Kamen Rider Ex-Aid: The Abridged Series, being made by a bunch of tokusatsu nerds, has plenty of references to other media, including but not limited to other tokusatsu shows like Power Rangers and Super Sentai. With the source material having a video game motif, it’s only inevitable that some video game references pop up as well.
- Many of the transformation phrases.
- Emu always says, “It’s Morphin Time!” before he transforms, as do the Kyurangers.
- Likewise, after Kuroto is revealed as Genm and as a fan of Saban's Masked Rider, he announces his transformations with, “Ectophase, activate!” Ferbus can be briefly seen on his desk as well.
- Parad’s transformation into Para-DX is announced with, “Let’s morphin!”
- Yakumo says, “Ninja Spin!”
- Mage confirms that Nico’s transformation phrase is a reference to Suite Pretty Cure ♪.
- The first episode has Emu give a Take That! to the Kamen Rider Wiki for its habit of grasping at straws to claim that various random details are actually Shout Outs to other media, the specific example given being the idea that Asuna’s name is a reference to Sword Art Onlinenote .
- Yoshitaka believes he is various superheroes. As such, he often quotes them, like saying, “Your strength has made me cry,” when told that he’s not a superhero and saying, “RPM! Get in gear!” when the stress from that causes him to be enveloped by the Bugster Union for Motors. At the end, he realizes that he really is a superhero, flashing back to when he turned into Ultraman Ginga.
- Yoshitaka later introduces himself in episode 7 with, “Yoshitaka Lucky!”
- As revealed in this commentary
, Emu saying, “Hey, hotshot! You almost took my head off!” to Taiga is a reference to "Clash of the Red Rangers" when Kevin says this to Scott while they're fighting Grinders. - Takeru is always eager to spread the good news of “our lord and savior, Kouta Kazuraba.” Kouta also met Kiriya in the afterlife when the latter was dead and Kouta ended up stealing his jacket.
- When Kiriya and Emu resolve to work together, their exchange quotes the theme song of Kamen Rider Dragon Knight.Emu: Together, we can fight the fight!Kiriya: So let’s ride!
- When Emu wonders what goes on in Kiriya’s head, a thought cloud shows him to be thinking of an orchestral rendition of “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.”
- Kuroto murders Kiriya with a Spin Dash Attack, and the sound of rings dropping upon getting hit is played when Kiriya’s transformation drops.
- Taiga mentions knowing a Rider who transforms using Famicom cartridges.
- Parad’s first transformation into Para-DX has him describe Perfect Puzzle as “non-copyright Puyo Puyo.” He later uses shouts, “hadōken!” when he attacks with Knock Out Fighter. Emu calls back to this in Chou Super Hero Taisen: The Abridged Movie when Team Ex-Aid fights the Dairangers, only he yells, “Shōryūken!” instead.
- Burgermon is mistaken by Emu and Hiiro for the Great Pumpkin.
- The blank Gashat that became Mighty Brothers XX was created when Kuroto was feeling particularly salty. Emu survives because his secret is that he’s always salty.
- When Emu and Asuna first find Nico, she’s humming the Zyuohger theme.
- When acting to Asuna as if he doesn't know Nico, Taiga says, “What's with this sassy… lost child?”
- Hiiro's dad sounds the way he does because he’s trying to reference the best/only movie Hiiro's ever seen. The April Fools' Day video, “Hiiro's Goofy Movie” also makes plenty of references to it.
- Taiga mentions that he’d rather fight 199 Bugsters in a great villain battle than go through a haunted house again.
- The Internal Reveal at the end of episode 6 is accompanied by “Armour Zone” playing as background music.
- The final stinger in episode 6 is Nico reciting the infamous “Nico Nico Nii” speech. The casting list in the description of each episode usually addresses her character as "Nico Nico Nii Saiba" as well.
- Amu's fight against Kamen Rider Amazon uses the sound clip from Saban’s Masked Rider of him saying, “I am Riderman!”
- After Another Hiiro is defeated by Hiiro, he quotes the “I am a shadow, the true self,” meme from Persona 4.
