OK KO! Let's Be Heroes is an adorable, quirky animated Cartoon Network show with an imaginative "anything can happen" kind of setting. In the zany world of Lakewood Plaza, anybody with any power can exist. Characters have transformed into bizarre 3D versions of themselves; people have traveled back and forth through time.
It's a delightfully entertaining set-up that allows for its endearing cast of bodega-store superheroes to encounter a variety of wacky conflicts and characters each week. Here are some of the funniest pop culture references the showrunners have memorialized in OK KO!, taking full advantage of Lakewood Plaza's unlimited creative potential.
"Oh! My Car!"
In the original popular side-scroller fighting game, Street Fighter, there's a moment which has quickly become iconic: in response to his car getting badly beat up, a buff side-character falls to his knees and bemoans, "Oh! My car!"
This hilarious line has been referenced in tons of other media besides just OK KO! Let's Be Heroes, but OK KO! doesn't shy away from doing their own hilarious nod. Much to his dismay, side-character Brandon's car is destroyed over and over again by a giant Jethro robot, in the episode titled "Jethro's All Yours."
Romeo And Juliet
Shakespeare's classic romantic tragedy also received a humorous shout-out when, in the episode "Rad Likes Robots," alien hero Rad falls in love with the villainous minion robot, Shannon. It's the oft-told tale you remember of two lovers on two opposite sides.
The gags and comedic bits about Rad and Shannon's sudden, blossoming love and their failed plan to run away together are hilarious. Not to mention this episode actually follows a kid-friendly version of the original play pretty well, too, complete with Shannon's own dramatic reboot of herself at its end.
Captain Planet
In one of the most clever and fun-spirited crossovers of two beloved cartoons, OK KO! Let's Be Heroes features the cast of classic 90s cartoon, Captain Planet and the Planeteers as they work together with KO, Rad, and Enid to fight against the pollution of Lakewood Plaza.
The humor of this collaboration isn't just limited to the character's lines and gags. Towards the end of "The Power is Yours," the animators themselves give us a hilarious treat when they animate OK KO!'s bodega heroes in the style of Captain Planet.
Naruto And Bleach
Bodega hero Enid is a self-proclaimed ninja. She's trained herself most of her cool moves that we see in the series; however, in the episodes "You Have to Care" and "Second First Date," we get glimpses of Enid's younger days, where we can see how much of an anime fan she was.
In addition to the Naruto charm dangling from her flip-phone, Enid is shown to have a doujin titled Ninja Love with what looks like Sasuke and Naruto on the cover. She is also seen holding a Bleach manga volume, all fantastic references that key us into a highly relatable "nerd" phase of Enid's youth.
The Furry Community
The episode "We've Got Fleas" is a wild, hilarious ride from start to finish. In order to combat a brand-new evil robot monster from Boxman, the three bodega heroes decide they must be turned into animals. However, once the threat is defeated, they discover that this change is irreversible.
Horrified that they can never go back to their human selves, especially once they are faced with the challenge of fleas, side-character Potato introduces to them a way that they can always be themselves. The episode ends with Potato's secret community of reverse-furries, inhuman creatures wanting to be human, gifting KO, Rad, and Enid their own human costumes.
Looney Tunes
In the episode "Villain's Night Out," OK KO! Let's Be Heroes features a hilarious reference to the original wacky cartoon, Looney Tunes. In an effort to show off to other villains, Boxman displays an animated short filled with all of the classic Looney Tunes gags, particularly ones at his own expense.
From the goofy-scored intro with Boxman's face placed against the iconic Looney Tunes' background to the punchline of Boxman being defeated by his own technology to even the already established bunny-like character of Enid munching on a carrot as she says, "What's up, Box?", this is a genius pop culture reference.
Heavy Metal
KO intends to do something special for his mom in the episode "Know Your Mom." He wants to give her a chance to be the hero she once was by staging a fight between her and old nemesis gang, the Kactus Krew, a group of cactus villains that are themed after heavy metal rockers.
Succulentus, the only member of Kactus Krew who is able to return for another battle, is voiced by none other than Jonathan Davis, lead singer of Korn. It's an absolute gem of a scene when Davis, as Succulentus, quotes several lines from popular rock songs during his fight with KO's mother.
RPG World (And Final Fantasy)
In another hilarious and clever crossover, title character KO crosses paths with Hero, a character who looks incredibly similar to another popular broadsword-wielding blond from video game franchise Final Fantasy. In reality, Hero's from a webcomic by OK KO! Let's Be Heroes creator, Ian Jones Quartey.
The resemblance between Cloud and Hero is intentional, however, as much of Quartey's webcomic, RPG World, is also a satire of popular motifs found in video games. Even the logo of the episode title where KO meets Hero, "A Hero's Fate," is stylized in a format similar to the logos of Final Fantasy's games.
Dexter's Laboratory
Dendy is probably one of the most intelligent characters in OK KO! Let's Be Heroes. It comes as no surprise when the episode "Mystery Science Fair 201x" reveals that she has a secret laboratory. What many don't expect, however, is the abundance of hilarious callbacks to another famous laboratory and its mad, young scientist in the process.
From a near-identical frame of KO posing like Deedee, asking, "What does this button do?" to Dendy shouting in an accent reminiscent of Dexter's own as she cries, "My laboratory!", this episode gives tons of treats to fans of the classic Cartoon Network show, Dexter's Laboratory.
Sonic the Hedgehog
When KO met Sonic the Hedgehog and his trusty sidekick Tails, the internet went wild. Even KO could not believe that he was meeting Sonic and that they would go on an incredible adventure together filled with clever homages to both Sonic the Hedgehog's video games and his 1999 animated movie.
There's a shot that's a near-perfect replica of Sonic chilling on the beach with his sunglasses as he does in the animated movie. Not to mention the logo of the episode title, "Let's Meet Sonic," is a replica of the Sonic the Hedgehog video game logo. With both of these references and lots more, this is one legendary crossover episode that will leave you rolling laughing.