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Adaptations of Journey to the West

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1. The Cave of the Silken Web (1927)

59 min | Fantasy

One of the earliest cinematic adaptation of Chinese classic novel Journey to the West. When seeking for food alone, Tang Xuanzang was kept prisoner by seven spider monsters who took the ... See full summary  »

Director: Duyu Dan | Stars: Mingzhu Yin , Wen-Chao Wu , Meikang Jiang , Jiali Zhan

2. Princess Iron Fan (1941)

Not Rated | 73 min | Animation, Fantasy

Three travelers needing to pass through a fiery mountain seek the magical fan of a princess, but she does not wish to part with it.

Directors: Wan Laiming , Guchan Wan | Stars: Guanxiang Liu , Chen Zhengfa , Zhou Jirang , Shi Fengai

3. The Adventures of Sun Wukong (1959)

98 min | Fantasy

The mythical adventures of the legendary Chinese trickster Monkey, who must outwit a variety of wily demons who stand in the way of him and his fellow Buddhist travelers. Though portrayed ... See full summary  »

Director: Kajirô Yamamoto | Stars: Norihei Miki , Fukutarô Ichikawa , Nobuo Chiba , Reiko Dan

4. Havoc in Heaven (1961)

Not Rated | 114 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Sun Wukong, the King of the Monkeys, sets off on his first adventure to gain a worthy weapon. This earns the attention of the Jade Emperor of Heaven.

Directors: Wan Laiming , Cheng Tang | Stars: Yue-Feng Qiu , Run-Sheng Fu , Hans Alfredson , Ke Bi

Votes: 2,393

5. The Monkey King and Fruit of Immortality (1981)

45 min | Animation, Fantasy

The second part of the trilogy about adventures of the Monkey King.

Director: Ding Xian Yan

6. The Monkey King Conquers the Demon (1985)

89 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama

The Monkey King fights and kills the Skeleton Demon during the journey he protects Tang monk going to the west for Buddhist scriptures.

Directors: Wei Te , Lin Wen Xiao , Ding Xian Yan | Stars: Ke Bi , Zhào Bing , Weiqi Chang , Zhàn Che

7. Alakazam the Great (1960)

Not Rated | 84 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

A monkey king who learns the secrets of magic goes on a spree and causes no end of aggravation for the gods, who finally imprison him. In order to make up for all the trouble he's caused, ... See full summary  »

Directors: Daisaku Shirakawa , Taiji Yabushita , Osamu Tezuka | Stars: Kiyoshi Komiyama , Noriko Shindô , Hideo Kinoshita , Setsuo Shinoda

8. The Monkey Goes West (1966)

112 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Musical

16th-century novel recounting the efforts of a Buddhist monk and his magical companions to travel to India and bring back Buddhist sutras.

Director: Meng-Hua Ho | Stars: Diana Chung-Wen Chang , Fan Ho , Hua Yueh , Pao-Shu Kao

9. Princess Iron Fan (1966)

77 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Musical

The Monkey King and his gang are confronted by the evil Princess Iron Fan, Madam White Bone and her two sexy sisters.

Directors: Wan Leming , Guchan Wan | Stars: Pat Ting Hung , Fan Ho , Hua Yueh , Pei-Pei Cheng

10. The Cave of the Silken Web (1967)

82 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Cave of Silken Web is the third installment in Shaw Brothers series from the Chinese classic tale Journey to the West. The monk Tripitaka and his three protector/companions, Monkey, Pigsy, ... See full summary  »

Director: Meng-Hua Ho | Stars: Angela Yu Chien , Liang Hua Liu , Meng Tien , Shirley Huang

11. The Land of Many Perfumes (1968)

82 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Musical

The Monk, Monkey and Pigsy find themselves in the title realm, where women can only give birth to women.

Director: Meng-Hua Ho | Stars: Yin Fang , Hsiang Chun Li , Fan Ho , Peng Peng

12. Battles with Red Boy (1972)

80 min | Adventure, Fantasy

Director: Chia-Chun Wu | Stars: Niu Tien , Hsiao-Ping Yang , Kuang-Chao Chiang , Chien-Kuo Lung

13. The Fantastic Magic Baby (1975)

96 min | Fantasy, Musical

In The Fantastic Magic Baby, director Chang Che weaves a wild and woolly yarn about how the legendary Monkey King and Goddess of Mercy battle and defeat the child god Hung Hai-erh then point him down the road to righteousness.

Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Hua-Chung Ting , Chuan-li Chang , Chin Hu , Shao-Chun Chang

14. Monkey King with 72 Magic (1979)

90 min | Adventure, Fantasy

Directors: Ching-Hua Fu , Gozo Matsui | Stars: Hua-Chung Ting , Tan-Feng Fan , Lei Zhao , Pei-Yu Chao

15. Doraemon: Nobita's Version of Saiyuki (1988)

90 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

Nobita and his friends go an adventure to save the future from monsters that come out from doraemon's gadget.Will nobita be able to capture all of them and help a monk in his journey to the west?

Director: Tsutomu Shibayama | Stars: Nobuyo Ôyama , Noriko Ohara , Michiko Nomura , Kaneta Kimotsuki

16. New Pilgrims to the West (1982)

99 min | Adventure, Fantasy

The story of the Monkey King and his half man/half pig companion and their travels towards the Western Paradise.

Director: Chun-Liang Chen | Stars: Kuan Tai Chen , Sung-Young Chen , Yu-Hsin Chen , Ching-Feng Chiang

17. Monkey War (1982)

Monkey, Pigsy, and Sandy come across a group of people forced to build massive palatial structures for the local warlord under the auspices of a pair of Taoist wizards. The wandering Pilgrims decide to find out what the Taoists are about.

Director: Chun-Liang Chen | Stars: Shang-Chien Liu , Fang-Fang Fong , Yueh Sun , David Tao

18. A Chinese Odyssey: Part One - Pandora's Box (1995)

87 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

A Monkey King is reincarnated in the un human form as Joker, a highwayman oblivious to his original identity and the fact that 500 years earlier, he and his master, the Longevity Monk, were punished and made to stay human.

Director: Jeffrey Lau | Stars: Stephen Chow , Man-Tat Ng , Kar-Ying Law , Kit Ying Lam

Votes: 8,406

19. A Chinese Odyssey: Part 2 - Cinderella (1995)

98 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

The convoluted continuation of the adventures of the time-traveling, now-human Monkey King, who attempts to fulfill his divine destiny.

Director: Jeffrey Lau | Stars: Stephen Chow , Man-Tat Ng , Athena Chu , Ada Choi

Votes: 8,538

20. A Chinese Odyssey: Part Three (2016)

93 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

The third chapter of the cult-classic fantasy saga : A Chinese Odyssey.

Director: Jeffrey Lau | Stars: Yibo Wang , Jing Wu , Yan Tang , Karen Mok

21. Heavenly Legend (1999)

89 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy

Based loosely on the Monkey King legend, the movie mainly focuses on the affairs of The Dragon Princess Of The West Sea who rebels against her father by refusing to marry the Dragon Prince of The East Sea.

Director: Chi-Hwa Chen | Stars: Ashton Chen , Shao-Wen Hao , Vivian Hsu , Xiaonan Zhan

22. A Chinese Tall Story (2005)

Not Rated | 106 min | Action, Comedy, Drama

A love story between an alien and a monk.

Director: Jeffrey Lau | Stars: Nicholas Tse , Charlene Choi , Bingbing Fan , Chen Bo-lin

Votes: 1,124

23. Fire Ball (2005)

95 min | Animation, Adventure

The story is about the Chinese Tang monk called Tripitaka who leads his fairy animal neophytes Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy, and Horse on a long journey to India in search of the "Script of Wisdom ... See full summary  »

Director: Toon Wang | Stars: Han-Ya Liu , Kuei-Mei Yang , Matthew Yen-Shen Tsai , Chia-Chia Peng

24. Monkey Magic (2007)

120 min | Adventure, Fantasy, History

On the way to India to get some holy scrolls, priest Tripitaka and his followers are led by Monkey and implored by a princess to protect her people from a warlord and his brother. They've ... See full summary  »

Director: Kensaku Sawada | Stars: Shingo Katori , Teruyoshi Uchimura , Atsushi Itô , Eri Fukatsu

25. Monkey King vs. Er Lang Shen (2007)

Star: Jason Tolhurst

26. The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

A discovery made by a kung fu obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to ancient China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King.

Director: Rob Minkoff | Stars: Jackie Chan , Jet Li , Michael Angarano , Juana Collignon

Votes: 109,524 | Gross: $52.08M

27. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013)

PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

Tang Sanzang, an aspiring Buddhist hero tries to protect a village from three demons. He develops complex feelings for Miss Duan, the demon hunter who repeatedly helps him, and finally quests to meet the legendary Monkey King.

Directors: Stephen Chow , Chi-Kin Kwok | Stars: Zhang Wen , Shu Qi , Huang Bo , Show Lo

Votes: 13,975 | Gross: $0.02M

28. Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017)

PG-13 | 109 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

A monk and his three disciples continue on their journey to battle demons.

Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Kris Wu , Kenny Lin , Chen Yao , Yun Lin

Votes: 3,564 | Gross: $0.88M

29. The Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven's Palace (2014)

Not Rated | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Family

A monkey born from heavenly stone acquires supernatural powers and must battle the armies of both gods and demons to find his place in the heavens.

Director: Soi Cheang | Stars: Donnie Yen , Chow Yun-Fat , Aaron Kwok , Yitian Hai

Votes: 5,369 | Gross: $0.71M

30. The Monkey King 2 (2016)

Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

When a travelling monk is stranded in a wasteland, The Monkey King must escort him across the land to retrieve sacred scriptures and protect him from an evil demon.

Director: Soi Cheang | Stars: Aaron Kwok , Gong Li , Shaofeng Feng , Shenyang Xiao

Votes: 3,461 | Gross: $0.71M

31. The Monkey King 3 (2018)

Not Rated | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Family

A travelling monk and his followers find themselves trapped in a land inhabited by only women.

Director: Soi Cheang | Stars: Aaron Kwok , Shaofeng Feng , Zanilia Zhao , Shenyang Xiao

Votes: 1,744 | Gross: $0.19M

32. Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015)

PG | 89 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

The all-powerful Monkey King was imprisoned by the Gods for 500 years, but when a child releases him from his curse, the Monkey King must now save an innocent village from the evil Mountain Lord and his monstrous army.

Director: Xiaopeng Tian | Stars: Lei Zhang , Zijie Lin , Wenlun Wu , Zirong Tong

Votes: 4,715

33. Spark: A Space Tail (2016)

PG | 91 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Spark, a teenage monkey and his friends, Chunk and Vix, are on a mission to regain Planet Bana, a kingdom overtaken by the evil overlord Zhong.

Director: Aaron Woodley | Stars: Jace Norman , Jessica Biel , Patrick Stewart , Hilary Swank

Votes: 1,350 | Gross: $0.19M

34. The Monkey King: Reborn (2021)

Not Rated | 95 min | Animation, Action, Fantasy

A long, long time ago, devils were rampant in East-land. Master Tang, who was second apprentice of Buddha Rulai in his previous life, swore to Leiyin Temple in West to fetch scriptures to purify East-land.

