Many of the characters in the Dragonball universe relate to a character in real Chinese Mythology. Below are a few of the relations:

• Son Goku: The Monkey King of The Journey to the West and other Asian legends.
• Nyoi-bo (Goku's power-pole): The Monkey King's weapon: the length of iron that pounded the Milky Way flat.
• Gyu-Mao: One of Goku's many opponents in The Journey to the West.
• Lord Emma: The King of the Underworld, who sits in judgement of all souls; this name also appears in Yu Yu Hakusho.