Shout Out / Bayonetta

When a video game series is led by Hideki Kamiya and staffed with the best and brightest video game fans that Platinum has on their payroll, it's bound to get its own Shout-Out page.

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Platinum Games

• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance:
  • Noatun's alley cats will backflip whenever the player tries to hit them.
  • One of Luka's reports is titled "Rules of Nature."
  • The climax of Glamor's boss fight, in which Diomedes slices three separate Glamors into several pieces, bears a strong resemblance to the Blade Mode sequences in Revengeance, right down to the slicer being in the same position as Raiden.
• The Wonderful 101:
  • The news report in Bayonetta 2's opening cutscene plays the game's Leitmotif. There's also a "Wonderful Toys" shop.
  • Valiance's entry in the Hierarchy of Laguna implies that it's a part-time Wonderful One. Its name could be a reference to the sting of Wonder-Blue's Valiantium Blade.
  • When the Masked Lumen vows to finally kill Bayonetta after their previous two fights, she responds "So you're saying diplomacy has failed, then?"
• The flying squadron in Bayonetta 2's opening cutscene is called the "Platinum Stars", reflecting PlatinumGames' logo.
• The final boss of Bayonetta 2 can throw Providence at the player during a cinematic attack.

Capcom and Clover Studio

• Four of Luka's supposed past flings^note (actually his pets) have some... familiar names: Claire, Trish, and Silvia, and Ammy. The cat named Claire also has a doodle nearby that looks like Joe and is eating a hamburger, which is the food item Joe uses to restore health.
• Devil May Cry:
  • The development team named themselves "Team Little Angels" as a reference to their spiritual predecessors, Team Little Devils.
  • Luka's father is named Antonio Redgrave. "Tony Redgrave" is Dante's alias from the prequel novel of the first Devil May Cry game, which is also inscribed on his guns, Ebony & Ivory.
  • One of the demonic beasts you can summon is Phantasmaraneae, a reference to Phantom from Devil May Cry 1. Both happen to be giant demonic spiders filled with lava. Oddly enough, it's portrayed in almost the opposite way; this demon is one of only two demons referred to positively. It is described as curious, rare, and willing to offer treasures or rare knowledge to those who find it, as opposed to the others which are for the most part, described as brutal monstrosities. The similarities are further emphasized in Bayonetta 3. The way Bayonetta and Phantasmaraneae meet each other is a shot-for-shot remake of the first time Dante and Phantom met each other in Devil May Cry 1, and Phantasmaraneae's lines are basically tweaked from Phantom's original dialogue. Many of Phantom's trademark attacks from DMC such as shooting flame pillars and his scorpion tail are part of his moveset when summoned. At one point, Bayonetta uses her powers to vastly increase Phantasmaraneae's strength, to the point where he specifically becomes known as "The Phantom".
  • Before Bayonetta fights the series' first proper boss, Fortitudo, she tosses out a couple of Dante's most famous lines.
    "Flock off, feather-face!"
  • She speaks another one of Dante's lines before taking on Iustitia.
    "Let's rock, baby!"
  • Enzo shares his name with Enzo Ferino, an offscreen Devil May Cry character who Dante owes money to.
  • The "Bracelet of Time" accessory, which lets you trigger Witch Time on command, is a reference to a similarly-named "Bangle of Time" that appears in the original Devil May Cry and serves a nearly-identical purpose (halting enemies while letting Dante move freely). The description itself reads "Eva, a truly extraordinary witch, entered into contract with a legendary dark knight, and then faced the amassed armies of Inferno," which references the marriage contract between Dante's mother Eva and his father, the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda.
  • The "Immortal Marionette" accessory is designed after the enemy mooks from the original Devil May Cry, specifically the red-clad "Bloody Mari" variant. When equipped, combo attacks will be easier to activate (just like the "Easy Automatic" settings of the Devil May Cry games), but it will reduce the combo points earned by half when used in Hard or Non-Stop Infinite Climax difficulties.
  • Grace & Glory's intro cutscene looks a lot like when the Frosts were introduced during Mission 17 in Devil May Cry 1.
  • The bonus weapons for completing the game on any difficulty, the "Handguns" (non-magical counterparts of Bayonetta's Scarborough Fair) look similar to the guns used by characters from the Devil May Cry series; specifically, the hand set look like Dante's own Ebony & Ivory, and the heel set look like Luce & Ombra, the guns used by Dante's father Sparda (and later on, Trish). This may also be a subtle Take That! to the DMC series after Hideki Kamiya's departure from the franchise, since these guns are the weakest weapons in the game, being incapable of channeling magic and being referred to by Bayonetta as "cheap toys" in the first game and "on sale" in the sequel.
