Devadatta Buddha teaches that in a past life, Devadatta was his holy teacher who set him on the path, and makes a noteworthy statement about how even Devadatta will in time become a Buddha: In the Mahāmeghasūtra Devadatta is called a mahāpuruṣa (great being). In the Mahayana Buddhist text, the "Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra", Devadatta is said to have convinced Prince Ajātasattu to murder his father King Bimbisāra and ascend the throne. Ajātasattu follows the advice, and this action (another "anantarika-kamma" for killing one's own father) prevents him from attaining stream-entry at a later time, when listening to some teaching of the Buddha.
Branded to Kill in competition for the Number One rank, is spoofed in films such as Takeshi Kitano's "Getting Any?" (1995) and Sabu's "Postman Blues" (1997), which features a character named Hitman Joe. "Branded to Kill" played a role in the development of the long-running Lupin III franchise. It also had a profound impact, through Suzuki's firing and the resulting student uprising, in the beginnings of the movement film, usually underground or anti-establishment films which focused on issues of import to audiences, as opposed to production line genre pictures. Thirty-four years after "Branded to Kill", Suzuki directed "Pistol Opera" (2001), a loose sequel