Line #172 ShoutOut/HonkaiStarRail


1	As expected from a game developed by Creator/MiHoYo, ''Honkai: Star Rail'' is a game [[ReferenceOverdosed rich in shout-outs]].
2	----
3	* From the very first trailer alone, it's shown that this series pays a big tribute to ''Manga/GalaxyExpress999'' with its core concept of exploring the outer space with an interstellar train.
4	* A whole gameplay mechanic can be considered a shoutout: the ability to use Ultimates at any moment in combat, regardless if it's that character's turn or not, is taken almost 1-to-1 from the S-Crafts from the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries''. The only major technical difference is that using an S-Craft on your turn uses it like if you were using any other action, while here using an Ultimate during a character's turn allows them to act twice. The game's producer David Jiang is a self-proclaimed superfan of the franchise.
5	** Furthermore, the Fiendfire mechanic in the ''A Foxian Tale of the Haunted'' event functions similarly to the turn order bonuses in the Trails Series, and encourages players to use Ultimates in the same manner as well. In Trails, players can see that certain future turns will have bonuses, ranging from attack buffs to guaranteed critical hits. The most effective way to 'steal' these bonuses from the enemy is the input an S-Craft right before the turn bonus is about to happen. In ''A Foxian Tale of the Haunted,'' the best way to prevent enemies from getting Fiendfire bonuses is to input Ultimates in the same way.
6	* Herta develops a digital copy of the universe that she initially wants to call the [[{{Website/Facebook}} Metaverse]]. However, she later changes her mind and decides to call it the "Simulated Universe" instead. The Trailblazer even has a dialogue option pointing out that the Metaverse name [[TakeThat is just a fad that will never catch on.]]
7	-->Seriously? Don't ride that hype train.
8	* When Herta muses about why Aeons exist, the Trailblazer can respond with with the number [[Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy 42]]. Similarly, in the "Punklorde Mentality" Companion Mission, you can ask Screwllum "What is the ultimate meaning of the existence of the Universe?", to which he will end his speech with "Of course, I've also heard that the answer is nothing more than a two-digit number".
9	* The FlavorText for the Yucky Fried Rice, which was changed in a post-release update to make the reference obvious.
10	-->''Fried rice that is golden brown. Eating it almost feels like some punishment game. [[{{VideoGame/Undertale}} Just looking at it fills you with determination.]]''
11	* One of the possible Domain - Occurrence events in Simulated Universe is titled [[Literature/TheThreeLittlePigs "Three Little Pigs"]]. By the game's context however, you get the option to fight three Trotters; one is trembling, one is ready to flee, and one is in combat position.
12	* Elation Blessings in Simulated Universe are named after books and films:
13	** ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity%27s_Rainbow Aiden Gravitational Rainbow]]''
14	** ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_Piano_(novel) Auto Harmonica]]: [[Literature/MotherNight Whitest Night]]''
15	** ''[[Literature/ToTheLighthouse Back to the Lighthouse]]''
16	** ''[[Literature/BreakfastOfChampions Champion's Dinner:]] Literature/CatsCradle''
17	** ''[[Literature/ClockworkOrange Clockwork Apple]]''
18	** ''[[Film/DrStrangelove Doctor of Love]]''
19	** ''[[Literature/MostlyHarmless Mostly Harmful]]''
20	** ''Literature/PaleFire''
21	** ''[[Film/PortraitOfALadyOnFire Portrait of a Man on Fire]]''
22	** ''[[Literature/SlaughterhouseFive Slaughterhouse No. 4: Rest in Peace]]''
23	** ''[[Film/Suspiria1977 Suspiria]]''
24	** ''[[Film/TwelveMonkeys 12 Monkeys]] [[Film/TwelveAngryMen and Angry Men]]''
25	** ''[[Literature/CatchTwentyTwo Twenty-First Military Rule]]''
26	* The flavour text of the Metal material references a planet in which the people gain superpowers by eating metals - a potential reference to the ''Literature/{{Mistborn\|TheOriginalTrilogy}}'' fantasy novels.
