was probably gripping them for Frigid Prisms.
===The Eastern Luminant===
*Suri's Quest is probably a reference to the Delicate Flower Quest from Hollow Knight due to having the same mechanic and both involving leaving a flower at a grave.
*The Shrine of Order might be a reference to the Shrine of Order from Risk of Rain 2.
*The Derelict Highchurch's hidden library has a crystal in the celestial's room, which is the same model used for Ya'Alda in Rogue Lineage. 
*The Saramaed Hollow and Ignition Delver Origin are a homage to the 2020 video game Deep Rock Galactic, in which players are tasked with mining ore while monsters are attempting to kill them.
===The Depths===
*The Depths itself was confirmed to have drawn inspiration Salt and Sanctuary. 
** The ocean theme coupled with an idea of rebirth on the shore is taken from the game Salt and Sanctuary. The Depths are ruled by a group of false gods who drag down cities to add to the layers, just like the Nameless God did in Salt and Sanctuary.
*The geological features of The Depths fit the corresponding circle of hell in Dante's Inferno. The first circle features a large cavern, while the second feature cold and harsh winds.
*The idea of the Depth is taken from the Unknown from Rogue Lineage both having similar nature and purpose. It was once said by Arch Mage that the Unknown is the Deep in the sense of the Rogue Tales universe. 
**its the reason why people think Deepwoken and Rogue Lineage is connected, though its already debunked.
**The cycle of world in Deepwoken may also take inspiration from Rogue Lineage world cycle.
====Layer 1 (Scyphozia)====
*Among one of the cliffs, a pineapple can be found. This is a reference to SpongeBob's House. 
**Some of the King Gigameds that spawn with hats near it may start dancing to a tune from SpongeBob.
*The City of the Drowned likely draws inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu, being very similar to the sunken city of R'lyeh, which is inhabited by Cthulhu, who is likely an inspiration for the Nautilodaunt.
====Layer 2 (The Eternal Gale)====
*After beating the Scion of Ethiron, you are forced to run to the exit with a time limit all the while instant kill orbs spawn around you. This is all ripped from Risk of Rain 2, as you do the same thing after beating Mithrix on Commencement. 
**This is also reinforced by the fact that the spawning sounds for the white orbs are just the Void Reaver death implosion sound effect.
*Among a hidden cliff, a frozen Yeti from Rogue Lineage can be found.
===Factions===
*Etrea is very similar to a mixture of various East Asian countries.
*The Ministry is possibly a reference to The Ministry from Fahrenheit 451.
*The Knives of Eylis is a reference to a faction in Dishonored as they can travel to a place that only exists within dreams, are assassins and have a supernatural entity that allow said group to exist.
*The Divers, especially the Black Divers, are a reference to the Whistles of Made in Abyss, having the rank of Black Diver being very similar in design of the armor and concept of the White Whistles.
===Aspects===
*Etreans share many visual similarities with Mitsuki and Orochimaru from Naruto. 
** Regarding their culture, they have similarities to Eastern civilizations, in architecture, and names.
*Adrets are a combination of Goliaths from Dungeons and Dragons, and Obligators from Mistborn. 
**While both have markings on their face, Adrets markings are specifically referenced from Obligators.
*Canors are confirmed to be based on the design of Mereoleona from Black Clover.
**On a broader reference, Canor surnames are German. Zweihanders, a weapon of German creation in real life, are used by Canor Borderwatchers.
*Khans resemble modern interpretations of Sun Wukong from Journey To The West, with their near identical hair on sideburns and cheeks, and headband.
**It also references the meme "Return to Monke" in character selection, as when you roll off Khan, you are able to switch back, though instead of the text saying "Switch to [aspect]" it says "Return to Khan"
*Vesperians somewhat resemble the Vessels from Hollow Knight.
**The origins of Vesperians can be traced back to Arch_Mage's earlier game, Yggdrasil, where they were depicted as hostile automatons. This history is still evident today, reflected in their lore by being more robust than any other aspect.
*Ganymedes are a likely reference to the Snail Shamans from Hollow Knight.
** Ganymedes are also named after a moon of Jupiter.
**Ganymedes origins stems from Arch_Mage's previous game, Yggdrasil. Where it serves as the player's race.
*Although this was likely unintentional, Tiran's Jay variant resembles Niko from OneShot. 
**Their Cardinal variant also heavily resembles Makima from Chainsaw Man due to their eyes and hair color.
===Misc===
*The Drowned Gods are inspired by the gods from the H.P. Lovecraft mythos: 
**Perceiving them drives you to insanity.
** They are too great to interact with the world normally, and must interact with it via shrines, avatars and vessels.
** They have to be summoned via rituals.
*Sudaruska the Undying may be a reference to Undyne the Undying from the Undertale Genocide route, given that they have similar names and held themselves together by determination until the end.
*The Emerald item's description is a reference to the Chaos Emeralds from the Sonic franchise.
*The sound that the Forge emitted was taken from Asura Wrath.
*The "Hoss" emote is a reference to Akuma from Street Fighter, while the name of emote is a reference to Big Hoss from Rogue Lineage, the trainer of Oni and Sunaikinti's Blessed classes.
*When enemies spot you there is a chance to play the alert sound effect from Metal Gear Solid.
*Voideye's Teleportation animation bears a striking resemblance to Final Fantasy XIV's teleport animation.
==Trivia==
*Despite his heavy referencing of it, yayafino has not played Genshin Impact.
==References==
 
Category:Deepwoken