The book was the first Hong Kong manhua title based on action and fighting, often borrowing from the wuxia literary world.

Connie Lam, the director of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, stated that the manhua was "the icon for jungle survival" and a "fantasy" in which people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds improve their standing through physical combat.

[1] Wong Yat-hei of the South China Morning Post wrote that this work was "the first manhua to feature action and fighting".

Oriental Heroes was first published in 1970 under the title Little Rascals (Chinese: 小流氓; Cantonese Yale: Síu Làuh Màhn).

It featured stories about young people living in public housing estates in Hong Kong fighting gangsters and criminals.

Various weapons were used, where spilled blood, internal organs, guts, and bones were shown in the injuries that the characters sustained.

In the first month of Sàng Bou's run, the newspaper published actual news together with various manhua titles, including Oriental Heroes on the back cover.

[8] Lee Wing-sze of the South China Morning Post wrote that the work at the time "reflected the grass-roots culture of the 70s.

[10][page needed] The stories in Oriental Heroes mostly center around three main characters who are leaders of the kung-fu organization and school, Dragon Tiger Gate.

"[13] Little Dragon,[14] known in Chinese versions as Wong Siu-lung[9][note 2] is twenty years old and is the elder half-brother of Tiger by the same father.

Although he was finally reformed and had a good relationship with his brother, Little Dragon is still unable to forgive Tiger's parents, whom he felt responsible for his mother's sufferings and miserable death.

Later on, he had a fateful encounter with the current leader of the Beggar Clan and was able to learn the original 18 Dragonslayer Palms and the Dog-Beating Stick Technique, greatly increasing his fighting skills.

His father, being a Judo master, attracted the attention of the evil organisation, Seui Gwat Muhn (Chinese: 碎骨門).

Gold Dragon's mother then led her family to find refuge in Cheung Chau, under the protection of master Gam Mouh Si Wong (Chinese: 金毛獅王).

[citation needed] In addition to being a formidable judoka, Gold Dragon was also very good at playing nunchucks, two skills he mastered at the beginning of the story.

Later on, he got the chance the learn the legendary Shaolin Golden Bell Armor skill which greatly improved his power and endurance.