There are several of these in this game. Just to give out a mere few examples of them:
- The Very beginning of the Game is very much a Homage to the space fights against the Space monsters in Gunbuster
- To say nothing of Yasha's habit of doing Inazuma Kicks.
- Asura's heavy attack is the Spinning Lariat.
- Also Asura looks similar to Akuma.
- Also Augus's blade is one to Gin Ichimaru, due to having extendable properties (Though taken up to eleven) and Ichigo's own Sword beam attack. He also resembles Jinpachi Mishima.
- When the game directors get to the part where you have a Pummel Duel between Asura and Augus in a Gamescom demo demonstration, they yell out ORAORAORAORA! The Pummel Duel itself looks a lot like the ones made from PlatinumGames, taken up to eleven. It even has Cross Counter's like in MadWorld.
- Wyzen calling Asura a mere monkey is probably one of these to Freiza, who loved calling the saiyans this. Kalrow also calls him this as well.
- Also during the 2nd phase of the battle, after Asura blows apart various ships, him and Wyzen have a running energy flurry similar to Goku's battle with Great Ape Baby from Dragon Ball GT. Asura even hoists Wyzen over from the grip of his finger, in case the relation wasn't already clear.
- It also references Journey to the West, and Asura's status as an apparently indestructible death machine is like Son Goku. He even spends a five century tenure beneath a mountain.
- The most famous scene of the game is referenced back in the most recent adaptation of Journey to the West. See here.
- Many fans say the first stage has some similarities to Gunbuster and DieBuster, as the gohma carriers and gohma lashers look like the Space Monsters from that series.
- One of Asura's later forms where he glows completely red and his four extra arms become gigantic limbs is possibly one of these to V2 Jinchuriki forms from Naruto. It helps that CyberConnect2 makes the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Series.
- Not to mention that the cause of this form is the death of a girl before his eyes. After the village was reduced to a crater by a massive Death from Above attack. Add to that the reddish black energy colon and a beam not unlike the Bijū Dama, and the entire scene is remeniscent of Konoha's destruction by Pain followed by Naruto's transformation.
- Likewise, the clash between Wrath Asura and Yasha in chapter 15 is a reference to Naruto and Sasuke's clash at the valley of the end.
- Wrath Asura feels like Guts possessed by the Black Beast in his Berserker Armor.
- Likewise, when Asura screams his face◊ appears very similar to Gut's own rage face◊.
- The mindlessness of the form as well as well as not really being all that effective against the main rival might bring to mind of Haseo's B-ST form from the .hack//G.U. movie. His one Jump attack he does is similar to B-ST Haseo's opening attack on Ovan.
- Likewise, when Asura screams his face
- Vlitra's core looks suspiciously like six tails Naruto, an observant eye may notice that his attacks are actually the same model and animation as that of six tails from Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2.
- The end of the first set of episodes is a scene where Asura is falling down in darkness as blue lights fly upwards. This is a scene very similar to the Game Over screen of Silent Bomber, the second CyberConnect2 video game.
- Amaterasu from Ōkami makes a cameo in two of the illustrated interludes between Episodes.
- Sagat and a cat from Monster Hunter appear in the same interlude Ammy is shown the most notably in, Episode 10's interlude.
- The PAX mecha from the first Lost Planet can be found in the interlude for episode 1.
- Yasha and Suzaku share many similarities.
- He's also basically a Char Clone, right down to the stoicism and being asura's brother in law like how Char is Amuro ray's brother in law.
- He's a humanoid robot who is dying (in the last moment, though) because of a fault in his power core, wears a visor, has a sister, a scarf, and a whistling theme song, acts like a big brother towards the hero, and he keeps switching between fighting the hero and aiding him. Proto Man, is that you?
- Yasha's fighting style —quick, acrobatic, slashes dudes apart with his hands and feet— is very much like Rei's Nanto Suichōken from Fist of the North Star.
- The Kagebosh mooks have a move where they stretch their arms similar to Dhalsim
- One person noticed that Durga looks a lot like Mind Controlled Chun-li when she has her hair down from the Street Fighter II anime.
- In episode 15, along with the clash, the soundtrack used in the first part of the battle between Yasha and Wrath Asura, Bonds might sound familiar to He who Howls and Rages from Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2. Not only did Chikayo Fukuda compose both soundtracks, and CyberConnect2 made both games, but Bonds is even played during a fight in a wastelandish area similarly to He Who Howls and Rages.
- Deus's fashion sense (Wearing all white with formal attire for pants and shoes) is very similar to The man in white, Fortinbras. His cape is similar to Shin.
- In a way, his goals for trying to save the world are also very similar to Sigma, right down to being a former leader of the group of generals, being a Well-Intentioned Extremist, as well as having eye markings. To top it off, he's a mechanical humanoid that can feel, not unlike a reploid.
- It's hard to not notice his resemblance to Ganondorf from The Legend of Zelda
- Likewise, some of his motives as well as his characterization bring to mind Zeus.
- The main ships used by the Seven Deities are known as Septentrion. They also bear a superficial resemblance to Star Destroyers.
- Yasha Rider Kicks the Karma Fortress. It helps he wears a mask just like a Kamen Rider would.
- In the DLC trailer, we see the head of the Brahmastra falling to earth incredibly similar to a scene from End of Evangelion specifically Giant Naked Rei's head falling down to earth after Shinji rejects Instrumentality.
- In action, it's even more of a frame-by-frame recreation of the original Colony Drop
- Asura having a giant arm coming out of one his stumps in episode 11.5 is similar to the way stuff comes out of Naota's forehead in FLCL. It helps that the director of the episode was a key animation director for the series. The arm itself also acts like a giant glowing vector from Elfen Lied and it often expands in size similar to Akimichi Chouji. The arm also eventually becomes uncontrollable by Asura a lot like Tetsuo from AKIRA not being able to stop mutating and explodes just like the final scene from the movie version of AKIRA.
