Uma Thurman’s yellow track-suit is a direct homage to the one worn by Bruce Lee in Game of Death (1978).
As The Bride walks through the Japanese airport, she passes a billboard for the fictional brand of cigarettes featuring Sofie Fatale.
According to Tarantino, Sonny Chiba’s character, Hattori Hanzo, is meant to be the most recent descendant of his character(s) from “Hattori Hanzô: Kage no Gundan” (1980). The series was done in multiple various installments, in which Chiba would play Hanzo a generation removed from the previous installment.
The tune whistled by Daryl Hannah’s character in the hospital hallway is the same as that whistled by the strange young man in Twisted Nerve (1968).
Buck, the male nurse who lets his friend in to have sex with The Bride says “Are we absolutely clear on Rule #1?” This same line was used by George Clooney in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).
The “Old Klingon Proverb”: “Revenge is a dish best served cold” is from a joke in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982).
The music heard when The Bride gets ready to figure Copperhead and Cottonmouth is the theme from “Ironside” (1967). The first episode had the main character being shot and left for dead, coming to find that his legs didn’t work, and setting out to find the people who did this to him. This music was also used in a similar manner in the 1973 Kung Fu classic, Tian xia di yi quan (1973) (The Five Fingers of Death).
The music heard when The Bride arrives in Tokyo is the theme from “Green Hornet, The” (1966), a TV series referenced earlier in the film.
Buck’s line, “My name is Buck, and I came here to fuck” was originally said by Robert Englund in Eaten Alive (1977)
The “row of sunglasses on the Sherrif’s dashboard” gag is a direct lift from the opening scene of the original Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
Chapter 2 is entitled “The Blood Splattered Bride”, a reference to the movie Novia ensangrentada, La (1972) (released in the US as The Blood Spattered Bride).
During the sword ceremony scene when Sonny Chiba’s character Hattori Hanzo gives Uma Thurman his recently forged sword he tells her “If, on your journey, you should encounter god, god will be cut” which is a phrase taken from the Kinji Fukasaku film Makai tenshô (1981) (aka Samurai Reincarnation) when the sword maker gives Sonny Chiba’s character Jubei a sword that he has forged in order to destroy his undead enemies.
Director Tarantino was a big fan or the Japanese movie Batoru rowaiaru (2000) so he cast Chiaki Kuriyama (who played Takako Chigusa in “Battel Royale”) as Go Go Yubari as an homage.
The Japanese song that plays over the closing credits of both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 is the theme song from the Joshuu Sasori (Female Convict Scorpion) series of films. The song is entitled “Urami Bushi” (“Grudge Song”), and it is performed by the star of the first four Scorpion films, Meiko Kaji.
Daryl Hannah’s character is called “Elle Driver”. The production team for the documentary Full Tilt Boogie (1997), a documentary about the production of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) (starring Quentin Tarantino) and the people who made it is also called " L. Driver Productions".
On the “Making of Kill Bill”, Tarantino noted that the split screen scene where Elle is about to enter the bride’s room and kill her was an homage to Brian De Palma.
The Lonely Grave of Paula Schultz is Chapter 7 of Kill Bill. There is a movie with the title Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz, The (1968), a romantic comedy starring Elke Sommer as Paula and Bob Crane as Bill.
The character Pai Mei appears in several Shaw Bros Kung Fu films from the 1970s-80s including Hung wen tin san po pai lien chiao (1980). Pai Mei means “White Eyebrow”.
The large wooden flute played by Bill (David Carradine) resembles the same instrument David Carradine plays as Kwai Chang Caine in “Kung Fu” (1972)
The license plate on Bill’s Jeep is THX1169, an apparent tongue-in-cheek homage to director George Lucas.
Elle Driver wears the same outfit that Uma Thurman wears in Pulp Fiction (1994). It was also worn by Pam Grier in Jackie Brown (1997).
Bill’s apartment in Mexico is number 101, the same as Neo’s in Matrix, The (1999). The fights in both films were choreographed by Woo-ping Yuen. In addition, room 101 is a reference to George Orwell’s “1984”, the room where the thing you fear most resides.
Budd’s boss, Larry, mentions Budd being as useless as an “asshole right here”, referring to his elbow. In Rules of Attraction, The (2002), directed by Tarantino’s former creative partner Roger Avary, the character Rupert Guest says, “I need you like I need an asshole on my elbow.”
The car seen behind David Carradine when he visits Michael Madsen at his trailer, is the same model that Carradine drives in Death Race 2000.
Elle Driver’s eye-patch references/is influenced by the Patch in Jack Hill’s film Switchblade Sisters (1975). A frequent collaborator of Hill’s, Sid Haig, has a minor cameo as the bartender of the strip club where Budd works.
The white Honda that Butch crashes in Pulp Fiction and that is driven in Jackie Brown is seen at the parking lot of the strip club Budd works at as the title of Chapter 7 appears.
The dialogue from the movie Shogun Assassin (1980) which Beatrice and B.B. watch, is featured on the Wu-Tang Clan member GZA’s album “Liquid Swords”. “Liquid Swords” was produced by RZA, who did incidental music in both Vol 1 and Vol 2.
Esteban tells the Bride that Bill’s villa is on “the road to Salina”. This a reference to the Rita Haywoth film Road to Salina (1971).)
The brothers played by David Carradine and Michael Madsen are named Bill and Budd. Billy Budd was the title character of a novel written by Herman Melville.
Elle says, “Now, you should listen to this, 'cause this concerns you.” Samuel L. Jackson says the same line in Jackie Brown (1997).
At the wedding rehearsal, Bill says to the Bride, “I’m more or less particular who my gal marries.” This is a reference to His Girl Friday (1940), in which Cary Grant’s character by says the same thing. Howard Hawks, the director of His Girl Friday, is one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite directors.
Tarantino confirmed that the Hattori Hanzo sword that Budd had pawned in Kill Bill Vol. 2 is in fact the very sword in which Bruce Willis chose in the pawn shop scene in Pulp Fiction (1994).