Director: Yunfei Wang | Stars: Yenni Ann , Xuecen Bai , Zhongyang Baomu , Jiang Bian

35. Dream Journey (2016)

92 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Directors: Yun Ma , Qiao Tan | Stars: Miao Xie , He Zhang , Na Jiao , Sophie Zhang

36. Dream Journey 2: Princess Iron Fan (2017)

91 min | Adventure, Fantasy

There's a volcano wreaking havoc in the Monkey King Sun Wukong's world, sapping the magic Banana Leaf Fan of its power. To set things right he'll have to travel five centuries into the past... See full summary  »

Directors: Yun Ma , Qiao Tan | Stars: Miao Xie , Yilin Huang , Kung-Wei Lu , Yong Chen

37. Dream Journey 3: The Land of Many Perfumes (2017)

99 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

The film tells that after the slaughter of the daughter country, the souls are full of grievances are unwilling to reincarnate. Under the conspiracy of the old Beiming Kun, they are trapped... See full summary  »

Director: Qiao Tan | Stars: Junni Cao , Xuetao Chen , Yan Du , Rui Fan

38. Dream Journey 4: Biography of Demon (2018)

Not Rated | 99 min | Adventure, Fantasy

On their journey to the west, Tang Seng and Sun Wukong have a falling out and set out a challenge for each other. Sun Wukong agrees to give Tang Seng his magical powers in exchange for Tang... See full summary  »

Director: Zhongxuan Ma | Stars: Miao Xie , Sheng Nan , Thomas Price , Junni Cao

39. Dream Journey 5: Legendary Treasure (2019)

93 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance

Dream Journey 5: Legendary Treasure" is a creative reimagining of the classic tale "Journey to the West." This installment, the fifth in the series, follows the adventures of Sun Wukong, ... See full summary  »

Directors: Zhongxuan Ma , Cong Wang | Stars: Jack Tu , Yun Jiang , Tieying Zhao , Yiming Chen

40. Immortal Demon Slayer (2017)

Not Rated | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Family

A giant rebelled against the heavens. It was declared a devil and defeated. The immortal heart evolved into Sun Wukong. The heavens found him, and ravaged his home. He enters the heavenly kingdom, disguised as a human, seeking retribution.

Director: Chi-Kin Kwok | Stars: Eddie Peng , Shawn Yue , Ni Ni , Xiao Bai

Votes: 1,952

41. Buddies in India (2017)

Unrated | 99 min | Action, Comedy

In an effort to save his house, a man accompanies the son of a recently deceased CEO to India to recover his will.

Director: Baoqiang Wang | Stars: Baoqiang Wang , Yan Liu , White-K , Vikramjeet Virk

Votes: 402 | Gross: $0.29M

42. The Journey to the West: Demon's Child (2021)

73 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy

500 years ago, Monkey King caused a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace and accidentally kicked the Eight Trigrams Furnace, causing the Heavenly Fire to fall into the mortal world. In order to ... See full summary  »

Director: Xiong Chen | Stars: Ji Hao , Shiu-Hung Hui , Ximen Piaopiao , Raquel

43. The Monkey King (2023)

PG | 97 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Inspired by an epic Chinese tale, translated into an action-packed comedy, a Monkey and his magical fighting Stick battle demons, dragons, gods and the greatest adversary of all - Monkey's ego.

Director: Anthony Stacchi | Stars: Jimmy O. Yang , Bowen Yang , Jolie Hoang-Rappaport , Jo Koy

Votes: 6,274

44. Monkey (1978–2004)

Action, Adventure, Comedy

An adaptation of a Chinese folktale about a pilgrimage to the West undertaken by a monk and his divine guardians.

Stars: Masaaki Sakai , Shirô Kishibe , Masako Natsume , Miriam Margolyes

Votes: 2,133

45. Journey to the West (1986–2000)

45 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

An account of the legendary pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Tang Shen who traveled to the "Western Regions", that is, Central Asia and India, to obtain Buddhist sacred texts (... See full summary  »

Stars: Liu Xiao Ling Tong , Dehua Ma , Huaili Yan , Shaohua Xu

Votes: 1,732

46. Journey to the West (1996– )

Sun Wukong the Monkey King, monk Tang Sanzang, humanoid pig Zhu Bajie and river demon Sha Wujing embark on a perilous journey to retrieve holy scriptures from the west, as an act of ... See full summary  »

Stars: Dicky Cheung , Wah Kong , Yiu-Cheung Lai , Cheung-Ching Mak

47. Journey to the West 2 (1998)

45 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

The Monkey King conquers the fantasy world of monsters and demons with his brotherhood team, led by his Master Tang Sanzang.

Stars: Benny Chan , Wah Kong , Yiu-Cheung Lai , Cheung-Ching Mak

48. Journey to the West: Legends of the Monkey King (1995–1999)

TV-PG | 24 min | Animation

The legend of the Monkey King and his fellow companions traveling west.

Stars: Hanyu Zhang , Lihong Li , Jie Qi , Li Lao

49. The Monkey King (2001– )

Unrated | 150 min | Adventure, Fantasy

American journalist Nick Orton is caught up in the world of Chinese gods and monsters while on a search for the long lost manuscript to 'Hsi Yu Chi' (The Journey to the West) by Wu Ch'eng ... See full summary  »

Stars: Thomas Gibson , Bai Ling , Russell Wong , Ric Young

Votes: 1,796

50. Monkey King and City of Demons (2018)

90 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

Sun Wukong and Brother Pig arrive at a demon village on the way to rescue their master, Tang Seng.

Directors: Hesheng Xiang , Qiuliang Xiang | Stars: Benny Chan , Zhao Ziluo , Meng Fan , Tze-Chung Lam

51. Journey to the West (2006– )

Action, Adventure, Drama

The drama is a modern adaptation of the famous Chinese story Journey to the West. It follows the monk Sanzo Hoshi and her three disciples--the monkey king Son Goku; the half-man, half-pig ... See full summary  »

Stars: Shingo Katori , Teruyoshi Uchimura , Atsushi Itô , Eri Fukatsu

52. Journey to the West (2010– )

45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

A new version of the Journey to the West. The series features a scenic setting across China as it follows the Monk and his disciples on their quest for the scriptures and towards enlightenment.

Stars: Zhenxiang Fei , Victor Chen , Ning Xie , Fengbin Mou

53. Journey to the West 2000 (2000– )

45 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

A tribute to the most famous children story of the Monkey King since 1986. Li Pong Lung return as the crazy monkey to find their western journey.

Stars: Xiao'ou Deng , Benben Guo , Xu Shao Hua , Li Po Lung

54. Journey to the West (2011– )

45 min | Action, Adventure

The legendary pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang who traveled to the "Western Regions", to obtain Buddhist sacred texts and returned after many trials and much suffering.

Stars: Shi Lei , Ke Hu , Yong You , Chun-Chung Tong

55. Journey to the West (2011)

Action, Sport, War

Science activism for health in sports, medicine, and tiger team research and development from Canada and International open collaboration to help anti-radiation material Borax to Japan.

Directors: Brendon Culliton , Joe Hatoum | Stars: Brendon Culliton , Joe Hatoum

56. Into the Badlands (2015–2019)

TV-14 | 42 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

A mighty warrior and a young boy with supernatural powers search for enlightenment in a ruthless post-apocalyptic America controlled by feudal barons.

Stars: Daniel Wu , Orla Brady , Aramis Knight , Emily Beecham

Votes: 49,617

57. New Journey to the West (2015– )

Stars: Lee Seung-gi , Ahn Jae-Hyun , Kyu-hyun Cho , Ho-Dong Kang

58. A Chinese Odyssey: Love You a Million Years (2017– )

The drama is based on the Stephen Chow's version of the Chinese Odyssey movies. Hong Kong director, producer and screenwriter Jeffrey Lau, who also wrote and directed the award winning movies will also be main director.

Stars: Zitao Huang , Zheng Yin , Viola Mi , Tianzuo Liu

59. A Korean Odyssey (2017–2018)

75 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror

In 2017, Son Oh Gong and Ma Wang are in conflict with each other and they look for a true light in a dark world where evils exists everywhere.

Stars: Lee Seung-gi , Cha Seung-won , Oh Yeon-Seo , Hong-ki Lee

Votes: 6,193

60. The New Legends of Monkey (2018–2020)

TV-PG | 24 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

Entering the mythical world of the Monkey King, where a young monk and his group of disciples are on a journey to collect scrolls of Buddhist wisdom.

Stars: Chai Hansen , Luciane Buchanan , Josh Thomson , Emilie Cocquerel

Votes: 4,997

61. Till We Meet Again (2018)

Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Tripitaka ( Elvin Ng ), Monkey God ( Kingone Wang ), Pigsy ( Ian Fang ) and Sandy ( Steven Chiang ) met with a calamity while on their journey to the West, due to Flower Fairy Caiyue's ( Julie Tan ) ... See full summary  »

Stars: Kingone Wang , Julie Tan , Jeanette Aw , Ian Fang

62. The Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven's Palace (2014)

63. lego monkie kid: a hero is born (2020 tv movie).

TV-Y7 | 45 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Monkie King. Beloved hero from the famed novel "Journey to the West" comes to life as a young boy named MK.

Director: Sarah Harper | Stars: Steve Blum , David Chen , Jack De Sena , Kyle McCarley

64. Monkie Kid (2020– )

TV-Y7 | 11 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Inspired by the classic Chinese story Journey to the West, the series follows the adventures of a young teenager, MK, as he comes into terms of his mission to save the world.

Stars: Jack De Sena , Dave B. Mitchell , Stephanie Sheh , David Chen

Votes: 1,081

65. Lego Monkie Kid: Embrace Your Destiny (2022 TV Movie)

43 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

The Lady Bone Demon is close to complete her final plan to achieve her destiny. With the heroes scattered, things look grim for MK and his friends. It's up to him to reunite the team and take the fight back to the Lady Bone Demon.

Directors: Sarah Harper , Ashe Jacobson | Stars: Johnny Yong Bosch , David Chen , Jack De Sena , Victoria Grace

66. Lego Monkie Kid: The Emperor's Wrath (2023 TV Movie)

MK and his friends must embrace their ancestral powers if they have any hope to stop the new Jade Emperor before he tears the whole universe apart.

Director: Christian Barkel | Stars: Johnny Yong Bosch , David Chen , Jack De Sena , Meli Grant

67. Lego Monkie Kid: Revenge of the Spider Queen (2021 TV Movie)

The Spider Queen teams up with a mysterious, shadowy villain to collect powerful artifacts in order to defeat MK and his legendary teacher Monkey King.

Director: Sarah Harper | Stars: Kimberly Brooks , David Chen , Jack De Sena , Victoria Grace

68. American Born Chinese (2023)

TV-PG | 30 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

Jin Wang is an average teenager balancing high school and home life. When he meets a new foreign student on the first day of school, even more worlds collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle with Chinese mythological gods.

Stars: Ben Wang , Yann Yann Yeo , Chin Han , Ke Huy Quan

Votes: 6,655

69. Dragon Ball (1986–1989)

TV-14 | 25 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Son Gokû, a fighter with a monkey tail, goes on a quest with an assortment of odd characters in search of the Dragon Balls, a set of crystals that can give its bearer anything they desire.

Stars: Masako Nozawa , Jôji Yanami , Brice Armstrong , Stephanie Nadolny

Votes: 66,072

70. Goku's Great Adventures (1967)

23 min | Animation, Comedy, Fantasy

Stars: Nachi Nozawa , Eiko Masuyama , Junpei Takiguchi , Kin'ya Aikawa

71. Monkey Magic (1998)

TV-MA | Animation, Family

Stars: Sam Vincent , Richard Ian Cox , Paul Dobson , Kathleen Barr

72. Saiyuki (1999– )

30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

An evil demon, Gyumao, causing all demons to go crazy. Now, Genjo Sanzo, a trash-taking Buddist monk, is given a mission in India. Now, he is teamed up with three demons, Son Goku, Sha Gojyo, , and Cho Hakkai.

