A parody of superheroes created by Shotaro Ishinomori: Kamen Rider (1971) (the show that started the posing, morphing superhero craze in Japan since the 70s), who also transforms by doing a pose and saying "Henshin!" (Japanese for "transform") Joe does the same exact "henshin" pose as the title hero in Kamen Rider V3 (1973), the very first sequel show to Kamen Rider (1971). The face section of Joe's helmet opens and closes just like that of the title hero, Kaiketsu Zubat (1977), which Joe more closely resembles.