Junji Ito Fan Creates Terrifying Crossover In Animal Crossing

While several of Junji Ito‘s most terrifying stories have been adapted into the world of anime, with the upcoming Adult Swim adaptation of Uzumaki being on the top of many minds with the recently released new footage from Production IG, though there has been one story that has yet to be brought to the small screen in the unsettling story of the “Hanging Balloons,” One fan of the spooky mangaka took to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to recreate the creepy tale that saw floating doppelgangers roll into the countryside in search of death and destruction for those unfortunately in their way.

The Hanging Balloons first appeared in a dream that Ito had as a child, with the mangaka giving it form in one of his creepiest stories to date. With said balloons being giant heads floating with nooses beneath them, the monstrous creations would search out their human doppelgangers and attempt to kill them for reasons unknown. Unlike stories such as Gyo and Fashion Model, Hanging Balloons has yet to hit the medium of anime, though with a new Junji Ito reportedly in the works outside of the upcoming Toonami take on Uzumaki, perhaps we’ll see these floating monsters making their way to animation in the future.

Reddit User shared this unsettling crossover that brings back Ito’s creepy balloons to the world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, using the video game’s platform to give life to the floating monstrosities that originally appeared to the spooky mangaka in a dream when he was a child:

Junji Ito fans were shocked when Cartoon Network announced that the anime adaptation of Uzumaki would be delayed until October 2022, though new footage of the series was also shared which placated many anime viewers who have been waiting for a faithful adaptation of Ito’s works. While the previous Junji Ito Collection anime series adapted a number of short stories from the past of the horror mangaka, many fans felt that Studio Deen, the production company behind the series, wasn’t able to live up to the insane quality of Ito’s original works. Needless to say, many fans are chomping at the bit to see more footage from the upcoming adaptation that will tell the tale of the cursed town obsessed with spirals.

What do you think of this bone-chilling crossover? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Junji Ito.