The city of Faye's memories is recognizably Singapore.
The fight on the bridge between Spike and Abdul Hakim in Episode 2, "Stray Dog Strut," is a homage to the fight scene in Bruce Lee - Mein letzter Kampf (1978) between Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. All of Spike's fights feature the use Bruce Lee's "Jeet Kune Do" style of fighting.
Spike is frequently shown smoking cigarettes with stems bent upwards or downwards. This is a subtle reference to jazz pioneer Dizzy Gillespie, one of the founders of bebop, whose trademark was a trumpet with the bell slanted.
Every episode title refers to a song title, album title, or genre of music:
- Session #1: Asteroid Blues = The Blues
- Session #2: Stray Dog Strut = "Stray Cat Strut" by The Stray Cats
- Session #3: Honky Tonk Women = "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones
- Session #4: Gateway Shuffle = Shuffle
- Session #5: Ballad of Fallen Angels = "Fallen Angel" by King Crimson
- Session #6: Sympathy for the Devil = "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones
- Session #7: Heavy Metal Queen = "Heavy Metal Queen" by Trance
- Session #8: Waltz for Venus = Waltz
- Session #9: Jamming with Edward = "Jamming with Edward" album by The Rolling Stones
- Session #10: Ganymede Elegy = Elegy
- Session #11: Toys in the Attic = "Toys in the Attic" by Aerosmith
- Session #12 & 13: Jupiter Jazz Pt.1 & 2 = Jazz
- Session #14: Bohemian Rhapsody = "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
- Session #15: My Funny Valentine = "My Funny Valentine" by Frank Sinatra
- Session #16: Black Dog Serenade = "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin
- Session #17: Mushroom Samba = Samba
- Session #18: Speak Like a Child = "Speak Like a Child" by Herbie Hancock
- Session #19: Wild Horses = "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones
- Session #21: Boogie Woogie Feng Shui = Boogie Woogie
- Session #22: Cowboy Funk = Funk
- Session #24: Hard Luck Woman = "Hard Luck Woman" by KISS
- Session #25 & 26: The Real Folk Blues Pt.1 & 2 = "The Real Folk Blues" by John Lee Hooker
Lupin III was a heavy influence on this series, and the main characters from both series resemble one another in appearance and personality. Spike/Lupin both wear ties, are lanky, and laid back. Jet/Jigen are the partners, both have beards, and are the more pragmatic members of their groups. Faye/Fujiko take advantage of their appearance to get what they want and has betrayed their groups. Vicious with his swordsman abilities represents Goemon. Spike's bent cigarettes are also an homage to Jigen.