- Both episodes 11.5 and 15.5 are basically seen as the anime equivalent of Dragon's Lair or Space Ace, via the usage of traditional animation with button inputs put in. It can also be seen as the modern equivalent of the Yarudora Franchise.
- The Tower in Naraka that Asura is shown climbing on twice looks very similar to Korin's Tower, and Naraka with all the yellow clouds looks a lot like the otherworld from the same series.
- Chakravatin's disguise is a golden mechanical spider. This is not Capcom's first attempt at creating a mechanical spider.
- Asura crushing Kalrow in his escape pod is similar to how Broly from Dragon Ball Z killed his Father, Paragus.
- Physically, Asura looks a lot like Elfman, and even shares the same voice.
- During the final fight with Deus, Asura uses what looks like Killer Bee and A's Lariat move to knock him away.
- Akuma and Dan also make an appearance in one of the DLC episode interludes, as does Chun Li. One of the images is also an exact copy of the iconic Street Fighter II intro.
- Ryu cameos in the same interlude as a promotion for the Asura vs. Street Fighter DLC, which is likely why several characters from the series cameo in some of the DLC interludes.
- The entirety of episode 22 can be seen a massive Shout-Out to the final battle in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. More specificly Lagann Hen.
- The way the first half of the battle plays out is VERY similar to the first phase of the Cubia boss in .hack//G.U., and Asura's Destructor form even has wing fins that look similar to Haseo's Skieth The Third. There's also a lot of similarities to series like Gunbuster/Diebuster, as well as Heroic Age seen throughout the battle.
- Some have spotted that the attack patterns of the boss is similar to the attack patterns of Mundus in his own first phase in Devil May Cry.
- The Event Horizon stage by itself before the fight with Chakravartin the Creator. is very similar to the final boss fight stage, the Demon Tribe's World of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword against Demise, only with a bright sunlight instead of stormy skies.
- Monolith Like structures pop up in the Last phase of the final boss fight in ep 22.
- Chakravartin's Creator form stops Mantra Asura's Punch with one finger like how Aizen stops Ichigo's bankai slash with one finger in Bleach.
- His Creator form utilizes a massive energy ball ala Dragon Ball Z as an attack, a Slash wave similar to The Reppuken, and has a Gate of Babylon/Unlimited Blade Works styled sword spam ala Fate/stay night and has a time stop move where the swords stab at you in midair at you during said time stop ala Dio Brando or Sakuya Izayoi.
- The atmosphere and stage of the Chakravartin the Creator fight is similar to the final Xemnas fight from Kingdom Hearts II. The music, another remix of In Your Belief, is composed similarly to Kingdom Hearts music as well.
- The final fist fight is very similar to the The Fist fight Simon and the Anti-spiral have in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen.
- The White Void Room being made as a result of Chakratarvin The Creator could be a reference to the White Void Room from .hack//G.U. called the Creator's Room.
- Chakravartin's Creator form's body shape and structure is very similar to Seth from Street Fighter IV. He also is very similar to a color inverted version of The Anti Spiral.
- Asura sacrificing his own life to save the planet from it's suffering caused by Chakravartin by disappearing into light is very similar to Madoka's own sacrifice from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The reason for his death is also similar to how Nia dies in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
- Asura and Yasha have a rivalry similar to either Naruto and Sasuke or Kazuma and Ryuhou (Asura even does the spinning bullet punch attack motion first form Kazuma does, Especially in Mantra form), and their styles of fighting (Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs for Asura and Clean Cut based slash attacks for Yasha) resemble Hokuto Shinken and Nanto Seiken, respectively.
- Don't forget about Goku and Vegeta.
- In the Episode 22 ending, Mithra resembles Maya Fey in appearance.
- In the Lost Episode 1, Asura's QTE counter to Ryu's Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku is parrying it ala Street Fighter III and then countering with his own. He also uses a Kinniku Buster to Evil Ryu's groin.
- In the Finale of Lost Episode 2, Oni and Mantra Asura get into a Pummel Duel not unlike the pummel duels seen in God Hand. The entire finale of the fight is similar to a fight right out of Dragon Ball Z.
- Asura in Lost Episode 2 uses a special move that looks like Guile's Flash Kick to make the fact that they have the the same Japanese voice actor all the more apparent.
- The stage used for Lost Episode 1 is a reference is Sagat's stage in Street Fighter II, with a Taison replacing the buddha. It even starts off with a remix of his character theme.
- Asura using Augus's blade while it's clenched in his teeth is a reference to Zoro from One Piece, but doing it armless is also a reference to Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, who did the same thing when killing Vamp (Asura even kills Augus in the same manner Raiden killed Vamp). His rampage against the Gohma with just the blade in episode 11.5 is similar to Zabuza tearing through bandits to kill Gato in Naruto.
- Asura having a Badass Armfold on the tip of his flagship in space is similar to a certain badass armfold trope codifying mecha.
- During the first Deus fight, Yasha punching his energy straight through Asura to attack Deus without hurting Asura is a reference to Jojos Bizarre Adventure. Considering that Hiroshi Matsuyama in a recent interview for his new Jojo's Bizarre Adventure game states to be one of the biggest fans of the series in existence, it's not surprising.
- There are three trophies named "Can't Touch This", "Can't Touch That" and "Too Legit to Quit".
- The use of Dvorak's New World Symphony in Asura and Augus' fight calls to mind the orchestral battles from Legend of the Galactic Heroes.
- The official complete works states that Olga can create weapons out of thin air using Mantra. Sound familiar?
