List of references to popular culture in Pokémon

References to other franchises in the Pokémon franchise are occasionally made.
==Pokémon==
* 's Japanese name, カビゴン Kabigon, is derived from Kōji Nishino's nickname of "Kirby" (Japanese: カービィ Kābī), which in turn is derived from . According to an interview by Game Informer, Junichi Masuda stated that Nishino, the main inspiration for Snorlax, used to be called "Kirby" during the development of because of his large appetite.Shea, Brian (October 24, 2019). "More Burning Questions For The Pokémon Series." Game Informer (Archived on August 5, 2023.)
* According to James Turner in a series of now-deleted tweets, 's design is based on American food mascots such as the or , as well as the from the 1984 supernatural comedy film .Archive of James Turner's tweets describing Vanilluxe's inspirations
* According to Ken Sugimori, the Swords of Justice are based on the main characters of the novel by : represents , represents , and represents .Nintendo Dream Vol. 204, April 2011 (Shellspider's blog, Translation by Dr. Lava) Additionally, while not explicitly stated, may be based on , which, like Keldeo, is the youngest and most recent member of the group.
* may be based on Princess Kaguya from , which was said to have been discovered as a baby inside a bamboo stalk, and was revealed to hail from the Moon. This may be referenced with Celesteela's design, which seems to visually combine bamboo shoots and trunks with elements of a , and a depiction of Princess Kaguya as a woman with long hair wearing a multilayered . It may also be referenced with the fact that Celesteela is exclusive to and .
* 's Japanese name, パルスワン Pulsewan, may be a reference to , a video game developed by Game Freak.
* 's design seems to reference silent film actor 's iconic character. Like the Tramp, Mr. Rime seems to wear a bowler hat, a black suit jacket, baggy trousers, and large dress shoes, along with carrying a cane and sporting a mustache. Mr. Rime is native to the Galar region, which is inspired by Charlie Chaplin's home country, the .
* The Loyal Three (, , and ), , and all appear to reference the Japanese folktale of . Pecharunt represents Momotarō; the Loyal Three represents the dog, monkey, and pheasant companions Momotarō befriended on his journey; and Ogerpon represents the oni that Momotarō fought against.
==In the games==
===In the core series games===
* In the Generation I games, the television in the 's house says, "There's a movie on TV. Four boys are walking on railroad tracks. …I'd better go, too.", which is a reference to the film .(July 2000). 田尻智さん（ゲームフリーク）ＶＳ石原恒和さん（クリーチャーズ）対談 (ページｄ)。 Nintendo Online Magazine (N.O.M). No.23. This carries over to and if the player chose male for their character's gender. The reference is also present in , where upon player interaction with the television in the player's house, it will say "They are showing a movie on TV. The scene is showing four boys walking down a set of railroad tracks… But it's time you get going!"
** In , if the player chose female, the TV says, "There's a movie on TV. A girl with her hair in pigtails is walking up a brick road. …I'd better go, too.", which is a reference to the film . This reference is carried over into if the player chose female. 
* In the Generation I games and FireRed and LeafGreen, the on says, "I'll make you an offer you can't refuse." which may be a reference to the film .
* In the Generation I games and FireRed and LeafGreen, in the 's room in Saffron City, there is a television connected to a Super Nintendo Entertainment System running "A game with <sc></sc> wearing a bucket on his head!", referring to the Japan-exclusive game , also developed by Game Freak.
* In the Generation I games and FireRed and LeafGreen, Eric in the Rock Tunnel makes a reference to the song by , saying "Hit me with your best shot!" prior to battle, and "Fired away!" after being defeated.
* In the Generation I games and FireRed and LeafGreen, Ashton in the Rock Tunnel makes a reference to , saying "Pokémon Fight! Ready, Go!" prior to battle. Official Gundam Fights in the series began with both participants declaring "Gundam Fight! Ready, Go!"
* In the Generation II games, the television in the player's house says "There's a movie on TV: Stars dot the sky as two boys ride on a train... I'd better get rolling too!", which is a reference to the 1985 anime film , which was based on the 1927 Japanese novel .
