List of pop culture references in Warcraft/Mists of Pandaria

Important: Understand that this page contains (mostly) user-submitted, non-verified content. Hence it barely contains all references that exist, but only a mere fraction. If you've spotted a reference, feel free to add it down below with a compatible description. Add links if needed.

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria

This section concerns content exclusive to Mists of Pandaria.

Games

• Street Fighter
  • There's an NPC by the name of Lun-Chi^ω τ ϖ located in Kun-Lai Summit, near the Temple of the White Tiger. Under her name appears the title, <The Streetfighter>. This would appear to be a reference to the character Chun-Li, from the Street Fighter game series.

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  • A quest called Unsafe Passage^ω τ ϖ given by Koro Mistweaver^ω τ ϖ in Krasarang Wilds results in a part of dialog from the game Skyrim, where the guards would repeatedly say "I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee", which also became an internet meme later on. In the quest, while escorting Koro Mistweaver, you are attacked by a group of Riverblades, after which Koro would say: "Help me up, <name>. I... I took an arrow in the knee...".

• Duke Nukem
  • An NPC located in The Jade Forest by the name of Dook Ookem^ω τ ϖ is a reference to the main character of the video game series, Duke Nukem. His quotes are also said to be based on the character.

• Pokémon
  • The Pet Battle System that was introduced with the launch of World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, is a reference to the Pokémon media franchise.
  • Additionally, the achievement  I choose you^ω τ ϖ is a clear reference to the series.

• Starfox 64
  • The quest Do a Barrel Roll!^ω τ ϖ is Peppy's Popular line from Starfox.
• Bomberman
  • The achievement  Bomberman^ω τ ϖ is a reference to the game with the same name.
• Battletoads
  • The quest Bottletoads^ω τ ϖ is a clear reference to the name of the game.
• Diablo3
  • The Numbers on Stack of Papers^ω τ ϖ are a date and time stamp for when Diablo3 went online, May 15th, 2012 at 12:01AM PDT.
• Final Fantasy
  • There is a NPC named Apprentice Yufi^ω τ ϖ at Dawn's Blossom in The Jade Forest. This is a possible reference to the optional character Yuffie Kisaragi in Final Fantasy VII.
• Starcraft
  • During the quest Smoke Before Fire, one of the attacking gyrocopter pilot would say "Carrier has arrived" as they make an attack run. It's clearly quoting a Protoss Carrier from the game.

Movies

• Up
  • There's a house on top of a mountain in The Jade Forest, which has a reasonable amount of balloons connected to it. Inside the house, is a pandaren named Kar^ω τ ϖ (which would be a reference to the old man in the movie, named Carl). Outside the house is a single grummle by the name of Rusty Nail^ω τ ϖ , carrying a backpack, accompanied by a fox named Dig^ω τ ϖ - these would be referring to the young boy by the name of Russell, and the dog, named Dug.
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail'
  • The Darkmoon Rabbit^ω τ ϖ is a Bunny Boss with a bloody face, just like the Bunny in the Movie.
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
  • In the new Mist of Pandaria battleground Silvershard Mines you can see the known NPC Harrison Jones^ω τ ϖ cruising around in a minecart, like in the movie.
• Batman
  • The Engineering Auctionmaster in both Shrines are called H.A.R.V.E.Y.^ω τ ϖ and D.E.N.T.^ω τ ϖ which is the real name of Two-Face.
• Superman
  • During the Cutscene of the Quest SI:7 Report: Lost in the Woods^ω τ ϖ The NPC's are quoting the famous Superman Dialog. "What's that over There?" "Some kind of Bird?" "No, that's a Plane!".
• The Goonies
  • The daylie The Truffle Shuffle^ω τ ϖ is a reference to the dance, which Chunk has to perform to get in the house.
• Finding Nemo
  • The Quest Finding Yi-Mo^ω τ ϖ a reference to the movie title.
• Labyrinth
  • The hidden Worm NPC Wall Worm^ω τ ϖ is a reference to the Worm in the Labyrinth Movie.
• Ferdinand the Bull
  • The Yaungol NPC Ferdinand^ω τ ϖ is referring to the Disney movie Ferdinand the Bull, because his name is Ferdinand and he is a Bull.
• The Land Before Time
  • The Triceratops Girl Cera^ω τ ϖ made it ingame, where she is a summonable Boss on the Isle of Thunder.
• The Last Dragon
  • The NPC Shonuf <The Fireweaver>, located in Kun-LaiSummit is a quest objective boss in reference to the character Sho'nuff / The Shogun of Harlem in said movie. He also uses referenced movie quotes such as "Who's the Master!" and "I've got the glow!"

• Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Jack Arrow^ω τ ϖ is a in-game NPC and also has the title <Alliance Captain>, the didn't forget that.
• Hero
  • The NPC Flying Snow^ω τ ϖ is a Karate Mini-Boss in Shado-Pan Monastery and also name of a enemy in Jet Li's movie "Hero".

