Culture

These resources provide in-depth listings and analysis of "real world" material across the expanded oeuvre of Akira Toriyama — items that are either themselves pulled from other parts of worldly culture, or in turn directly contribute back to popular culture.

Real World Timeline:
A chronology of events in the real world that would lead to the creation of the Dragon Ball franchise, as well as the chronology of the development, production, and release of works within and related to it.

Japanese & Chinese Glossary of Dragon Ball, Mystical, and Martial Terminology:
A series of tables cataloging many common terms from Dragon Ball, as well as its mystical and martial roots, and comparing the various ways of romanizing them, including Japanese and the two Chinese styles of Hanyu Pinyin and Wade-Giles.

Chinese Influences in Dragon Ball:
By way of his wife's own interests, Akira Toriyama found inspiration in China in late 1981, first introducing these influences into his work with the Tsun family in Dr. Slump in 1982. This page covers several areas of Chinese influence in Akira Toriyama's various works, including both his original manga and their various adaptations, continuations, and spin-off works.

Mythology, Folklore, and Literature References in Dragon Ball‎:
A consolidated list of mythology, folklore, and literature references (e.g., Journey to the West, Urashima Tarō, Momotarō, etc.).

Sun Wukong:
A page dedicated to the Monkey King (aka Great Sage, Equal to Heaven), focused on his origins in Journey to the West and exploring his adaptation into Son Goku from Dragon Ball, along with various Wukong references throughout the franchise (serialization, merchandise, etc.).

Real-world References in Dragon Ball:
A list of all real-world "things" referenced in the Dragon Ball franchise, from the original manga all the way up through modern animated productions.

Dragon Ball References in Other Media:
The flip-side of that is Dragon Ball getting referenced in other media!