* In the Generation II games, the design of the Viridian Gym's interior is possibly a reference to Nintendo's discontinued N&B Blocks, which are also featured in .
* In the localization of , the are named , , and , referencing the manga .
* In , upon interaction, the television in the player's house says "There is a movie on TV. Two men are dancing on a big piano keyboard. Better get going!", which is a reference to the movie .
* In , before the battle with Team Galactic in Jubilife City, a threatens to "" to Professor Rowan's assistant, or .
* In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, during the Gym battle against her, Fantina exclaims "Never give up, never surrender!", the catchphrase from the 1999 science fiction comedy movie .
* In at , Omar says, "One day, people will run to the other side of the road when I walk by 'em." This may be a reference to from the series where people often run away when they see him walking down the street. 
* In Pokémon Platinum, , Dahlia's Japanese catchphrase is "", a reference to a popular song by the same name.
* In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, during the battle against in the Goldenrod Tunnel, he can say "Why so serious?" This could be a reference to the 's catchphrase from the 2008 movie .
* In , when the player reaches 6F of Dragonspiral Tower for the first time, 's cry is heard followed by an unknown person yelling "Burn, baby, burn!", which are key lyrics in the song by .
** Similarly, in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, the announcer's introduction of Flannery in the Pokémon World Tournament also includes the line "Burn, baby, burn!".
* In the English versions of Pokémon Black and White, two Driftveil Gym Pokémon Trainers ( and ) who use Pokémon share their names with main characters from the first two games of the , who are both associated with the element of .
* In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2's flashback , Elesa says, "You bet! And don't call me Shirley." This is a possible reference to a line in the movie .
* In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, some movie series of the Pokéstar Studios contain references to various movies and games:
** The Giant Monster Series movies are likely a reference to the movies. Also, the Mecha , MT for short, is likely a reference to Godzilla's mechanical counterpart, . The antagonist of the final movie, Serizawa, could be a reference to Daisuke Serizawa, a character from the 1954 movie.
** The Full Metal Cop Series movies in Pokéstar Studios are a reference to the films. The premise of several of them, in which the titular character battles a villainous ninja, is likely a reference to .
*** In the third movie of this series, the ninja played by the player character battles a character named Pollyanna, whose name is likely a reference to the song from the video game series, developed by Creatures, Inc., then known as Ape Inc.
** The Timegate Traveler Series movies borrow elements from both the and film series.
** The basic premise of The Giant Woman! Series movies are a reference to .
** In the Everlasting Memories Series movies, the things says, such﻿ as "It hurts..." or the repetitive calling of the player character's name might be a reference to from , which some of the same people from Pokémon worked on as well. F-00 itself is also a possible reference to from the same game.
** The Ghost Eraser Series is likely named after the movies.
* In , after being defeated by the player, Mia on says "Hey! Hey! Listen!" before battle, referencing from .
* In Pokémon X and Y, a non-player character in Lumiose City mentions the play , with the titular Beast as a Pokémon.
* In Pokémon X and Y, after being defeated by the player, Robert on references the famous "over 9000" meme spawned from , commenting "Wow. You and your Pokémon's power levels are amazing! They're over 9000 for sure!"
* In Pokémon X and Y, a in the Shalour City Pokémon Center mentions a game where the player character is "some cool dude, who runs around and whacks enemies to the beat of the music". This is reference to HarmoKnight.
* In Pokémon X and Y, one of the patrons in Café Woof in Lumiose City mentions owning 101 , referencing .
* In Pokémon X and Y, a found at the Poké Ball Factory says "Don't worry, be happy!", referring to 's song .
* In Pokémon X and Y, while the ultimate weapon is present in Geosenge Town, a Team Flare Grunt in front of a house in the west of the town comments "Only Team Flare's stayin' alive, stayin' alive.", referencing the song .
* In Pokémon X and Y, Timeo in will say "my body is ready" before battling the player, a reference to the meme spawned from a statement made by Nintendo of America's President and at the unveiling of the at , "My body… my body is ready!"
* In Pokémon X and Y, after being defeated by the player, Wikstrom will say "My will, which even shakes spears, trembles at so fine a battle as this!", referencing .
