Final Fantasy XVI allusions

The following is a list of allusions present in Final Fantasy XVI.
==Final Fantasy series==
Final Fantasy XVI contains multiple references to other entries in the series. These references vary between allusions to story and character elements from other titles, enemies in the open world and instances, obtainable character items, and other miscellaneous features.
*The scarecrows seen on crops fields are modeled after the Black Mage job, with an added nod to Vivi Ornitier with red bands around the ends of the arms alluding to Vivi's red gloves.
*Midadol Telamon's childhood doll wears the series's typical White Mage attire. 
*The Enterprise ship is named after the recurring airship designed by the Cid character. In Final Fantasy XVI, the Enterprise is built by Mid based on designs from Cidolfus Telamon.
*The bass line that was common at the beginning of many battle themes in older Final Fantasy games returns after a long absence for the game's boss theme.
*Final Fantasy XVI reprises the archetypal Final Fantasy storyline of nations vying over possession of crystals, the origin of magic.
*If the player buys enough pints at the hideaway's tavern, Maeve will eventually talk about how she has heard chocobos were able to fly back in the old days. In the endgame, Gav also mentions that unless someone has taught chocobos how to fly, he will not be scouting Origin. Flying chocobos have been mounts in previous Final Fantasy games, starting from Final Fantasy IV.
*At the end of Clive’s final battle with Ultima, Clive says "The only fantasy here is yours, and we shall be its final witness" just before landing the coup de grace on Ultimalius, referencing the name of the series. The book in the ending scene is also called Final Fantasy.
===Final Fantasy===
*Lukahn Larkstongue takes his first name from Lukahn of the Circle of Sages.
*Arrangements of Final Fantasy's overworld music are used in several themes relating to Ultima.
*Clive's fake persona while in Dalimil is "Lord Underhill". Underhill is a minor character from the original Final Fantasy. (However, both serve as allusions to Lord of the Rings.)
*The way Ultima dissolves after his Ultima Risen form is defeated is similar how Chaos disintegrates after his defeat in the first Final Fantasy, which has been repeated in subsequent games in the series.
*The flavor text for the Braveheart weapon alludes to the Warriors of Light concept, likely specifically from the original Final Fantasy where the Braveheart weapon first appeared in the series.
*Odin's overall design bears a strong resemblance to Garland.
===Final Fantasy II===
*Many monsters are named after monsters from or originating from Final Fantasy II, and take design cues from them.
*The storyteller in Northreach references the White Dragon hidden in a treasure chest in the Mysidian Tower.
*The Blood Sword DLC weapon alludes to Final Fantasy II where the recurring sword first appeared, its flavor text mentioning "lifelong companions who cast their lot with the flames of rebellion", in allusion to the player party in Final Fantasy II being members of the Wild Rose Rebellion.
*Mysidia appears in the DLC "The Rising Tide" as the location where Leviathan is sealed away. In Final Fantasy II, Leviathan was encountered as a guardian of the Mysidian Tower, II marking the first appearance of both Mysidia and Leviathan in the series.
**Additionally, the village of Haven features an area within known as Minwu's Cup, referencing the Final Fantasy II character of the same name.
===Final Fantasy III===
*The second Hideaway is located in an old airship named the Invincible, being named after the final airship from Final Fantasy III. Like the inspiration, the Invincible from Final Fantasy XVI functions as a town, housing several shops, an inn, and workshops.
*The first Hideaway’s tavern is called The Fat Chocobo, referencing the Fat Chocobo that first appeared in Final Fantasy III.
*Mid's idea of converting the Enterprise into an airship hearkens back to Cid Haze converting the Enterprise boat into an airship. Referencing the Wheel of Time item being used to do so in Final Fantasy III, Mid's prototype model of the airship requires a single cog to finish the concept.
*Clive's Mesmerize attack from the Shiva Eikon is named after Shiva's White summon attack from Final Fantasy III when summoned by Evokers.
*The storyteller in Northreach extols a tale of an excessively large chocobo that ate a man. Fat Chocobo first appeared in Final Fantasy III as a means of extra inventory space by storing items in its belly.
