An influential manga series by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, Kozure Okami, or Lone Wolf and Cub, a tale of the wandering swordsman Ogami Itto and his son Daigoro and their quest for vengeance, has been a reference staple among creators both East and West, and is a Gateway Series for Japanese culture since its publishing in 1970.
Examples
Anime and Manga- Crayon Shin-chan has an AU-story which is a Lone Wolf and Cub parody (called Lone Wolf and Family) with Hiroshi as Itto. Who swings his katana while clenched in his buttcheeks. Later Shin-Chan and Himawari becomes experts in wielding weapons clenched in their butts as well. Interestingly, Misae shows up alive in the parody, despite Itto's wife being deceased in the original.
- In the reference-heavy Gintama, there is a glimpse of referencing Lone Wolf and Cub in episode 47.
- Hitomi-chan Is Shy with Strangers: During the school festival, Yuu and Hitomi decide to take the cart curling challenge. When Yuu gets in the cart while Hitomi in a samurai outfit prepares to push it, the proprietor of the game says she feels she has seen something like that on TV before, no doubt a reference to one of the adaptations of Lone Wolf and Cub.
Comic Books
- Road to Perdition, both the comic and the film, is a Whole-Plot Reference of the manga and set in the 1930s.
- Usagi Yojimbo has Lone Goat And Kid, a goat ronin who wanders with his son in a cart that has throwing knives hidden in the handlebars (and activated by the kid).
Film
- In Kill Bill, young B.B. chooses to watch Shogun Assassin as a bedtime story.
- The Master and the Kid is a 1978 wuxia starring Yueh Hua, who plays a warrior wandering across a desert wasteland with his nephew, who is the son of a slain minister and must fight off assailants and mercenaries intending to finish off all the minister's relatives.
- The Warrior's Way, starring Jang Dong-gun as Yang, a ninja assassin who's unable to kill the last member of a clan he's tasked to massacre, a little baby girl. Deciding to leave behind his life of killing, Yang flees the Far East with the baby in tow and ends up in the Wild West, where he must do battle against evil outlaws and rival ninjas while carrying the baby.
Live Action TV
- An episode of Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger had the team stuck in the past and briefly chased by the authorities, where Ryoga is saved by Daigoro of all people.
- Reviewers have observed that the plot and character dynamics of The Mandalorian draw parallels to Lone Wolf and Cub.
- The Person of Interest episode "Wolf and Cub" has Reese protecting a boy, who sees Reese as a ronin, looking for revenge on his brother's killers.
Newspaper Comics
- The first year Retail does their Halloween contest story arc, Cooper dresses up as Itto, complete with a prop Daigoro, only to lose the contest because no one's heard of Lone Wolf and Cub and everyone preferred Craig's Dracula costume.
Western Animation
- Bob's Burgers: The Belchers are fans of the in-universe movie series Hawk and Chick featuring the eponymous duo, a wandering ronin and the child he travels with and protects.
- Samurai Jack: In a Flashback Episode, a young Jack witnesses a swordfight by a man and his son who resembles Itto and Daigoro respectively, and that swordfight inspires Jack to become a samurai.
- An episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) was named "Lone Raph and Cub". This episode is about Raphael looking for Master Shredder while also defending a kid named Tyler from New York mobsters. The Shout-Out is referenced with Tyler watching one of the Lone Wolf and Cub films during a flashback.
- Similarly, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) episode named "Lone Rat and Cubs" features Splinter defending baby versions of the Turtles from the Kraang.