* In Pokémon X and Y, when playing the game in French, Romy in Azure Bay sings a variation to 's "" before the player battles her.
* In Pokémon X and Y, in the Battle Maison, Catla makes reference to the brand of memes with "Meow, meow, I can haz battle, meow? (Ugh, I really sound like a fool, don't I?)" before battle and "Meowww... I haz lost, meowww. (This job is sooo embarrassing.)" after being defeated.
* In Pokémon X and Y, in the Battle Maison, Clio makes reference to , saying "Man, I'm so speedy and smooth! I should be on So You Think You Can Skate!" after being defeated.
* In Pokémon X and Y, the final chapter of The Looker Detective Agency is named "Here's lookin' at you, kid", a reference to 's quote in .
* In Pokémon X and Y, at the Santalune Gym, whose Gym puzzle is based on a spider web, there is a named Charlotte, which could be a reference to the titular character from .
* In Pokémon X and Y, on , there is a named Alice, which could be a reference to .
* In , the fictional franchise Hoenn Rangers is a reference to , or possibly the Japanese show that it's based on, .
* In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, when the language is set to French, Brawly says, "" before being battled, a reference to Twitch Plays Pokémon.
* In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, an old man in Pacifidlog Town says "One does not simply walk into a Mirage spot.", referencing the famous quote from , "One does not simply walk into Mordor."
* In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, an on Sea Mauville mentions that she found a "Hi Skitty" doll on the facility, a reference to .
* In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, there is a in Sea Mauville named Lois and Hal, a reference to .
* In Pokémon Sun and Moon, Samson Oak tells the player to follow the "black brick road" to find him, a reference to the in .
* In Pokémon Sun and Moon, if the player takes a picture of water while using the , one of the possible comments is "7.8/10 Too much water ¯\_('-- ')_/¯", a reference to the meme spawned by 's infamous review of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
* In Pokémon Sun and Moon, a man riding a on says, "Hi-yo, Mudsdale! Away!", telling the player that he's pretending to be a hero he loved as a child. This is a reference to the .
* In Pokémon Sun and Moon, a woman with a in the Poni Wilds says "We're going on a Berry hunt. We're going to find a big one! ♪" This is a reference to the popular children's book "We're Going on a Bear Hunt", which has similar lyrics.
* In Pokémon Sun and Moon, Lillie talks about how she was watching a movie about a man going outside to sing in the rain, a reference to .
* In Pokémon Sun and Moon, Hala mentions the book while talking to the player at Hau'oli Outskirts.
* In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the player can help a woman on Hano Beach to rejoin a love-smitten called Mukeo with its loved one, another Pyukumuku named Mukiet. The player is able to recognize Mukiet from it saying "O Mukeo, Mukeo". These are direct references to William Shakespeare's .
* In Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, the Fossil Restoration Center on could be a reference to the movies. This is further supported by the fact that these movies were filmed in , which Alola is based on.
* In Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, an outfit resembling 's shirt and overalls can be seen on the wall on the right side of Konikoni City's apparel shop.
* In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, if is the player's walking Pokémon, the player and their will ride it by clinging on to its chest. This is a reference to .
* In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, two Master s that use and are named West and Keaton, who share their names with and , respectively, actors who have played the superhero . There is also a Master named Danny who uses a , which could be a reference to , a cartoon about a half ghost boy named Danny Fenton, who fights ghosts with his ghost powers under his superhero codename, Danny Phantom.
* In Pokémon Sword and Shield's The Crown Tundra , the fourth adventure's English title is "They Came From The Ultra Beyond!", which is is a reference to the 1967 science fiction film .
* In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, a woman next to a fountain in Mesagoza says "Rain in Paldea", a reference to "" from . The Paldea region is based on real-life .
* In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Iono renames her Gym Test challenge "Where in Levincia Is Mr. Walksabout?", possibly a reference to the edutainment series .
* In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the player can buy the "Cool Helmet" item by visiting the Seguro Style shop in Cascarrafa. The helmet heavily resembles that of , one half of the former French house music duo, .