*When Ultima performs the Eikon abilities of Bahamut, Shiva, Odin, Titan, and Ramuh in the Japanese version, he will exclaim Bahamur , Icen , Catastro , Hyper , and Spark respectively. All five names reference their associated summon spells for the Evoker and Summoner jobs from Final Fantasy III.
**Additionally, Ultima will exclaim Gigametz when performing Garuda's abilities, referencing the character of the same name that first transformed into Garuda in Final Fantasy III.
*The Onion Sword DLC weapon first appears in Final Fantasy III.
*In the Mysidia area of the "The Rising Tide" DLC in Final Fantasy XVI, the name of the area of Nepto Coast alludes to the Nepto Dragon and Nepto Temple that appear in Final Fantasy III. 
**Furthermore, the Nepto Dragon itself is a great sea serpent, similar to Leviathan— whose imprisoned state can be seen from the Nepto Coast in Mysidia.
===Final Fantasy IV===
*There is a man referred to as the Spoony Bard in Cid's Hideaway, a name that Tellah called Edward Chris von Muir in the original translation of Final Fantasy IV.
*The Knight of the Blinding Dawn's introduction has him making a pose similar to one made by Kain Highwind in his official artwork and the logo of Final Fantasy IV.
*Jill Warrick uses the pseudonym of Jayne, Captain of the Red Wings, named for the Red Wings organization of Final Fantasy IV. Jayne is also the queen of Cornelia in the original Final Fantasy.
*Clive accepting the truth on what happened at Phoenix Gate and facing his inner demons is similar how Cecil had to atone for his actions at Mount Ordeals to become a Paladin by defeating the Dark Knight.
*The notorious mark "The Mageth Brothers" is a reference to the Magus Sisters, even having names mirroring the sisters'.
*Gilbard the Golden, a historical character after whom the realm-wide currency is named, shares the same Japanese name as Edward from Final Fantasy IV, being called in Japanese. The English localization uses Gilbard, a combination of the names Gilbart and Edward.
*The "Echoes of the Fallen" and "The Rising Tide" DLCs in Final Fantasy XVI feature Famiel and Shula, siblings who both hail from Final Fantasy XVI's Mysidia. This is similar to the relationship of the Mysidian twins Palom and Porom, where the former of each pair is more rambunctious and flighty, and both of the latter are considered more responsible and straight-laced.
===Final Fantasy V===
*Cid's adopted daughter, Midadol Telamon, is named after Mid Previa, who served as Cid Previa's grandson in Final Fantasy V. Midadol and Cid designed the mechanical powered Enterprise ship together, mirroring Cid and Mid's role in creating and enhancing the Fire-Powered Ship.
*The village of Moore is named after the village with the same name from Final Fantasy V.
*Mid mentions "Bartz the Builder" after completing her miniature airship. Bartz Klauser is the main character of Final Fantasy V. (This also doubles as an allusion to Bob the Builder.)
*When Ultima performs Phoenix's Eikon ability during the final battle in Japanese, he will exclaim Tycoon , a shorten katakana version of the Tycoon name from Final Fantasy V. This references the Phoenix originally being Hiryu, a wind drake belonging to King Tycoon that first transformed into the Phoenix summon.
*In Japanese, the wyvern tail flower is named "flying dragon grass". Dragon Grass is a medicinal feed for dragons in Final Fantasy V that is yet poisonous for humans.
===Final Fantasy VI===
*The event that led to the destruction of the Fallen was known as the War of the Magi, being named after the historical event from Final Fantasy VI. Both conflicts revolved around the power of magic being abused to achieve world domination.
*Edda's birth scene may be intentionally similar to the one in the end of Final Fantasy VI with Katarin, both being part of an ending montage to represent the world recovering from a calamitous state. Both are teenaged girls whose villages have perished, but unlike Katarin, Edda was seemingly the only survivor.
