Pokemon Enigma has a lot of references to various media, whether it be music, anime, video games, TV shows, or memes, within its characters, events and dialogue. This page will document all of them.
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in General
- Almost all of the towns and cities in the game are named after towns on the Island of Sodor. The three exceptions are the town of Snowdon, the city of Venicia, and the desert town of Houslas, which is a portmanteau of two different city names.
- Additionally, a lot of the trainers in the game are named after characters from A3!, Project SEKAI and Ensemble Stars!, due to the creator being a big fan of those series.
- A lot of the game's achievements reference pop culture in their names:
Main Story
- The SNES in the player's bedroom contains a cartridge of "a cartoonish racing game where everyone is driving go-karts."
- Mom's grocery list on the fridge lists "Loaf of Bread" "Container of Milk" "Stick of Butter"
- The PC wallpaper on the player's computer in the item storage is a familiar green hill with a clear blue sky.
- Clyde, the Bremmington Gym Leader, is a music producer who makes songs using robotic anime voices.
- His music is also streaming on Spoofy. Counts as a double reference.
- His room is full of shout-outs as well: his shelves have figures of "a prince with red and blue hair", "an idol girl with light blue hair in pigtails" and "a schoolgirl wielding a massive scissorblade."
- Vocaloid fans will enjoy his plans on songs he wants to develop sitting on his workdesk; they list "a song about a girl trying to get a guy on Valentine's Day", "a song about a couple whose relationship is losing its spark", and "a song about two teens trying to be accepted in society's eyes."
- His music is also streaming on Spoofy.
- A Trainer in the Maithwaite Meadows says that if she beats you, she'll earn a Teddiursa Scouts patch.
- A Biker on the Cycling Road is a loner, named Charles. Doubles as a continuity nod.
- Sean is a passionate, occasionally angry chef. He's also blonde. Ring any bells?
- In canon, he has a TV show where he travels around the world visiting different restaurants and telling all about their foods, praising them.
- The player has to get the Train Pass from a shady burglar outside the Houslas Train Station by defeating him in a battle. The thief's name? Everdred. He even states that he'll give you the pass "after you've locked horns!"
- If the player refuses the ticket from Everdred, he'll tell the player to "come back when they're a little, mmm, richer."
- A Crush Girl on Route 307 states she hates sand, because it's coarse, rough, and gets everywhere.
- Another Trainer on said route exclaims "Agh! Sand goph in mah mouph! Ptooey!" before a battle.
- The theatre in New Brendham is showing plays named "Romeo and Julius," "Water Me," "How Wonderfully Picaresque" and "Sympathy for the Angel."
- A pink-haired man named Lauriam. Sound familiar?
- "Krazy Time Cakez! Shove 'em down your FACE HOLE!"
- All the Team Quartz grunts in New Brendham's industrial district are in kahoots over who the third strongest of them all is.
- A girl in Wellsworth can't get enough of Spheal. She tells the player "because it's spherical!" "SPHERICAL!"
- A scientist in Snowdon's fossil lab proclaims that nothing could go wrong with "a theme park full of dinosaur Pokemon."
- "I, for one, welcome our new helix overlords."
- Luthier, the no-nonsense scientist, has an apparent guilty pleasure for "The Fluppet Show."
- His favorite characters are "the two heckling old men."
- Luthier's AI assistant is named Carla. Roswell even jokes that Luthier wants to marry Carla.
- Despite being an Electric-type specialist, Roswell's lab assistant is an Elgyem, nicknamed Tony. An alien companion named Tony? Where have I heard that before...
- One of Roswell's scrapped invention ideas on his desk is for a "double decker couch."
- Brittany frequently remarks that she wants to be the "Queen of the Pirates."
- Reporter Honoka and Idol Chika in the Knapford Gym.
- Said Gym also has Idol Taylor.
- Draconia's expressive visor that mimics her facial expressions bare similarities to Queen.
Post Game Side Quests
That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Musician
- The quest is centered around Clyde, who is a not-so-subtle anime fan, and as such, anime references are everywhere in this one.
- For starters, the quest's title.
- Clyde's artist's block hits him hard: he compares himself to a pitiful little water flea.
- "I'm finished... my parents should just sell me off to a demon already... that's the fate I deserve..."
- The player has to reassure Clyde that "his music will pierce the heavens!"