* In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, question five of the history midterm exam asks the player "Those seeking ______ need look no further than the oranges/grapes of Paldea." The three answer choices are "power", "courage", and "knowledge", a reference to the three pieces of the from The Legend of Zelda series.
* In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's The Indigo Disk expansion, Blueberry Academy's Terarium's Savanna Biome features a cliff-like rock formation with a male standing on its ledge, referencing .
===In the side series games===
* In Pokémon Stadium 2, when the player views their whole room, if a game system other than the is set up, screenshots from several games for that system (such as for the N64) will appear on the player's TV.
* In Pokémon Colosseum, before he is battled, Fein will say, "You are me, and I am you, and we are all together here", making a reference to the line "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together" from song "."
===In the spin-off games===
* In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, after the player's first meeting with , she says "You can call me Swanna if you want. Just don't call me maybe.", referencing the song "."
* In Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, in Chapter 5, tells the tale of the Three Little and the , a reference to the fairy tale of .
* In Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, the that operates Hawlucha's Slam School calls his followers "Hawlucha maniacs", a reference to .
* In Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, all Meowth Theater dungeons are named after real life movies: Meowth in Black is a reference to , My Fair Misdreavus is a reference to , For a Few Boldores More is a reference to , Casameownca is a reference to , and It's a Meownderful Life is a reference to .
* In , the names of the Baker Detective Agency and its director, Mike Baker, are references to , where the fictional detective 's home is located.
* In Pokkén Tournament, one of the dialogue options for the player's Trainer is "Show me your moves!", in reference to 's recurring taunt in Super Smash Bros.
* In Pokémon Masters EX, the Curious Tea Party costume event makes multiple references to , with the story's iconic tea party scene being referenced through the main premise of the event, dressing up as , and both dressing up as the , and 's costume being based on the .
* In New Pokémon Snap, before the player reaches the poison swamp in Barren Badlands, a , a , and a can be seen dancing on an archway, a reference to a scene in .
* In Pokémon GO, a Special Research released during the Max Out is titled "Galar Calling". Given the fact that the Galar region is based on the , the title "Galar Calling" may be a reference to the song and album "" by British rock band .
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
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* The plot of Mystery at the Lighthouse seems to be based on the events of 's short story .
* The dub titles of Beauty and the Beach and Beauty and the Breeder are references to the fairytale .
* In Tentacool and Tentacruel, there is a noticeable similarity between the scene where Tentacruel speaks through Meowth, and a scene from the film , in which a captive alien speaks through the body of a scientist. In both cases, a voiceless creature covered in tentacles telepathically speaks through another being in order to make its objectives known to humans.
* In the dubs of both The Flame Pokémon-athon and Grass Hysteria, Meowth shouts "James! Stop this crazy thing!", a reference to George's famous "Jane! Stop this crazy thing!" from .
* In EP035, Kaiser's appearance, demeanor and handgun bear a resemblance to a character portrayed by in the Spaghetti Western .
* The plot of Showdown at Dark City is based on the events of 's .
* In Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back, when Team Rocket are disguised as Vikings, Brock says he was not aware that they existed anymore. Ash replies that they mostly live in , a reference to the team.
** In the dub, Brock says , and Ash replies and in the dub, Brock says , and Ash replies This makes it likely that both the Norwegian and Danish dubs reference the Swedish band, . 
** In the dub, Brock says , and Ash replies . Real Vikings existed in both Sweden and Norway.
* The franchise is referred in several episodes, 's outfit in Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon is very similar to the titular's and the giant boulder scene from is reenacted in Battling the Enemy Within! and Explorers of the Hero's Ruin!.
* In Lights, Camera, Quack-tion, mentions that Cleavon Schpielbunk directed , a reference to .
* The plot of , which was first mentioned in Lights, Camera, Quack-tion, is based on .
* In Go West Young Meowth, the movie is shown at Camp Pokéhearst, a reference to .
* The dub title of Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon? is a reference to the line "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" from . The names of the two Nidoran in love, Tony and Maria, are references to , which was based on Romeo and Juliet. In the dub, at the end of the episode the narrator makes reference to , another play.