27	* After completing the "Hide and Seek" quest in Boulder Town, the succeeding moments and cutscenes entirely serve as a nod to ''Film/FightClub'' – Hook leads you to the aptly-named Fight Club boxing ring where Dan Heng is last seen, a dialogue option lets you inquire about the "First Rule", the next quest's title references the "Eighth and Final Rule", and so on.
28	* An unmarked quest in Rivet Town references the story of Gascoigne's daughers from [[VideoGame/BloodBorne Bloodborne]].
29	* March 7th tries to open the gate to Svarog's lair by shouting [[Literature/AliBabaAndTheFortyThieves "Open sesame!"]]
30	* One of the early dialogue options the Trailblazer can choose to negotiate with Svarog is [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} "To be or not to be... that is the question"]]. Needless to say, Svarog is not amused and says you're wasting his time.
31	* The Blaze/Ice Out of Space enemies are named after the H.P. Lovecraft story ''Literature/TheColourOutOfSpace''.
32	* Some of the achievements' names are also pop-culture references, including Website/TVTropes:
33	** [[Series/GameOfThrones Winter is Leaving]]
34	** [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Half the Wizard of Oz]]
35	** [[VideoGame/NeverwinterNights Everwinter Night]]
36	** [[Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxyTrilogy The Express Passenger's Guide to Galaxy]]
37	** [[Literature/FateStrangeFake Fate/stranger Fake]]
38	** ''Literature/ReadyPlayerOne''
39	** [[Literature/TheGreatGatsby The Great Cosmic Gatsby]]
40	** [[Film/CitizenKane Rosebud]]
41	** [[Literature/DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep Do Android Snails Dream of Electric Trees?]]
42	** [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Who Moved My Pokeball?]]
43	** [[WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph Wreck-It Self]]
44	** Don't Worry Be Happy, referencing the famous song by Bobby [=McFerrin=].
45	** [[Music/TheLonelyIsland Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions]]
46	** [[Film/TheGrandBudapestHotel The Grand Budapest Hotel]]
47	** [[VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice Shadows Die Ad Infinitum]]
48	** ''Literature/TheDayOfTheTriffids''
49	** Clara and the Sun, referencing the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.
50	** [[Literature/TheGiftoftheMagi The Gift of the Magi]]
51	** [[Film/PulpFiction Non-pulp Fiction]]
52	** [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlertSeries Red-name Alert]]
53	** ''Literature/ChildhoodsEnd''
54	** ''Literature/Fahrenheit451''
55	** The achievements "Consecutive Normal Punches" and "Serious Punch" are taken from Saitama's named moves in ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan''.
56	** VideoGame/TriangleStrategy
57	** [[UsefulNotes/SchrodingersCat Schrödinger's Other Cat]]
58	** [[VideoGame/DiscoElysium Mega Rich Light-Bending Guy]]
59	** Film/TheExorcist
60	** [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire A Song of Vice and Dire]]
61	** [[Film/TheMatrix Bullet Time]]
62	** [[Film/CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind Close Encounters of the Sixth Kind]]
63	** "My Childhood", "My Apprenticeship" and "My Universities" are the names of three parts of Maxim Gorky's autobiography.
64	** Literature/TheDemolishedMan
65	** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambique_Drill Mozambique Drill]]
66	** [[DeathOfAThousandCuts A Thousand Cuts]]
67	** [[Music/DeepPurple Highway Star]]
68	** [[NeverBringAGunToAKnifeFight Bring a Gun to a Knife Fight]]. The achievement is given for [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill dealing more than 20,000 damage]] to an enemy with 1% HP left.
69	** [[Creator/ChuckNorris Chad Norris]]
70	** Film/FullMetalJacket
71	** [[VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries Right Hand Man's Many Right-Handed Right Hands]]
72	** [[Literature/TheQueenOfSpades Life is but a Game]]
73	** [[Music/GunsNRoses Sweet Pom-Pom O'Mine]]
74	** [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln Honest Abe]]
75	** GreenThumb
76	** The MandelaEffect
77	** [[Film/LaLaLand Lā Lá Lǎ Là Land]]
78	** {{Film/Tootsie}}
79	** [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay Hasta la Vista, Hexanexus!]]
