Have you ever said to yourself "I want to get into Gintama, but I want to understand all of the references?"
Well fear not, for I have a cheat sheet for a lot of the references. Not all of them, because I'd never finish this post. But there are a lot of references the series makes, and as non-native Japanese viewers, a lot of things are lost on us. That's not even getting to things that are lost due to the language barrier. So here it is: a (not so) comprehensive list of series that Gintama references!
Manga
Dragon Ball (Bonus points if it involves dunking on Yamcha.)
Fist of the North Star (Complete with a copyright-friendly version of You Wa Shock!)
Saint Seiya (an entire episode hinges on Gintoki being afraid of getting sued by Toei because of their constant Saint Seiya references)
City Hunter (I wouldn't be surprised if City Hunter was an inspiration for Gintama. Like Gintoki as a main character is what happens if you were to combine Kenshin Himura and Ryo Saeba into a single man. And then you gave said man Kakashi's hair.)
Rurouni Kenshin (Gintama is best described as the post Big 3 answer to Rurouni Kenshin. While One Piece and Shaman King are the true successors to RK, Gintama is the series most similar in terms of aesthetics... minus the modern tech in Meiji-era Japan.)
One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach (I'm folding all three into one line due to their nature as Jump's Big Three. Not helping things is that Gintama ran around the same time as all three.)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventures
Death Note
To Love Ru (Yes, really.)
SKET Dance (Not surprising as SKET Dance mangaka Kenta Shinohara was Sorachi's apprentice at one point)
Fullmetal Alchemist
Lupin III
Golgo 13
Kinnikuman (the thing Ultimate Muscle is based off of)
Doraemon
Sazae-san
Berserk
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K (Ask me about how Gintama helped screw Saiki K out of an English Dub for Season 2)
Anime
Mobile Suit Gundam (It helps that Sunrise/Bandai Namco Pictures produced the Gintama anime, because there are a lot of Gundam references in particular. You also don't get the Renho arc without Sunrise producing the anime.)
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (Specifically the fact that Shinpachi and Tsukuyo's voice actors are in each series respectively)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (Especially if it involves MADAO, as MADAO shares a voice actor with Gendo Ikari)
Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and My Neighbor Totoro (I'm highlighting these three Ghibli movies in particular due to how often they are referenced throughout the series.)
The Brave Franchise (Specifically The Brave Express Might Gaine and The King of Braves GaoGaiGar)
Patlabor (Yes really, and SKET Dance is partially to thank for this one)
Video Games
Dragon Quest (Specifically DQ III & IV, this series gets referenced a lot once Tama is introduced)
Sengoku Basara (Specifically when it involves one Toshiro Hijikata)
Final Fantasy VII
Mother
Super Mario Brothers
Tales Of
Resident Evil
Yakuza/Like a Dragon (Not surprising, as both Like a Dragon and Gintama are set in and around Kabukicho)
Monster Hunter
Live Action Film & Television
Abarenbo Shogun (SHOGUN KA YO!!!!!)
NHK Taiga Drama (The Shinsengumi drama in particular is a primary influence for Gintama)
Game of Death
Star Wars
Kinpachi-sensei (The series that the Ginpachi-sensei segments are based off of)
Doctor Who
I hope this helps if and when you decide to watch through Gintama. I'll try to update this post as I remember more references or if anyone messages me with a reference that I missed. Because good lord are there a lot of references. Oh, also remember: if this is your first time watching Gintama, start on episode 3. The first two episodes are filler.
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