"Dragon Boy" was very well-received and evolved to become the serial "Dragon Ball".<ref name="AnimeEncyc"></ref>

The plot and characters of "Dragon Ball" were loosely modeled on the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West",<ref name="Manga Design"></ref> with Goku being Sun Wukong ("Son Goku" in Japanese), Bulma as Tang Sanzang, Oolong as Zhu Bajie, and Yamcha being Sha Wujing.