Stars: Wataru Takagi , Kôsuke Okano , Kôichi Yamadera , Akira Ishida

73. Saiyuki Gaiden (2011– )

30 min | Animation, Action, Comedy

In their former lives, 500 years before Genjyo Sanzo and his crew of misfits began their journey west, they were gods, but being godly didn't make them act any more divine.

Stars: David Matranga , Greg Ayres , John Swasey , Hiroaki Hirata

75. Shinzo (2000–2001)

TV-Y7 | Animation, Action, Adventure

n the world of Mushrambo, human life has all but come to an end. After a deadly virus threatened the extinction of mankind, a new race called the Enterrans was created to preserve life on ... See full summary  »

Stars: David Rogers , Joe Ochman , Steve Blum , Wendee Lee

76. My Son Goku (2003)

95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance

Directors: Akio Sugino , Fumihiro Yoshimura | Stars: Yûka , Eriko Imai , Rokurô Naya , Junpei Morita

77. Science Fiction Journey to the West Starzinger (1979)

Animation, Short, Fantasy

Princess Aurora, the only survivor of her planet destroyed by evil mutants, is resolved to put an end to the mutant menace in the galaxy along with three enhanced human cyborgs Jesse Dart, ... See full summary  »

Director: Tokiji Kaburagi | Stars: Hiroya Ishimaru , Akira Kamiya , Kazuko Sugiyama , Kôsei Tomita

78. The Flying Superboard (1990–2002)

As a punishment for causing havoc in Heaven, Sonogong is locked in a huge iron mass for 500 years until Samjang Bupsa, an old priest embarking on a mission to rid the world of evil and ... See full summary  »

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Journey to the West: Introduction

by That's Mandarin | Oct 11, 2022 | Guest Blogs & Media

To spark your interest, our guest author Jeff Pepper from Imagin8 Press has shared a brief introduction of the book.

TIP: Scroll the the bottom of the article to discover links to a version of the book written for English-speaking students of Chinese!

Q: What is Journey to the West about?

Journey to the West (西游记, Xīyóu Jì), is a Chinese novel written in the 16th century by Wu Cheng’en (吴承恩, Wú Chéng’ēn).

It is probably the most famous and best-loved novel in China and is considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Its place in Chinese literature is roughly comparable to Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey in Western literature. Wikipedia sums up the book’s role perfectly, saying, “Enduringly popular, the tale is at once a comic adventure story, a humorous satire of Chinese bureaucracy, a spring of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeys towards enlightenment by the power and virtue of cooperation.”

Q: Is Journey to the West based on a real story?

The novel’s storyline is loosely based on an actual journey by a Buddhist monk also called Xuanzang who traveled from the city of Chang’an (today’s Xi’an) westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and texts of Buddhism.

Q: In short, what is Journey to the West about?

A long time ago, in a magical version of ancient China, the great Tang Empire is ruled by an emperor named Taizong. Due to a mixup involving the wrongful execution of a dragon king, Taizong falls ill, dies, and is dragged down to the underworld. There he comes face to face with the Ten Kings of the Underworld, survives a harrowing journey through hell, and finally escapes with the help of a deceased courtier.

When Taizong returns to the human world he is a changed man. He decides to send a monk to the Western Heaven (that is, India), to visit the Buddha, obtain holy scriptures, and bring them back to the people of the Tang Empire. This task is nearly impossible, requiring the crossing of thousands of miles of wild and dangerous territory. With guidance from the bodhisattva Guanyin, the emperor selects a young monk named Xuanzang.

Xuanzang is a brilliant young man but has a complicated history. In an earlier lifetime centuries before, he was a student of the Buddha but was careless in his studies. Expelled from the Buddha’s temple, he spent the next ten lifetimes meditating and acquiring merit. As an infant in his current lifetime he is nearly killed by bandits, placed in a floating basket by his widowed mother and sent downriver, rescued by a monk, and raised in a monastery. At age eighteen he learns his true history, and goes off to avenge his father’s death.

Later he is chosen by Taizong to undertake the epic journey to the west. Now called Tangseng (“monk from Tang”), he faces a near-impossible task: he must cross hundreds of mountains and thousands of rivers, and survive encounters with a horrifying series of bandits, monsters, demons, ghosts, evil kings, scheming monks, false Buddhas, and much more.

Q: How about the Monkey King and other famous characters?

Tangseng could never survive the journey on his own. Fortunately he acquires three powerful but deeply flawed disciples.

First is the monkey king Sun Wukong (孙悟空, S ūn W ù kōng , his name means “ape awakened to the void”), who he frees from a 500-year imprisonment under a mountain in punishment for creating havoc in heaven.

Second is Zhu Bajie (猪八戒, Zhū Bājiè, “pig of the eight prohibitions”), a gluttonous pig-man who is constantly fighting, and often succumbing to, his desires for food, sex and comfort.

And third is Sha Wujing (沙悟净, Shā Wùjìng, “sand seeking purity”), a reformed man-eating river demon.

All three have been converted to Buddhism by the monk, but they often slip back into their bad habits and cause Tangseng a great deal of trouble. Fortunately they all have great magical powers which come in handy for battling demons and monsters, and saving Tangseng from all sorts of trouble.

The story of this journey is described in this epic novel.

Q: How long is the original book?

The original Journey to the West is a very long book. It contains 100 chapters and is 588,000 Chinese characters long. It uses a very large vocabulary of 4,500 different words, over 90% of which are not included in HSK Levels 1-6, making it quite difficult for most non-native Chinese speakers to read.

The novel is also available in English translation, the best one being by the scholar Dr. Anthony Yu. His version fills four volumes and runs over 2,300 pages.

Q: Is the book suitable for Chinese beginners?

Fortunately for people learning to read Chinese, there is now another way to read this book. My writing partner Xiao Hui Wang and I have spent the last five years writing a series of 31 books that retell the Journey to the West story in language that is accessible to anyone learning to read Chinese at the HSK 3 level. The stories in these books are told in a way that matches the original as closely as possible, but because they are graded readers they are much easier to read. The first book, Rise of the Monkey King, is relatively short and uses just 512 Chinese words. Each book adds more new words and slightly increases the length of the story and complexity of the writing, leading step by step to the longest and most challenging book, Book 31, The Final Trial. All told, the entire series uses about 2,200 different Chinese words excluding proper nouns.

Fortunately, the original novel is not written as a single continuous story, but is broken up into more or less standalone episodes, each one between one and four chapters in length. This makes it possible to read and enjoy any of the 31 graded readers without having to read the ones that came before it.

Each book is written in Simplified Chinese. The books include pinyin, English translation, and a glossary. Free audio versions of each book are available free of charge on YouTube.

Q: Where can I get these books?

A list of all 31 books in the series, along with short descriptions and links to the Amazon product pages and free YouTube audiobooks, can be found on the Imagin8 Press home page, www.imagin8press.com .

by Jeff Pepper

Jeff Pepper ([email protected]) is President and CEO of Imagin8 Press , and has written dozens of books about Chinese language and culture.

Over his thirty-five year career he has founded and led several successful computer software firms, including one that became a publicly traded company. He’s authored two software related books and has been awarded three U.S. patents.

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Classical Chinese Novels 101: Journey to the West

For centuries, the literati of China wrote in Literary Chinese, crafted rigidly-structured essays, delighted in allusive poetry—and looked down on fiction as a lesser form of writing. Despite this, the stories and characters of China’s traditional novels have long influenced popular culture, and they are still readily apparent in both modern Chinese and East Asian culture.

This 101 series will serve as a basic introduction to China’s Four Great Classical Novels, as well as the entertainingly divergent (and often banned) Ming classic, Plum in the Golden Vase . In addition to discussing the development of Chinese long-form vernacular fiction, these articles will seek to present different critical interpretations of each novel, as well as highlight the insights that they offer into Chinese culture. As this series is designed for those without knowledge of Chinese or just beginning their studies of the language, Chinese names will be given in English, Chinese pinyin, and characters for the first appearance, and all subsequent references will use the English.

Classical Chinese Novels 101 is divided into six chapters:

1. Classical Chinese Novels 101: Introduction to the Traditional Chinese Novel

2. Classical Chinese Novels 101: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms

3. Classical Chinese Novels 101: Water Margin

4. Classical Chinese Novels 101: Journey to the West

5. Classical Chinese Novels 101: The Plum in the Golden Vase

6. Classical Chinese Novels 101: Dream of the Red Chamber

Journey to the West , or Xiyouji (西游记), is a late Ming dynasty (1368-1644) novel of comedic fantasy based on the religious pilgrimage of a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk to India in search of religious scripts. Published in the late 16th century, with the earliest extant edition dating back to 1592, Journey to the West is a hundred-chapter novel attributed to the author Wu Cheng’an.

As with Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms , the authorship of Journey to the West is still disputed (Hsia, 1968; Lee, 2010; Yu, 2008). Also like the earlier two novels, Journey to the West appears to be the lengthy culmination of a long history of narrative development. Based on the historical travels of Xuanzang, a monk who travelled to India in the early 7th century and brought back 657 Buddhist texts, the eventual folk legends that developed out of this historical pilgrimage gained ever-more fantastical elements through centuries of storytelling, from Song dynasty (960-1279) oral stories to Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming dynasty dramas (Hsia, 1968; Lee, 2010).

Though similar in development to Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin , Journey to the West represents an evolution in the traditional Chinese novel. While the ultimate identity of its author is still disputed, the novel itself is widely seen as the product of one primary author rather than a product of the type of composite authorship usually mentioned in relation to the earlier traditional novels. As the well-regarded Chinese literature professor Y. W. Ma writes, “There should not be much doubt that a single author is responsible for the extant one-hundred chapter version of the novel” (Ma, 1986:43). Indeed, Ma considers Journey to the West as one of the two novels that represent the height of Ming dynasty fiction (the second being Plum in the Golden Vase ) (Ma, 1986).

The basic structure and narrative of Journey to the West are, at first appearance, relatively simple and episodic. It begins with the tale of Sun Wukong, a monkey born from a stone who gains consciousness and then attempts to seek immortality and power. Sun Wukong, also called Monkey, rebels against Heaven and has a confrontation with the Buddha, who defeats Monkey and traps him beneath a mountain. Later, Tang Sanzang, courtesy name Tripitaka, is sent by the Tang Emperor on a mission west to find sacred Buddhist texts. Along his way, Tripitaka recruits companions who serve as his protectors and disciples; his first follower is the freed Monkey, who is bound to obey him by the Bodhisattva Guanyin (Guanyin, also a Chinese goddess of mercy, is an enlightened patron to the travellers; she appears recurringly to save them, and sometimes to test them.). His other companions are Zhu Bajie, or Pigsy in the acclaimed Arthur Waley abridged translation (1942), and Sha Wujing, or Sandy. Together, the pilgrimage members encounter and overcome (sometimes with the help of Guanyin) eighty-one trials involving demon-fighting and resisting temptation before reaching the end of their journey.

