Cuphead ships in Japan with amazing art from a Final Fantasy icon, and fans are losing it
Yoshitaka Amano is back in action
Cuphead fans are losing it over the Japanese physical edition boasting artwork by the legendary Yoshitaka Amano.
Earlier this week, Studio MDHR revealed the physical version of Cuphead in Japan via Amazon, which bundles in The Delicious Last Course DLC and extra goodies like a sticker sheet. One huge selling point for the physical edition is that it features artwork from prolific manga and Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano for anyone lucky enough to get their hands on the physical edition.
We're elated to reveal our collaboration with the legendary Yoshitaka Amano!Paying homage to classic fantasy RPGs, Amano-san's art will adorn the DLC soundtrack included in 1st Run copies of Cuphead's Japanese Physical Edition. Global pre-orders here: https://t.co/wMuBoimLeX pic.twitter.com/mz1YolDaq5February 15, 2023
As you might expect, Cuphead and Amano fans are absolutely losing it on Twitter over the collaboration. The tweets just below are just a sampling of worldwide fans outside Japan crying out for the desperate need to get their hands on this special physical edition of Cuphead, purely for the Yoshitaka Amano artwork.
NO WAY CUPHEAD PHYSICAL COPIES IN JAPAN ACTUALLY HAVE YOSHITAKA AMANO ART THAT IS LITERALLY THE BEST AND I NEED IT pic.twitter.com/LhlHTgytFtFebruary 15, 2023
Dawg, this Amano art for CUPHEAD (of all games) goes so unbelievably hard wtf pic.twitter.com/FKgA6jkTbmFebruary 15, 2023
MOTHERFUCKING AMANO DID THE COVER ART FOR THE CUPHEAD DLC ALBUM?! pic.twitter.com/FqaHMT9vHoFebruary 15, 2023
There's a lot of comparisons being drawn between Amano's new artwork, and his art for Final Fantasy 6. Fans are pointing out how characters on the new artwork resemble Final Fantasy's Terra, with one describing Amano as an absolute "baller" for recreating Terra and calling it a day.
Considering Cuphead's extravagant art style, perhaps it's not a surprise that Studio MDHR have sought out Yoshitaka Amano to help sell their game in Japan. The platformer turned heads for its artwork when it launched nearly half a decade ago, and to this day it's still highlighted as one incredible-looking creation.
For those that aren't familiar with Amano's body of work, I'd highly recommend looking into his past artworks. The artist grew to prominence for his work on manga titles like Demon City Shinjuku and Vampire Hunter D, before gaining international recognition for his work on the Final Fantasy series, particularly Final Fantasy 6 and 7. You've likely seen Amano's artwork, or works inspired by his legendary craft, without even realizing it.
Last year at The Golden Joystick awards, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course won Best Game Expansion.
Sign up to the 12DOVE Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.
It's been 10 years since Mario Kart 8 launched, and it still managed to outsell every single first-party new Nintendo Switch game in 2024
Xbox has barely mentioned Conker's Bad Fur Day in 10 years, but popstar Doja Cat just put the cult N64 platformer in front of 24 million people in the funniest way