  • Superboss Rodin Turns Red partway through the fight, his visage looking very similar to the Devil Trigger concept in Devil May Cry.
  • The demons in Inferno drop life essence in the form of red orbs, which in 2 have the same monetary value as halos and become a separate currency in 3. Red Orbs are the common currency in the DMC games.
  • The angels share some major similarities with Mundus, the Big Bad of the first Devil May Cry, being physically horrific masses of flesh, tentacles and eyes encased in bodies that resemble divine statues. The Cardinal Virtues in particular, show off some grisly detail when you damage them enough.
  • When performing a Torture Attack on an angel lying on the ground, the playable character will usually flatten them with a tombstone initialized "DMC".
  • The final boss, Jubileus, is a reimagining of The Savior from Devil May Cry 4, which Kamiya admits using as inspiration for this game. Not only is Jubileus an Expy of The Savior, the late-game plot of Bayonetta is also similar to that of DMC4 - Both are giant statues of deified figures (Sparda and Jubileus), controlled by a mad cultist priest (Sanctus and Father Balder) who belongs to some angelic organization (The Order of the Sword and the Lumen Sages), and a Damsel in Distress important to the player character (Kyrie and Jeanne). The main protagonist of both games (Nero and Bayonetta) are also absorbed into the statues, but are saved by the Deuteragonist (Dante and Jeanne). In both cases, the final phase of the fight begins after said damsel is saved by the protagonist, when the cult leader gains full control of the damaged remains of the statue, and both are beaten once and for all when said cultist is utterly destroyed in some way (obliterating The Savior's upper body and kicking Jubileus into the sun).
• Ōkami:
  • Bayonetta draws Ammy's facial markings onto Luka's face with red lipstick at one point.
  • The Beast Within speed forms all leave behind black flowers as they dash. The Masked Lumen's is most blatant, as he morphs into a white wolf that leaves behind very healthy and colorful wildflowers.
  • If you beat the game on its hardest setting, you unlock a weapon called Pillow Talk, which is a green, lightsaber-ish sword, and was taken straight out of Okami (including the name), in which it was wielded by Waka during both battles against him. Pillow Talk hosts a Charged Attack that will extend the blade and increase its power , and both and the 修羅刃 -Shuraba- host a cool but lengthy secret special attack that has the playable character perform a clockwise brandish before slicing downwards, unleashing a beam of energy when fully charged. Older fans will realize that these moves and even the weapon itself are brought over from the repertoire of Hayato Kanzaki of Star Gladiator fame. More fun references? Mahavirocana, the demon that inhabits Pillow Talk, is the king of Asura in Hinduism, and Hayato's blade extending move is called Asura, and his downwards energy wave slash is called Engetsu, meaning Full Moon. Even in Okami, Waka unsheathes Pillow Talk in the same fashion as Hayato. Someone down at Platinum must be very proud of Star Gladiator in his resume, and for good reason too, the game was Capcom's first foray into the 3D genre. "Pillow Talk" is also the name of one of the end songs from the first Devil May Cry game.
  • The Golem boss is basically a magitek version of Yami. Later on, Kamiya states that a spherical construction boss is a recurring thing for him.
  • The Enchant enemies are basically Wheeled Destructions transplanted lock, stock, and barrel from Okami to Bayonetta.
• God Hand:
  • Rodin makes a home run on some angels. His animation and the accompanying camerawork are identical to the "Home Run God" move.
• Viewtiful Joe:
  • Joe has a headstone in the first game's graveyard, complete with the epitaph of "The Red Hot Home Run Hitter", in a possible Take That! at Capcom for abandoning the franchise.
  • Bayonetta shouts an unclear, unsubtitled line in Chapter 3 of the first game that sounds as much like "Dancin' a-go-go, baby!" as it does "Henshin a-go-go, baby!"
  • The After Burner Kick has similar attributes to Joe's Red Hot Kick.
• Street Fighter:
  • The Moon of Mahaa-Kahlaa accessory emulates Street Fighter III's parrying system, complete with its method of activation (move toward an incoming attack shortly before it hits).
  • The series' Superbosses has a Signature Move similar to Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu, complete with a blank screen and multiple hits shown. It drops your health down to a single point, but kills instantly when you have less than 50% health left. Fuck. Once unlocked in 3, Bayonetta can summon said boss and unleash this attack for herself using the exact same button combination as in Street Fighter (Punch, Punch, Forward, Punch+Kick).
• Resident Evil: Every now and then when you enter his, Rodin will amusingly quote the Merchant's infamous "What're you buying?", saying he heard it in a game once.