80	** "Foolish Little Brother..." is a reference to a quote by Itachi Uchiha from ''{{Manga/Naruto}}''
81	** Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart
82	** [[Videogame/Dota2 Ghosty Scythe of Vice]]
83	** [[Literature/TheHungerGames The Hunter Games]]
84	** [[Literature/MethuselahsChildren Methuselah's Children]]
85	** [[Literature/StrangerInAStrangeLand Stranger in a Strange Land]]
86	** [[Videogame/HarvestMoon Harvest Moon]]
87	** [[{{Theatre/Hamlet}} To Be, or Not to Be]]
88	** [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Back to the Future]]
89	** [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]]
90	** [[Franchise/MassEffect Mass Relay]]
91	** [[Film/MissionImpossible Mission Impossible?]]
92	** [[{{Franchise/Ghostbusters}} Who You're Gonna Call?]]
93	** [[TabletopGame/{{Cyberpunk}} Trauma Team Platinum Package]] and Pacifica is Still Pacifica
94	** [[Manga/SteelBallRun My Heart And Actions Are Utterly Uncluttered]]
95	** [[Music/DavidBowie The Man Who Sold the Moon]]
96	** [[Film/TheWolfOfWallStreet The Wolf of Astral Street]]
97	** [[Website/SCPFoundation XK-Class Scenario]] and Class-D Personnel
98	** Anime/BubblegumCrisis
99	** [[Film/BladeRunner Glitter at Tanhauser Gate]] and On Fire off the Shoulder of Orion
100	** [[Franchise/StarshipTroopers Back to Klendathu]]
101	** [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny Dial of Destiny]]
102	** [[{{Film/Alien}} Nuke Them from Orbit]]
103	** [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Exterminatus]] and Omnissiah
104	** [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy Meta-Guardians of the Galaxy]]
105	** [[{{Music/Queen}} We Are the Champion?]]
106	** [[Series/HowIMetYourMother Legen... Wait For It... Dary!]]
107	** Literature/TheCatInTheHat
108	** [=FlyMe2TheBaloon=], Balloon Gakuen 2, [[VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd Balloon Impact 3rd]]
109	** Pawnshop No. 8 is named after the Taiwanese historical fantasy romance series ''The Pawnshop No. 8''.
110	** Film/The400Blows
111	** [[Film/PacificRim Lunarescent Rim]]
112	* In the description of the Masked Fools faction, there is a quote from [[Music/RickAstley Ast Rickley]] which is... a massive JustForFun/{{Rickroll}}!
113	-->Even an organization like the Masked Fools sing solemn praises of their Aeon. The Aeon will never give you up, never let you down, or abandon you. They will never make you cry, say goodbye, or tell a lie and hurt you.
114	-->--'''Ast Rickley, super popstar of the Epsilon XII Galaxy'''
115	* When giving a review of the Goethe Grand Hotel, you can elect to leave your name as [[Series/BreakingBad Heisenberg]].
116	* Examining dumpsters in Jarilo-VI may randomly bring up this quote which parodies the UsefulNotes/SchrodingersCat with trash.
117	-->A scientist once said, "When a dumpster is shut tight, it exists in a superposition of states where it is both devoid of trash and full of trash at the same time."
118	* A young boy in the Exalting Sanctum brags about his pilot dad "making the Grey Sky route [[Film/ANewHope in 12 parsecs]]."
119	* A lot of the enemy fighters in the GladiatorSubquest in Boulder Town have names that reference some sort of anime:
120	** One of them is a fighter called [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Ash and his loyal companion Beet-Ka-Chu]].
121	** Another one is a robot named [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Master and his disciple Domon]].
122	* The side quest ''To a Faint Star'' has a few:
123	** The ending has you make [[Film/TheMatrix a life-changing choice]] through [[RedPillBluePill selecting a red item or a blue item]].
124	** Between the quest name and its very similar storyline, the quest itself is heavily implied to be referencing ''Anime/VoicesOfADistantStar'', especially if you select the red option.
125	* Pela is named after Russian folk rock singer [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelageya Pelageya Sergeyevna Telegina]].
126	* One of the flavour texts for the various dumpsters has this:
127	--> You vaguely recall a videogame in which a [[VideoGame/DiscoElysium destitute police officer could not afford to pay for the night's room and dove into a dumpster like this amidst the taunting laughter of the shopkeeper.]]