Despite its simple structure, the novel stands out among the traditional novels for its vivacious comedy and sense of fun. The 20th-century scholar and Chinese ambassador to the United States, Hu Shih, specifically emphasized the novel as a book of good humor and entertainment (Lee, 2010). Though Hu Shih was arguing for an appreciation of Journey to the West separate from its history of scrutiny and philosophical analysis, the novel is undeniably allegorical, philosophical, and rich with possible interpretations.

To begin with, Journey to the West is a novel based on the historical pilgrimage of Xuanzang. In addition to the religious journey where the main characters discuss Buddhist tenets with each other, the language of the novel borrows heavily from Taoist and Confucian texts, incorporating well-known ideas and phrases from the other two Chinese religions. For example, in his article “Formation and Fiction in Journey to the West ,” scholar Anthony Yu (2008) points out that the decision to make the fictional Tripitaka an envoy of the Tang emperor, a marked departure from the historical Xuanzang who went to India in secret and asked for pardon on his return, aligns the character more with the archetype of the traditional Confucian official-scholar. Furthermore, the character Tripitaka is far from the pious, calm traveller that one might expect given his fictional identity as either a reincarnated earth-bound dweller of Buddha’s Western Paradise, or as the fictionalized version of a devoutly religious historical pilgrim. Instead, as C. T. Hsia succinctly puts it, “he is merely helpless” (Hsia, 1968:117). A constant victim of the various ordeals the group faces, Tipitaka is nervous, fearful, and worried about completing his mission for the emperor, and requires continually rescuing. While Tripitaka’s weaknesses, complemented by Monkey’s endless mischievousness and Pigsy’s gluttony, are the main elements of comedy in the novel, they also serve greater allegorical purposes.

Many scholars, including C.T. Hsia (1968), Andrew Plaks (2015), and Anthony Yu (2008), highlight the division between Tripitaka as the all-too-human leader of the party and Monkey as the representation of the “mind” of the party in accordance with a Chinese idiomatic expression that refers to the “monkey of the mind.” This characterization of the party as separate parts of one being, supports an allegorical reading of Journey to the West which sees the eighty-one ordeals faced by the pilgrimage party, as well as the tensions between them as commentary on the proper cultivation of the heart and mind. Though Chinese expression about the "monkey of the mind" originated in Buddhist texts, by the time of Journey of the West, it was a syncretic Buddhist, Neo-Confucian and Taoist idea. At the same time, other allegorical readings focus on its treatment of Buddhist enlightenment. In The Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel , Andrew Plaks (2015) outlines how characteristics like Tripitaka’s concern for his own comfort, Pigsy’s gluttony and sensual desires, and Monkey’s quest for power are allegories for the different kinds of physical and spiritual impediments to Enlightenment. Hsia (1968) goes further in describing how Tripitaka’s continued attachments, both physical and spiritual, cause part of his susceptibility to demons' attacks and temptations; his compassion and other kindly emotions, while well-meaning, lead to more trouble. Meanwhile, Monkey’s humor, liveliness, and general disregard for others, which often offends Tripitaka’s sense of propriety and morality, is more truly aligned with Buddhist non-attachment.

In Hsia’s interpretation of the novel, the Heart Sutra received by Tripitaka at the beginning of his journey is the central message of the allegory (Hsia, 1968). The Heart Sutra teaches that “form is emptiness, and the very emptiness is form,” but Tripitaka and his fellow travellers show through their eighty-one ordeals that they are too attached to their comforts and desires (the form) (Hsia, 1968:119). Monkey, who more easily rejects his physical attachments—in one highly allegorical scene, he kills thieves called Ear, Eye, Nose, Tongue, Mind, and Body against Tripitaka's wishes—fails to find the enlightenment (the emptiness) described by the Heart Sutra because deliberately seeking enlightenment is also a form of attachment. The novel offers a representation of and commentary on the seeming paradox of attaining enlightenment (Hsia, 1968). Anthony Yu (2008) recalls other traditional interpretations of Journey to the West which indicate that the novel represents the Three-Religions-in-One ideology (Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism) that was common among contemporary Ming scholars. Andrew Plaks, for his part, argues that the novel is ultimately a “ psychomania of the process of the cultivation of the mind as construed by sixteenth-century thinkers” (2015:258). In Plaks’ reading, the allegorical meaning of the novel is an exploration of the conflicts relating to the cultivation of the mind while playing with the available language and motifs of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

The various interpretations, or the arguments against excessive interpretations, aside, Journey to the West remains a beloved novel for its mixture of comedy and fantasy. Though the journey made by Tripitaka, Monkey, and the others is a story that has been retold countless times in Chinese and East Asian culture in dramas, movies, televisions shows, video games, and children's literature, English readers interested in becoming acquainted with this lively story can start with Arthur Waley’s translation before diving into the allegorical complexities of China’s three religions. Waley’s renamed version, Monkey , does great justice to the character who is arguably the most interesting and compelling figure of the novel: the fun, mischievous, and powerful Monkey King.

Bibliographical References

Hsia, C. T. (1968). The Classic Chinese Novel: A Critical Introduction = Zhongguo gudian xiaoshuo . New York Columbia University Press.

Lee, W. (2010). Full-Length Vernacular Fiction. In V. H. Mair (Ed.), The Columbia history of Chinese literature . Columbia University Press.

Ma, Y. W. (1986). Fiction. In W. H. Nienhauser (Ed.), The Indiana Companion to Chinese Literature (pp. 31–48). Indiana University Press.

Plaks, A. H. (2015). The Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel: Ssu ta ch’i-shu . Princeton University Press.

Yu, A. C. (2008). The Formation of Fiction in the “Journey to the West.” Asia Major , 21 (1), 15–44. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41649940

Visual Sources

Figure 1: Yoshitoshi, T. (Early 1880s). Sun Wukong Blows on His Hairs [woodblock print; ink and color on paper]. Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://collections.mfa.org/objects/215182/sun-wukong-blows-on-his-hairs-goku-ke-o-fuku-jo-and-uba-

Figure 2: Unknown. (1690-1720). Monkey Battles the Spider Spirit [woodblock print]. The British Museum. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1928-0323-0-20

Figure 3: Donshu, Ohara. (1815-1857). Priest Xuanzang and his attendants from the Xijouji [hanging scroll; ink and color on silk]. The British Museum. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/36401001

Figure 4: Wiyono, L. D. (2014). Sun Wukong, the Infamous Monkey King [digital illustration]. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/louisdavilla/14220881646/in/photostream/

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‘Journey to the West’: Why the classic Chinese novel’s mischievous monkey – and his very human quest – has inspired centuries of adaptations

Associate Professor of Chinese Studies , College of the Holy Cross

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Ji Hao does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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One summer afternoon in the late 1980s, my mother and I passed by a tea house on our trip out of town. The crowded building was usually a boisterous place filled with chatter, laughter, and the happy, clacking shuffle of mahjong tiles. At the moment we were passing, however, a great hush came over the teahouse: People were held spellbound by the black-and-white glow of a small TV in a corner, playing an episode of the series “Journey to the West.”

The TV series was adapted from a 16th century Chinese novel with the same title that has undergone numerous adaptations and has captured the imagination of Chinese people to this day. Like many kids in China, I was fascinated by the magic Monkey King, the beloved superhero in the novel, who went through amazing adventures with other pilgrims in their quest for Buddhist scriptures. While I had to quickly walk by the teahouse in order to catch our bus that day, this moment flashed back to me from time to time, making me wonder what made “Journey to the West” so fascinating for people of all ages and backgrounds.

After graduating from college, I embarked on the next chapter of my academic journey in the United States and reconnected with “Journey to the West” from a different perspective. Now, as a scholar with expertise in traditional Chinese literature , I am interested in the development of literary and cultural traditions around the story, including how it has been translated and reimagined by many artists .

While deeply enmeshed in Chinese traditions, the story also resonates with readers from diverse cultures. “Journey to the West” creates shared ground by highlighting the quest for a common humanity, epitomized by its best-loved character, the Monkey King – a symbol of the human mind.

One journey, many stories

Scholars usually trace the beginning of this literary tradition to a Buddhist monk, Xuanzang , who set out on an epic pilgrimage to India in 627 C.E. He was determined to consult and bring back Sanskrit copies of Buddhist scriptures, rather than rely on previous Chinese translations. He did so after nearly 17 years and devoted the rest of his life to translating the scriptures.

The journey has inspired a wide variety of representations in literature, art and religion, making a lasting impact on Chinese culture and society. Legends began to emerge during Xuanzang’s lifetime. Over centuries, they gradually evolved into a distinct tradition of storytelling, often focused on how Xuanzang overcame obstacles with the help of supernatural companions.

This culminated in a 16th century Chinese novel, “Journey to the West.” By this point, the hero of the story had already shifted from Xuanzang to one of his disciples: the Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain, who serves as Xuanzang’s protector. The Monkey King possesses strong magical powers – transforming himself, cloning himself and even performing somersaults that fly him more than 30,000 miles at once.

Despite this novel’s dominance, the broader tradition around “Journey to the West” encompasses a wide variety of stories in diverse forms. The canonic novel itself grew out of this collective effort, and its authorship is still debated – even as it continues to inspire new adaptations.

The deeper journey

Central to all Journey to the West stories is a theme of pilgrimage, which immediately raises a question regarding the nature of the novel: What is the journey really about?

Centuries-long debates about the journey’s deeper message center on the 16th century novel. Traditional commentators in late imperial China adopted a variety of approaches to the novel and underscored its connections with different religious and philosophical doctrines: Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and syntheses of those teachings.

For example, all these teachings highlight the role of the “xin” – a Chinese word for mind and heart – in self-cultivation. While Confucian readers might see the plot of “Journey to the West” as the quest for a more moral life, Buddhists might decipher it as an inward journey toward enlightenment.

In the early 20th century, Chinese scholar and diplomat Hu Shi criticized traditional allegorical interpretations, which he feared would make the novel seem less approachable for the general public.

His opinion influenced Arthur Waley’s “Monkey ,” an abridged English translation of “Journey to the West” published in 1942, which has contributed to the canonization of the novel abroad . To a considerable extent, “Monkey” turns the pilgrims’ journey into Monkey’s own journey of self-improvement and personal growth.

Recent scholarship has further underlined religious and ritual connotations of the novel from different perspectives, and debates over the issue continue. But few people would deny that one idea plays a crucial role: the Monkey King as a symbol of the mind.

Mind monkey

There has been a long tradition in Chinese culture that associates the image of a simian creature with the human mind. On the one hand, a monkey often symbolizes a restless mind, calling for discipline and cultivation. On the other hand, an active mind also opens up the opportunity to challenge the status quo and even transcend it, progressing to a higher state.

The Monkey King in the novel demonstrates this dual dimension of the mind . He vividly displays adaptability in exploring uncharted territories and adjusting to changing circumstances – and learning to rely on teamwork and self-discipline, not merely his magic powers.

Before being sent on the pilgrimage, the Monkey King’s quest for self-gratification wreaked havoc in heaven and led to his imprisonment by the Buddha. The goddess Guanyin agreed to give him a second chance on the condition that he join the other pilgrims and assist them. His journey is fraught with the tensions between self-discipline and self-reliance, as he learns how to channel his physical and mental powers for good.

The Monkey King’s human qualities, from arrogance to fear, endow him with universal appeal. Readers gradually witness his self-improvement, revealing a common human quest. They may frown upon how the Monkey King is entrapped within his own ego, yet respect his courage in challenging authority and battling adversity. While his mischievous tricks give a good laugh, his loyalty to the monk Xuanzang and his sense of righteousness make a lasting impression.