Sega

• Crazy Taxi:
  • During Bayonetta 2's opening cinematic, the Sega logo is seen on a taxi, while Luka and Rodin end up in a car resembling one of the taxis.
  • During Bayonetta 3's opening cinematic, Enzo complains that he's not a taxi driver while his convertible's model resembles one of the taxis as well.
• Decoding some of the angelic text on Sapientia will reveal that he runs on Sega arcade hardware.
• Sega has a long relationship with Neon Genesis Evangelion. If they're making a game with angels as the bad guys, they might as well reference it.
  • The context when the song "Fly Me To The Moon" is playing.
  • Affinities strongly resemble the mass production Evas◊.
  • Naming a song "Angel Attack."
• Sonic the Hedgehog:
  • You get bonuses for collecting halos, similar to how you collect gold rings in the Sonic games.
  • The poor sap whose funeral baits the angels in the first game's Prologue is known as "Eggman."^note Kamiya insists this was only a coincidence.
  • Eating a Yellow Moon Lollipop will give you a coloration and aura almost identical to Super Sonic's. Eating a Bloody Rose Lollipop gives you Super Shadow's aura and color.
  • In the initial cutscene to Chapter I in the sequel, Bayonetta is seen standing on the wings of a red plane akin to how Sonic usually travels on the Tornado.
• One of the unlockable attacks is the Tetsuzanko, a shoulder check commonly used by Akira in Virtua Fighter: if you finish a verse with a Pure Platinum rank and use it as the final attack, Bayonetta will quote Akira's Catchphrase — "You're ten years too early!" in Japanese, regardless of whether her English or Japanese voice actor is speaking. By extension, it references Street Fighter III's Yun, who performs the move similarly, and Sylvia's Tetsuzanko from Viewtiful Joe 2, both of which followed.
• At the start of Isla Del Sol's Unexpected Shmup Level: "Welcome to my Fantasy Zone! Get ready!"
• Fantasy Zone:
  • The satellite Balder uses during his fight, the Stun Paron◊, is modeled after the boss Stamperon◊ from Fantasy Zone. The satellite's name itself is a direct reference to Sega's System 16 Arcade hardware.
  • A fully-powered tombstone Torture Attack can randomly be replaced with a sixteen-ton weight.
• Back in the SMS days, the Sega-sponsored anime Red Photon Zillion was popular enough to spawn two video games, laser tag merchandise, and more. And so we have the Bazillions.
• The symbol on Bayonetta's chest, when combined with the crescent-moon shape cut out of her catsuit, forms the symbol of the Oboro clan from the PS2 Shinobi game.
• Bayonetta apparently has Alex the Kid to thank for chartering Enzo's plane to Noatun.
• World of Chaos, the prologue level of Bayonetta 2, was called Jet Set Holiday in the E3 2013 build.
• The Infernal Communicator bears a subtle Shout-Out to the Sega game series Jet Set Radio, where the rebellious rollerblading artist vandals of Tokyo, the GGs (or "rudies"), also sport radio wristwatches to tune in to the station of the same name and catch police and authority activity.
• Enzo makes one more Sega reference in the ending of Bayonetta 3, this time mentioning "The Adder" as a client he and Viola have recently done a job for.

Other video games

• Luka's introductory cutscene in the first game contains a few nods to Assassin's Creed, such as a hooded man being chased by an armored guard, and the element of hiding.
• In the second game, Bayonetta's new right-hand attack dog, Labolas, actually has three heads; its auxiliary heads actually serve as its forelegs. Hydreigon has a similar arrangement.
• The Umbran Armor from the second game looks a lot like Magitek Armor. Similarly, the third game has Viola's fairie transformation looking much more graceful and streamlined than her father Luka's, similar to Terra's Esper form compared to her father Maduin.
• When scanning Amiibo in the Switch version of 2, some will give you a note from Rodin asking if he can come along to that "all-star fight club" next time. It's possibly because of this that he becomes an Assist Trophy in Ultimate. In addition to Amiibo that reward Nintendo themed suits, certain Amiibo will give Rodin packages from a Jungle Crew, Yoshi's Island, a Space Man who crashed on a distant planet, an odd little village, and Inkopolis.
• In Bayonetta 3, the "Jeanne's Spy Action" side-chapters are designed after the gameplay of Elevator Action.