128	* Investigating each of the doors in the Overworld's Goethe Hotel will have the Trailblazer overhear scenes that are references to ''Film/TheShining''. Listening to enough of these causes the Trailblazer to freeze, realizing some one is watching them. They turn to find [[SignatureScene two identical twin girls watching them at the end of the hallway, who want the player to play with them forever...]], and then they wake up.
129	* Clara is a small, white-haired girl with Svarog, her huge loyal protector. The two of them bring to mind [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight a certain Master with her own hulking Juggernaut of a Servant.]]
130	* In Clara's Companion Mission, she and the Trailblazer find a malfunctioning robot which she then befriends and names [[VideoGame/NierAutomata Pascal]]; the robot is even voiced by the same actress!
131	* The Trailblaze Mission "The Stars Are Cold Toys" in the Jarilo-VI storyline is a reference to Sergey Lukyanenko's [[Literature/TheStarsareColdToys space opera of the same name]].
132	* A genre shift to a turn-based RPG won't stop [=miHoYo=] from continuing to pay homage to their favorite action games, in the climax of the Jarilo-VI storyline, [[spoiler:the Trailblazer gets run through by the Mother of Deception's lance which triggers an awakening of a new power, much like how the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series has its protagonists routinely impaled before unlocking some form of the series' signature Devil Trigger. The Trailblazer's Preservation form's basic attack is Dante's Stinger, while the Skill preparation animation has them twist their wrist to ignite the lance, like Nero's Red Queen. Even more, their GatheringSteam mechanic to enhance their basic attack can just as well be considered a reference to Nero's Exceed mechanic, with the animation looking similar to EX-Split.]]
133	* An optional event in Luofu involves the Trailblazer opening a suspicious package only to find out that they've become the unwilling recipient of a Mini-Neutron Bomb, a handheld nuclear weapon that will detonate if it fails to detect the Trailblazer's vital signs. The Mini-Neutron Bomb's flavor text includes the quote "Maybe we can throw it in a lake somewhere...", referring to a sidequest in ''VideoGame/DeathStranding'' where Sam acquires a Small Thermonuclear Device with similar function and is forced to chuck it in a lake to safely detonate it.
134	** The conclusion to this is added in 1.2, and completing the quest earns you the achievement [[Film/DrStrangelove How I Learned to Stop Worrying]].
135	* The name of the first Supreme Guardian of Belobog, Alisa Rand, might be a reference to Creator/AynRand, whose birth name was Alisa.
136	* One of the registered enemy teams in the Boulder Town Super League is named [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons Mechanical Crossing: New Horizons]].
137	* In the Central Starskiff Haven section of Xianzhou Luofu, if you try to access the southern portion of the map prior to completing "Devising Stratagems", one of the guards will say "How about we explore the area ahea...", before immediately correcting himself and formally says the area is closed, almost reciting a line from [[VideoGame/GenshinImpact a certain fairy companion in another [=miHoYo=] game]] when attempting access to out-of-bounds areas.
138	* In Bailu's Companion Mission, Banxia's boyfriend Liangmu goes missing, forcing Bailu to ask the Trailblazer to track him down. One of the Trailblazer's possible responses to this query is [[VideoGame/{{Diablo}} "dO yOu GuYs NoT hAvE pHoNeS?"]].
139	* When the Trailblazer and Leonard discover that Silver Wolf gained access to the Herta Space Station by impersonating Leonard's credentials, one of the possible dialogue options is "Aha! You're the impostor! VideoGame/AmongUs!". Another response is "I knew you were sus from the beginning."
140	** During the Trailblaze Mission "Desolate Depths of Despair," Welt says [[spoiler: Tingyun]] was "replaced by the impostor" to "sow seeds of doubt [[VideoGame/AmongUs among us]]."
141	* One mission from Pom-Pom involves visiting the space station to arrange for more supplies to be delivered to the Express, since the train is starting to run out. When Pom-Pom is explaining the problem to you, one possible response is "I'll just make you our [[VideoGame/GenshinImpact emergency food]]."