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* In The Superhero Secret, Gligarman is based on . His civilian name, Mr. Parker, is likely based on Peter Parker, the alter ego of the superhero . When the video of Gligarman is shown, "Look up in the sky, is it a , a , a ? No, it's the crime fighting superhero Gligarman!" is heard, a reference to the famous line "Look, up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman!" He is also a parody of the series. Much like the Kamen Riders, he does extravagant poses, rides a motorcycle, and has a signature move in which he kicks his opponent (known as the Rider Kick in Kamen Rider, whereas Gligarman's is known as the Gligar Kick).
* The dub title of Machoke, Machoke Man! is a reference to the song .
* The disguises of the Team Rocket trio in Same Old Song and Dance were inspired by and their sub-groups and . James wears a sailor outfit, a reference to Morning Musume's song , Meowth wears an outfit that is similar to the ones worn by in the early days of Mini-Moni, and Jessie wears an outfit inspired by Tanpopo's costumes for their song . Also, in the Japanese version of the episode, Jessie saying "Evening Three Musumue" is a parody of Morning Musume's name.
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* In the dub of The Princess and the Togepi, "'s Expeditions" is translated as "Indiana May", making a reference to . When the blimp the group is riding is about enter a sandstorm, May also makes a reference to .
* In Lights, Camerupt, Action!, May describes a movie about a luxurious spaceship with a and in love who are separated because of an ice asteroid, which is a parody of the movie , while the ship displayed in the film is similar in design to the titular spaceship from .
** In the same episode, Max describes a movie about a giant destroying a city and battling against fighter pilots and a giant , which is based on the Japanese television show .
* Tyson's Meowth, who debuted in Like a Meowth to a Flame, is loosely based on the fairytale character . Team Rocket's Meowth highlights this by occasionally calling it "Meowth in Boots".
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* In Ya See We Want An Evolution!, Meowth's remote is similar to a remote, and he says "whee" once he pushes it.
* In Staging a Heroes' Welcome!, two girls near the beginning look like and from . This is most likely a joke on how their hats resemble the one Wallace wears.
* Hamilton, a character of the day in Cream of the Croagunk Crop! is based on a character named Hiroshi from the anime and manga . His , Craig, is a reference to the frog known as Pyonkichi, as it spent a lot of time on the front of his shirt.
** Hamilton's appearance and even the Japanese names of both himself and Craig were changed shortly after the episode's initial airing in Japan, possibly to avoid a lawsuit from the producers of Dokonjō Gaeru.
* In Stealing the Conversation!, there is one shot of Officer Jenny whipping her bike sideways and braking, which may be a reference to the 1988 Japanese anime classic .
** In the dub of the same episode, calls Jessie "." When Jessie tries to correct it, Chatot says "Lassie ran away."
* In Uncrushing Defeat!, before the group attack, the way Ash and his Sinnoh team (, , , , , and ) pose, strongly resembles the pose.
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* The plot of A Venipede Stampede! references the story of the when Burgh uses his bug flute to lead the out the city at the request of the mayor.
* In Movie Time! Zorua in "The Legend of the Pokémon Knight"!, mentions , a reference to .
* In Purrloin: Sweet or Sneaky?, when tries to ask out for a date, he says "Come on baby, don't say maybe!", referencing 's song Take It Easy.
* In The Mighty Accelguard to the Rescue!, Charles has the alter ego of The Mighty Accelguard (Japanese: 快傑ア☆ギルダー A☆Gilder), which most likely draws inspiration from . Certain other aspects of his alter ego, like his A☆Gilder Kick attack, draw inspiration from the titular characters of the .
* In A Call for Brotherly Love, during 's training montage, it is seen running up a flight of stairs and throwing its arms into the air in victory. This is a reference to the film where 's character does exactly the same thing.
* The plot of Battling the Bully! is a tribute to , with , Glenn and Sean having similar roles to that of .
* In A Restoration Confrontation! Part 2, when attacks and the group under a tree, Jessie has a communication device over her eye. After Ash and Ferris refuse to give up , Jessie says "Resistance is futile." This line is the catchphrase of the Borg from , who commonly wore similar devices.
* In An Epic Defense Force, the logo is referenced, with Luke's Zorua taking the place of .
