Maybe it’s just me, but seeing gaming references in other media puts a smile on my face. As gaming has gained more mainstream popularity in recent years it’s become more common to see references in movies, television, and even music. Though there is one show that stands above the rest with an abundance of hilarious gaming references! The Amazing World of Gumball is filled to the brim with references to current events, anime, but really nails it with extremely accurate and comical gaming references! Here are 10 of these references that stood out the most! (In no particular order)

10 “The Parasite” – The Last of Us

After reading Anais’ diary in “The Parasite”, Gumball and Darwin learn about their sister’s new friend that anything but. Preying on her social inadequacies, the new “friend” ends up using Anais. To help their sister better understand the situation, Gumball and Darwin illustrate a rather popular parasite from 2013’s The Last of Us. If the appearance isn’t a clear nod to the clicker, Gumball even admits that he stole the description from a zombie video game.

9 “The New Bobert” – Uncharted 3

While the Uncharted movie continues to see continuous delays, Gumball’s homage to Uncharted 3’s notorious plane scene may be the closest thing to Uncharted we’ll see on tv. In the episode, “The New Bobert”, Gumball and Darwin play around with the new upgrade available to their robot friend Bobert. After the update causes Bobert to glitch out, they are given New Bobert which ends up being an up-to-date Bobert with a black color scheme. Wanting their friend back, Gumball and Darwin pilot New Bobert to chase down a plane carrying the original Bobert back to presumably the Bobert factory; if you’re lost, don’t worry it’s a crazy episode. As you can guess, things don’t go as planned when they arrive at the plane as all of the contents fall out of the cargo bay sending the three freefalling. As Gumball is falling, he replicates a very iconic scene from Uncharted 3’s plane scene grabbing onto the first thing he can. Watching the two scenes together, the resemblance is uncanny.

8 “The Words” – Street Fighter

Street Fighter is one of the most iconic games of all time, and as such has been referenced everywhere; including once where Jackie Chan dressed as Chun Li. In “The Words” Gumball teaches Darwin how to be more direct, however, this backfires when Darwin just ends up being overly direct. This leads to a 2D brawl between the two replicating everything from Street Fighter down to the looping background characters, Gumball and Darwin battle it out spamming each other with insults that launch Hadoken attacks. The two battle it out for a few rounds, replicating both Bison and Chun Li victory chants until Gumball hits his ultimate attack; and proceeding to imitate Akuma’s victory stance. If that wasn’t enough Street Fighter references, listen to the background music that sounds almost identical to Guile’s theme.

7 “The Pest” – Dragon Ball Z

While Dragon Ball Z is more so an anime reference, the recently released Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot makes this a perfectly fair. In “The Pest”, Gumball and Darwin try to teach Anais about the ramifications of using violence against others. When they learn that she is the one getting bullied, things change and Gumball goes Super Saiyan 2 a la Gohan vs Cell. Gumball’s appearance is almost identical to the iconic scene.

6 “The Tape” – The Konami Code

The Konami Code was one of the earliest known instances of cheat codes in gaming. Gaining notoriety in Contra for giving you 30 lives, the Konami Code was used across over 100 of Konami’s games; ultimately bringing about the rise of cheat codes. In one of the segments of “The Tape”, Gumball and Darwin follow Ocho (a character that looks like he was pulled right out of space invaders) in an effort to learn how he uses cheat codes in everyday life. Ocho uses the cheat to summon block for money (Mario reference one), get all the answers for his test, and become incredibly fast with a rainbow coloration (and Mario reference two). Gumball attempts to complete the infamous code himself only to glitch out, and summon a 3D tank. And that is a perfect lesson on why you don’t use cheat codes in games!

5 “The Blame” – Metal Gear Solid

The episode “The Blame” is a special one because it has soo many different references; so if you’ve got some free time check out this episode (season 4, episode 17). The episode starts with Elmore parents blaming gaming for the problems the kids face. Gumball attempts to change the minds of the parents, but only has three chances which ironically is portrayed by three hearts (Zelda anyone?). When Gumball fails to change the parent’s opinions on gaming, he hits an iconic game over scream where an unknown voice calls out to him as “Game Over” appears. With the addition of the Metal Gear game over theme almost perfectly replicated, this episode is a must-watch for all gamers!

4 “The Check” – Mario Kart Wii Trailer

If you’ve kept up with The Amazing World of Gumball, its pretty obvious that the creators of the show like to reference Mario; and this apparently includes trailers. In the episode “The Check”, the Waterson kids receive a check from their Step Grandpa Louie. Once Richard and Nicole learn about the check, the Waterson family battles it out in an invisible Kart race to the bank. This cut-throat style alone emulates the cold-heartedness that comes with playing Mario Kart, but the invisible Karts is a nod to the trailer for Mario Kart Wii where Mario, Luigi, and Peach battle it out in invisible Karts. At least I know my family isn’t the only family that gets overly competitive about Mario Kart!

3 “The Points” – Portal and Various FPS’s

If you thought Gumball only referenced console games, you’d be very wrong. In the episode “The Points” Gumball and Darwin do chores for Tobias to earn “good points” to buy upgrades for the game they’re playing. When the two try to redeem the points for the upgrades though, Tobias reveals that he was using his parent’s credit card to buy things, and the points weren’t real. Upset with the news, Gumball and Darwin plan to tell Tobias’ parents the truth. In an effort to stop them, Tobias cycles through his arsenal of “weapons” in bought in-game to stop them in real life. As the two exit the school, Tobias equips a Portal gun and begins launching Gumball through the air. While Tobias does break the rule of the Portal gun by creating a portal in midair, we’ll give it a pass for the incredibly accurate weapon cycle animation!

2 “The Uncle” – Various Mario Titles

The only way the episode “The Uncle” could have been more Mario related would be if they actually included Mario himself; they even started to. The episode follow Gumball as he tries to meet Ocho’s uncle Mario who meets the characteristics of the plumber himself. Gumball spends the day earning Ocho’s trust so he can actually meet Mario in person. After finishing various obscure tasks, Gumball makes his way to meet Ocho’s uncle; but not without making a massive Super Mario reference. Singing the Mario Bros. theme as he pounces bystanders, teleporting by using the sewage pipes, and the flag at the end of the level are just a few of the best representations however when Gumball finally meets Mario he’s a little underwhelmed. While Mario represents the Nintendo icon we know and love with his “It’s me, Mario” Line, it’s the equivalency of a Wal-Mart Mario.

1 “The Console” – Final Fantasy

If there was a guideline on how to create a perfect parody episode, “The Console” is it. The episode follows the Waterson kids as they attempt to escape a knock-off RPG game called Inverted Paradox. From start to finish, the episode replicates the Final Fantasy experience down to a t. From start to finish, the episode hits on every JRPG trope including random encounters, character dialogue boxes, grinding for XP, and much more! If you don’t completely lose it when Banana Joe uses Cactuar’s attack from Final Fantasy VIII, you’re trying too hard not to laugh!

While there are many more Gumball references that we didn’t touch on, let us know what references were your favorite!