Recreations of video game sounds, logos, and gameplay

• In one of the early scenes where Bayonetta gets a ride from Enzo, the radio in Enzo's car is playing "Magical Sound Shower", one of the music tracks from the original OutRun.
• Certain levels in Bayonetta have spiced-up remixes of old Sega tunes: "Splash Wave" from OutRun, the boss theme from Fantasy Zone, "Wiwi Jumbo" and the main theme from Space Harrier, and the main theme from After Burner. The lead-up to Angel Attack will play a random snippet from these themes, but holding down the left shoulder buttons in the cutscenes before those levels will swap out the remixes for their chiptune equivalents.
• The nametag on Jeanne's "Cutie J" costume references Viewtiful Joe, and alters her taunt pose accordingly when used with her Pillow Talk equivalent.
• A Chain Chomp makes a guest appearance as the only leg weapon in Bayonetta 2. The LP that Rodin uses to lure it out is the theme from Bob-Omb Battlefield, and the Umbran Elegance that goes with it will give Bayonetta and Jeanne custom hats and mustaches based on Mario and Luigi. Based on its description, Rodin encountered the Chain Chomp in Kyoto, where Nintendo of Japan's headquarters are located.
• The Nintendo costumes come with authentic gameplay and sound effects based on their source character:
  • The Hero of Hyrule costume plays sound effects from The Legend of Zelda or The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, gives Bayonetta a permanent parry option thanks to the Hylian Shield on her wrist, and replaces 修羅刃 -Shuraba- with the light-elemental Master Sword. Halos are replaced with rupees and will use rupee collection sound.
  • The Star Mercenary costumes will add sounds from Star Fox or Star Fox 64, such as laser blasts when firing and upgrade sounds when collecting Witch Heart and Moon Pearl pieces. During the Jetfighter Assault level in 2, the costumes will replace gameplay with Star Fox controls, complete with homing charge lasers instead of gunfire, smart bombs instead of slashes... and intercom chatter.
    Jeanne: No sweat Fox— I mean, Cereza.
    Jeanne: I guess you're good for something!
  • The Galactic Bounty Hunter suit gives Bayonetta sounds from the Metroid Prime trilogy and Jeanne sounds from the original Metroid and Super Metroid. Additionally, the Double Jump and Beast Within dash are replaced with a Screw Attack and morph ball (including bombs in Bayonetta 2), and the "fire" button instead fires Samus's arm cannon and Charge Shot, complete with pose.
  • The Princess costumes replace halos with Mario coins and use the corresponding sound effect when they're collected. Madama Butterfly's limbs are replaced with Bowser's, and summoning one will play fresh Bowser roars from the Super Mario Bros. franchise.
• The Bayonetta soundtrack uses a similar naming scheme to the soundtrack of Evangelion by sorting its menu, cutscene, and stage music with abbreviations and numbers ("GM01 Chapter Start", "EV02-1 Prologue", "ST01 The Falling Military Transport" for example).
• The Unexpected Shmup Level stages usually come with a logo based on classic video games:
  • The font for the display in the motorbike section control instructions? Straight out of Hang-On, Sega's 1985 motorbike-based classic.
  • "Missile Operation" references After Burner. Before the miniboss fights in this level, the player will be warned that an intruder has penetrated their force fields.
  • The Ithavoll Building's cannon instructions reference an old Sega arcade game variously called "Strategic Defense Initiative," "SDI", or "Global Defense".
  • "Climax Horse" references Excite Bike.
  • "Jetfighter Assault" uses the After Burner logo again, and its gameplay and user interface become a Star Fox shout-out if the Star Mercenary costume is equipped.
• The news channel at the start of Bayonetta 2 borrows a jingle from the Wonderful Mart.

Film references

• One of the unlockable weapons was forged with the soul of an insane Vietnam veteran named Lt. Col. Kilgore, and shares his name. And Jeanne's version of the same weapon is filled with the malice of Col. Slade. The LP used to unlock Kilgore, "Ride of the Valkyries", is a reference to one of the film's most famous scenes.
• One of Bayonetta's quotes; "Tentacles... why did it have to be tentacles?!"
• The scene where the giant Beloved grabs Cereza and tries to take her is quite reminiscent of King Kong, with the giant monstrosity falling for a girl smaller than his hand.
• "Oh, what a lovely tea party!" Leave it to Bayonetta to reference Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and her Alice in Wonderland motif simultaneously.
• According to Loki in the sequel, you don't just walk into Fimbulventr.
• Antonio Redgrave would like you to know that the city in which Rodin's bar is located is a wretched hive for all sorts of scum and villainy.
• The can depicting Yusuke Hashimoto in the intro for Bayonetta 2 that Enzo steps on has an arrow pointing to italicised text with a flame trail at the bottom.
• Tang Lung, which is Jeanne's equivalent to the nunchuck weapons, is named after Bruce Lee's character in Way of the Dragon.
• In Bayonetta 3, when Jeanne sends a giant Homunculus sinking to its demise in a pit of molten metal, it does what anybody would do in its position... flash a thumbs-up.