* In Beheeyem, Duosion, and the Dream Thief!, the character 's design and mannerisms, are based on the character Iyami from the manga and anime . He even adds "zansu" to his speech and does Iyami's trademark "Sheeh" pose.
* In Team Eevee and the Pokémon Rescue Squad!, Virgil and his , along with the Pokémon Rescue Squad run by his father Jeff, are likely a reference to the 1960s TV series , which features a group of brothers using to save people in trouble in the same way as Virgil uses different Eevee evolutions to help those in need. One of the brothers was also named , and the rescue organization was run by their father, , much like the Pokémon Rescue Squad.
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* The MGM logo was also referenced a couple of times in Pokémon the Series: XY;
** In A PokéVision of Things to Come!, with in Leo's place.
** In Lights! Camera! Pika!, with in Leo's place.
* In The Legend of the Ninja Hero!, Shinobu of the Ninja Village is introduced as an old woman capable of hiding her elderly appearance behind a youthful facade, which could be a reference to from the series, who also uses a ninjutsu to make herself look young despite in reality being an elderly person.
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* In To Top a Totem!, a fantasy depicts a and some scaring away and in a similar fashion to the title card for the anime series .
* The inside of the mecha Meowth pilots in Alola, Kanto appears to resemble the controls of the mobile suits that appear in , specifically the head and wrist attachments resembling the Mobile Trace System.
* In A Mission of Ultra Urgency!, just before he prepares to capture , Ash's face briefly changes to resemble the titular character of the long-running manga series . Also, the way that the move their heads as the Ultra Guardians prepare to launch is a reference to the way the palm trees move during the launch of in the 1960s TV series .
* In Acting True to Form!, when demonstrating how to perform Z-Moves, briefly does the transformation pose of before switching to the pose for .
* In SM064, the scene in which one of the jumps on the back of another one and the second Passimian appears to be hurt is a reference to a scene from the television series .
* In Smashing with Sketch!, Ikari acts as a homage to Ryūichi Kazama of the manga . In addition, 's pose when mentioning Ikari's nickname "Ikari the Dragon" is the same pose of Gendo Ikari from the series .
* In Sours for the Sweet!, after Jessie's scolding of James and Meowth, Jessie's face momentarily turns into that of a doll.
* In Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime?, in one scene, James pulls a face that resembles the character of Iyami from .
* In The Prism Between Light and Darkness, James references the series by appearing as a pseudo-Super Saiyan, emanating the typical yellow Super Saiyan aura with his hair spiked upwards while still retaining his hair color.
* In Lillier and the Staff!, there are multiple references to other anime.
** Near the beginning of the episode, Jessie is seen dressed as Chigusa Tsukikage from .
** Jessie's outfit choices when she introduces her fake persona are references to some of her voice actress Megumi Hayashibara's roles throughout her career, including female from , from , and from .
*** In the English dub, when Jessie is dressed as Lina Inverse from Slayers, she is voiced by Lisa Ortiz, who had voiced Lina in the English dub of Slayers.
** Lillie and Mallow's embrace during the play is a reference to the series .
** The clash between 's mecha and Sophocles's Charjabug in a mechanized suit is a reference to .
** During the episode's Poké Problem extra scene, Rotom shows a picture that is a reference to a poster for the .
* In Alola, Alola!, the Robo-Meowth mecha from Alola, Kanto! returns with a red-colored appearance. This is a possible reference to the antagonist of the original , , known for his custom, red-colored Mobile Suits.
* In Heart of Fire! Heart of Stone!, the pose and Olivia make when using is a reference to the Erupting Burning Finger Sekiha Love-Love Tenkyoken from the anime series . The mecha uses is a reference to the Dark Gundam from the same series.
* The Japanese title and premise of Run, Heroes, Run! is a reference to the 1940 short story , while its English title possibly comes from the 1994 comedy-drama film with the tagline Run, Forrest, Run!.
* In This Magik Moment!, Refreshing Trio: Alola Idols, the show Mallow, Lana, and Lillie appear in, takes cues from anime and manga, such as the , , and franchises, the latter of which was animated by OLM. The sequence of Mallow, Lana, and Lillie drinking their beverages is a direct reference to a scene of the heroines from Wedding Peach drinking from wine glasses together when they say their "group motto".
