During Nozomu's rant about how very impressive things will usually be overshadowed by something even slightly more impressive in existence, some examples flash by in the background. One of them says, "Krillin's power - Saiyan's power." Krillin from Dragon Ball Z (1996) is ridiculously powerful by normal human standards, but despite this he will forever be overshadowed by the even more ridiculously powerful Saiyans of the series.
When Kafuka explains why shadows are important, several small pictures are shown. Among them is a silhouette of Urusei yatsura (1981)'s alien housewife Lum sitting on the moon.
The title "Watashi Wa Shukumeiteki Ni Hikagemono De Aru" ("I'm Predestined to Be in the Shadows") comes from a line in Fumiko Hayashi's "Vagabond Song": "Watashi Wa Shukumeiteki Na Horosha De Aru" ("I'm Predestined to Be a Vagabond").
When Nozumu is brought back by chains, above the board "Cat Demon" and "Vengeful Spirit" are written. This refers to how the cat was left out of the Chinese zodiac, and is probably a reference to Fruits Basket (2001), where Kyo was cursed with the vengeful spirit of the Cat among the Sohma family
When Usui's bald head is revealed, 5 arrows slowly point and move towards his head. This is a reference to Shuffle, the game where these arrows are used to similar effect in the title sequences to point to the different girls that the player could end up with at the end of the game.