*After defeating the final boss, Clive uses his power to erase the source of magic from the world, removing the power of Bearers, Dominants, crystals, and magick from Valisthea. This mirrors the erasing of espers and magic at the ending of Final Fantasy VI; though magic powers are lost at the end of some other Final Fantasy games as well, in specifically both Final Fantasy VI and XVI the act performed intentionally in a bid to save the world.
*The clockwork devices created during the age of the Fallen are known as magitek, being named after the technology from Final Fantasy VI.
*Clive's Raging Fist attack from the Titan Eikon is based on Sabin's Raging Fist Blitz ability.
*A group of bandits mentions the name of their deceased leader as "Locke", named for Locke Cole, a thief from Final Fantasy VI.
*An engineer in Midadol Telamon's workshop is called "Owain", previously used as the name for Cyan's son in Final Fantasy VI.
*Ultimalius's appearance during the limit break portion of the battle has him with six angelic wings, giving him a passing resemblance to Kefka Palazzo's God of Magic form, particularly its appearance in the PSX opening sequence.
===Final Fantasy VII series===
*Cid smoking cigarettes was previously a habit of Cid Highwind from Final Fantasy VII.
*Ultima in his Ultimalius form resembles Sephiroth, containing latter's sharp parted bangs and takes a form similar to Safer∙Sephiroth when casting Ultima. Prior to his final encounter, Ultima also conjures a manifestation of the Sefirot Tree. Ultima's Prime transformation also has him adopt a single black wing capable of flight.
**The Ultima Collective's backstory of hailing from another realm who arrived due to a calamity as well as largely being responsible for most of the conflict in the story in the past, and to a lesser degree his overall design, resembled Jenova. On a similar note, Ultima used disguises of by-that-point deceased characters, with a notable one being Barnabas's mother with the implication that the last one was how Ultima influenced Barnabas to act as his agent, similar to how Jenova and her byproducts (Sephiroth and his remnants) were capable of shapeshifting into those that were dead and to an extent how Sephiroth post-madness was largely motivated by his devotion to his "mother".
**The musical theme for the scene where Ultima raises Origin from underneath Twinside, "Eschaton", has a similar opening melody to that of "Those Chosen by the Planet", Sephiroth's main leitmotif from Final Fantasy VII
*The recurring spell Raise serving as a plot device in the game's narrative mimics Holy and Meteor serving narrative purpose in Final Fantasy VII.
*As part of the "Echoes of the Fallen" DLC, players receive the Buster Sword used by Angeal Hewley, Zack Fair, and Cloud Strife throughout the Final Fantasy VII games.
=== Final Fantasy VIII ===
*In the track "Sixteen Bells", which plays in most regular monster encounters, the intro melody is identical to the initial melody of Final Fantasy VIII's "Don't Be Afraid", the game's normal battle theme.
*After Ifrit breaks and wields Odin's sword, he uses it as a counterattack against Odin and dispels his spectral steed. While this use is named "Zantetsuken" in the English version of the game, it has a name similar to Zantetsuken Reverse in Japanese, the attack used by Seifer Almasy in Final Fantasy VIII if Odin is summoned against him in Lunatic Pandora.
* Before the final battle against Ultima, Clive sits on the ground watching a Phoenix feather fall, which he eventually grabs. This is similar to the end of Final Fantasy VIII, where Squall Leonhart is lost, falls down, and sees one of Rinoa's feathers fall to him.
* In the first downloadable content, "Echoes of the Fallen", the boss Angra Mainyu features an attack named 'Eyes on Me', alluding to the Final Fantasy VIII song of the same name.
===Final Fantasy IX===
*A note in Eisla tells of the legend of the "shimmering isle" said to emerge occasionally from the mists along a well sailed shipping route, but no man had seen it more than once. This may be a reference to the Shimmering Island in Final Fantasy IX, which glows whenever the portal between Gaia and Terra is open, leading to rumors and even religious beliefs around the island.
*The design for Ultimalius's Limit Break form bears some resemblance to Necron, the final boss for Final Fantasy IX.