142	* During Bailu's Companion Mission, you can find a Golden Badge on an NPC that you have to knock unconscious. The flavor text is as follows:
143	--> "[[Franchise/AceAttorney A badge representing justice.]] It might shed some light on this [[TheConspiracy Disciple of Sanctus Medicus']] social identity. [[MemeticMutation If you flaunt it carelessly,]] [[TakeThat you'll only invite unwanted ridicule to yourself.]]"
144	** The debate sections from the "Aurum Alley's Hustle and Bustle" event and the "Crown of the Mundane and Divine" interlude missions on Herta Space Station are very similar to the testimony and cross-examination mechanics from the ''VideoGame/AceAttorney'' series.
145	* Luocha's Companion Mission, "A Knight Stranger," extensively mentions an in-universe series called ''The Angler Mystery'', where a healer from the Alchemy Commission got on the wrong side of a mysterious Tea Society and was forced to consume poison — only for it to de-age him. The healer continues to pursue the Tea Society while solving various cases as a detective. [[Manga/CaseClosed Sound familiar?]]
146	** The Tea Society members in March 7th's "detective show" also have tea-based codenames, referencing the alcoholic drink-based codenames of the [[Characters/CaseClosedTheBlackOrganization bad guys]] in ''Case Closed''.
147	* In the "Aurum Alley's Hustle and Bustle" event, a dock worker A-Feng is found to have taken a bribe from the IPC to sabotage operations at the Aurum Alley docks. When you expose him, you can tell him "Be a man! Do the right thing!", a possible reference to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITwPzduUmCw comedian Russell Peters' story about trying to strike a bargain at a Chinese-owned store.]]
148	* When asked to come up with a better name for her fake "incurable disease", Qingque names it "[[Literature/NoGameNoLife No-Game-No-Life]] Syndrome".
149	* Late in the "Tales of the Fantastic" event, the child-sized Vidyadhara actor hired to play Dan Heng laments about another Immersia troupe wanting to [[Franchise/StarWars paint him green and have him speak in backwards sentences as he played the role of an old master of a mystical martial art.]]
150	* During an open world quest where you're trying to get a bundle of delinquent, seemingly-sentient cycranes to return to work for the Heron Express, one of them attempts to challenge you and make a bet to avoid doing so. When it tries to challenge you in the form of asking questions, you can respond with making the challenge about [[GunStripping assembling a pistol the fastest,]] referring to Film/NewPoliceStory.
151	* The name of Luka's Companion Mission, "Mo Cuishle", refers to Frankie's nickname for Maggie in ''Film/MillionDollarBaby'', which fits Luka's BoxingBattler style and reputation as a champion ring fighter. [[spoiler:The end of the mission reveals that he's been fighting for the dreams of a DelicateAndSickly girl named Margie who wanted to be just like him but succumbed to an illness before she could.]]
152	* March 7th's Companion Mission is titled [[Film/TotalRecall1990 "Total Recall"]].
153	* The "Aetherium Wars" event is basically one massive send-up of ''{{Franchise/Pokemon}}''.
154	** The quest names for the event use ExcitedTitleTwoPartEpisodeName, following the common naming scheme for Japanese episodes of the ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' anime series.
155	** The Warp Trotter is a stand-in for Ash Ketchum's Pikachu, being a StarterMon that is a somewhat rare and temperamental creature but nevertheless sought after by a QuirkyMinibossSquad.
156	** When the Trailblazer obtains the Warp Trotter, one of their dialogue options is "Warp Trotter! Use Tackle!".
157	** The general structure involves going through various challenges complete with puzzles and battles not unlike gym challenges in the ''Pokémon'' games.
158	** Combat with opposing players is initiated by making eye contact with them like in ''Pokémon'', complete with AlertnessBlink.
159	** The Trailblazer is regularly accosted by two IPC thugs wanting to capture their Warp Trotter and regularly refer to them as "twerp" in a vein similar to Jesse and James. Their voice actors even seem to be doing an impression of the duo.
160	** The Illumination Dragonfish being a JokeCharacter with a useless move is likely a reference to Magikarp, another fish-themed creature famous for its uselessness.
161	** An NPC in the Herta Space Station Victory Zone says "The power of science is amazing!", referencing the recurring "The power of technology is amazing!" NPC from the ''Pokémon'' games.
