Contra (series)

Contra (魂斗羅, Kontora^?) is a video game series produced by Konami composed primarily of run-and-gun style platformer games. The series debuted in 1987 as a coin-operated arcade game simply titled Contra, which was followed by the release of Super Contra in 1988 and several sequels produced for various home platforms.

Contra has made several references to the Gradius series.

References to the Gradius series in the Contra games[]

Contra III: The Alien Wars features a few enemies based on Gradius enemies, such as the Rotating Ducker in Stage 3 and the Tetranducker in Stage 4. One of the possible forms of Searle, the penultimate boss of the game, also bears a striking resemblance to the Golem.
In one of the Challenge missions from Contra 4, the player is equipped with a "Prototype Weapon" which shoots tiny Vic Vipers which home unto enemies.
Contra ReBirth makes several references to Gradius on its plot, such as the main villain named Chief Salamander attacking Earth with the Zelos Force. In the same game, at the beginning of Stage 2 some billboards with Venom's face can be seen in the background.
The fourth boss from Hard Corps: Uprising, Lux Corona, has a design similar to the Core bosses from Gradius, with multiple barriers that the player must shoot down before its core becomes vulnerable.
Black Viper was possibly named after an alien entity of the same name from Operation C and Contra 4.
The Vic Viper makes multiple appearances in Contra: Rogue Corps. In the missions "Aircraft Recon" and "Aircraft Takeover", several abandoned Vic Vipers can be seen, and some of them fall off the aircraft carrier as it is revealed to be a giant Fiend. During the boss battle, two Vic Vipers make a fly over across the screen. In the mission "¿What is this place?" the Vic Viper is seen again firing to a makeshift Moai built with a robot head.
In Contra Returns, Vic Viper appears as an unlockable partner.