=== Final Fantasy X ===
*Clive's Impulse attack from the Bahamut Eikon is named after Bahamut's command ability in Final Fantasy X. Like the original attack from Final Fantasy X, Clive launches dark orbs to attack the enemies.
*Clive's whistle when he calls for Torgal in the prologue is the same sound used for Tidus and Yuna's whistling, though this could be seen as a reused asset rather than a deliberate callback.
===Final Fantasy XI===
*The term "Notorious Monster" originates in Final Fantasy XI, and is used similarly to refer to extremely powerful monsters the player may hunt and defeat.
*The Blight and its relation to the Mothercrystals is similar to The Emptiness and its relation to Vana'diel's Mothercrystals seen in the Chains of Promathia expansion.
*The Orc enemy type names are reused from the Orcs seen in Final Fantasy XI.
===Final Fantasy XII===
*The name "Margrace", used as an alias by Joshua Rosfield, is shared with Al-Cid Margrace from Final Fantasy XII. Al-Cid hails from Rozarria, a nation who's name is phonetically similar to Joshua's native Rosaria.
*When Clive asks Cyril for the Book of Martyrs, he will read the names "Dalan" and "Kytes", remarking they are not Rosarian names. Cyril explains the Undying choose their own names. Old Dalan and Kytes are characters who live in Rabanastre in Final Fantasy XII.
*A notice posted in Clive's office about Fallen relics in the Velkroy Desert comes from Tomaj, of the Second Order of Archaeologians, named after Tomaj, the owner of the Sandsea tavern in the Royal City of Rabanastre.
*The icon for the Hunt Board is the Mandragora, a reference to the Rogue Tomato monster being the first hunt mark in Final Fantasy XII.
*Joshua's assistant, Jote, shares the same name with Fran's older sister.
===Final Fantasy XIV===
* The concept of Dominants is similar to characters who summoned primals through their own bodies, most notably Ysayle Dangoulain, and the summons are also called Eikons. The Eikons bear similarities to their Final Fantasy XIV versions, most notably Garuda, Titan, and Shiva.
*Benedikta Harman's wind-elemental servants, Chirada and Suparna, are based on the additional enemies Garuda summons during her higher difficulty fights in Final Fantasy XIV.
*In the English localization, the conjured servants of Dominants are called Egis, borrowing the term from the lesser version of primals used by Summoners in Final Fantasy XIV.
*Torgal's relationship with Jill mirrors the dynamic between Fenrir and Lady Iceheart in Final Fantasy XIV.
**Additionally, first mentioned in "The Rising Tide" DLC for Final Fantasy XVI is a former Dominant of Shiva, Ysay, who bears a nearly identical name to Ysayle Dangoulain; both can summon Shiva in their own bodies.
*Due to both games being produced by Creative Business Unit III, several enemies in the game are based on their Final Fantasy XIV counterparts.
*Clive's Limit Break gauges are based on the Limit Break gauges from Final Fantasy XIV.
*In the English localization, the Knight of the Blinding Dawn is voiced by Robert Vernon, alluding to his previous voice role as Estinien Varlineau, the Azure Dragoon.
*Valisthea has a small, red star called Metia beside the moon resembling that of the real world's; this is similar to the original appearance of Dalamud in Final Fantasy XIV (version 1.0) prior to the story updates revealing Dalamud's true nature.
*The Orchestrion has the same appearance and functions from the Final Fantasy XIV counterpart.
*During Bahamut's fight, several animations are very similar to the Flames of Truth cinematic.
*Blackthorne nearly shares his name with Gerolt Blackthorn, who is similarly regarded as a master blacksmith.
*One of the Main Story Quests in Final Fantasy XVI is named 'Through the Maelstrom', sharing the term with the title of Final Fantasy XIV's Patch 2.2 and the track of the same name.
*As part of the DLC "The Rising Tide", players receive the Curtana used by the Warrior of Light, unlocked as the Paladin Relic Weapon in A Realm Reborn. This DLC also features both 'Torn from the Heavens' and 'Through the Maelstrom' included as Orchestrion Rolls.
