<p><strong>Yes, both <em>Dirty Pair</em> and <em>Crusher Joe</em> are in the same universe/continuity.</strong></p>
<p>Aside from the fact that both were written by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruka_Takachiho" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Haruka Takachiho</a>, <em>Dirty Pair</em> took place around 20 years before <em>Crusher Joe</em>.</p>
<p>From <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%9A%E3%82%A2#%E4%BB%96%E4%BD%9C%E5%93%81%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A4%E3%81%AA%E3%81%8C%E3%82%8A" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Japanese Wikipedia on <em>Dirty Pair</em></a>,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This work which was also written by the same author who had written <em>Crusher Joe</em> shared the same universe and linked to <em>Crusher Joe</em> 20 years later.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/dirty-pair-ova-series-review/" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Dirty Pair</em> OVA series review by Otaku USA Magazine</a> also states</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The series was created in 1979 as a set of novels by Haruka Takachiko, starting with the publishing of <em>Great Adventures of the Dirty Pair</em>, released in the U.S. by Dark Horse comics. The novels were done in connection with another of his works, <em>Crusher Joe</em>, [...]. <em>Crusher Joe</em> is similar, though a bit more serious, fare about a group of galactic mercenaries who have their adventures a couple decades after the <em>Dirty Pair</em>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Lastly, from <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/LightNovel/DirtyPair" rel="nofollow noreferrer">TV Tropes on <em>Dirty Pair</em></a> (<em>Warning, TV Tropes link</em>),</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Novelist Haruka Takachiho first created the Pair in 1979, in a series of stories published as Light Novels set in the same continuity as his other series <em>Crusher Joe</em> (which debuted 2 years earlier).</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://dirtypair.wikia.com/wiki/Crusher_Joe#Connections_with_Dirty_Pair" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Crusher Joe</em> article on Wikia</a>  described the connection in more detail (in accordance with the Japanese Wikipedia counterpart):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It takes place in the same general universe as the <em>Dirty Pair</em> light novels with cameos between the two franchises.</p>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="spoiler">
<p> The two series officially crossover in the light novel <em>Dirty Pair's Rough and Tumble</em> where Kei and Yuri meet Crusher Dan, the father of the series protagonist Joe.</p>
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
<p>In the <em>Crusher Joe: The Movie</em>, A movie of the <em>Dirty Pair</em> is shown at a scene taking place at a drive-in movie theater.</p>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="spoiler">
<p> In <em>Dirty Pair: Project Eden</em>, the four main characters are shown briefly on the monitor in the Lovely Angel while Mughi is controlling it.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<p>Apart from that, the drive-in <em>Dirty Pair</em> movie on <em>Crusher Joe</em> was adapted from <em>The Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair</em>, the first series of the light novel.</p>
<p>From <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%9A%E3%82%A2#%E4%BB%96%E4%BD%9C%E5%93%81%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A4%E3%81%AA%E3%81%8C%E3%82%8A" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Japanese Wikipedia on <em>Dirty Pair</em></a>,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The first appearance was in <em>Crusher Joe</em> movie's scene on <em>The Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair</em> movie.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>From <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7%E3%82%A6#%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB%E7%89%88" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Japanese Wikipedia on <em>Crusher Joe</em></a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>In the middle of the movie, there's a scene where Joe watched <em>Dirty Pair</em> movie. It's the movie about <em>The Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair</em><sup>[10]</sup>.</p>
<p><sup>[10]</sup> From <em><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7%E3%82%A6%E5%A4%A7%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6-%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A1%E6%96%87%E5%BA%AB-23/dp/4257600233" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Great Research of the Crusher Joe</a></em>, page 118 about &quot;Drive-in theater&quot;.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-01T21:06:52.597Z
Thanks for the detailed answer, but things like “In the middle of the movie, there's a scene where Joe watched Dirty Pair movie.” kinda confuse me. It’s weird meta-references like that that throw me for a loop.
Giacomo1968
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-01T10:04:36.817Z
2018-01-01T13:09:00.403Z
2020-06-17T09:17:53.303Z
Aki Tanaka
<p>The worlds of <em>The Dirty Pair</em> and <em>Crusher Joe</em> seem to overlap. But it's never been clear to me if the <em>The Dirty Pair</em> (aka: "Lovely Angels") were actually a part of the <em>Crusher Joe</em> universe or were they just a parody entertainment film in the Crusher Joe universe?</p>

