Final Fantasy X-2 allusions

Final Fantasy X-2 makes numerous references to previous Final Fantasy titles and other pop-culture references.

Final Fantasy

 * Gates on Garment Grids are colored after four elemental crystals: red, blue, yellow, and green.

Final Fantasy III

 * The accessories Invincible and Enterprise are named after airships.

Final Fantasy VI

 * The entry in Shinra's Bestiary for the enemy Ultima Weapon reads "Whatever you do, don't call him Atma". In Final Fantasy VI, Ultima Weapon was mistranslated as Atma Weapon.
 * One of Garment Grids, Bum Rush, is also the name of Sabin's most powerful Blitz.
 * One of Garment Grids, Treasure Hunt, refers to self-proclaimed title of Locke Cole.

Final Fantasy VII

 * The boss of the Mi'ihen Highroad Fiend Colony, King VERMIN!, is named after the insult Barret used toward President Shinra. Its bestiary entry is reminiscent of Barret's speaking style.
 * The character Shinra shares his name with the Shinra Electric Power Company in Final Fantasy VII. He makes a resounding late-game statement, which builds a strong case for Spira being the same world as the world of Final Fantasy VII.
 * When Rikku finds out about Zanarkand being turned into a tourist attraction by Cid, she compared it to "turning the ruins of Home into a theme park". Yuffie Kisaragi has a similar issue with Wutai being turned into "a cheesy resort town" by her father, Godo Kisaragi.
 * One of the Garment Grids, Healing Wind, is named after Aeris's initial Limit Break.
 * One of the Garment Grids, Salvation Promised, refers to the Promised Land.
 * Catching chocobos is a similar process in both Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X-2, and the Final Fantasy X-2 version appears to be directly influenced by its predecessor. Chocobos appear in random encounters and the accompanying enemies must be killed to catch it. The player can give the chocobo greens to make it stay. Captured chocobos are sent to a ranch where the player can feed them to improve their properties.

Final Fantasy VIII

 * When using her Songstress dressphere, Yuna will sometimes say "Hey! Eyes on me!", a reference to the song from Final Fantasy VIII.
 * Rikku sometimes uses the phrase "booyaka", a phrase Selphie Tilmitt often uses.
 * Rikku uses a PuPu doll for a weapon while in Mascot dressphere.
 * PuPu is the icon for a Final Fantasy X-2 save file on the memory card.
 * In Final Fantasy X-2 International and the HD Remaster, a PuPu makes an actual appearance in the ending of the Iron Giant, and another one appears in Concherer's ending.

Final Fantasy IX

 * The Garment Grid Tetra Master is likely named after the card game played within Final Fantasy IX.
 * Some non-playable characters from Final Fantasy IX make an appearance: Benero appears as an Al Bhed being interviewed by Shelinda and a character called Cinna is seen not wanting to part with his hammer.

Final Fantasy X
Though Final Fantasy X-2 is set within the same world as Final Fantasy X, it contains many callbacks to that game.
 * Numerous weapons are reused:
 * When equipped with the Warrior, Yuna wields the Brotherhood and Rikku wields the Crystal Sword.
 * When equipped with either the Black or White Mage, all three girls are equipped with one of the rods Yuna wielded in Final Fantasy X.
 * When equipped with the Samurai, Yuna and Rikku wield Auron's katanas.
 * When equipped with the Dark Knight, Yuna and Rikku wield Tidus and Auron's Celestial Weapons, Caladbolg and Masamune, respectively.
 * When equipped with the Mascot, all three girls wear costumes and use weapons based on Lulu's dolls: Yuna wears a Moogle costume and wields a Moomba, Rikku wears a Cait Sith costume and wields a Space Bandit, and Paine wears a Tonberry costume and wields a Cactuar.
 * Yuna takes Tidus's battle pose and uses his victory pose when wearing the Warrior dressphere.
 * Rikku's Alchemist dressphere is similar to Rikku's diving suit from Final Fantasy X. Also, her spellcasting pose is the same as Tidus's.
 * The airship Celsius is counterpart to the airship name Fahrenheit in Final Fantasy X.
 * During "real Commotion?" mission in Chapter 1 at Luca, when Rikku asks Yuna what "did she do after they left", Yuna says "Top secret!" and assumes the pose from her Final Fantasy X render.
 * While referring to what Ronso said in Final Fantasy X, a statue of Yuna with a horn may be constructed on Mt. Gagazet depending on the player's choices regarding the Ronso through the game.

Metal Gear Solid

 * When fighting a Recoil or a similar serpentine enemy, Rikku shouts in a similar way to the characters in the Metal Gear Solid series when Snake dies.
 * Likewise, Rikku's voice actress, Tara Strong, also voiced Elisa and Ursula in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Paz in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

Metroid

 * Rikku's Machina Maw suit looks almost exactly like Samus Aran's Zero Suit.

Secret of Mana

 * An accessory called the Rabite's Foot exists that raises Luck by 100. A rabite is a weak, basic monster in Square Enix's Seiken Densetsu/Secret of Mana, which, ironically, does not have feet.

