Umamusume: Pretty Derby has been out for years in Japan, and the roster of Umas is much larger in that version of the game. The newly-released Western version of the game is going to take time to catch up, but there are a ton of surprises in store for players once that content releases.
People have named their horses after some bizarre things over the years, with Skibidi Rizz recently gaining some viral traction after winning his very first race. Though it’ll be a while until we see him in Umamusume if at all, he’s not the only horse with a name that presents the opportunity to do something crazy.
Enter Air Shakur, a real horse named after the one and only Tupac Shakur. It’s not known when she’ll arrive in the version of the game that just released in the West, but, thanks to fans from Japan, we know what her campaign involves.
Her entire kit is made up of hip-hop references, with every unique campaign event named after a pivotal album, track, or bar from the time.
Air Shakur’s story is a bizarre love letter to American hip-hop
In what is likely one of the strangest cultural mash-ups in history, Umamusume’s Air Shakur is a horse girl based on a real horse based on one of the most famous hip hop artists of all time. The real horse was also bred by two American horses in a Japanese farm, with it only ever running races in Japan.
He also just so happened to be one of the fastest horses in history, absolutely smoking the competition in races where he behaved. Despite his short life, Air Shakur was infamous.
This horse ran fast and hot, with it being so temperamental that its trainers drew straws to see who would have to deal with it on the day because they were all terrified of dealing with him. He unfortunately died at the age of 6 because he kicked right through a fence, breaking his leg in the process and dying as a result of the injury.
The amount of real life lore behind this horse combined with all the potential for references created the perfect storm. Air Shakur is beloved in Japan and has spurred a love for the genre of music that may not have existed in the country otherwise.
From the ‘All Eyez on Me’ sticker on her laptop to ‘Can’t C Me’ and ‘Ambitionz’ being the actual names of her story events during career missions, the references aren’t at all subtle.
It’s not just Tupac songs either, with her also having a debuff called “99 Problems” after the iconic Jay-Z line. So, while she may take a while to come to the Western Umamusume client, you should be looking forward to her release if you’re a fan of the game.
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