• How to Train Your Dragon
  • The achievement  How To Strain Your Dragon^ω τ ϖ would appear to be a word play of the said movie, How To Train Your Dragon, in which there's a dragon race at the end of the film.

• Fightclub
  • The achievement  Roll Club^ω τ ϖ is itself a reference, but also the questgiver Kelari Featherfoot^ω τ ϖ tells you the first two rules about the roll club
  • The achievements  The First Rule of Brawler's Guild^ω τ ϖ and  The Second Rule of Brawler's Guild^ω τ ϖ are references to the Fightclub Rules

• Star Wars
  • The achievement  It's a Trap!^ω τ ϖ is a reference from Star Wars, or more specifically, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, where a character by the name of Ackbar yells "it's a trap!".
  • The achievement  Hate Leads to Suffering^ω τ ϖ is a quote from Yoda in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

• The Dark Knight
  • The quest Why So Serious?^ω τ ϖ is a popular catch-phrase by Joker, in the movie, The Dark Knight.

• Short Circuit
  • The achievement  Number Five Is Alive^ω τ ϖ is a reference to Number 5, a designation given to 1 of 6 robots in the movie "Short Circuit". After being struck by lightning, "Number Five" becomes convinced that he is alive, and not just a machine. The achievement itself is the declaration made by the robot: "Number 5, not a machine. Number 5..... Is alive!"

• Mulan
  • Lorewalker Cho's small crimson cloud serpent, Mishi^ω τ ϖ, is a reference to Mushu, Mulan's red dragon guardian.
  • The quest "Make a Fighter out of Me" is a reference to the popular song "I'll Make a Man Out of You".

• Ghostbusters
  • The achievement  You Said Crossing the Streams Was Bad^ω τ ϖ is a reference to the famous line from the Ghostbusters (1984) movie.

• Alien (film)
  • The achievement  Face Clutchers^ω τ ϖ is a reference to the Facehuggers from the Alien franchise.

Music

• Adele
  • There's an NPC named Adele^ω τ ϖ located in Townlong Steppes, more specifically in an area named The Widening Deep. The NPC moves by rolling on the ground, and with the name of the location, this is a reference to the singer Adele and her song "Rolling in the Deep".

• The Coasters
  • The Quest Yakity Yak^ω τ ϖ is named after the Song Yakety Yak from the coasters.

• Limp Bizkit
  • The achievement  Keep Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'^ω τ ϖ is a reference to Limp Bizkit's song "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)".

• LMFAO
  • The achievement  Every Day I'm Pand-a-ren^ω τ ϖ is a reference to the song "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, in which the phrase "every day I'm shuffling" is presented with a similar syllabication.
  • The male pandaren /dance animation is based off of the choreography from LMFAO's music video, "Party Rock Anthem".

• Queen
  • The daily quest Red Blossom Leeks, You Make the Croc-in' World Go Down^ω τ ϖ is a play off the lyrics from the song "Fat Bottomed Girls", where the actual phrase would be; "fat bottomed girls, you make the rockin' world go round". 
  • There are also various quests for Lion's Landing that reference songs such as "We Will Rock You" "Hammer to Fall" "Under Pressure" "A Kind Of Magic" and "Don't Lose Your Head."

• Caramelldansen
  • The female pandaren /dance animation is based off of the ever-so-popular Caramelldansen (The Caramell Dance).

• Paula Abdul
  • The achievement  One Steppe Forward, Two Steppes Back^ω τ ϖ is likely a reference to Paula Abdul's 1989 single Opposites Attract.

• 311
  • The achievement  Amber is the Color of My Energy^ω τ ϖ is a line from 311's 2002 single "Amber."

• The Protomen
  • The scenario Assault the Shipyard^ω τ ϖ on the Isle of Thunder, has Stages named after Songs of the Band. Stage 5 = Keep Quiet | Stage 6 = Light up the Night | Stage 7 / Final Stage = Breaking out

• There are several metal/rock songs used for the buffs given in The Dread Wastes by the Klaxxi Paragons.
• Gza
  • In the Heart of Fear raid the boss Blade Lord Ta'yak says upon death ``I'd always hoped to cut someone like that someday, to hear that sound. But to have it happen to my own prothorax is ridiculous.`` a reference to an identical quote from Wu-Tang rapper Gza`s Liquid Swords album, which itself was taken from the film `Shogun Assassin``

People

• The Yogscast
  • There's an area named Honeydew Village located in The Jade Forest. This could be referring to Simon (better known as Honeydew), a member of the YouTube Let's Play group, Yogscast. Yogscast is an internet sensation that has promoted World of Warcraft in many ways, and therefore it would only make sense for this to be a dedication to Simon and the entire Yogscast team.
• Dave Grohl
  • The NPC Grohl Grohl^ω τ ϖ is playing drums in a hidden cave as reference to Dave Grohls time as Nirvanas Drummer.
• Audrey Hepburn
  • The Battle Pet Trainer in Stormwind is called Audrey Burnhep^ω τ ϖ.
• Michael Bay
  • On the Wandering Isle there is a NPC named after him called Makael Bay^ω τ ϖ. This NPC is a goblin with a love for dynamite.
• Charlie Sheen
  • He has Tiger Blood, which he drops, because he's a tiger. His NPC is called Chasheen^ω τ ϖ.
• Tiger Woods
  • An area named Tigers' Wood located in The Jade Forest is a reference to the famous golfer.

