Vegeta cameo.
- Himeko's last name is Onizuka, as she could have been inspired by Great Teacher Onizuka, a series about a former delinquent who became a teacher. And the shout out may not end there as well, since Himeko mentions late in the series that her dream is to become a teacher.
- Himeko's favorite candy, "Pelolipop Candy" is a play on Chupa Chups lollipops (including its long line of flavors), while the mascot of the company is a parody of Peko-chan, the mascot of Fujiya
, a Japanese company that specializes in candy stores and restaurants. - There are several to Gintama, mostly because Shinohara was Sorachi's former assistant, earlier in his career.
- Bossun and Tsubaki have a similar rivalry to Gintoki and Hijikata's, due to their positions in their school (after-school club vs student council).
- In chapter 72, Switch reccomends Shinzou to use Gintoki's clothes. In the anime, Switch (Tomokazu Sugita) even uses Gintoki's tone of voice while doing this suggestion and the others lampshade it.
- To Bleach:
- In episode 3, Bossun asks Himeko if she can master Bankai. The episode/chapter where Himeko replaces her hockey-stick, Bossun even suggests her to name it "like a zanpakuto".
- Switch introduces himself and states that his favorite Espada is Aaroniero Arruruerie in the manga, while he states his favorite Vizard (Kensei Muguruma), in the anime. The last is a reference to his voice actor as well, since he also previously voiced him in the Bleach anime.
- Reiko Yuuki's design is a whole reference to the Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl trope, that became popular once The Ring was released. She even "curses" Switch during her appearances.
- In episode 5, the way she enters the Sket Dan club room is an obvious reference to the famous scene where Sadako comes from TV (instead, Yuuki is using the window), and it is used again in the eyecatch (although the background was changed to TV static).
- Her introduction in the Ninja universe chapter is played with in a similar manner to Sadako's pond scene.
- Episode 10's plot starts off as a largely bowdlerised parody of the The Ring's movie, with a cursed videotape (not exactly cursed, but it becomes very revealing later).
- The picture shown straight after the commercial break in episode 6 has Momoka in a tiger print bikini and Bossun getting electrocuted.
- One of the Show Within a Show in the series (which Switch is a fan of), is an anime called Futari wa Nervous, and it even has an Spin-Off called No! Nervous 5.
- In episode 8, while Momoka is trying to get a role in it, one of the guys watching the audition looks like Nabeshin (and he is even voiced by the man himself).
- Bossun once excepted the Magical Girl's Catchphrase while they were helping Momoka to be In the Name of the Moon and he did the pose too.
- While episode 10 starts with a hilariously accurate parody of Kimi ni Todoke (scene by scene as the anime's adaptation) at the beginning, the chapter it was based on in the manga uses a parody of Strawberry 100%.
- J-son, one of the teachers at Kaimei Academy, looks like Jason. Despite being a visual expy of Jason, J-son actually prefers chainsaws over machetes, and his first appearance has him replace Leatherface in some obvious scene homages (in the form of an imagine spot and the episode's Eye Catch).
- In episode 15, when Dante is introduced, he writes a spiral which Switch thinks he is referring to Uzumaki, but he was actually saying that he liked Naruto. Switch can also be seen playing a game based on Reborn! (2004).
- In the manga, Switch mentions that Dante using a symbol with furigana reminds him of the Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro's chapter titles.
- Episode 16 has Bossun watching Transforminators 5.
- Reading the Hyperion game piece's name "Dodon-don-dodon" out loud sounds suspiciously like the opening to the Terminator movie franchise. It's also a somewhat Punny Name.
- From Dragon Ball:
- Episode 19/Chapter 48 has Bossun getting his hair cut like Goku, and Switch channels Cell and he even imitates his voice actor, Norio Wakamoto (being said, this is not the first and only time Tomokazu Sugita has imitated Wakamoto's voice.)
- A later episode has Shinzou trying to pick out casual clothes with Switch making him dress up like Vegeta, hair and all. Piccolo's clothes are also seen in there as well.
- Switch's usual username in the web (Vivage City, Momoka's blog, sometimes even Twitter) is "Porunga".
- When Koma hits Bossun with her "Koma's cannon" in chapter 95, Bossun ends up with Yamcha's death stance in the ground...
- In episode 15, Dante mentions "Makankosappo" (Piccolo's "Special Beam Cannon") during the second eyecatch.
- From Bakuman。:
- In episode 20, Himeko briefly turns into Eiji Nizuma (complete with weird hairstyle and pencil).
- In chapter 72, Shinzou gets dressed and starts acting as Eiji, as well. The Next Episode Preview of episode 30, has him talking about his dreams, with a similar animation, and even an Captain Ersatz for Miho Azuki.
- Roman's introduction to her "How to Draw Manga" guide, in chapter 115, mentions the series for looking up some technical terms that a common reader may not know, such as what a name is supposed to be.
- Roman also makes a promise with Bossun as the one Moritaka Mashiro and Miho Azuki made, in episode 9.
