Explaining real-life references (in-universe)

[Dorexx]

There are numerous real-life references through-out the franchise, but first, this:



Do you think this is a reference do the actual, real-life equivalent of Darwin? Or is it just someone else in the DB world with that name?

What are the chances of it actually being the real one? I've theorized before that the DB Earth could be a distant future version of real-life, present-day Earth. Could it be?

Share your thoughts.

[Saiga]

I think it's far too different to fit into an alternate future, so I'll just say that it shares some people by coincidence.

[Hellspawn28]

I think they are just inside jokes for fun. I won't take them too seriously.

[Kaboom]

Is that Arale's maintenance manual on the bookshelf?

[Herms]

Elsewhere in the anime, Chi-Chi considers naming Gohan "Einstein" and "Archimedes" in that pre-Cell Games filler flashback. In fact, most of the real world references are anime-only, or added in by dubs/Viz. Offhand I can only think of Murasaki's US flag in the manga.

[Kamiccolo9]

There are the monks that Krillin used to be a part of, although I'm not sure if that is specific enough to be considered a real-life reference. And there are numerous religious references, like crosses and stuff.

[Dorexx]

In fact, most of the real world references are anime-only, or added in by dubs/Viz.

Seems like it; in DBZ Movie 7, Roshi and Oolong mention Miss Spain, Russia, France and Australia, then in DBZ Movie 8 Roshi says Krillin is the best singer in Japan, not only implying it exists, but that they live in it. Was that just something random he thought of while being drunk? Were they actually in a place called Japan, or maybe a place that used to be or be called Japan?

[Herms]

There are the monks that Krillin used to be a part of, although I'm not sure if that is specific enough to be considered a real-life reference. And there are numerous religious references, like crosses and stuff.

They're from Orin temple, a parody of the real life Shaolin temple. Which I'd consider a little different than a flat-out reference. It's like the dictator from DBZ movie 12, who is obviously based on Hitler but isn't actually Hitler, or all those Bruce Lee-lookalike who pop up from time to time. Farther afield, the Ginyu Force are based on Tokusentai but are obviously not an actual Tokusentai team.

Thinking more about it, Kuririn also mentions the Olympics, and there's all those references to Buddhism and a few to Christianity. Toriyama also included a bunch of specific car models and brands. And there's that cameo from his Bali friend.

There's also how DB Earth's solar system contains a Jupiter. I do wonder where to draw the line though. Strawberries are real of course, but does Bulma mentioning strawberries count as a real world reference?

[Zarathustra]

Always considered the DB world to be ours had it been globalized by mostly anarcho-capitalists.