Reviewing Waley’s “Monkey” in 1943 , Chinese-American writer Helena Kuo commented of the pilgrims: “Humanity would have missed a great deal if they have been exemplary characters.” Indeed, each one depicts humanity’s quest for a better self, particularly the main character. Monkeying around on the path of life, this simian companion captivates readers – and makes them consider their own journey.

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It’s Never Too Late to Start Reading ‘Journey to the West’

The classic novel from Ming dynasty China functions as a swashbuckling allegory for the pursuit (and attainment) of enlightenment. 

Even if you have not read Journey to the West , a 16th-century Chinese novel attributed to the Ming dynasty poet and politician Wu Cheng’en, you have probably heard of one of its main characters: Sun Wukong. Wukong, better known in English-speaking countries as the Monkey King, or simply Monkey, is an ambitious and mischievous warrior whose unending quest for power and wisdom leads him to challenge just about every demon and deity in the Chinese pantheon. After being defeated by the Buddha, who dares him to jump out of the palm of his hand, Wukong spends 500 years imprisoned under a mountain topped by an unbreakable seal. His freedom arrives in the form of a traveling monk named Xuanzang, who promises to remove the seal if the prisoner agrees to become his peace-loving disciple and come on a long and perilous journey to India to retrieve a set of Buddhist scriptures.

The reasons for Wukong’s enduring popularity are as numerous as they are difficult to explain. As a character, he is simple yet complex, easy to appreciate but tough to analyze. A charismatic trickster in the image of Loki or John Milton’s Lucifer, his archetype is familiar to readers from all walks of life, and his active and impulsive temperament stands out favorably next to that of the calm and collected Xuanzang. True to his species, he is also fond of pranks, at one point tricking three Taoist priests into drinking his urine after mistaking it for “holy water.” Wukong’s untrained mind—his reckless behavior, emotional volatility, and childish sense of humor—contrasts with his unparalleled skill as a martial artist, a compelling duality that can also be found in many modern fictional heroes, from best-selling manga One Piece ’s Monkey D. Luffy and Dragon Ball ’s Son Goku to award-winning animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender ’s Aang.

But just as Wukong’s magnetic personality has historically overshadowed the other characters of Journey to the West (also embarking on the journey are Pigsy, a gluttonous pig demon, and Sandy, a complacent water demon), so too can the novel’s swashbuckling plot—which largely consists of Wukong saving Xuanzang and the other disciples from various monsters-of-the-week—distract from its spiritual subtext. This subtext is so buried that the Chinese diplomat and literary scholar Hu Shih (1891–1962), a leading interpreter of Journey to the West during the 20th century, argued the novel should be accepted for what it appears to be on the surface: an entertaining story without a deeper meaning. C. T. Hsia (1921–2013), a historian and literary theorist, disagreed, writing that Wukong and Xuanzang’s misadventures through China reveal an “unreconciled tension” between its three principal schools of thought: Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

According to Hsia, Journey to the West embraces intellectual and religious pluralism, imploring its readers to accept “life in all its glory and squalor.” Of the three schools, Buddhism plays the most significant role in the story. It is the Buddha who manages to stop Wukong’s rampage against the gods, the bodhisattva Guanyin who guides him and Xuanzang on the road to India, and the Buddhists who tend to suffer under the corrupted rule of the other religions. Upon closer inspection, their entire pilgrimage appears to function as an allegory for the winding path toward enlightenment, explaining and illustrating key Buddhist concepts like karma , compassion , and emptiness . This makes the novel a particularly engaging read for anyone who is interested in Buddhism but feels intimidated by its notoriously esoteric canon.

In essence, Journey to the West is an allegory for how to gain wisdom to perceive truths about reality. Xuanzang, described by one scholar as a “well-meaning practitioner whose obsession with the outward forms of piety hinders him from true perception,” proves to be a terribly slow learner. Throughout the novel, he routinely places his trust in demons that take on the appearance of adorable animals, abandoned children, and kindly grandmas, despite repeated warnings from Wukong, who instantly sees through their disguises. One particularly striking example of Xuanzang’s ignorance happens in chapter fourteen, where he lashes out at the Monkey King for killing a group of robbers who stopped them in their tracks. “How can you be a monk when you take life without cause?” Xuanzang asks, oblivious to the dramatic irony embedded in his question. Not only are readers supposed to think that Wukong did have a cause—self-defense—but they may also notice that the robbers seem to represent touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste: the very senses clouding Xuanzang’s judgment.

Although Wukong is Xuanzang’s student, he tends to act like the teacher. His name, which he received from a Taoist priest after completing his training and gaining immortality (as well as the ability to transform into seventy-two different creatures and objects), literally means “monkey awakened to the void,” a quality he demonstrates through his frequently insightful dialogue. “Seek not afar for Buddha on Spirit Mount,” he lectures Xuanzang, “Mount Spirit lives only in your mind. Maintain your vigilance with the utmost sincerity, and Thunderclap will be right before your eyes. But when you afflict yourself like that with fears and troubled thoughts, then the Great Way and, indeed, Thunderclap seem far away.”

Thunderclap is the monastery where Xuanzang must collect the holy scriptures, a place that ends up taking him more than seventeen years to reach. That’s a long time, especially when considering that Wukong—in addition to all his other superhuman feats—is capable of riding on top of a cloud and traversing 54,000 kilometers in a single somersault. Readers often wonder why the Monkey King doesn’t put Xuanzang on his back and jump over all the trials and tribulations slowing them down. When one of his fellow disciples, Pigsy, asks him that same question, Wukong responds that “it is required of Master to go through all these strange territories before he finds deliverance from the sea of sorrows; hence even one step turns out to be difficult. You and I are only his protective companions, guarding his body and life, but we cannot exempt him from these woes, nor can we obtain the scriptures all by ourselves.”

In other words, Wukong is telling Pigsy that the journey is the destination—an adage that, though reduced to a cliché at present, would have still sounded fresh in the 16th century. Its meaning turns literal when, later in the story, the pilgrims discover that some of the demons blocking their path were sent there by none other than Guanyin. “What a rogue is this Bodhisattva!” Wukong shouts, after somersaulting back and forth to confront her. “She even promised that she herself would come to rescue us when we encounter grave difficulties, but instead, she sent monster-spirits here to harass us. The way she double-talks, she deserves to be a spinster for the rest of her life.” Despite his frustration, he understands her motivations: the demons aren’t preventing them from completing their pilgrimage; they are an indispensable part of the pilgrimage itself. 

All this symbolism comes full circle on the steps of Thunderclap, where the pilgrims discover—to Xuanzang’s dismay as well as the reader’s—that the scriptures they came all this way for do not contain a single word; they are completely blank. 

The sinologist Andrew H. Plaks, subscribing to Shih’s proposition that Journey to the West is a surface-level narrative devoid of deeper meaning, regards the empty texts as a final joke played on the overly analytical reader, suggesting that “the illusion of progress may itself be the greatest impediment to its ultimate attainment.” Francisca Cho Bantly, a professor of Buddhist Studies at Georgetown University, begs to differ, interpreting the novel’s conclusion as a profound statement on the attainment of nirvana. In an article titled “ Buddhist Allegory in the Journey to the West ,” she writes that “enlightenment does not exist beyond the self and thus cannot be an object of attainment.”

Journey to the West maintains that personal transformation and self-improvement are best achieved through active involvement in the world , rather than through meditation, asceticism, and isolation. Where Xuanzang acts as an ambassador of the latter enclave, Wukong thoroughly embodies the former. Receiving the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha and ascending to Buddhahood upon completing the pilgrimage, Wukong demonstrates that you don’t need to be an apathetic sage to cultivate your spirituality, nor renounce your own identity in order to live in perfect harmony with the rest of the universe. For all its crude humor and explosive battles, Journey to the West leaves its readers with a characteristically unpretentious yet surprisingly wise message: if a monkey can do it, so can you. 

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I read this classic in my teens. The analysis in this article with the analogies resonantes with my understanding now. The monkey remains my favorite character in the story and more so after reading this piece. I found his ending interesting as he thought he could out do QuanYin with his somasault. Alas, not. I guess he did not awaken to emptiness as his given name suggests. On the other hand, he might not be in the proverbial samsara nor nirvana.

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Screen Rant

Dragon ball: the ancient story that inspired the anime.

The original Dragon Ball stories, and even Goku himself, are based on an old Chinese story, which also inspired Into the Badlands and others.

Dragon Ball is one of the most influential franchises of the past 40 years, with numerous successful sequels and spinoffs across a range of different media — but the original manga’s inspiration lies in a very old story that’s even more influential. When Akira Toriyama created Dragon Ball in the early eighties, he adapted one of history’s most significant literary works – a 16 th century Chinese novel called Journey to the West .

Before it became a popular anime series in America, and long before the hit sequel Dragon Ball Z , Dragon Ball was a manga, written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. The original run, which was later adapted into the first anime series (with a few changes), follows a young Son Goku on a quest to find the seven magic Dragon Balls, accompanied by the human girl Bulma and shapeshifting pig Oolong. The early stories center on this core group getting in and out of various dangerous situations, and facing off against an eclectic cast of demons, bandits, and other foes.

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Much of this original story, including many aspects of Goku himself , pulls directly from Journey to the West , a 16 th century fictionalization of a 7 th century travel log by Buddhist Monk Xuanzang. Journey to the West , which melds Xuanzang’s historical travel westwards towards India with elements of Chinese myth and folklore, is attributed to the writer Wu Cheng'en. Like Dragon Ball , Journey to the West a travelling adventure, with a core cast of characters getting in and out of trouble with demons and enemies in search for some spiritually significant items. But the similarities don’t stop there.

Most notably, Goku himself is directly based on one of the main characters of Journey to the West, Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong is a monkey who, through various spiritual and physical trainings, becomes strong enough to challenge Heaven itself, which he does. For his hubris, he is trapped under a mountain, eventually released with the task of aiding the monk Tang Sanzang on his journey. Like Wukong, Goku is a fearsome fighter with superhuman abilities, a monkey’s tail (which Goku often loses) , a magical staff that he uses as a weapon, and a cloud that he rides on. And like Wukong, Goku can be a bit cocky at times. Even their names, Son Goku and Sun Wukon, are practically the same, as both Goku and Wukong mean “awakened to emptiness” in Japanese and Chinese respectively. There are a number of other Dragon Ball characters with clear Journey to the West counterparts, like Oolong (the pig creature Zhu Bajie) and Yamcha (rival warrior Sha Wujing).

Journey to the West is an incredibly important piece of literary history, both for East Asia and the world at large. Beyond Dragon Ball , it has inspired a number of stories across different media, including the video game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West , and AMC’s post-apocalyptic kung fu show Into the Badlands . Both Enslaved and Badlands transpose elements of the classical tale onto a futuristic setting, with a number of characters who pull directly from Journey to the West (like Nick Frost’s Bajie in Badlands being a direct parallel to Zhu Bajie).

Dragon Ball strayed further from its roots in the later manga installments that became Dragon Ball Z —  replacing many of the mythological elements with more sci-fi stylings — but Journey to the West has always remained a guiding foundation for the franchise. For fans, it’s fun to know that even lauded creatives like Akira Toriyama take inspiration from the greats of the past.

