The house that Ash and his friends temporarily take shelter under from the rain is based on the house that the woodcutter and other witnesses of a crime take shelter under in Rashomon (1950).
As of this episode, all of the Hoenn Legendary Pokémon have been featured in the anime at least once (though Rayquaza's appearance was only an illusion).
This episode is the second and final in which Craig Blair voices Giovanni. In his next appearance, the Team Rocket leader is voiced by Ted Lewis, who voiced him during the 4Kids dub.
This episode holds the record for the most number of times Team Rocket has blasted off. It was shown eight times onscreen in quick succession, and they continued to blast off multiple times off-screen.
James finds a cap of a "Kanto-Cola" bottle, a play on Coca-Cola.