diff --git a/docs/releases.md b/docs/releases.md
index 8fd182b7b..7bb3340e0 100644
--- a/docs/releases.md
+++ b/docs/releases.md
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
   By [Tom Nicholas](https://github.com/TomNicholas).
 - Fix handling of big-endian data in Icechunk by making sure that non-default zarr serializers are included in the zarr array metadata [#766](https://github.com/zarr-developers/VirtualiZarr/issues/766).
   By [Max Jones](https://github.com/maxrjones)
+- Fix handling of big-endian data in Kerchunk references [#769](https://github.com/zarr-developers/VirtualiZarr/issues/769).
+  By [Max Jones](https://github.com/maxrjones)
 
 ### Documentation
 
diff --git a/virtualizarr/tests/test_writers/test_kerchunk.py b/virtualizarr/tests/test_writers/test_kerchunk.py
index 4faf99273..6b778baa2 100644
--- a/virtualizarr/tests/test_writers/test_kerchunk.py
+++ b/virtualizarr/tests/test_writers/test_kerchunk.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 from xarray import Dataset
 from zarr.core.metadata.v2 import ArrayV2Metadata
 
-from conftest import ARRAYBYTES_CODEC
 from virtualizarr.manifests import ChunkManifest, ManifestArray
 from virtualizarr.tests import requires_fastparquet, requires_kerchunk
 from virtualizarr.utils import JSON, convert_v3_to_v2_metadata, kerchunk_refs_as_json
@@ -194,12 +193,18 @@ def test_accessor_to_kerchunk_parquet(self, tmp_path, array_v3_metadata):
         }
 
 
-def testconvert_v3_to_v2_metadata(array_v3_metadata):
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("endian,expected_dtype_char", [("little", "<"), ("big", ">")])
+def test_convert_v3_to_v2_metadata(
+    array_v3_metadata, endian: str, expected_dtype_char: str
+):
     shape = (5, 20)
     chunks = (5, 10)
     codecs = [
-        ARRAYBYTES_CODEC,
-        {"name": "numcodecs.delta", "configuration": {"dtype": "<i8"}},
+        {"name": "bytes", "configuration": {"endian": endian}},
+        {
+            "name": "numcodecs.delta",
+            "configuration": {"dtype": f"{expected_dtype_char}i8"},
+        },
         {
             "name": "numcodecs.blosc",
             "configuration": {"cname": "zstd", "clevel": 5, "shuffle": 1},
@@ -211,19 +216,25 @@ def testconvert_v3_to_v2_metadata(array_v3_metadata):
 
     assert isinstance(v2_metadata, ArrayV2Metadata)
     assert v2_metadata.shape == shape
-    assert v2_metadata.dtype.to_native_dtype() == np.dtype("int32")
+    expected_dtype = np.dtype(f"{expected_dtype_char}i4")  # assuming int32
+    assert v2_metadata.dtype.to_native_dtype() == expected_dtype
     assert v2_metadata.chunks == chunks
     assert v2_metadata.fill_value == 0
-    compressor_config = v2_metadata.filters[1].get_config()
+
+    assert v2_metadata.filters
+    filter_codec, compressor_codec = v2_metadata.filters
+    compressor_config = compressor_codec.get_config()
     assert compressor_config["id"] == "blosc"
     assert compressor_config["cname"] == "zstd"
     assert compressor_config["clevel"] == 5
     assert compressor_config["shuffle"] == 1
     assert compressor_config["blocksize"] == 0
-    filters_config = v2_metadata.filters[0].get_config()
+
+    filters_config = filter_codec.get_config()
     assert filters_config["id"] == "delta"
-    assert filters_config["dtype"] == "<i8"
-    assert filters_config["astype"] == "<i8"
+    expected_delta_dtype = f"{expected_dtype_char}i8"
+    assert filters_config["dtype"] == expected_delta_dtype
+    assert filters_config["astype"] == expected_delta_dtype
     assert v2_metadata.attributes == {}
 
 
diff --git a/virtualizarr/utils.py b/virtualizarr/utils.py
index ce3c282d5..c36212fcf 100644
--- a/virtualizarr/utils.py
+++ b/virtualizarr/utils.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import obstore as obs
 from zarr.abc.codec import ArrayBytesCodec
 from zarr.core.metadata import ArrayV2Metadata, ArrayV3Metadata
+from zarr.dtype import data_type_registry
 
 from virtualizarr.codecs import get_codec_config, zarr_codec_config_to_v2
 from virtualizarr.types.kerchunk import KerchunkStoreRefs
@@ -134,15 +135,28 @@ def convert_v3_to_v2_metadata(
     """
 
     # TODO: Check that all ArrayBytesCodecs should in fact be excluded for V2 metadata storage.
-    # TODO: Test round-tripping big endian since that is stored in the bytes codec in V3; it should be included in data type instead for V2.
     v2_codecs = [
         zarr_codec_config_to_v2(get_codec_config(codec))
         for codec in v3_metadata.codecs
         if not isinstance(codec, ArrayBytesCodec)
     ]
+    # TODO: Remove convert_v3_to_v2_metadata and always encode V3 metadata.
+    # This logic is based on the (default) Bytes codec's endian property,
+    # but other codec pipelines could store endianness elsewhere.
+    big_endian = any(
+        isinstance(codec, ArrayBytesCodec)
+        and hasattr(codec, "endian")
+        and codec.endian.value == "big"
+        for codec in v3_metadata.codecs
+    )
+    if big_endian:
+        na_dtype = v3_metadata.data_type.to_native_dtype().newbyteorder(">")
+        dtype = data_type_registry.match_dtype(dtype=na_dtype)
+    else:
+        dtype = v3_metadata.data_type
     v2_metadata = ArrayV2Metadata(
         shape=v3_metadata.shape,
-        dtype=v3_metadata.data_type,
+        dtype=dtype,
         chunks=v3_metadata.chunks,
         fill_value=fill_value or v3_metadata.fill_value,
         filters=v2_codecs