The episode begins with an unusual title card, specifically mentioning Akira Kurosawa, an influential film director greatly admired by George Lucas. The original Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) was very much inspired by the works of Kurosawa, particularly the 1958 movie The Hidden Fortress (1958). Another Clone Wars episode earlier in the same season, Lightsaber Lost (2010), is a nod to Kurosawa's work - the 1949 film, Stray Dog (1949). "Bounty Hunters" is the clearest tribute yet to Kurosawa, and his legendary movie Seven Samurai (1954). Its tale of a beleaguered village hiring mercenaries for protection against brigands has inspired a host of movies - most famously the American remake, The Magnificent Seven (2016), as well as comedies like Three Amigos! (1986) and A Bug's Life (1998). An early story line in the Star Wars Marvel Comics series in 1978-1979 has a similar story, with Han Solo leading a group of hired guns to protect a village threatened by bandits.
Sugi's blaster pistol she carries is the exact same type of weapon (EE-3) brandished by Boba Fett in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983).
When Seripas' true form is revealed, he has a lot of patches on his flight suit. One of them is the classic Star Wars fan club patch of Darth Vader's helmet on his lower right arm.
Greg Baldwin's vocal performance of Casiss is patterned after the distinctive speaking style of actor Mako.
This whole episode is an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) where samurai warriors teach a village to defend itself from attackers. This episode was also dedicated to Akira Kirosawa.