*A section of the track 'Cascade', which features as the boss theme of Leviathan, shares an identical melody with 'Through the Maelstrom', similar to 'Control' and Final Fantasy XIV's 'Fallen Angel'; both of the latter feature as boss themes of Garuda in each respective game.
*The Egis that Leviathan summons, Perykos and Thalaos, are references to the identically-named familiars of the goddess Llymlaen in Final Fantasy XIV.
*The Dread Comet notorious mark is based on Red Comet, a critical engagement boss in the Bozjan Southern Front, with both being red chocobos.
===Final Fantasy Tactics===
*Cid's full first name, Cidolfus, is shared with Cidolfus Orlandeau from Final Fantasy Tactics (as well as Cidolfus Demen Bunansa from Final Fantasy XII). Cidolfus Telamon is the Dominant to the Eikon Ramuh, likely a reference to Cidolfus Orlandeau's nickname "Thunder God Cid".
*The game's primary antagonist, Ultima, resembles Ultima, the High Seraph in that they both are looking for a body to inhabit as a vessel and use the series's recurring ultimate magic spell, Ultima.
*The Carrot Morbol is named after the recurring enemy that first appeared in Final Fantasy Tactics during a dispatch mission.
===Dissidia Final Fantasy===
*The Warrior of Light's Braveheart sword appears as a pre-order bonus weapon for Clive.
=== Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within ===
* The boss Undertaker utilizes an attack called "Spirits Within", an allusion to the title of the CGI movie.
==Allusions to the number sixteen==
Being the sixteenth installment of the series, Final Fantasy XVI makes some references to the number itself. Although they are not necessarily deliberate allusions to the number 16 (whether they are or not is speculative), they are nonetheless present.
* Sixteen survivors of the Ultima collective managed to travel to Valisthea on Origin. When they combine into the Ultimalius, the "Tree of Sephirot" they conjure to achieve this has sixteen nodes.
* The book containing the backstory of the Bearers describes their downfall in Chapter XVI.
* The normal encounter theme is called "Sixteen Bells".
==Religion and mythology==
===Norse===
* Odin is a god associated with healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, battle, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet in Norse mythology. He reigns over the hall of Valhöll (Valhalla), the Norse equivalent of heaven (only those who fought bravely and died in combat were eligible to enter).
**Odin's Dominant's theme is "The Riddle", whose name and lyrics allude to a Scandinavian riddle (gátur) that is found in the legendary saga Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks (The Saga of Hervör and Heidrek) from the 13th century, combining material from several older sagas in Germanic heroic legend. In Heiðreks saga, Gestumblindi, a disguised Odin, challenges King Heidrek to a riddle contest and propounds riddles in poetic forms. The riddles are well integrated into the genre of Eddaic poetry, and provide insights into Norse mythology, medieval Scandinavian social norms, and rarely attested poetic forms.
**The only named attack used by Odin during the battle against him and Barnabas is Woden Worhte Weos, a snippet of the Old English Maxims verse "Wôden worhte weos, wuldor alwealda rûme roderas". The full verse roughly translates to "Woden wrought the (heathen) altars / the almighty Lord the wide heavens". Woden is an alternate name for Odin in pagan mythologies, and the verse refers to him being a mere heathen god inferior to the Christian God. As Christian-inspired nomenclature is heavily used in regards to Ultima, Ultima can be seen as "the almighty Lord" in the verse to Odin's Woden, and signifying Odin's subservience to Ultima.
* Sleipnir, Fafnir, and Fenrir are named after creatures from Norse myth.
* The sword Ragnarok is named after the battle of the gods in Norse mythology preceding the end of the world. Its flavor text alludes to both Norse mythology, and the events of the game itself: Ancient Ashen legend purports that one day, the "Age of Dominants" will draw to a close in an epic clash of Eikons that sets the land ablaze, cleansing it of foulness and allowing for its rebirth-a clash they call Ragnarok.
** Ragnarok's upgraded form, Gotterdammerung, is named after the German translation of Ragnarök.
* The Gjallarhorn fort in Waloed is named after the horn used by the Aesir god Heimdall to mark the beginning of Ragnarök.