- When Hiiro summons cameos from the cards that Another Hiiro gave him, he summons them “in Attack Mode.”
- Naga promises Eight a Nintendo Switch and Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
- Episode 7 has Hiiro giving an inner monologue which mentions that his situation could only get worse if he were playing a card game against his humanity or if someone made a random reference out of nowhere. This doubles as a Call-Forward to the events of the "Ex-Aid Abridged Cast Plays Cards Against Humanity" stream.
- The helpful Lazer NPC that Hiiro encounters in the Chibi Wars 3 emulation tells him that he must accomplish several tasks to win the game, only for Hiiro to just kill him and win anyway. Lazer mentions “defeat Sephiroth” as one of the tasks before Hiiro kills him.
- When Brave tosses the blank version of the Maximum Mighty X gashat to Emu, he halfheartedly tells Emu to reach his full potential and “I don’t know, go even further beyond, something like that.”
- When Emu first uses Maximum Mighty X, he yells, “I. Am. GUNDAM!”
- Parad paraphrases the English line from Psyga in the Paradise Lost movie when he assembles all the Bugsters for Kamen Rider Chronicle.
- After Kuroto dies in episode 7, his ghost appears in The Stinger only to be shooed away by Parad. He vows that he will be back “in Book of Mormon form.”
- NICO NICO ★ RIDE FEVER has several:
- Nico mentions that it’s “been three years” since there’s been a proper female rider by the time she transforms.
- One of the chorus' lines is “Rider Wiki, time to add this to my page!”
- The whole song is a Song Parody of LUKA LUKA ★ NIGHT FEVER.
- From the third episode of Ghost Abridged:
- Takeru says he’s, “going ghost!” when he transforms to fight Baron.
- Emu’s cameo gets a reaction of, “He’s just standing there… menacingly!” from Takeru.
- "Seiji Takaiwa"note says, “Metal Gear,” when he appears and transforms.
- Takeru throws in a Super Mega when calling out his final Friendship Kick.
- The gravestone that the characters gather in front of at the end is for Marcos' hopes and dreams, Saban Brands, and half the universe.
- The Stinger includes a Marvel Cinematic Universe-style statement of “Kamen Rider Ghost will return… in Heisei Avengerations”, the planned adaptation of Kamen Rider Heisei Generations: Dr. Pac-Man vs. Ex-Aid and Ghost with Legend Riders.
- Kamen Sentai Gorider | The Abridged Special
- Exclusively in the trailer, Kaito expresses a disdain for Popplio. This is also a Continuity Nod to the Gaim Abridged Oneshot also set in the T.A.C.U.
- Twice Kiriya says, “yippee ki-yay, motherf**ker,” during the special.
- Emu uses a few of Shinnosuke’snote catchphrases at some point.
- Totema says, “Omae wa… mō shindeiru,” at one point.
- The Gorider cards that Emu gives away are for Magic: The Gathering.
- Kiriya lampshades the Prop Recycling of the Gorider Bazooka by asking if the Gokaigers might allow them to keep it.
- In the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue, Emu got invited to Smash, but Poppy ended up taking his place.
- Episode 8 has Ren Amagasaki transform into Lovelica saying, “HuniePop,” when activating the Bugvisor.
- Episode 11
- Kuroto cites the S.H.Figuarts reflecting his Breakout Character status as the reason Kiriya resents him, rather than the real reason.
- Ex-Aid and Para-DX defeating Cronus has “Fist Bump” playing in the background.
- 4chan is apparently involved in the programming for Doctor Mighty XX.
- Kuroto mentions Pokémon as the inspiration for creating the Save Energy Items.
- The Stinger has Proto sing “Until We Meet Again” as a sendoff to Graphite.
- Episode 12
- Ex-Aid says he looks like a “Super Saiyan Rastafarian” while hiding from the infected civilians in Muteki Gamer form.
- A cover of Hitomi no Tsubasa plays along with the final battle against Cronus.
- The Stinger has Kuroto mention a GenmCube before Build attacks him.