<p>For example, in <a href="https://youtu.be/xftaqm398S4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this clip in the film <em>Crusher Joe</em> (1983)</a>, the team is clearly watching a film of the <em>The Dirty Pair</em>. Is this all just a layer of meta-reference?</p>

<dirty-pair><crusher-joe>
Are “The Dirty Pair” actually a part of the “Crusher Joe” universe? Or are they just a film parody in that universe?
# Are “The Dirty Pair” actually a part of the “Crusher Joe” universe? Or are they just a film parody in that universe?
Posted by: username_0 on 2018-01-01
The worlds of *The Dirty Pair* and *Crusher Joe* seem to overlap. But it's never been clear to me if the *The Dirty Pair* (aka: "Lovely Angels") were actually a part of the *Crusher Joe* universe or were they just a parody entertainment film in the Crusher Joe universe?

For example, in [this clip in the film *Crusher Joe* (1983)](https://youtu.be/xftaqm398S4), the team is clearly watching a film of the *The Dirty Pair*. Is this all just a layer of meta-reference?
**Tags:** dirty-pair crusher-joe
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2018-01-01. Score: 5 | Accepted answer
**Yes, both *Dirty Pair* and *Crusher Joe* are in the same universe/continuity.**

Aside from the fact that both were written by [Haruka Takachiho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruka_Takachiho), *Dirty Pair* took place around 20 years before *Crusher Joe*.

From [Japanese Wikipedia on *Dirty Pair*](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%9A%E3%82%A2#%E4%BB%96%E4%BD%9C%E5%93%81%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A4%E3%81%AA%E3%81%8C%E3%82%8A),

> This work which was also written by the same author who had written *Crusher Joe* shared the same universe and linked to *Crusher Joe* 20 years later.

[*Dirty Pair* OVA series review by Otaku USA Magazine](http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/dirty-pair-ova-series-review/) also states

> The series was created in 1979 as a set of novels by Haruka Takachiko, starting with the publishing of *Great Adventures of the Dirty Pair*, released in the U.S. by Dark Horse comics. The novels were done in connection with another of his works, *Crusher Joe*, [...]. *Crusher Joe* is similar, though a bit more serious, fare about a group of galactic mercenaries who have their adventures a couple decades after the *Dirty Pair*.

Lastly, from [TV Tropes on *Dirty Pair*](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/LightNovel/DirtyPair) (*Warning, TV Tropes link*),

> Novelist Haruka Takachiho first created the Pair in 1979, in a series of stories published as Light Novels set in the same continuity as his other series *Crusher Joe* (which debuted 2 years earlier).

[*Crusher Joe* article on Wikia](http://dirtypair.wikia.com/wiki/Crusher_Joe#Connections_with_Dirty_Pair) described the connection in more detail (in accordance with the Japanese Wikipedia counterpart):

> It takes place in the same general universe as the *Dirty Pair* light novels with cameos between the two franchises.

> The two series officially crossover in the light novel *Dirty Pair's Rough and Tumble* where Kei and Yuri meet Crusher Dan, the father of the series protagonist Joe.

> In the *Crusher Joe: The Movie*, A movie of the *Dirty Pair* is shown at a scene taking place at a drive-in movie theater.

> In *Dirty Pair: Project Eden*, the four main characters are shown briefly on the monitor in the Lovely Angel while Mughi is controlling it.

---

Apart from that, the drive-in *Dirty Pair* movie on *Crusher Joe* was adapted from *The Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair*, the first series of the light novel.

From [Japanese Wikipedia on *Dirty Pair*](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%9A%E3%82%A2#%E4%BB%96%E4%BD%9C%E5%93%81%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A4%E3%81%AA%E3%81%8C%E3%82%8A),

> The first appearance was in *Crusher Joe* movie's scene on *The Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair* movie.

From [Japanese Wikipedia on *Crusher Joe*](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7%E3%82%A6#%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB%E7%89%88)

> In the middle of the movie, there's a scene where Joe watched *Dirty Pair* movie. It's the movie about *The Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair*[10].
>
> [10] From *[The Great Research of the Crusher Joe](https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7%E3%82%A6%E5%A4%A7%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6-%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A1%E6%96%87%E5%BA%AB-23/dp/4257600233)*, page 118 about "Drive-in theater".
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2018-01-01): Thanks for the detailed answer, but things like “In the middle of the movie, there's a scene where Joe watched Dirty Pair movie.” kinda confuse me. It’s weird meta-references like that that throw me for a loop.  
---