- Draconia, in turn, insists to Clyde that he's "simply one heck of a musician."
Sean's Secret Stuff
- The quest's name is based on Michael's Secret Stuff.
- "You're killing me, (player)."
- Sean decides to use the hot pepper he crossbred in a pizza, declaring that "it's pizza time!"
To Clear a Pirate's Name
- "Not long ago, a small pirate unit was sent to the gallows by the navy for a crime they didnt- oh wait, wrong script."
- Emily tells the player that Toby once tried to sneak into a party, with a fake ID and the name "McLovin."Emily: "I kept telling him it was a stupid name!"
Do Weather Gods Dream Of Lightning Storms?
- The quest's title references Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.
- Minerva tries to make their magic lantern sound impressive by calling it a "futuristic image enhancer." In response, the player can call them out and say "That's just a magic lantern." Minerva's response?
- Minerva tries to capture Landorus by chanting "wololo."Minerva: "That usually works..."
- "I am so mad. I'm gonna go browse the web so I won't be as mad."
The Konchu Troupe Presents: Journey to the Zircon City
- The central plot revolves around assisting Abeille with making outfits for the Konchu Troupe, and eventually helping the theatre troupe itself, whose current production is an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.
- The Konchu Troupe apparently has a show where they compete as four friends to embarrass each other on live television.
- "Dishonor on you, dishonor on your family, dishonor on your Miltank..."
- "I said CONSUMMATE scenes! CONSUMMATE!"
Ghosts of a Chance
- When discussing what to do to raise money to save his ex-partner's mansion from destruction, Sullivan suggests doing the skits with "the Skwovets and the lightbulbs" or "the one about the baseball players."
- "How'd that first one go again...? "There's Skwovets in my pants?"
- Sullivan and the player find an old animatronic that Sullivan and his late partner used in comedy skits in the Mulberry Manor's basement, hoping to renovate it and make money off of it. Cue a Rotom possessing the animatronic, and terrorizing the player and Sullivan in a very familiar manner, even in appearance.
Starlight, Star Bright
- Before embarking to find Deoxys, Luthier advises Roswell to "don't do anything he wouldn't do." Roswell's response?
- "I'll take doubt for $200, Luthier."
- Roswell fears that if he looks into aliens too much, "men in black suits will come and wipe his memory."
- When briefing his alien theories to Luthier and the player at his corkboard of theories, Roswell poses in a in a very familiar and memetic manner.
- Before setting out to find Deoxys, Roswell suggests that he and Luthier refer to each other under codenames, opting for the names "Wiz and Boomstick."
Race for the Cure
- "NOT SCIENTIFICALLY POSSIBLE!"
- Luthier gets overwhelmed with his coworkers (including Roswell), saying that they're "blinding him with science."
No Stone Unturned
- Granite laments about losing Gaia to Azathend's powers. Nelson awkwardly responds with "...that's rough, buddy."
Carnation Island Arc
- The whole setting and premise of the arc, as well as some of the noteworthy characters of the arc, draw heavy inspiration from the various characters of Identity V's "Truth and Inference" story, with the island setting and central plot referencing the game's "The Shrouded Bélóstáin" event, and some of the characters referencing those of the game's "Phantom of the Crystal Palace" event.
- Bastille and Orpheus draw heavy inspiration from Harry DuBois and Kim Kitsuragi, respectively.
- As well as a certain, more famous detective duo.
- This is made a bit more evident by the detective assisting Orpheus and Bastille being named Irene, after Irene Adler, an opera singer from 'A Scandal in Bohemia' who, famously, outwits Sherlock Holmes.
- Four Socialites outside the town are named Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia.
- When recalling one of their times capturing a criminal, Bastille recalls Orpheus subduing the perpetrator by knocking him unconscious via dropping a large rock over his head, with Bastille commenting that it wasn't very sportsmanlike.
- At one point, Orpheus asks the player if there's anything he's looking forward to at Isadora's banquet. One of the player's responses is "I hope she made lots of spaghetti!"
- Bastille notes that Isadora reminds him of "the rich old guy from that board game."
- When ordered to do something by his master Isadora, Carlyle always responds with "how can I refuse?" Fitting, given his status as the arc's true villain.
Natsujikan Arc
- In motor mouth Daehyun's introduction, he states his favorite movie is "The Lunchtime Club."