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Entertainment

AMC's New Show Has Some Ancient Inspiration

It's commonly said that when you create a piece of art, whether it be a book or a song or a movie, it should be something that you would want to read, listen to, or watch. The creators of AMC's new drama, Into The Badlands , have done exactly that. "There wasn’t a martial arts show on television, and we wanted to do a show that would make us jealous if it was on TV," co-creator Alfred Gough told the Television Critics Association at the summer press tour in July. But where did the inspiration for this action series come from, other than its creators' love of kung fu? According to Gough and his co-creator Miles Millar (who previously created Smallville together), Into The Badlands is loosely based on Journey To The West .

For those unfamiliar with Chinese folklore, Journey To The West is a novel published during the Ming Dynasty circa 1592 by author Wu Cheng'en. Itself based on Great Tang Records On The Western Regions by the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, an account of his own 17-year journey to India and back, Journey blend's Xuanzang's factual story with fantastical elements of classic Chinese mythology. Published nine centuries after Xuanzang's travels, Cheng'en's Journey would go on to become one of the "Four Great Classical Novels" of Chinese literature.

In exactly 100 chapters, Journey tells the story of Tang Sanzang (Xuanzang's stand-in), a monk who is tasked by Buddha himself to travel to India to retrieve the original Buddhist scriptures and return them to China. He is accompanied on his trek by three traveling companions — Sun Wukong (Monkey King), Zhu Bajie (Pig), and Sha Wujing (Friar Sand) — as well as his faithful steed, dragon prince Yulong. Once they all successfully return to China, they're all rewarded by the heavens: Tang Sanzang and Monkey King are given Buddhahood, Pig is promoted to an altar cleansar, Friar Sand attains nirvana, and Yulong is transformed into a någa (a Buddhist snake deity).

It remains to be seen how this story will tie into the plot of Badlands . Here's the official plot synopsis of the show , courtesy of AMC's own website:

Centuries from now, a feudal society has emerged in the wake of civilization's destruction. This area is now called the Badlands and is uneasily divided among seven rival Barons. Each Baron enforces their iron rule with the aid of loyal armies of trained assassins known as Clippers.

The most lethal of the Badlands’ Clippers is Sunny — the Regent (Head Clipper) and most trusted advisor of Baron Quinn. For decades, Quinn has been unchallenged as the Badlands’ most powerful Baron; however, the territory’s newest Baron, The Widow, has begun testing his appetite for a fight.

One day, Sunny rescues M.K., a teenage boy who has survived a deadly ambush. Sunny soon comes to understand that the teen harbors a dark secret and has a hefty bounty on his head. Together, they will embark on an odyssey that could mean the difference between chaos and enlightenment for everyone in the Badlands.

So, we have mention of an odyssey and some enlightenment, both of which clearly tie into Cheng'en's Journey . But the rest is a bit of a mystery at this point. Who is Tang Sanzang in this iteration? Is it our nominal protagonist, Sunny? Or is the closer analogue actually the mysterious M.K. and his "dark secret"? If so, who are his three traveling companions? Are they on a mission to find a literal physical object, like the Buddhist scriptures, the Holy Grail, etc.? Or will their enlightenment be of a more metaphorical variety? Is Into The Badlands *really* based on Journey To The West , or was that just a hook to get people interested in the show?

If the show's inspiration truly did come from this ancient source, then what does that tell us? It tells us to expect themes of self-realization, sin, and redemption; to expect a series of trials and tribulations as our heroes face a barrage of demons, monsters, and other evil beings who hope to impede their progress; but mostly to expect a lot of broad Chinese influences amongst the show's style, design, and fight choreography.

Hopefully Journey To The West 's real influence on Into The Badlands will become even more clear when we tune into the series premiere, "The Fort," this Sunday at 10:00 p.m. ET on AMC.

Images: James Minchin III (2), James Dimmock/AMC

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Anime Based on 'Journey to the West'

Journey to the West is a novel from China thought to have been authored by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. The mythological story - told in four main parts that comprise 100 chapters - is that of a monk who travels westward in search of sacred scrolls. He is given three protectors on his journey. One of these protectors, however, becomes more popular than the monk himself.

The monkey character, Sun Wukong, becomes the inspiration for many manga and anime characters  - not the least of them, the similarly named Son Goku of Dragonball Z. But there have been many precursors of Son Goku. Let's see some of them. 

Dragon Ball

This, of course, is the most popular adaptation of Sun Wukong from Journey to the West , right down to the tail and flying cloud. Yes, there was a flying cloud in the original tale - an there was even the name that became Son Goku. He would evolve in Dragonball Z into a powerful alien fighter.

It's likely that his alien origin was actually a retcon from this toilet-humor filled pastiche. Yet the real inspiration for Goku was the Monkey King Sun Wukong. 

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This is one of the first science fiction adventures based on the character of Sun Wukong. Jan Cogon has the same headband, uses a staff, and rides on a spaceship that substitutes for the flying cloud that Wukong uses in the original tale. This added a unique space opera touch to the legend of the monkey king.

Also, the character of Sanzo is replaced by a female, a space princess. 

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The Saiyuki series features four males who are analogous to the four adventurers of Journey to the West . They are ostensibly human, although the comparisons to the originals of the Chinese tale are obvious. Their task in this anime is to prevent the awakening of a Demon King - or to fight him if it happens.

In another sense, the Saiyuki characters have the feel of an Asian boyband, similar to F4. 

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Monkey Typhoon

Monkey Typhoon is a post-apocalyptic version of the tale where the three guardians are robots. Goku and his cohorts are asobots, special robots whose powers can be unlocked by certain artifacts. Sanzo, the human among them, is the son of a scientist who created asobots.

Together, they look for artifacts that will save the world. 

Alakazam the Great

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Monkey Magic

This is a direct retelling of the original tale itself. Goku here is Kongo, and there is more focus on other monkey characters like him. The show however was discontinued after the sixth episode, probably because the animation quality was more stop motion than fluid. 

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Dragon Ball Was Inspired by This Piece of Classic Chinese Literature

The origins of this masterpiece go back far beyond the medium of anime. Learn more about the grand and epic quest that inspired Akira Toriyama.

When it comes to shonen titles,  Dragon Ball is one of the demographic's most important works. Nevertheless, even the greatest storytellers need something to influence them. In the case of Akira Toriyama, many fans might be surprised to learn that his magnum opus was based on a quintessential piece of Chinese literature.

In fact, many elements, themes and even characters from this story, known as Journey to the West , were borrowed and creatively adapted to serve as the basis for  Dragon Ball . This novel may have preceded its anime descendant by almost four centuries, but it's every bit as impressive an adventure as Toriyama's modern adaptation.

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What Is Journey to the West?

Journey to the West is a 16th-century Chinese novel following the exploits of a group of pilgrims on an exciting escapade to collect sacred Buddhist texts from across Asia. During this harrowing campaign, they face countless challenges in the form of demons, spirits and other magical creatures. It's often considered one of the greatest works of Chinese literature and is well-beloved among Japanese audiences as well.

While its connection to  Dragon Ball might not be immediately obvious, there are many ideas that made their way into Toriyama's loose adaptation. The quest for Buddhist sutras was simplified into the more easily accessible form of the seven Dragon Balls , and the art style and setting of the early series often invoked a Chinese aesthetic. However, the most apparent aspect that the two works share is their central cast of characters.

Son Goku - Sun Wukong the Monkey King

Many of  Dragon Ball 's original main cast were adapted straight from the protagonists of the  Journey to the West . Chief among these is Goku, heavily based on the Sun Wukong the Monkey King. Sun Wukong was a supernaturally strong monkey born from a mystical stone in the mountains. Although he earned a position as a member of the gods, he was cast back down to Earth and imprisoned as a result of his hubris and rowdiness. He ultimately joins the pilgrimage to earn his freedom and find enlightenment.

Goku's similarities to Sun Wukong are easily apparent, with his monkey-like tail and destructive Great Ape form. Aside from his superhuman strength, his later  origins as a Saiyan sent to Earth in a rock-like pod resemble those of the Monkey King. Sun Wukong also had a number of magical artifacts, including a staff that can stretch to any length and a cloud on which he soared through the skies -- dead ringers for Goku's signature Power Pole and Flying Nimbus.

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Bulma - Tang Sanzang the Wise Monk

The leader of the group in Journey to the West was a monk named Tang Sanzang, who recruited Sun Wukong after freeing him from isolation. In addition to being the spiritual pillar of the team, Sanzang was usually the most cerebrally minded of the party. Although Sanzang was originally male, as he was based on the historical monk Xuanzang, many depictions in Japan make the character a woman.

As the person who found Goku in the wilderness, Bulma fits this role well. While her morals were sometimes dubious, as the successor to Capsule Corp's innovations, she was definitely the brains of the early Dragon Ball cast. Since she was the one who invented the Dragon Radar and kickstarted the search for the Dragon Balls , she parallels Sanzang, who had the most personal investment in seeking out the sutras.

Yamcha & Oolong - Zhu Bajie 'Pigsy' and Sha Wujing 'Sandy'

While most of the series' initial crew would fade into obscurity from  Dragon Ball Z onward, Yamcha and Oolong were extremely important to the early narrative of  Dragon Ball . This is probably because of their resemblance to the characters for Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing from  Journey to the West . These two figures originated as celestial beings who fell from glory and became demons, although they both ended up reforming and joining Sanzang and Sun Wukong on their quest.

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Both Yamcha and Oolong debuted in  Dragon Ball as adversaries to Goku and Bulma. Just like Zhu Bajie, who took the form of a pig demon and kidnapped the daughter of a village elder, Oolong made a name for himself by abducting young ladies. On the other hand, Sha Wujing manifested as a sand demon in a quicksand river, which is thematical similar to Yamcha's start as a desert bandit. While Yamcha's best friend Puar has no direct equivalent, there are many creatures throughout the  Journey to the West with shapeshifting abilities.

Ox King and Chi-Chi - The Bull Demon King & Princess Iron Fan

Among the many adversaries that Sanzang and company would face, the most notorious was the Bull Demon King and his consort Princess Iron Fan. Along with other members of their court and family, they opposed the pilgrims from continuing their mission. The group would fight the pair's son Red Boy as they approached his mountain of flames, and later, Sun Wukong would get into hijinks regarding a banana leaf fan that Princess Iron Fan possessed.

Although the relationship of the characters changed, this storyline was utilized for an early side quest in  Dragon Ball , where Goku met the Ox King and his daughter Chi-Chi in their palace atop a fiery mountain. Despite the Ox King's fierce demeanor, the two became Goku's trusted allies before eventually becoming his family when Goku and Chi-Chi got married. A couple of minor plotlines in the series also had Goku and Chi-Chi attempting to find a tool called the Bansho Fan, which resembled Princess Iron Fan's item and could control the weather.

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Journey to the West

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Journey to the West (西遊記, Xīyóujì in Mandarin Chinese and Saiyūki in Japanese) is a 16th-century Chinese legend and one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature , which Dragon Ball is loosely based upon. Originally published anonymously in the 1590s during the Ming Dynasty, it has been ascribed to the scholar Wú Chéng'ēn since the 20th century, even though no direct evidence of its authorship survives.

The tale is also often known simply as Monkey . This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley. The Waley translation has also been published as Adventures of the Monkey God ; and Monkey: [A] Folk Novel of China ; and The Adventures of Monkey .