** In the same episode, the man surrounded by Pokémon and wearing a yellow jumpsuit is a reference to actor and the jumpsuit he wore in the incomplete martial arts film .
** The episode ends with Team Rocket playing the roles of an anti-kaiju defense force typical of the franchise, with Meowth dressed up as the friendly monster Pigmon.
* In Aiming for the Top Floor!, briefly wears a face mark similar to that of , vocalist and lead guitarist for the rock band .
* In Living on the Cutting Edge!, speaks fragmented human language in reverse throughout the episode, most commonly repeating random fragments of the phrase "" ("Once again, I have cut a worthless object"). This phrase is often said by in old , as well as by Goemon Ishikawa XIII, a character from the long-running manga and anime series . The English dub translates this line as "Once again, I cut a worthless object."
* In Z-Move Showdown!, when Team Rocket tries to sneak away from , in the English dub, they say, "Slowly we turn... step by step, inch by inch." This may be a reference to a popular sketch titled "Slowly I Turned".
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* In Raid Battle in The Ruins!, the shot of Goh's Golurk at the Cerise Laboratory is a reference to a scene involving the rusted robot in .
* In A Chilling Curse!, James uses a vacuum cleaner to suck up and contain a . This is likely a reference to the video game series, which uses a similar concept to capture ghosts.
* Visquez from Destination: Coronation! appears to be based on the character Vasquez from the , given her name and military look.
===Pokémon Horizons: The Series===
* In Transform! Hero of the Seas, Palafin, when first appears, Liko asks if it is a boat or a submarine, which seems to be a reference to the iconic quote from 1940's : "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!"
** In the same episode, Ludlow is revealed to have a superhero alter ego called "Mighty G", whose design seems to be based on from , while his regular alter ego appears to be based on from the franchise. The aforementioned apparent reference to The Adventures of Superman occurs again when Roy and one of the Snap Boys spot "Mighty G" emerging from the sea, with them respectively asking if it is a boat or a ship.
* In Ice Battle! Cold-Eyed Grusha, a magazine held in a bobsledding center near the Glaseado Gym features a cover with two in poses parodying the Grady sisters from the 1980 film, .
* In HZ081, the scene where slides back after being hit by 's may be a reference to the popular "".
===GOTCHA!===
* The animated short opens with a scene of four characters resembling the protagonists of walking along a railroad, a reference to the film which played on the television in the Generation I games.
== In other animated media ==
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* A promotional video for the movie has the titular character performing a dance in a fitness gym. This references a Key & Peele comedy skit that performs the same motions and uses a similar fitness gym setting.
==In the manga==
===The Electric Tale of Pikachu===
* Brock sings a line of the song "Rubber Duckie" in the hot springs in To Evolve or Not to Evolve, That Is the Question!.
===Pokémon Adventures===
* Jet, a competitor in the Pokéathlon, is based on Jet Link (or Cyborg 002) from , having a near identical resemblance and his reputation for being fast.
* In Speeding! Paldea's Prince of Speed!!, performs the iconic motorbike slide from the movie using .
* 's design is based on from the TV series .
===Pokémon Pocket Monsters===
* Professor Oak's Laboratory resembles to the Capsule Corp. building from franchise.
==In the TCG==
*A ruling on from Wizards of the Coast indicating that a Dark cannot evolve into a non-Dark was concluded with a statement from "Yoda the non-Pokémon". It reads, "Once you walk down the Dark Path, forever will it dominate your destiny".Compendium This in reference to the character Yoda from , with the quote written in their style of speaking.
* The numbers of damage counters put by 's Ominous Numbers attack, 4 and 13, are considered superstitious in certain cultures: in East Asian cultures, while mainly in European culture.
==In the books==
==Related articles==
* List of references to Pokémon in popular culture
* List of background references to Pokémon
* List of Pokémon parodies
* List of references to Pulseman
* Pokémon world in relation to the real world
==References==
Category:Pokémon meta
Category:Lists