Quote Originally Posted by Buffalobiian View Post
Who cares if 13yo don't get or care about old school musician names.
I'm pretty sure the reasoning for the changes is fear of legal action, not that people wouldn't get the references.

Quote Originally Posted by Carnage View Post
I would give the Japanese a little more credit, we're used to this style of storytelling but apparently this was one of the first tales to be told this way in manga (maybe the first?). I think the Fist of the North Star author was inspired by part III's art and fighting styles, it is kind of apparent. We're so used to it everything seems cliche but back then it must have been incredibly interesting as something entirely new.
So basically, it's suffering from the Seinfeld is Unfunny trope.