• 1.1 Synopsis
• 1.2 Historical context
• 1.3 Relation to Dragon Ball
• 2.1 Tripitaka or Xuánzàng
• 2.2 Monkey King or Sūn Wùkōng
• 2.3 Zhū Bājiè
• 2.4 Shā Wùjìng
• 3 List of Demons
• 4 Notable English-language translations
• 5.3 Live-action television
• 5.4.1 Works referencing Journey to the West
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Overview [ ]

Dragon Ball characters depicted as Journey to the West characters ( Toriyama - The World & Daizenshuu 1 )

The novel is a fictionalized account of the legends around the Buddhist monk Xuánzàng's pilgrimage to India during the Táng dynasty in order to obtain Buddhist religious texts called sutras. On instruction from the Buddha, the Bodhisattva Guānyīn gives this task to the monk and his three protectors in the form of disciples: namely Sūn Wùkōng, Zhū Bājiè and Shā Wùjìng; together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuánzàng's horse mount. These four characters have agreed to help Xuánzàng as an atonement for past sins.

Some scholars propose that the book satirizes the effete Chinese government at the time. Journey to the West has a strong background in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology and value systems; the pantheon of Taoist deities and Buddhist bodhisattvas is still reflective of Chinese folk religious beliefs today.

Part of the novel's enduring popularity comes from the fact that it works on multiple levels: it is a first-rate adventure story, a dispenser of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeying toward India stands for the individual journeying toward enlightenment.

Synopsis [ ]

Gohan as the Monkey King (" Detekoi Tobikiri ZENKAI Power! ")

The novel comprises 100 chapters that can be divided into four very unequal parts. The first, which includes chapters 1–7, is really a self-contained prequel to the main body of the story. It deals entirely with the earlier exploits of Sūn Wùkōng, a monkey born from a stone nourished by the Five Elements, who learns the art of the Tao, 72 polymorphic transformations, combat and secrets of immortality, and through guile and force makes a name for himself as the Qítiān Dàshèng , or "Great Sage Equal to Heaven". His powers grow to match the forces of all of the Eastern (Taoist) deities, and the prologue culminates in Sūn's rebellion against Heaven, during a time when he garnered a post in the celestial bureaucracy. Hubris proves his downfall when the Buddha manages to trap him under a mountain for five hundred years.

Only following this introductory story is the nominal main character, Xuánzàng, introduced. Chapters 8–12 provide his early biography and the background to his great journey. Dismayed that "the land of the South knows only greed, hedonism, promiscuity, and sins", the Buddha instructs the Bodhisattva Guānyīn to search Táng China for someone to take the Buddhist sutras of "transcendence and persuasion for good will" back to the East. Part of the story here also relates to how Xuánzàng becomes a monk (as well as revealing his past life as the "Golden Cicada" and comes about being sent on this pilgrimage by the Emperor Táng Tàizōng, who previously escaped death with the help of both an underworld official and Xuánzàng).

The third and longest section of the work is chapters 13–99, an episodic adventure story which combines elements of the quest as well as the picaresque. The skeleton of the story is Xuánzàng's quest to bring back Buddhist scriptures from Vulture Peak in India, but the flesh is provided by the conflict between Xuánzàng's disciples and the various evils that beset him on the way.

The scenery of this section is, nominally, the sparsely populated lands along the Silk Road between China and India, including Xinjiang, Turkestan, and Afghanistan. The geography described in the book is, however, almost entirely fantastic; once Xuánzàng departs Cháng'ān, the Táng capital and crosses the frontier (somewhere in Gansu province), he finds himself in a wilderness of deep gorges and tall mountains, all inhabited by flesh-eating demons who regard him as a potential meal (since his flesh was believed to give Immortality to whoever eats it), with here and there a hidden monastery or royal city-state amid the wilds.

The episodic structure of this section is to some extent formulaic. Episodes consist of 1–4 chapters, and usually involve Xuánzàng being captured and his life threatened, while his disciples try to find an ingenious (and often violent) way of liberating him. Although some of Xuánzàng's predicaments are political and involve ordinary human beings, they more frequently consist of run-ins with various goblins and ogres, many of whom turn out to be the earthly manifestations of heavenly beings (whose sins will be negated by eating the flesh of Xuanzang) or animal-spirits with enough Taoist spiritual merit to assume semi-human forms.

Chapters 13–22 do not follow this structure precisely, as they introduce Xuánzàng's disciples, who, inspired or goaded by Guānyīn, meet and agree to serve him along the way, in order to atone for their sins in their past lives.

• The first is Sun Wukong, or Monkey, previously "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" and literally "Monkey Awakened to Emptiness", trapped by Buddha for rebelling against Heaven. He appears right away in Chapter 13. The most intelligent and violent of the disciples, he is constantly reproved for his violence by Xuánzàng. Ultimately, he can only be controlled by a magic gold band that the Bodhisattva has placed around his head, which causes him excruciating pain when Xuánzàng says certain magic words.
• The second, appearing in 19, is Zhu Bajie, literally "Pig of Eight Precepts", sometimes translated as Pigsy or just Pig. He was previously Marshal Tīanpéng, commander of the Heavenly Naval forces, banished to the mortal realm for flirting with the Princess of the Moon Chang'e. He is characterized by his insatiable appetites for food and sex, and is constantly looking for a way out of his duties, but is always kept in line by Sūn Wùkōng and also doubles as comic relief.
• The third, appearing in chapter 22, is the river-ogre/kappa Sha Wujing, also translated as Friar Sand or Sandy and literally "Sand Awakened to Purity". He was previously Great General who Folds the Curtain, banished to the mortal realm for dropping (and shattering) a crystal goblet of the Heavenly Queen Mother. He is a quiet but generally dependable character, who serves as the straight foil to the comic relief of Sūn and Zhū who despite this trait, is the nicest out of his two other fellow disciples.
• Possibly to be counted as a fourth disciple is the third prince of the West Sea Dragon King, Yùlóng Sāntàizǐ, who was sentenced to death for setting fire to his father's great pearl that was a gift from the Jade Emperor. He was saved by Guānyīn from execution to stay and wait for his call of duty. He appears first in chapter 15, but has almost no speaking role, as throughout most of the story he appears in the transformed shape of a horse that Xuánzàng rides on. Though some adaptations have managed to expand his role to some degrees.

Chapter 22, where Shā is introduced, also provides a geographical boundary, as the river of quicksand that the travelers cross brings them into a new "continent". Chapters 23–86 take place in the wilderness, and consist of 24 episodes of varying length, each characterized by a different magical monster or evil magician. There are impassably wide rivers, flaming mountains, a kingdom ruled by women, a lair of seductive spider-spirits, and many other fantastic scenarios. Throughout the journey, the four brave disciples have to fend off attacks on their master and teacher Xuánzàng from various monsters and calamities.

It is strongly suggested that most of these calamities are engineered by fate and/or the Buddha, as, while the monsters who attack are vast in power and many in number, no real harm ever comes to the four travelers. Some of the monsters turn out to be escaped heavenly animals belonging to bodhisattvas or Taoist sages and spirits. Towards the end of the book there is a scene where the Buddha literally commands the fulfillment of the last disaster, because Xuánzàng is one short of the eighty-one disasters he needs to attain Buddhahood.

In chapter 87, Xuánzàng finally reaches the borderlands of India, and chapters 87–99 present magical adventures in a somewhat more mundane (though still exotic) setting. At length, after a pilgrimage said to have taken fourteen years (the text actually only provides evidence for nine of those years, but presumably there was room to add additional episodes) they arrive at the half-real, half-legendary destination of Vulture Peak, where, in a scene simultaneously mystical and comic, Xuánzàng receives the scriptures from the living Buddha.

Chapter 100, the last of all, quickly describes the return journey to the Táng Empire, and the aftermath in which each traveler receives a reward in the form of posts in the bureaucracy of the heavens. Sūn Wùkōng and Xuánzàng achieve Buddhahood, Wùjìng becomes the Golden Arhat, the dragon is made a Naga, and Bājiè, whose good deeds have always been tempered by his greed, is promoted to an altar cleanser (i.e. eater of excess offerings at altars).

Historical context [ ]

The classic story of the Journey to the West was based on real events. In real life, Xuanzang (born c. 602 - 664) was a monk at Jingtu Temple in late-Sui Dynasty and early-Tang Dynasty Chang'an. Motivated by the poor quality of Chinese translations of Buddhist scripture at the time, Xuanzang left Chang'an in 629, despite the border being closed at the time due to war with the Gokturks . Helped by sympathetic Buddhists, he traveled via Gansu and Qinghai to Kumul (Hami), thence following the Tian Mountains to Turfan. He then crossed what are today Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, into Gandhara, reaching India in 630. Xuanzang traveled throughout the Indian subcontinent for the next thirteen years, visiting important Buddhist pilgrimage sites and studying at the ancient university at Nalanda.

Xuanzang left India in 643 and arrived back in Chang'an in 646 to a warm reception by Emperor Taizong of Tang. He joined Da Ci'en Monastery (Monastery of Great Maternal Grace), where he led the building of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in order to store the scriptures and icons he had brought back from India. He recorded his journey in the book Journey to the West in the Great Tang Dynasty . With the support of the Emperor, he established an institute at Yuhua Gong (Jade Luster Palace) monastery dedicated to translating into Chinese the scriptures he had brought back. His translation and commentary work established him as the founder of the Dharma character school of Buddhism. Xuanzang died on March 7, 664. The Xingjiao Monastery was established in 669 to house his ashes.

Popular stories of Xuánzàng's journey were in existence long before Journey to the West was written. In these versions, dating as far back as Southern Song, a monkey character was already a primary protagonist. Before the Yuan Dynasty and early Ming, elements of the Monkey story were already seen.

Relation to Dragon Ball [ ]

Main article: Dragon Ball (manga)#Relation to Journey to the West

Main characters [ ]

Tripitaka or xuánzàng [ ].

Originally named Chén Yī (陳禕), Xuánzàng (玄奘), or Táng Sānzàng (唐三藏; meaning "Táng-dynasty monk" — Sānzàng /三藏 or "Three Baskets", referring to the Tripitaka, was a traditional honorific for a Buddhist monk) is the Buddhist monk who set out to India to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures for China. He is called Tripitaka in many English versions of the story. Although he is helpless when it comes to defending himself, the bodhisattva Guānyīn helps by finding him powerful disciples (Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing) who aid and protect him on his journey. In return, the disciples will receive enlightenment and forgiveness for their sins once the journey is done.

Along the way, the disciples help the Giancarlo by defeating various monsters. The fact that most of the monsters and demons are trying to obtain immortality by eating Sanzang's flesh, and are even attracted to him as he is depicted as quite handsome, provides much of the plot in the story (and in stage plays, it was a common choice for a woman to play the role as Sanzang which has lead to parodies of this tradition). Yet in spite of anyone's personal attractions to him, Sanzang remains celibate and is fully focused on his mission.

In some adaptions that mention it, his original incarnation from heaven is the Jin Chan Zi (金蝉子; lit. "Gold Cicada Child"). Originally, Jin Chan Zi was expelled from heaven for mainly ignoring Buddha's teachings (though how he was disobedient and/or banished varies a lot depending on the adaptation), with Chen Yi/Xuanzang being his 10th reincarnation.

Chen Yi before being a monk, was born to a mother named Yin Wenjiao with her husband Chen Guangrui being killed by a bandit named Liu Hong who was jealous of Chen's position of being recently appointed as a prefect. Wenjiao then put Xuanzang still as an infant on a wooden board to flow on a river out of fear that Liu Hong would find and kill him as well, where a monk managed to pick him up on the other end of the said river out of coincidence. Xuanzang at age 18 soon eventually reunited with his mother and father (whom the latter was saved by a dragon king of a river), and they brought Liu Hong to justice. Afterwards, he was then ordered by Emperor Taizong to bring the ancient Buddhist scriptures from India and also became sworn brothers with him.

