In the game, Travis' mentor is Thunder Ryu, a former professional wrestler turned Yakuza. Thunder Ryu shares a name with one of the many wrestlers in the game Fire Pro Wrestling, specifically Typhoon Dragon Thunder Ryu, who takes the place of real life wrestler Genichiro Tenryu, due to Fire Pro not having the rights to any actual wrestling federations. It's thought to be either a reference to the Fire Pro Wrestling, or the exact same character, due to the fact the developer, Goichi Suda, got his start in developing games with Super Fire Pro Wrestling 3 Final Bout, and Super Fire Pro Wrestling Special for the Famicom.