- In the first chapter, when Teppei is with the Sket Dan, Bossun gives him the name of "Penki Kurai-man", which Switch pronounces it like P.Cry-man. Himeko lampshades this in a tsukkomi reclaim.
- Episode 23 has a feast with Magical Delinquent Liberty Maji, which logo, footage (almost shot by shot) and a DVD cover design are based in Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
- Chapter 129 makes a reference to Harry Potter, when the Sket Dan finds out an owl. This gets lampshaded by the group later, given the awkward silence they have when they rescue it in the first place.
- In chapter 140, Bossun is playing with a Shian of the Counterattack figure, and telling Himeko to not insult Code A.
- In episode 29, Switch mentions "Something has disappeared, like Haruhi", another reference to a past role voiced by Tomokazu Sugita (in this case, Kyon).
- Episode 30 has an obscure reference to Special Duty Combat Unit Shinesman. One of the members of the Slender sentai team is "Sepia", one of the same colors of the Shinesman. Himeko even calls sepia a lame color, a Running Gag in the series, where people regularly made fun of the group's colors.
- In episode 38, Bossun picks up a toy sword (to break out from the room the Sket Dan were trapped in) and proclaims "This is the Key to Victory!"
- The game system in episode 39/chapter 91 resembles the Famicom, although it is a Chinese Bootleg, made by Master Huang. The videogame the characters play is a bizarre cross between Super Mario Bros. (with even suspicious similar protagonists' names) and Dragon Quest (with random enemies battles and JRPG content). Additionally, the dialogue over the first eyecatch of the anime was one of the slogans that was used in the advertisement campaign for the Earthbound Beginnings game.
- Two VERY familiar characters appear in the Sports School Festival on Kaimei, although they are named "Mario-kun Suwa" and "Luigi-kun Suwa"... and their time to shine is in the Sports Festival (as they are supposed to be pros at obstacle courses).
- To JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
- DIO's "WRYYYYYYY" vampire cry is used in episode 22/chapter 40, by Switch, the local Large Ham otaku.
- Roman draws a Stand in her "How to Draw Manga" guide.
- Himeko lampshades that the pose that Bossun ends up after getting mistakenly glued in chapter 220 is one of the typical ridiculous poses that Hirohiko Araki draws in his manga series.
- Roman's "stand" in her shoujo manga is named "Lover Soul", in the same nature that Araki does normally in his series, which itself references any of his musical influences. This one is probably referring to the j-music band, Judy And Mary.
- In the Next Episode Preview of episode 6, Switch mentions Yare Yare Daze, one of the most common phrases that Jotaro Kujo uses in the series. This same phrase is also seen on a cardboard in a record/DVD store in episode 43.
- In chapter 220, Switch is going to a meet & greet session with the voice actress, Marina Onoue. Her name is a play on Momoka's VA, Marina Inoue.
- Several mentions of Kinnikuman are also seen in the series, like the time the Sket Dan was playing Hyperion with a figurine that looked like the original protagonist of the series, and there are also mentions around here and there of the "Kinniku Buster".
- Other references to Reborn! (2004):
- In the anime, Gokudera (named as Gowadera) appears in the cover of the Shonen Jump when the manga based on the Student Council gets serialized. He also appears on Dante's flashback in episode 15.
- In the crossover chapter/episode with Gintama, Shinpachi makes a reference to its title, when changing two characters from Kattekyo Hitman Reborn! to Ritekyo Hitman Caborn!.
- From Naruto, besides the fact that it's Dante's favorite series:
- The plot of the Ninja World's Alternate Universe chapter is based on its basic premise. Bossun also mentions "-ttebayo" when finishing a phrase, and Switch's reason to change his clothing is because it "makes him look cooler (like a Genin)".
- At the end of the Fake Fortune Teller arc, Bossun mentions "dattebayo".
- In the Biscuit Dance chapter, when Agata suggests a topic for a play they will do, Dante (being a Naruto fan in the normal universe) mentions "Masked Shitobi" (a reference to Kakashi).
- Kiri's dad thinks that "Sasuke" sounds great as a ninja name (like Sasuke Uchiha) and thinks he has the needed aspiration to become one, but Tsubaki sucks at learning different ninja skills (in his defense, it would be a regular reference to ninjas and not only to Naruto, since it's a very usual name for ninja characters).
- The tail of the Genesis' "net" is called "One Piece Fairy Tail".
- Roman Saotome, who is mostly the "Queen of Old-School Shoujo Manga" at Kaimei, often makes reference to old shoujo titles from the 70s and earlier 80s, such as Candy♡Candy ("My prince of the Hill" which Switch mentions that it comes from Gyarando Gyarando), and she even channels one of the characters in Glass Mask, at times.
- The first appearance of Enta Hinohara in episode 109 is very misleading in the anime since he looked like a certain God of Manga... covered in light (also serving as Breaking the Fourth Wall in the manga, since their "god" is the author of the series, Kenta Shinohara himself).