* The Einherjar is named after the souls of warriors who died in battle and were brought to Valhalla by the Valkyries. In Final Fantasy XVI it is King Barnabas's ship, the Dominant of Odin.
* The town of Eistla is named after one of the Nine Mothers of Heimdallr.
* The area known as Frigg’s Calm in Waloed is named after the Aesir goddess of marriage, prophecy, clairvoyance and motherhood and wife of Odin in Norse mythology.
* The character Edda's name may be a reference to the Prose and Poetic Edda, two collections of various Norse myths and legends.
=== Greek ===
Greek mythology is most prevalent mythological theme in Final Fantasy XVI, its influence being seen in the game's themes, song lyrics, and namings. The game's summons being called "Eikons" in English likely also alludes to Greek mythology, from Ancient Greek εἰκών (eikōn), meaning "image" or "likeness".
* Titan is named after the massive primordial beings that preceded the gods in Greek myth.
*The chronolith trials are named after the first eight moons of Saturn, which in turn are named after titans, titanesses, and giants from ancient Greek mythology.
*In Greek mythology, Dion was a King in Laconia and husband of Amphithea, the daughter of Pronax.
*Cid's surname is Telamon, a character from Greek mythology.
*The notorious mark Atlas shares its name with the Titan from Greek mythology who was sentenced to hold up the sky for eternity.
*The history of the Fallen civilization mirrors the story of Icarus, who flew to close to the sun - too close to the domain of the Gods - and fell to his death.
* Charon is the name of the ferryman who takes the souls of the dead across the River Styx to Hades in Greek mythology. Obolus was a form of ancient Greek currency and weight. Charon's obol is an allusive term for the coin placed in/on the mouth of a dead person before burial as a payment or bribe for Charon. Obolus and Charon are residents of the hideaway, Obolus being the boatman who brings visitors to the hideaway and Charon being a merchant known as savvy with money.
*The monster Ultima summons to test Clive in Drake's Head is called Typhon, who shares its name with a god in Greek mythology who tried to kill Zeus and replace him as the king of gods, but failed, and was imprisoned under Mt. Etna, a volcano in Sicily which has violent eruptions that are said to be caused by Typhon himself.
*While not part of mythology, the trophy/achievement “Eureka”, requiring Clive to spend 36,000 Gil at the Tub and Crown, references the statement made by Greek physicist and mathematician Archimedes, and how he used water displacement to determine if a crown commissioned by Hiero of Syracuse was made from pure gold or not.
*Ultima's name for his vessel is "Mythos", from Greek μῦθος (mûthos, "report, tale, story"). It means something transmitted by word of mouth, such as a fable. However, he deems his failed Mythos to be "Logos", from the Greek lógos, meaning "word, discourse, reason".
*Clive can forge weapons named after the Eikons. Their flavor text denotes that the weapons' names derive from Eikonomachy, allusion to the Titanomachy and the now lost poem depicting it, a war of most of the Titans (the older generation of gods) fighting the Olympians (the younger generations) and their allies.
*Prometheus and Epimetheus are mentioned in the lyrics to the Phoenix's theme, "Away". Prometheus was a titan best known for stealing the gift of fire from the gods and bestowing it upon humans, and Epimetheus was his brother, making for a pair of titans who "acted as representatives of mankind".
*The lyrics to "To Sail Forbidden Seas" mention Eurus, Caecias, Thrascias, Zephyrus, Meses, Notos, Lips, and Apeliotes, the classical compass winds for the points of geographic direction and orientation, in association with the winds as conceived of by the ancient Greeks. The lyrics also include Oceanus, a pseudo-geographical feature in classical antiquity, believed by the ancient Greeks and Romans to be the divine personification of the World Ocean, an enormous river encircling the world.
*The lyrics to "Heart of Stone" mention the Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts in ancient Greek culture. Additionally, the lyrics Sky black with rain, e'er against its weight do his shoulders strain could allude to Atlas, the Titan whom Zeus forced to hold up the sky as punishment.