Television

• Party of Five
  • The achievement  Party of Six^ω τ ϖ is likely a reference to the TV show, Party of Five, which had it's run from 1994 to the year 2000.
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
  • The achievement  Mighty Roamin' Krasaranger^ω τ ϖ is a reference to the title of the series.
• How I met your Mother
  • The quest Bros before Hozen^ω τ ϖ is a reference to one of the rules from Barneys Brocode.
• Pinky and the Brain
  • In the Valley of the four Winds is a Quest called {{quest|id=30048|Li Li and the Grain] which is basically the name of the show.
• Game of Thrones
  • All Guards of the Shado-Pan are randomly quoting the Night's Watch from the series.
• The Simpsons
  • While putting out fire for the quest Spitfire^ω τ ϖ the Mogu that you hit with the Cider will Quote Radioactive Man: "My eyes! The goggles do nothing!".

• Lost
  • There is a Isle in the Krasarang wilds on which a bunker is with 7 skeletons around and a Stack of Papers^ω τ ϖ which is a reference to the Log printout from Lost (but the note on the papers is a reference to Diablo 3 as stated above).

• Dexter's Laboratory
  • The achievement  What Does This Button Do?^ω τ ϖ is a likely reference to Dexter's sister Dee Dee who would often say, "oooooooooooo, what does this button do?" before pressing buttons at random on various machines in his lab.
• Ranma ½
  • The Singing Pools, an area which is located in the pandaren starting area, The Wandering Isle, could be a vague reference to the Japanese manga series, Ranma ½, as if you fall into any of the pools, you're transformed into an animal.

• K-On!
  • On the Wandering Isle, just up the stairs from Mandoli Village is an NPC named Zach Chow^ω τ ϖ and his pet tiger Azunyan^ω τ ϖ. The tiger's name could be a reference to the K-On character Azusa Nakano, who has the nickname of Azunyan.

Books

• The Jungle Book
  • There's an NPC located in The Jade Forest, by the name of Kher Shan^ω τ ϖ, which is a reference to a character by the name of Shere Khan from The Jungle Book stories.
• I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream
  • The quest "I have no jade and I must Scream" is a reference to a short story written by Harlan Ellison in 1968.
• The Hobbit
  • There's a NPC located in Valley of the Four Winds, by the name of Guard Captain Oakenshield^ω τ ϖ, which is a reference to the character Thorin Oakenshield.
  • There's a NPC located in The Jadeforest, by the name of Sam the Wise^ω τ ϖ, which is combined with his location "Shrine of Fellowship" a clear reference.
• A Song of Ice and Fire
  • Death Knight (Frost) talent tree has [Horn of Winter], [Winter is Coming], and [White Walker] from the "Game of Thrones" novels by George R. R. Martin.
• Alice in Wonderland
  • At Coordinate 43. 16 in Kun-Lai Summit there a tuskarr name Wally^ω τ ϖ and a hozen name Tic Tak^ω τ ϖ the carpenter, surely a reference to the walrus and the carpenter from the famed story.
• Harry Potter
  • In the instance Scholomance there is a boss called Professor Slate^ω τ ϖ with the title <potions master>, a reference to Professor Snape in the Harry Potter series.

Other

• Lonesome George
  • There's an NPC by the name of Lon'li Guju^ω τ ϖ in Kun-Lai Summit. This NPC is referring to the last Pinta Island tortoise, who became world-famous but passed away on June 24, 2012. If a player emotes something such as /wave or /love at the tortoise, he'd start to follow the player for a while.
• Rocky Horror Picture Show
  • There is a rare Boss in the Throne of Thunder which is called Rocky Horror^ω τ ϖ.

• Conan the Barbarian
  • Cornan <The Barley Barbarian>^ω τ ϖ, an NPC in Valley of the Four Winds appears to be a reference of Conan the Barbarian, a fictional sword and sorcery hero that has been included in many different sorts of media (games, movies, comic books etc.)

• Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
  • The achievement  Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better...^ω τ ϖ is a reference to the famous song from Annie Get Your Gun.

• Trix (cereal)
  • The quest Silly Wikket, Slickies are for Hozen^ω τ ϖ is a reference to the cereal's slogan "Silly rabbit, Trix is for kids"