The Call of Duty franchise is no stranger to anime and manga as last seen with Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Attack on Titan collaboration. In the latest instance, completing the lengthy string of melee kill challenges in Modern Warfare 2 awards the player with the 1000 Birds calling card. The challenge and calling card are references to the popular Naruto anime and manga franchise. More specifically, Modern Warfare 2 references the powerful elemental technique used by two of Naruto’s most popular characters.
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The “1000 Birds” challenge in Modern Warfare 2 references the “Chidori” lightning jutsu performed by Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha in the Naruto series. Chidori translates to “one thousand birds” in English, and the lightning jutsu delivers a high-pitched wail that mimics a massive flock of birds. Players must complete all six melee kill challenges in Modern Warfare 2 to earn the 1000 Birds calling card, which depicts a streak of blue and white lightning reminiscent of the Chidori jutsu. Reaching 1,000 kills with melee attacks will be enough to complete all challenges and earn the calling card, but it will be a test of patience since knife kills do not count toward completion.
The 1000 Birds challenge appears to reference the Chidori technique’s use of striking power as since kills with knives are not factored into melee kills. In Naruto, the Chidori jutsu channels lightning toward the palm and forearm of the user for a powerful strike. Kakashi originally learned the move under the mentorship of Minato, the Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. Eventually, Sasuke would eventually learn the Chidori jutsu from Kakashi, and Kakashi would evolve his Chidori technique into the refined Lightning Cutter.
Naruto is one of the most popular franchises to come out of Japan, and Call of Duty is a worldwide phenomenon that entices returning and new players every year. Millions of players around the world are playing Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer, so it’s likely that many Naruto fans are among the current player base. Naruto also appeared in Fortnite, which is another popular multiplayer title that experienced success on a global scale.
Performing 1,000 melee kills may be time-consuming, but the reward may be seen as a badge of honor for completing one of Modern Warfare 2’s most arduous tasks. At the same time, the calling card allows Naruto fans to represent their favorite anime in multiplayer.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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Source: ComicBook
