All beings that are alive are said to be living in 'Konoyo', which roughly means 'this plane'. When any living thing dies (without any exceptions) they arrive as a soul (some exceptions) at Enma Daiou's Palace. There, he decides what to do with them, and looks through a big book which details the person's acts in life, and whether they are good or bad.

If you lived a normal life, and weren't evil and were basically a pure soul, then you get to go to heaven. Enma gets a guide who takes you to the Airport, where planes fly you to Heaven. Life in Heaven is good, without any pain or misery. Heaven is located in the clouds, above SnakeWay.

If you were a bad being, and did many impure and evil acts throughout your life, then the result is the opposite. Enma Daiou condemns you to Hell (HFIL in the dub). In Hell, there are many Ogres and Monsters that constantly torment you, and life is very bad for you. If you have accidentally fallen in Hell, then the Ogres (Goz and Mez) allow you to leave through a secret passage to Enma's castle. However, that's if you can pass two contests – beat them in wrestling and win in a game of tag!

Special cases such as really pure beings that have done incredibly great deeds or have other unique properties are allowed to travel to the Land of the Kaios. This place can only be reached if you travel across Snake Way, a road that is a million miles long! There are four Kaios – the East Kai, the West Kai, the North Kai, and the South Kai. Son Goku trained under the North Kaio, and learnt the Kaio-ken and Genki-Dama. Even more rare are the few beings that are allowed to travel to the planets of the Kaios. This place is basically for great and pure warriors, and is under the command of Dai Kaio-sama. He's incredibly strong, and this is a great place to train. Often special cases are allowed to keep their body after they die.