--- description: Megan Thee Stallion’s latest music video for “Boa” released on Friday, leaving anime and video games fans rejoicing at the references made. title: The Pop Culture References in Megan Thee Stallion’s 'Boa' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d512c11d6609161/698a56abb21a9c8476509fd5/megan-thee-stallion-boa.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Music](/tag/music/) ## Music Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # From Gwen Stefani to One Piece: The Pop Culture References in Megan Thee Stallion’s 'Boa'  by [Solcyré Burga](/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter May 10, 2024 11:10 PM CUT  Megan Thee Stallion's cover art for "Boa" single. Megan Thee Stallion's cover art for "Boa" single.TIME  by [Solcyré Burga](/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter May 10, 2024 11:10 PM CUT [Megan Thee Stallion’s](https://time.com/collection-post/5888165/megan-thee-stallion-pioneer/ "undefined") latest music video for “Boa” released on Friday, leaving anime and video games fans rejoicing at the various references made by the head Hot Nerd herself. The video kicks off with three friends sitting down to play a Jumanji-esque 2D-style video game, before learning that their death in the game will simulate their ill-fated fortune in real life. Their demise, of course, is delivered by Megan, donning costumes inspired by _One Piece_ and _Tekken_ characters while throwing punches and kicks at players as if she’s part of the classic beat’em up games made popular in the ‘90s. The concept for the video should come as no surprise. The Grammy-winning rapper is well-known for being an anime enthusiast, even [presenting an award](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/megan-thee-stallion-presented-anime-075434779.html "undefined") at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards this March. Megan, also known as Tina Snow, has also previously cosplayed as [_My Hero Academia_’s Mirko](https://www.instagram.com/p/CkZfxnnvQLC/?img%5Findex=1 "undefined") and [Bruno Bucciarati](https://www.instagram.com/p/C4BDJ3cxXNi/?img%5Findex=3 "undefined") from _JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure_. Fans have also noticed that the song title, “Boa” matches her running theme of snakes, with her [two other singles being “Cobra” and “Hiss.”](https://time.com/6589029/megan-thee-stallion-hiss-song-meaning/ "undefined") Serpents often symbolize a sly and cunning nature, but in the context of this new era, may also represent renewal because of the way the creature sheds its skin. The name is also reminiscent of “Pirate Empress” Boa Hancock, a character from anime series _One Piece_, who Megan cosplays as on the single’s cover art and in the video. Here’s a running list of the references. ## **One Piece and Mortal Kombat** Meg’s hairstyle and serpent scepter as her weapon of choice are all in reference to _One Piece_’s Boa Hancock. The anime character is typically seen with Salome, a large, white, skull-bearing snake, by her side. Her outfit, however, may also take inspiration from _Mortal Kombat_’s Mileena based on the boots and attire. ## **Scott Pilgrim** vs. The World The music video has striking similarities to the graphic novel series turned-movie _Scott Pilgrim vs. The World_, which follows protagonist Scott Pilgrim who has to battle his girlfriend’s seven evil exes. Pilgrim’s [fighting scenes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFopPccCcMY "undefined") in the film are pungent, dramatic, and filled with over-the-top animation and lights just as Megan’s are. ## **Gwen Stefani** The song also includes a sample from Gwen Stefani's 2004 "What You Waiting For?" The ‘tik-tok’ Stefani sings in her original hit song can be heard in the background of Megan’s new tune. ## **Christie from Tekken** Meg also seemingly referenced Christie Monteiro from the Tekken video game series, wearing a similarly metallic gold top and leather pants with chaps, though her bottoms are a snake print. The print could be set to match her serpent theme, or in reference to Bryan Fury, also from Tekken, fans speculate. > [](https://twitter.com/TheCocoaDon/status/1788963537722773606) ## **Dance Dance Revolution** Meg also builds on the nostalgia factor with a significant portion of her video set in a scene with Dance Dance Revolution tiles, in reference to the classic arcade dancing game. The arrows are placed on top of funky light-neon colored squares. ## **Space Channel 5** Many online users have clued in on the fact that Meg’s outfits and background also take inspiration from _Space Channel 5_, with Meg’s pink wig and pigtails mostly-bearing similarity to Ulala, who battles aliens with dance moves. > [](https://twitter.com/Syd%5FLink/status/1788787589865938962) ## **Squidward Face Meme** Some users [also pointed](https://twitter.com/TheJream2/status/1788991169994846578 "undefined") to the iconic scene where Meg quite literally [smushed a player](https://twitter.com/ChangoATX/status/1788798419714117977 "undefined") to death by sitting on his face as being similar to a popular _SpongeBob SquarePants_ scene featuring Squidward. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6977089/gwen-stefani-one-piece-megan-thee-stallions-boa-tekken/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6977089/gwen-stefani-one-piece-megan-thee-stallions-boa-tekken/"},"headline":"From Gwen Stefani to One Piece: The Pop Culture References in Megan Thee Stallion’s 'Boa'","datePublished":"2024-05-10T23:10:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T17:36:19.409Z","description":"Megan Thee Stallion’s latest music video for “Boa” released on Friday, leaving anime and video games fans rejoicing at the various references.","url":"https://time.com/6977089/gwen-stefani-one-piece-megan-thee-stallions-boa-tekken/","keywords":["Music","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d512c11d6609161/698a56abb21a9c8476509fd5/megan-thee-stallion-boa.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Solcyré Burga","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d512c11d6609161/698a56abb21a9c8476509fd5/megan-thee-stallion-boa.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"megan-thee-stallion-boa","caption":"The cover art for Megan Thee Stallions song Boa","creditText":"TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/music/","name":"Music"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6977089/gwen-stefani-one-piece-megan-thee-stallions-boa-tekken/","name":"From Gwen Stefani to One Piece: The Pop Culture References in Megan Thee Stallion’s 'Boa'"}}]}] ```