Literature references

• Some of Bayonetta's character and dialogue heavily reference Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, like calling Luka "Cheshire". One of her and Cheshire's outfits in Cereza and the Lost Demon are of Alice and the Mad Hatter.
• The names of the in-game worlds, Paradiso, Purgatorio, and Inferno are a reference to Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy.
• Jeanne calls Bayonetta Sleeping Beauty at one point from the first game.
• The bow weapons for Bayonetta and Jeanne are called Kafka and Samsa respectively.
• When demanding that Loki come with her into Inferno, Bayonetta says that the world "is dark and full of terrors".
• One of the Vigridian shops with signs written in angelic script is named Lyra's Café.

Television references

• "I've got a fever and the only cure is more dead angels."^note What makes it even funnier is who Christopher Walken played in some movies.
• One to Chappelle's Show, which can only be heard after getting a Pure Platinum trophy as Jeanne: "It's a celebration, bitches!"

Anime and Manga references

• Knocking down a Dear, Decoration, or one of Jubileus's Flunky Boss enemies will prompt the player to perform a Panther Punt.
• A blue flame ignites in Bayonetta's left eye before she attacks Gomorrah, which could be a shout-out to either Black★Rock Shooter or the Dark Determination from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
• In their Mook Debut Cutscene, the Braves strike a pose referencing the Ginyu Force in Dragon Ball Z.
• Chernobog is a three-bladed scythe that resembles the arm of Vocaloid fan-derivative Calne Ca.
• Bayonetta can summon a group of tiny demons to attack her foes during a Climax. Each one has their own personality and a number on their forehead, with one number in the sequence missing due to their master considering it unlucky. Their name? Oh, they're called Sex Pist— er, Little Devils.
• The Flavor Text of the Bloody Moon weapon states that Jeanne's superhero name is Cutie J; she's is a magical girl superheroine in her off time, wielding a weapon powered by the moon. In Bayonetta 3, during the Spy Action side-chapters, Jeanne can find power-ups that will temporarily transform her into Cutie J, which she announces with a dramatic speech, flashy posing, and a musical leitmotif resembling Cutey Honey's own theme song.
• The colors and positioning of the components of the Cruel Altea weapon in Bayonetta 3 are identical to that of the lions that comprise Voltron.

References in Rodin's Shop

• Rodin's shop screen is a fountain of these:
  • "Hey, check this out. Whadya buyin'? Heh. Heard that in a game once."
  • "If you bring me enough of these Halos, maybe I can buy a ticket to space. Always wanted to be a bald space marine."
  • "No matter how much you ask, I'm not puttin' a chainsaw on your arm. So what do you want?"
  • "Bein' a demon lets me read minds. You're thinkin', "Shuddup and take my halos." Let's do it."
  • "Just hold on a sec. I'm playin' this game, and I gotta sprinkle some magic powder on a chicken... Alright. What'll it be?"
  • "Diplomacy has failed. Thank goodness capitalism still has its place in Hell. Let's do business."
  • "Let's get this party started! Shit's about to get real." (When you've bought the Platinum Ticket required for initiating the Superboss Fight)

Everything else

• According to this video, the Let's Dance, Boys! dance number was inspired by the "Nowadays" number in Chicago, with Bayonetta and Jeanne's moves being inspired by Roxie and Velma.
• Vigrid has a lot in common with Vatican City, complete with well-armed security forces, people openly walk around in holy dress, and so on.
• Death Dealer Loki has a necklace that looks very similar to the Millennium Puzzle.
• Performing the PPPPP combo with Sai Fung will make Bayonetta let out Bruce Lee's signature Kiai. The weapon's name is also a shout-out to Bruce Lee's childhood nickname.
• Odette's name and backstory provide an alternate take on the Swan Lake character it's named after. Jeanne's equivalent, Karen, is a reference to The Red Shoes.

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