*The lyrics to the victory chant are "Pathos begets Mythos" in Ancient Greek.
*Though the term "aether" also comes from the classical element, in ancient Greek mythology aether was the breath of the gods, which formed the air which mortals breathed. The deity Aether is the personification of this idea as well as the upper sky itself.
*In the DLC “Echoes of the Fallen”, the party comes across a minotaur boss named Asterius. Asterius is said to be the name of the famous minotaur defeated by Theseus.
*In the Kairos Gate the player will encounter several enemies named for the eight logismoi, a Greek predecessor to the concept of the seven deadly sins: Gastrimargia (gluttony), Porneia (fornication), Philargyria (greed), Lype (sadness), Orge (wrath), Acedia, Kenodoxia (boasting), and Hyperephania (pride).
=== Hindu ===
*Garuda is a birdlike creature that appears in both Hinduism and Buddhism. It serves as Lord Vishnu's mount and is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila. In the game, Garuda is the Eikon of Wind.
* The notorious mark Agni is named after the Vedic god of fire in Hinduism.
===Other===
*The flavor text for the Excalibur makes allusion to the Arthurian legend, suggesting that Valisthea has its own version of it. Additionally, the story of The Saint and the Secretary makes reference to Camelot, the kingdom ruled by King Arthur.
==Anime==
* The trophy "It’s Over 50,000" is a reference to a quote by Vegeta in an early English dub of Dragon Ball Z, where he proclaims that Goku's power level is over nine thousand.
==Pop culture==
*When Cid vows to continue on his quest to save the world even if it will get him labeled, Clive calls him "Cid the Outlaw". Later on, Cid has taken the idea to heart and asks "Cid the Vicious, was it?" Sid Vicious was the bassist for the English punk rock band Sex Pistols; it was also the name of a world champion professional wrestler from the 1990s.
*Clive's fake identity while in Dalimil is "Lord Underhill". While also a minor desert caravan character in the original Final Fantasy, Underhill's name comes from the first Lord of the Rings book, Fellowship of the Ring, where it is used as Frodo's traveling name to escape from the Dark Lord Sauron.
*In the endgame, if the player visits the Hideaway's garden, they can overhear the gardeners marvel that their plants have not died even with the darkened skies, and the other comments "But we have found a way. Life has found a way." "Life finds a way" is a memorable line by Dr. Ian Malcolm in the 1993 film Jurassic Park that has since gone on to become a meme.
*The achievement/trophy "Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeift" is likely a reference to the TV series The Wire, alluding to the way that the character Clive Davis says "shit".
*The trophy "With Great Power" references Spider-Man, alluding to the words Uncle Ben tells Peter; "With great power, comes great responsibility".
*During one of the opening scenes, Benedikta Harman refers to Hugo Kupka as "[her] lion". This is a possible reference to Game of Thrones, where Shae refers to Tyrion Lannister in the same way. This is ironic, as Hugo is much larger than other people and Tyrion is a dwarf.
*The trophy "With Two Ds" is a reference to the 2006 film Idiocracy, referring to the character Upgrayedd, a pimp who spells his name with two ds.
*There is an enemy encountered late in the game during the "Smooth Like Butler" sidequest named "Spring-heeled Jacques" in reference to the English urban legend of Spring-heeled Jack.
*The trophy "Think, Mark!" is a reference to the animated TV series Invincible, referring to the moment where Omni-Man yells at his son, Mark Grayson, at the end of their battle.
*The trophy "Careful Whisper" is a reference to the song "Careless Whisper" by George Micheal.
*The trophy "And They Opened Up My Mind" is a reference to the song "I Saw the Sign" by Ace of Base.
*The trophy "Such Dodge, So Mega" is a reference to the Doge meme.
*The quest title "For Great Justice" is a reference to the "All your base are belong to us" meme, based on a badly translated release of the video game Zero Wing.
*Clive's finishing blow to Ultimalius is taken from a similar finisher by the eponymous protagonist against Chakravartin in the 2012 video game Asura's Wrath.
Category:Allusions
Category:Final Fantasy XVI