- The two members from the Shonen Manga club (Michinori Magata and Nozomu Saikawa) are based on Manga Michi's main semibiographical characters, the famous manga creator duo, Fujiko Fujio (Motoo Abiko and Hiroshi Fujimoto). Abiko, in turn, is the author of Manga Michi. Instead of using a pun back to "Fujiko Fujio", they are instead called "Sainon and Magarfunkel", and their club's adviser is based on Osamu Tezuka, who was Abiko and Fujimoto's mentor earlier in their career.
- Shinohara uses some references back to Manga Michi ("Are you sure you want to follow the manga's road?"), and Doraemon as well. For Doraemon, there are visual parodies (the chocolates that Himeko and Bossun are eating in a chapter of the series) or concepts related to the famous gadgeteer cat such as Switch's (sometimes useless) inventions and Chuuma-sensei's new formulas ("he thinks like he is Doraemon or something").
- While Roman Saotome is a walking Old-School Shoujo echoing trope, Gaou Ugajin (introduced in chapter 219) has panels and a communication problem based on dialogues of Old-School Shonen series such as, more notoriously, Fist of the North Star.
- Gaou's name could be a direct shout-out to one of Hirohiko Araki's first works (Baou, which was serialized in 1984-85) or Raoh from Fist of the North Star to strengthen the old-school battle shonen genre's reference in his speech.
- One of the alternate universes featured in the manga is a whole play on the Dragon Quest RPG format (the change of jobs, the character's roles), that becomes wrong in so... so many levels (Bossun ends up as a slime, to mention an example). And the song that Switch is humming in the "screen title" (in the anime adaptation) is the Overture theme of the franchise.
- When Bossun and Cherry get invited to Koma's house, Bossun starts comparing Koma's family sizes. When serving food to Cherry, Koma's grandpa looked like "Gandalf was sharing his food with Frodo". When her dad was standing up from the table where they were eating, he looked like an EVA model.
- In a previous chapter, Bossun compared Koma's strength with the force of a titan.
- Bossun points out that Himeko, when using a maid outfit (in the 2009 Kaimei Cultural Festival), looked like Hilda from Beelzebub. Switch and Bossun made a cameo in that series some time later, as well.
- Saaya's fanclub is named as AGT38, a reference to AKB48. One of their sub-units, French Kiss, sung the first opening of the anime series.
- In one episode of the series, Switch can be seen playing a game about Saki, and in another episode there's a poster of the Vice Captain of Kazekoshi Girls School, Kana Ikeda, on a bulletin board.
- Dante's whole character was based on Visual Kei singers, more specifically, GACKT.
- In the New Year Day for 2010, Bossun and Tsubaki are playing a game which looks very similar to Monster Hunter.
- The Party! Hallelujah! single cover is based on the one of "Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik" of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
- In the first episode, Switch states that Teppei's favorite Mobile Suit is Victory from Mobile Suit Victory Gundam. Similar to Tomokazu Sugita's auto references, this one is for Teppei's voice actor, Daisuke Sakaguchi, who was Uso Erwin, the Victory's pilot.
- A series named Mobile Force is definitely a play on some of the Gundam series as well.
- "Funny Bunny", the song that gets sung by The Sketchbook in the series is the song by The Pillows. The band sung the first ending of the series (Comic Sonic), later. When Bossun learns to play bass, in the anime it is seen that he receives a CD that is The Pillows' "Rock Stock & Too Smoking" hits album from 2009.
- Switch and Bossun are playing Tatsunoko vs. Capcom in Episode 3. No wonder, since Tatsunoko Production was behind the anime series in the first place. They are playing as Gan-chan from Yatterman and Jun from Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, respectively.
- Momoka's friends are named after the folk tale Momotarō's main characters — a dog (Inui, "inu"), a monkey (Sarukawa, "saru") and a pheasant (Kijima, "kiji"), while Momoka is named after Momotaro.
- The Sket Dan is requested to make an adaptation of the story after the success they had with the stage play they did for the kindergarten in an earlier chapter, but it turns to be quite weird.
- Chapter 100 (and its adaptation in anime, as half of episode 71) is based on the Japanese folklore tale of "The Monkey and the Crab", and its ending hints the start of Journey to the West, once the Monkey (implied to be Sun Wukong) reforms himself.
- Switch's former band for the Kaimei Rock Festival arc is named "ch-ch", referring to 2ch, the infamous Japanese Imageboard.
- During chapter 181, at first we see Switch watching a horror movie trailer similar to the movie Ju On.
- When Chuuma goes to meet Remi's parents, they confuse one of his speech words, thinking that he was talking about the U.S. president at the time, Barack Obama.
- Harry-sensei, one of the English teacher of Kaimei, is introduced as someone who loves spy-related movies, such references to James Bond, Mission: Impossible and 24 were unavoidable to use.
- The rally that Bossun's class organizes for their final School Festival ("Vegetable Veritable") is based mostly in Dragon Quest's elements.
- In Episode 26, after Switch discusses adding a time machine function to the universe transport for the Gintama characters, he says "Tuturu"
- This one is possibly unintentional, but Bossun/Yusuke's father Ryosuke died while saving a child (who was playing with a ball near the streets) from getting crushed by a car is similar to what happened to another Yusuke.
