Fortnite clip proves anime skins are absolutely pay-to-lose

Anime-themed skins are extremely popular in Fortnite, and with good reason since they look very different compared to traditional Outfits and bring their own flair to the Metaverse. In fact, they truly stand out from the crowd, and at times, a bit too much. Due to this reason, anime skins are now being hailed as pay-to-lose.

According to the community, anime-themed skins stick out like sore thumbs in the Storm. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. To prove that this is the case and not mere hearsay, Fortnite content creator Birdo did a little experiment to confirm the same, and the results were shocking.

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Fortnite anime skins are pay-to-lose due to cel-shading

According to Birdo, all anime Outfits are pay-to-lose due to cel-shading, which is categorized as a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make 3-D computer graphics appear to be flat. This technique is done using less shading color instead of shade gradients or tints and shades. It can be used to mimic the style of a comic book or cartoon and/or give the render a characteristic paper-like texture.

To test out this hypothesis of cel-shading being pay-to-lose, a total of four skins were used. One was non-cel-shaded, while the other three were cel-shaded anime skins. To check if the anime skins truly did stick out like sore thumbs in the Storm, two different experiments were conducted.

In the first experiment, the controlled skin (Tender Defender) alongside the three cel-shaded skins (Eren Jaeger, Izuku Midoriya, and Lexa) were placed outside the Storm. Birdo's character, while in the Storm, aimed down sight using the Heavy Sniper Rifle to catch a glimpse of the skins.

As expected, while Tender Defender was visible through the Storm, the three cel-shaded skins had their black outlines highlighted. In theory, this would make it easier for anime skins to be spotted through the Storm and thus, leaving them at a disadvantage. The difference is noticeable when zoomed-out and in hip-fire mode.

In the second experiment, all four skins were placed inside the Storm while Birdo's character was outside of it. As with the first experiment, while Tender Defender was visible while aiming down the scope of the Heavy Sniper Rifle, the three cel-shaded anime skins popped out more. This, in theory, would make them easy targets and make it harder for those wearing these skins to enter the safe-zone stealthily.

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How can Epic Games fix this pay-to-lose issue for anime skins in Fortnite?

An easy way to fix this pay-to-lose dilemma in Fortnite would be to provide players with the option to switch the cel-shading off,and I t could be featured as an additional style for the skin. That being said, while this is a quick-fix, it's not a long-term solution since I t wouldn't be fair to those who prefer the cel-shaded version of the Outfit.

Epic Games will likely have to rework the cosmetics to make them blend better in the Storm. Given that the number of anime-themed skins has grown exponentially, this could take some time if the developers move forward with the idea. For the time being, the safest way to avoid being on the losing end of anime skins is to avoid being stuck in the Storm.

While this is not an ideal fix given that rotating through the Storm becomes necessary at times, it is a temporary solution at best. Hopefully, the problem will be addressed as soon as possible to avoid tarnishing the reputation of anime-themed skins in Fortnite.