Into the Badlands positively portrays LGBTQ+ characters through the significant and complex relationship between M.K. and Nathaniel Moon. Their love story is developed with dignity and emotional depth, affirming the worth of queer lives and love within the show's narrative without resorting to harmful stereotypes or making their identity a source of unique misery.

The show features multiple female characters, notably The Widow and Tilda, who are highly proficient martial artists. They are frequently depicted engaging in and winning direct physical combat against numerous male opponents using melee weapons and unarmed techniques.

The show features a spiritual discipline practiced by the Master and the Abbots, which strongly mirrors Buddhist principles of meditation, inner peace, and martial arts mastery. This path is consistently portrayed as a source of wisdom, moral guidance, and personal growth, with characters finding strength and purpose through its teachings.