162	** [[spoiler:Hook even acts as a {{Superboss}} akin to Red, showing up on a snowy mountain and acting all silent (at least at first)]]. The cutscene leading up to the final confrontation is also a shot-for-shot reference to the Ash vs. Red trailer from ''VideoGame/PokemonMasters''.
163	** The sponsor of the Aetherium Wars is one of the Masked Fools named Giovanni di Giorgio da Epsilon, seemingly referencing Music/GiorgioMoroder and his monologue on the Music/DaftPunk song "Giorgio by Moroder", which famously ends "My name is Giovanni Giorgio, but everybody calls me Giorgio."
164	** On the official soundtrack, the event's battle themes feature the naming scheme "Battle! ''[insert descriptive title]''", which was popularized by the ''Pokémon'' soundtracks.
165	* One of the consumables introduced in Penacony is the "Pika White Grape Soda". The flavor text describes it as having a side effect of inducing sneezing, leading up to a punchline quoting:
166	--> ''"[[{{Franchise/Pokemon}} Pika Pika... Ah-choo...!]]"''
167	* The design on Huohuo's phone case resembles the ''{{Franchise/Ghostbusters}}'' logo. The achievement of winning a battle with a team consisting of Huohuo, Sushang, Guinaifen and the Trailblazer is called "Who You're Gonna Call", accordingly.
168	* There are two Outworld merchants in Aurum Alley named [[VideoGame/LikeADragon Kiryu and Majima]].
169	* A random encounter in the Artisanship Commission involves a man who's trying to control an Auromaton with his mind, but he fails due to the strain it puts on him. However, he then manages to get the help of the Trailblazer to synchronize their mind with his in order to control the Auromaton together. During the process, they are able to better control the Auromaton while sharing memories with each other before they lost control. [[Film/PacificRim The whole encounter sounds familiar]].
170	* During the fourth day of the "Stellar Shadowseeker" event, the Trailblazer gets hit by a tram in Jarilo-VI while taking a picture of it. When explaining the situation to March 7th while sending the pictures, the Trailblazer mentions that they [[Literature/BofuriIDontWantToGetHurtSoIllMaxOutMyDefense "maxed out my DEF and didn't get hurt".]]
171	* One of the statues that Dr. Ratio can summon with his Technique has him performing Jotaro Kujo's iconic pointing pose from ''Manga/StardustCrusaders''.
172	* The Wastelander of Banditry Desert Relic set describes a planet called Talia, whose depiction and technological advancement can basically be described as "''{{Franchise/Fallout}}'' in space".
173	* In the "Welcome to Dreamville!" animated trailer, Clockie can be seen at one point performing a snippet of the [[Manga/GoldenWind Torture Dance]] as he shuffles offscreen.
174	* After walking on walls in the dreamscape en route to Penacony, the Trailblazer has the option to say [[Literature/BhagavadGita "Now I Am Become Trailblaze, the Perambulator of Walls."]]
175	* When the Trailblazer crash lands into The Golden Hour, they are seen in the [[Anime/DragonBallZ Yamcha death pose]].
176	* Penacony has technology that allows visitors to spy on the dreams of anyone in their contacts. It turns out that Herta's android puppets are in fact capable of dreaming, and that the answer to ''Literature/DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep'' is yes.
177	* The dialogue option when approaching a ''Hanu's Adventure'' TV is "[[Franchise/PowerRangers It's Morphin' Time!]] Hanu!".
178	* The English dub's take on Clockie is a [[MockyMouse Mickey Mouse sound-alike]].
179	* At Dream's Edge, you can interact with a Sensor Light to get varying dialogue, including the following description:
180	-->''[[{{ComicBook/Batman}} According to urban legend, on certain night, this lamp casts the silhouette of a giant winged mammal in the sky -- a signal that a superhero of the night is poised to strike.]]''
181	* Pela and Black Swan's fighting styles are very similar to the Sage and Astrologian respectively from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', with Pela's AttackDrone greatly resembling the Sage's nouliths, and Black Swan wielding a star globe with floating cards, the main difference being that they are both offensive attackers instead of healers.