TV Shows

 * YRP's group dynamic bears a stylistic resemblance to Charlie's Angels, especially in the first chapter of the game where their introduction scenes are done in a flashy 70's style.
 * The Goons' battle cries are similar to those used by the human-like grunts of the antagonists Showa-era Kamen Rider series. The Fiend Tales endings for Red and his fellow goons can be seen as a homage to the Super Sentai series since they are named by color.
 * During Chapter 5, when the player is given a description of the newly added Calm Lands minigames, they are told it is "Brought to you by Tobli, Calm Skies Partnership, and the letter Q". This is a reference to Sesame Street, a children's television show, which has a tradition "being brought to you by" a letter and number.
 * When the player visits Cactuar Nation for the first time and try to leave before finding out why Marnela called for the group, Picket, the probe guide, will tell the player to stay, and then will yell "No soup for you!" This is the catch phrase from the "Soup Nazi" episode from Seinfeld.
 * At the end of battle, Paine will say "Thank you". Rikku will add "Come again". This is the catchphrase of the Simpsons Quik-E Mart clerk Apu.
 * If the Prophet is nailed as the culprit in the Mi'ihen Highroad subquest of Rin's mystery, he'll spout the line: "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!". He also says "Zoinks". This is an often used reference to Scooby-Doo. His voice sounds much like Shaggy's as well.
 * When spherechanging into the Gunner, Yuna might say "Resistance is futile". This mainly noted as a quote from the Borg of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
 * During the sequence in Chapter 1 where the girls are sphere hunting in Zanarkand, Isaaru takes on the role of a game show host. If the player calls him out by having Yuna ask "Is that you, Isaaru?", he will ask "Is that your final answer?" which became a catchphrase of the hit TV game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Commercials

 * If Paine casts Flare, she might comment, "You! It's what's for dinner!" This is a parody of an ad campaign by the American Beef Council which says "Beef, it's what's for dinner".
 * The file for Jumbo Cactuar at Shinra's Bestiary says the fiend is "Giant and green, but definitely not jolly". This is a reference to the Jolly Green Giant.
 * One of Rikku's quotes when casting Auto-Life is "Here's a quicker picker upper!" This a reference to Bounty paper towels, which has the slogan: "The quilted quicker picker upper".
 * One of Rikku's quotes when using the Gun Mage's Fiend Hunter bullet is "Let's do it! Al Bhed tested, Brother approved". This a reference to Kix breakfast cereal, which has the slogan: "Kid tested, mother approved".
 * One of the Gunner's abilities is called Quarter Pounder, which reduces the target's MP by a quarter. This is a reference to the McDonald's sandwich of the same name.
 * The Chapter 2 mission on the Mi'ihen Highroad "Cuckoo for Chocobos!", gets its name from the slogan for said by  "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!".

Theater

 * When spherechanging into the Black Mage, Yuna will sometimes quip "Double, double, toil and trouble". Rikku sometimes says "Fire burn and cauldron bubble". Both of these lines are said by the witches in the Shakespeare play Macbeth.

Literature

 * In Chapter 3, Rikku, Brother and others refer to themselves as the "Friendly Neighborhood Gullwings". This is an obvious reference to the old Spider-Man, who often called himself "just your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man".
 * In Chapter 5 if the player had slept in the cabin each chapter, Brother has a conversation with Barkeep about loving Yuna. Afterward, if the player goes down to the engine room, Buddy tells Yuna how he found the Celsius. The story he relates about being lost in a fog on a sea of ice only to be lead to the airship via a gull (a subsequent second gull appearing only to be shot and eaten), is very similar to the way a former captain recounts being led out of the Antarctic by an albatross (who is also shot and eaten) to a wedding guest in the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
 * Gugs are a race of horrifying giants in the lore of.

Movies

 * When Rikku changes into a Samurai, she sometimes quips, "Crouching tiger, hidden Rikku", a reference to Ang Lee's martial arts movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
 * Winning a battle with Yuna as Lady Luck sometimes results in her boasting "Game over, man... game over". This line is said by Hudson, played by Bill Paxton, in the movie Aliens.
 * One of the Songstress's abilities is called Dirty Dancing, a reference to the movie of the same name.
 * Paine's special dressphere is called Full Throttle. This could be a reference to the Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle movie. The movie and Final Fantasy X-2 were both released in 2003.
 * The name of the digging mission in Bikanel Desert is "Can You Dig It?", the famous quote from the 70's film, "".
 * During Chapter 3, if the Gullwings meet Pacce in the Bevelle Underground, they will warn him about fiends. He responds "Fiends? The Kinderguardians laugh in the face of fiends! Ha ha! This is similar to the line spoken by Simba when he goes to the elephant graveyard in .

Music

 * At the beginning of the first battle with Yuna/Leblanc and her henchmen, Paine says "I could have danced all night". This is a line (and song title) from the musical My Fair Lady.
 * When Paine casts an ice-based spell, she'll sometimes say "Ice, ice baby". This is a reference to a briefly popular song by Vanilla Ice.
 * In Chapter 4, right before Yuna's concert in the Thunder Plains, Brother says "Spira is going to be killed softly by your song!" This could be a reference to the song "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack, remade by The Fugees in 1996.
 * As the Gullwings are preparing for Yuna's concert in the Thunder Plains, Brother says "Achtung, baby. Let's clear the concert grounds". Achtung Baby is the name of a U2 album.
 * The first boss, Boris, is a reference to "Boris the Spider" by The Who. His "Sticky End" attack and his entry in Shinra's Bestiary reads "maybe he's as scared as you" are both references to lyrics in the song.
 * The joined ability performed by Leblanc, Logos, and Ormi in Chateau Leblanc in Chapter 2 is called "No Love Lost": "No Love Lost" is a name of a song composed by.
 * A trophy from Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster is called Dancing Queen, a reference to Abba's famous song with the same name.

Ancient Egypt

 * One of the abilities usable by the Sinistral Wing, one of the parts of Paine's special dressphere, Full Throttle, is named Ma'at's Feather after, the ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice.

Folklore

 * The three pets of the Trainer dressphere allude to the tale of, where the hero's companions are a dog, a pheasant and a monkey on his journey.

Real World

 * The accessories Iron Duke is named after a of the British Royal Navy, launched in 1912.