Ask John: What Are Some Major Anime Parodies?

Question:
Probably one of the most memorable examples of “parody” or “homage” I’ve ever seen to date in anime is the sequence in episode 2 of the Nurse Witch Komugi-chan series which could best be described as “Science Ninja Team Komugi-chan”.

What other similar moments of parody or homage might be considered the easiset to recall from everything you have ever seen?

Answer:
I have little doubt that everyone remotely familiar with anime knows that anime is filled with parody and homage, frequently of other, specific earlier anime. But extended parodies and homages are a little less common than brief sight gags and cameos, in part because extensive recreation of earlier anime treads dangerously close to plagiarism. The familiar extended sequence from the Nurse Witch Komugi-chan OVA series that parodies Gatchaman and Tekkaman was permissible because the Komugi-chan series and the Gatchaman and Tekkaman anime it parodied were all owned and created by the same studio, Tatsunoko.

Honestly, there are benefits and drawbacks to the large diversity and amount of anime I watch. On one hand, watching a lot of anime keeps me entertained and gives me a broad knowledge of anime. On the other hand, watching a lot of anime gives me more information to potentially forget. As a result, I’m sure that there are noteworthy extended homages and parodies that I’ve seen and forgotten about, as well as others that I’m not familiar with. But there are a few that I can vividly recall.

Ashita no Joe has probably amassed more homages and parodies than any other anime ever. For example, the recently aired Soul Eater episode 14 contained the most recent Ashita no Joe reference I’ve seen. But Evangelion parodies certainly rival the frequency of Ashita no Joe references, and Evangelion parodies tend to be longer.

Miami Guns episode 7 features an extended recreation of the Evangelion Unit-00 activation test from Eva episode 5.

Burn-Up X episode 8 features significant and memorable parodies of Evangelion episodes 2 & 8.

The exceptional Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei episode 4 extensively recreates the Evangelion Unit-02 battle against the Mass Production Units from End of Evangelion.

Kanokon episode 3 includes an entire scene parodying a memorable sequence from Evangelion TV episode 26.

The entire fourth Miami Guns episode parodies Initial D.

Among the countless gag references and parodies found in the Excel Saga anime series, the entire episode 23 spoofs Fist of the North Star (while including multiple references to Di-Gi-Charat).

The first episode of the Cosplay Complex OVA series, which is filled with references to other anime, features a particularly memorable extended homage of Aim For The Ace.

Lucky Star episode 16 features an extended homage to The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, possible because Lucky Star and Suzumiya Haruhi were both animated by Kyoto Animation. Furthermore, ironically the numerous Anime Tenchou parodies throughout the Lucky Star anime are as long as, or even longer than the original promotional short film that they parody.

The pre-credits sequence of Comic Party episode 1 is a lengthy homage to ToHeart. Like many comedy anime series, Comic Party contains countless references to other anime, but few as long and extensive as its introductory ToHeart homage.

The entire Kyoufu no Kyo-chan short anime series from 1994 is a bloody, outrageous parody of the classic 1965 anime series Obake no Q-taro.

The Kimi ga Nozomu Eien spin-off Ayu Mayu Theater includes a rather brief Evangelion reference, but is more qualified for addition on this list for its lengthy parody of Kazuo Umezu’s Drifting Classroom manga and its extended homages to St. Seiya and Gainax’s Blazing Transfer Student.

As I mentioned, anime is filled with brief gags, in-jokes, and references. Individual shows like Hayate no Gotoku, Excel Saga, Miami Guns, Suzumiya Haruhi, Lucky Star, and Comic Party feature dozens of anime parodies just within each series alone. But rather than merely list anime parodies, I hope I’ve been able to identify a few extended anime references that are longer and more extensive than just brief sight gags, cameos, or references.