Anime and Manga
- This series has several shout outs to Serial Experiments Lain.
- The scenes where Takato is daydreaming at school are directly lifted from the scenes where Lain is daydreaming at school.
- Throughout the series, you will see quite a few scenes that will remind you of a Lain's room full of computer equipment.
- Yamaki will remind you of The Men in Black from Lain.
- Jeri is mentally damaged like Lain and is voiced by Bridget Hoffman in the English version. Her name in the Japanese version, Juri Kato, is the same as Lain's classmate.
- Gallantmon's head is modeled after Mazinger Z's.
- And his previous form, WarGrowlmon, is clearly based on an Evangelion Unit from Neon Genesis Evangelion. His final form is an even more blatant reference to EVA Unit 01's winged form from End of Evangelion.
- Episode 5 features an Imagine Spot of Guilmon and Calumon in a boxing match that haves references to Tomorrow's Joe, such as Kazu wearing an eyepatch like Joe's coach Danpei and the match ending with the classic Cross Counter.
Literature
- This series has several shout outs to H. P. Lovecraft's works. (the Series head writer is Chiaki Konaka, who actually has written Cthulhu Mythos stories).
- The Yuggoth and Shaggai (Juggernaut in the American dub) programs are named after fictional planets in the Cthulhu Mythos.
- The Hypnos organization is named after a short story by Lovecraft.
- Yamaki's obsessive tendencies and resulting occasional flirtations with madness strongly resemble that of Herbert West, protagonist of Herbert West - Reanimator.
- A TV expert is chyroned as hailing from good old Miskatonic U
.
Film
- The horn chords that play whenever Hypnos is shown are nigh-identical to the ones from The Matrix.
- In the American dub, Henry Wong's sister's name is Suzie. As in The World of Suzie Wong.
- Jijimon and Babamon's voices in the English Dub are styled after Miracle Max and his wife from The Princess Bride.
- In one episode, a one-shot background character on a bus is given a voice that strongly calls back to Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man.
Other
- Justimon, the Mega form of Cyberdramon, is a fairly obvious shout-out to Kamen Rider and even has some of the Rider's abilities—especially Riderman's interchangeable arms. Word of God confirms this.
- Episode 26 in the American dub is titled "Kazu and Kenta's Excellent Adventure", most likely a nod to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure in which two wild and crazy guys also explore foreign lands. Party on, dudes!
- Divermon was deliberately voiced by Neil Kaplhan in the style of Bullwinkle the Moose.
- From the second movie, the English voice of the titular Runaway Locomon is an impression of Johnny Cash, and at the end after he's freed from Parismon's mind control he returns to the Digital World singing "I sped into a digital field of fire~."