182	** A further possible nod to the game takes place in dialogue near the end of Penacony's 2.2 story, where the phrase "Listen, touch, and ponder" is basically a direct synonym for ''FFXIV'''s recurring "Hear, feel, think".
183	* Sam's design and fighting style brings to mind {{Toku}} heroes, namely ''Franchise/KamenRider'', especially when he does a [[DivingKick Rider Kick]]. His notably broad shoulders on the other hand, evoke the design of ''Anime/TekkamanBlade'', another armored hero. Outside of HenshinHero, his design when using full strength brings to mind [[Anime/CodeGeass Lancelot Albion]], both being white and gold machines with green energy wings and DualWielding swords.
184	* Black Swan and Sparkle's shared quest is an AffectionateParody of murder mystery games, especially ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}''. The reveal of [[spoiler: Sparkle's dead body is identical to how body discoveries are stylised in ''Danganronpa'', moving over a zoomed in image of the body while the camera shakes before zooming out on the whole picture. And the reveal that Sparkle is alive and just disguised as Sparkle's dead body is a nod at the huge leaps of logic those games can have, even [[LampshadeHanging called out]] by Black Swan for not making sense.]]
185	* In the ''Hanu's Prison Break'' event, one of your "associates" in the dream bubble asks you to help Hanu find the key to the locked half of the prison, to which you can reply [[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron "Fine, I'll Do It Myself."]]
186	* Any time she shows up, Sparkle always asks "Why so serious?" to whoever she's speaking to in a menacing tone, akin to the Joker from ''Film/TheDarkKnight''. She's also shown to possess a pair of "mutually assured destruction" buttons that she claims can annihilate the holder of the other button (and the rest of Penacony along with it), referencing the plot of aforementioned movie.
187	* One of the shots in Sparkle's official character trailer has her making the same expression as [[Manga/FutureDiary Yuno Gasai's infamous expression.]]
188	* A nod to ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'' can be found by talking to an Intellitron inside the Oti Mall. When asked about a dirty computer coated with dust, he will tell you that it's touted to be able to crack some special encrypted data and that a man in a flowy white robe once tried to purchase it from him, but he refused.
189	* There is a visitor at the Golden Hour who takes the form of the teddy bear-like creature from Jarilo-VI. Their name is [[Manga/{{Beastars}} Beastar]].
190	* In a Penacony side quest, the Trailblazer has the option of telling Tizocic II that their name is [[Franchise/StarWars "Luke Skybatter"]].
191	* After Welt lays out their next moves upon [[spoiler:Acheron joining their side]], one of the possible dialogue options is [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight "I Am the Bone of My Bat. Stellaron Is My Body and Trailblaze Is My Blood."]]
192	* In one of Jingliu's stickers she's doing the iconic [[Franchise/SailorMoon Sailor Moon]]'s [[InTheNameOfTheMoon speech pose]].
193	* Mythus' design is said to resemble the destroyed cognitive center of the human brain. They also possess a humanoid body and seem to be posing while standing on top of a staircase, evoking the image of the vague figure from the art for [[Music/LeylandKirby Everywhere at the End of Time - Stage 5]], fitting for an Aeon who presides over the path of Enigmata.
194	* Master Gongshu's bonus dialogue in the Luminflux Pyxis challenges sees him design and iterate upon a Luminflux Pyxis-equipped aurumaton in his mind, adding features like Cloud Knight pilots, heliobus sabers, and psychosensory-controlled drone beam cannons, or gradually turning the aurumaton into a Franchise/{{Gundam}}. He then ponders the need for legs on aurumatons (referencing Char's discussion with a Zeon soldier about Zeong's legs in ''0079''), and wonders if an aurumaton can [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack push a comet]] with heliobus energy thrusters.
195	* Quinn's Diary, a readable found in Penacony, [[spoiler:[[{{VideoGame/Omori}} describes a younger sibling breaking a violin and accidentally killing their older sibling by pushing her down the stairs]]]].
196	* Several of the songs sung by Robin are named after poems by Creator/EmilyDickinson, such as "If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking" and "Hope is the Thing with Feathers," the former of which even mentions a robin in it.

Context ShoutOut / HonkaiStarRail