Nod to HtLJ and X:WP

References, mentions, and inside jokes in Young Hercules that support the canon in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. (For support of the season 1 canon within the TV series, see Continuity, Yay! For non-support of the canon, see Continuity Warning.)

Young Hercules (Movie Pilot)

• Alcmene seems extremely concerned about Iolaus's safety in the twister, to the point of ordering Hercules to save him. This could be a nod to the HtLJ episode "4.14 - Armageddon Now: Part 2", as Alcmene knows the important role that he will someday play in the life of her son, including traveling to the past to save her from Callisto while she's pregnant with Hercules.
• At the end of the movie, Iolaus decides to go with Hercules to save Yvenna's village from slavery. He states that he and Hercules will share everything, to which Hercules replies, "What about a three-headed monster? How do you share that?" Iolaus jests, "Three headed monster. Like when is that going to happen?" is a direct nod to the first movie, Hercules and the Amazon Women, where Hercules and Iolaus encounter a little girl who melts away into the Hydra.

1.01 - Treasure of Zeus

• Jason's remark to Hercules, ("How's your mother?"), is an inside joke, considering in HtLJ "2.21 - The Wedding of Alcmene" Jason and Alcmene eventually marry.

1.05 - Girl Trouble

• The contest between Jason and Iolaus is seen again between Hercules and Iolaus in HtLJ "5.14 - Just Passing Through": "Off the spruce branch, hit the oak, through the hollow stump, over the bird's nest, nothing but splash."

1.06 - Teacher's Pests

• Hercules talking to the pig ("Hey, what are you looking at, Porky?") is probably an inside joke, referencing that in HtLJ "4.16 - Porkules" Hercules will turn into a pig and talk to other pigs.

1.08 - Keeping Up With the Jasons

• After telling Jason that he'll cover the bill, Hercules admits that he doesn't have any money. This may be a reference to the many times in HtLJ that they mention Hercules doesn't carry money with him.

1.09 - Amazon Grace

• Hercules saying that he's a fighter and not a dancer could be considered a nod to HtLJ "4.08 - ...And Fancy Free" wherein Hercules claims that he doesn't twirl, and the Widow Twanky teaches Hercules that dancing is very akin to fighting.

1.13 - Forgery

• Iolaus saying that he'll be a king someday when the right kingdom comes around is a reference to HtLJ "2.19 - King For A Day" when his lookalike cousin, Orestes, is drugged and Iolaus takes his place and is crowned King of Attica.
• Although Iolaus's age is never clarified in HtLJ, but can be assumed that Iolaus's line, "I'm not gonna change when I get old. I'll still be having fun when I'm thirty." is a nod to his older self in the parent series.

1.20 - Fame

• In X:WP "2.04 - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" Xena also goes hunting Dryad bones to defeat Bacchus.

1.22 - A Lady in Hades

• Hades saying that he's never been in love is foreshadowing the episode HtLJ "2.08 - The Other Side" when Hades kidnaps Persephone because he's in love with her.

1.28 - In Your Dreams

• The mythology of the Dreamscape Passage was created in X:WP "1.03 - Dreamworker".

1.35 - My Fair Lilith

• Lilith poses as Jason's wife so he doesn't have to marry Princess Dido. Later, it is revealed in HtLJ episode "5.17 - The Academy" that Jason and Lilith eventually were lovers and even had a child together, daughter Seska.

1.40 - Iolaus Goes Stag

• In X:WP "1.24 - Is There a Doctor in the House?", Gabrielle tells a wounded man a story about a king named Libarius who hunted in the sacred forest of Artemis, and was turned into a deer.
• Iolaus goes hunting with his uncle who he says taught him how to be a hunter, becoming a nod to the ongoing HtLJ joke that Iolaus knows all of the "old hunter's tricks".

1.43 - The Beasts Beneath

• Sand Sharks are introduced, making a nod to the HtLJ episodes "3.01 - Mercenary" and "4.19 - War Wounds" where the deadly creatures are main foe.

1.47 - Mila

At the end of the episode, Ares says, "Oh, Mila, we could have been so useful for each other. My mortal protege. Guess I'm gonna have to find another!" It could be a direct reference to the well-known fact that Ares turned Xena into his perfect warrior until Hercules convinced her to see the side of good as well.

Young Hercules (Novelization)

• Alcmene seems extremely concerned about Iolaus's safety in the twister, to the point of ordering Hercules to save him. This could be a nod to the HtLJ episode "4.14 - Armageddon Now: Part 2", as Alcmene knows the important role that he will someday play in the life of her son, including traveling to the past to save her from Callisto while she's pregnant with Hercules.

Other Nods

• The "Iolaus and Kora" relationship is given a nod when Angela Marie Dotchin plays Nautica in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and marries an alternate universe version of Iolaus.