- As a verbal tic before battling, Daehyun will say either "Let's get our game on!" or "Time to throw down!"
- Kimberly's gymnasium/dojo is named "Kimberly's Fight Club." Daehyun wonders if "talking about it breaks the first rule."
- An NPC on Natsujikan's beach says that he enjoys the beach because it's the only thing he's good at. In other words, he's the best at beach.
- The first quest's of the arc is to defend the island (and parts of mainland Tiall) from the sudden invasion of the Ultra Beasts. The quest's title is "It Came from Ultra Space."
- An NPC fleeing from the Nihilego-infested beach says that he doesn't wanna be "swimmin' with the jellies."
- In the quest, a Xurkitree is terrorizing the halls of the Trainer School, which brings to mind another slender monster from an alternate dimension that terrorized a school.
- One of the trainers in the Battle Tower is Reporter Ulala.
Mitologia Arc
- Lapis' swirly eyed glasses, awkward demeanor, long hair, and her occupation as a (failing) news reporter bring Carly Carmine to mind.
- Simone is a rockstar and a bit of a cloudcuckoolander, drawing heavy inspiration from Ibuki Mioda.
- Simone's many, MANY music references:
- Her band is named The Grateful Drednaw.
- Her nickname for the protag is "Jitterbug."
- When attacking with her Toxtricity, she'll exclaim "Thunderbolts and lightning, how very very frightening!"
- At the beginning of her concert, she exclaims: "FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK: I SALUTE YOU!"
- "I rock for whoever the bell tolls!"
- "Well, my momma didn't dance, and my daddy sure didn't rock and roll...
- "We should call the police, and not the groovy kind."
- Simone compares pulling off guitar solos to putting on a fresh pair of underwear on New Year's Day.
- Simone's musical references must have rubbed off on Sergei; after her concert, he introduces himself as "a traveler of both time and space."
- When Sergei, under the Corrosive Chip's influence, reveals his plans with Necrozma, Simone responds with "that's not even funny, man."
- "Come on, Jitterbug! We gotta cut loose and high-tail it outta here!"
- When entering Verde Village and encountering the first of Taran's (many) Battlebugs, the cast is greeted by local masked superhero The Silver Staraptor, who bears a striking resemblance to The Beak.
- "If I didn't know any better, I would have guessed he was an attorney."
- Before battling the player (after wrongly accusing THEM of being the perpetrator rather than the Battlebug), the Silver Staraptor declares that "justice will be swift, painful and delicious."
- "And remember, kids: in justice we trust!"
- Little Timmy and his Pidove.
- Kiegan's bedroom has a poster of a video game with the slogan "the world could always use more heroes!"
- Taran's penchant for video game slang references in his dialogue:
- Taran tells Keigan, after living with her that he can make the Battlebots dance on command. The command to do so? "Dance, robot, dance."
- Before sending out her final Pokemon in battles, Keigan declares "No more whammies, no more zonks! Time to get serious!"
- Valerie's disgusted face heavily resembles Tenko Chabashira's.
- "Oh please. You want to talk about standards? You thought the air conditioner in the middle of the exhibit was art."
- Before his first fight, Oswald tells the player: "You seem nice. I hate to defeat you."
- Enter Arsene, a sleazy master criminal and phantom thief who schmucks the island's residents under the guise of a merchant, has never been caught by the police and has always evaded capture, and has a whole section of the local precinct devoted to catching him. He even hides from law enforcement in trash cans. Sampo Koski, anyone?
- His name and occupation as a phantom thief allude to perhaps the most famous phantom thief of all time.
- His relationship with Artemis is near-identical to that of Lupin and Inspector Zenigata's.
- One of his catchphrases is "you'll never see him coming." His main color scheme is red and black to boot!
- When hiding in cardboard boxes and talking to the player, he bears a resemblance to Myriam Scuttlebutt.
- The cardboard box references don't stop there: hiding in the box from law enforcement as a sort of espionage bring Solid Snake to mind.
- "Arsene really steals? No dignity!"
- Prisma's mannerisms as a very powerful and threatening yet extremely comical villain (with a twisted sense of black comedy), as well as her eventual penchant for tossing out her inferiors like it's nothing is heavily inspired by "Big" Jack Horner.
- Her appearance also resembles Owen, from Promise of Wizard.