Initially known to be reluctant and reserved, Xuanzang Sanzang was known to be devoted to his faith as a monk and a pacifist at heart, despite the fact that his kindness at times works against him (as demons that have disguised themselves as humans have attempted to make use of), yet his willingness to have Wukong and his cohorts spare some of their enemies earns him notable charisma that some have either tried to take further advantage of or have full-on relented from their ways for redemption.

Some adaptations have played with his level of fearfulness and naivety, and others instead (such as the 1996 and 2002 adaptations) portray him as more merciful and wise compared to his initial portrayals (and other adaptations may also give him combat skills to put him on an even floor with his disciples while still ensuring he is not able to inflict too much harm to his foes). Even then, Sanzang has remained true to his mission and had never once considered giving up. One other notable trait is his ability to sit perfectly still for up to 2 or 3 months; a skill he is most proud of from his days of meditation.

In Japanese on'yomi, his Buddhist name is rendered as Genjō . This title being Tō Sanzō or altogether with Xuanzang Sanzang as Genjō Sanzō . And his title of Sanzang Fashi (三藏法師, "Three Baskets Bonze") is romanized as Sanzō Hōshi . His original incarnation from heaven, Jin Chan Zi, is romanized as Konzen Dōji (金蝉 童子) in media such as the Japanese adaptation, Gensōmaden Saiyūki .

Monkey King or Sūn Wùkōng [ ]

Sūn Wùkōng (孫悟空) is the name given to this character by his teacher, Patriarch Subhuti, and means "Monkey Awakened to Emptiness". He is called Sūn Xíngzhě (孫行者, Son Gyōja ) by Xuánzàng (with most adaptations still having him named as "Wukong" by Xuánzàng). While he is commonly known as Monkey King in pop culture, with one of his more egotistical titles being the Handsome Monkey King (美猴王, Měi Hóuwáng/Bikō'ō ). He is by far, the novel's most iconic character.

He was born out of a rock that had been dormant for ages on Flower Fruit Mountain ( Huāguǒshān / Kakazan ) that was inhabited/weathered by the sun and moon until a monkey sprang forth. He first distinguished himself among other fellow monkeys by bravely entering the Cave of Water Curtains ( Shuǐliándòng/Suirendou ); for this feat, his monkey tribe gave him the aforementioned title of "Handsome Monkey King". He soon wanted to go on a quest to study the secrets to immortality, and eventually encountered and studied under Subhuti to learn magic and other various skills (but in trade, was told to never tell anyone who taught him such abilities). Subhuti was also the one to give Wukong his current name, with the "Sun" surname being in ode to his nature as a monkey.

Later, through some misfits involving writing his and other fellow monkeys' names out of the Book of Death in Hell (when it was Wukong's time to die), claiming the East Sea Dragon King's sea needle for himself, he initially was setup for punishment from Heaven yet was given a post as a stable boy. But once he learned of his actual ranking, he ditched the position and back at his mountain renamed himself as "Great Sage Equal to Heaven". Trying to appease him further, they set him to watch over the heavenly peach garden, only for him to be infuriated that he was not invited to a grand banquet and during the preparations with using his magic to everyone working to sleep, stole much of the food and, even resorted to devouring of the peaches of immortality and three jars of immortality pills meant for the Jade Emperor.

Wukong after bringing the stolen food to his monkeys to host his own party back on the mountain, heaven decided enough was enough and it escalated into a full-on war. The monkey defeated an army of 100,000 celestial soldiers, led by the Four Heavenly Kings, Erlang Shen, and Nezha. Eventually, he was then captured. Yet even when Wukong underwent execution after execution, his body from the prior heavenly foods consumed just would not allow him to be harmed in anyway (and eventually even dozed off to sleep in boredom). He was then sealed inside a special furnace as a last resort with the intent of turning him into an elixir, but he broke free and nearly trashed much of the heavenly palace in retaliation; the Jade Emperor appealed to Buddha, who after beating Wukong's attempt at a competition, subdued and trapped the monkey under a mountain for five centuries to repent, with Guanyin occasionally checking in. He was only saved when Xuanzang Sanzang came by him on his pilgrimage and accepted him as a disciple.

His primary weapon is the Rúyì Jīngū Bàng/Nyoi Kinko Bō (如意金箍棒; lit. "Compliant Gold-Rimmed Pole"), which he can shrink down to the size of a needle and keep behind his ear, as well as expand it to gigantic proportions (hence the "compliant" part of the name; some adaptations show the staff to act as if it was alive). The staff, originally a pillar supporting the undersea palace of the East Sea Dragon King, weighs 13,500 kilograms, which Wukong pulled out of its support and swung with ease as it was first offered to Wukong to see if it was a weapon he could wield without breaking like others the monkey had attempted to wield. The Dragon King, not wanting him to cause any trouble, also gave him a suit of golden armor, headpiece and boots

These gifts, combined with his aformentioned devouring of the immortality peaches and immortality pills (giving his already rock-solid-body even more invulnerability), plus his ordeal in an eight-trigram furnace (which gave him the Gold Gaze Fire Eyes to see through evil's disguises but giving his eyes a weakness to smoke), makes Wukong the strongest member by far of the pilgrimage. Besides these abilities, he can also pull hairs from his body and blow on them with magic to transform them into whatever he wishes (usually clones of himself to gain a numerical advantage in battle).

Although he has mastered seventy-two methods of transformations, it does not mean that he is restricted to seventy-two different forms. He can also do a Jīndǒuyún/Kinto'un (筋斗雲; lit. "Somersault Cloud"), enabling him to travel vast distances in a single leap, or ride on a cloud to cover the same amount of distance with flight-based speed (at 108,000 li or 54,000 km). Wukong uses his talents to fight demons and play pranks. However, his behavior is checked by a band placed around his head by Guanyin, which cannot be removed by Wukong himself until the journey's end. Xuanzang Sanzang can tighten this band by chanting the Tightening Hooplet Spell (taught to him by Guanyin) whenever he needs to chastise him. In spite of continuous disagreements with his master and fellow disciples causing Wukong to ditch the party back to his home of Flower Fruit Mountain, he would eventually be able to be convinced and/or reminded to come back after some soul-searching, which proves his developing devotion.

Wukong's childlike playfulness is a huge contrast to his cunning mind. This, coupled with his acrobatic skills, makes him a likeable hero, though not necessarily a good role model given his abrasiveness and initial sociopathic tendencies (even resorting to killing before being tamed by his master throughout the journey). His antics present a lighter side in what proposes to be a long and dangerous trip into the unknown, and overall develops a sense of endearment to his master and fellow disciples in his heart throughout the journey. Some adaptations also make him borderline prone to breaking the fourth wall or making references to other media as a testament to his character depending on the era (such as with Stephen Chow's adaptations of him). Even then, Wukong makes it clear that he is unable to let injustice slide and often takes matters into his own hands (or plays around with the entire scenario) to have a good outcome for any rough situation, even if rather impulsively driven at best and at times being prone to anger. His other main weakness he acknowledges and tries to work-around is his lack of underwater combat ability, which is covered by both Bajie and Wujing.

In Japanese on'yomi, Sun Wukong is romanized more famously as Son Gokū , especially with the popularity of Dragon Ball . His title of Qitian Dasheng (齊天大聖; lit. "Equaling Heaven Great Sage") is known as the Seiten Taisei in Japanese and is mainly to appease his ego (though it does provide a form of respect as the lesser gods would prove, and his actual prior havoc in heaven also can back such a title up). However, his title of "Heavenly Stable Boy" due to its low rank is one way to easily rile him up.

Zhū Bājiè [ ]

Zhū Bājiè (豬八戒; lit. "Pig of the Eight Precepts") is also known as Zhū Wùnéng (豬悟能; lit. "Pig Awakened to Ability") and given the name Pigsy , Piggy or Pig in English.

Once an immortal who was the Tiānpéng Yuánshuǎi (天蓬元帥; lit. "Heaven Canopy Marshall") of 100,000 soldiers of the Milky Way, during a celebration of gods, he drank too much and attempted to flirt with Cháng'é, the beautiful moon goddess, resulting in his banishment into the mortal world. He was supposed to be reborn as a human but ended up in the womb of a sow due to an error at the Reincarnation Wheel, which turned him into a half-man half-pig monster. Staying within Yúnzhandòng ("Cloud Pathway Cave"), he was commissioned by Guanyin to accompany Xuanzang to India and given the new name Zhu Wuneng.

However, Wuneng's desire for women led him to Gao Village, where he posed as a normal being and took a wife and was noted to "work as hard as he ate". Later, when the villagers discovered that he was a monster, Wuneng hid the girl away. At this point, Xuanzang and Wukong arrived at Gao Village and helped subdue him. Renamed Zhu Bajie by Xuanzang, he consequently joined the pilgrimage to the West.

His weapon of choice is the jiǔchǐdīngpá ("nine-tooth nail rake"), mainly given to him as a status symbol by the Jade Emperor when first promoted to the rank of field marshall. He is also capable of thirty-six transformations (as compared to Wukong's seventy-two), and can also travel on clouds, but not as fast as Wukong. However, Bajie is noted for his fighting skills in the water due to his naval troop experience, which he used to combat Sha Wujing, who later joined them on the journey. He is the second strongest member of the team.

He is often noted to be quite gluttonous, perverted and a bit cowardly (mainly from his demotion that occurred with his reincarnation having a clear effects on reducing his power and confidence), which often has him at odds with Wukong's more abrasive and playful attitude. But nonetheless he is loyal to his friends deep down and is trusting of his master and vice versa, as well as often getting along with Wujing. Many adaptations of the novel tend to paint him in a light for the sake of comic relief, while also making him act as a positive force that differs from Wukong's antics in spite of his jealousy towards the monkey.

Even with his perversions in mind causing him to drool, Bajie makes it clear he can relate to others and understands the concepts of love (which some adaptations have made him a bit of a cultured poet or a sucker for sob-stories). While he may complain about his own misfortunes often in regards to his laziness, Bajie in a majority of fluctuating situations does not act as anxious as Wukong and Wujing as per his days as a field marshall while also learning to have fun alongside Wukong's antics at times.

In Japanese on'yomi, Zhu Bajie's current name is known as Cho Hakkai , and his original name before being renamed by Sanzang in Japanese is Cho Gonō . His original incarnation's title, Tianpeng Yuanshui , is known fully as Tenpō Gensui in Japanese as well (via Gensōmaden Saiyūki ).

Shā Wùjìng [ ]

Shā Wùjìng (沙悟凈; lit. "Sand Awakened to Purity"), also named Shā Sēng (沙僧) in Mandarin Chinese or " Ol' Sandy ". He is also given the name Friar Sand or Sandy in English, with the former name being one of his other names, Shā Héshàng (沙和尚; "Sand Preceptor"). He was once the Juǎnlián Dàjiàng (捲簾大将; lit. "Rolling Curtain General"), who stood in attendance by the imperial chariot in the Hall of Miraculous Mist. He was exiled to the mortal world and made to look like a monster because he accidentally smashed a crystal/jade goblet belonging to the Heavenly Queen Mother during the Peach Banquet. The now-hideous immortal took up residence in the Flowing Sands River, terrorizing the surrounding villages and travelers trying to cross it. However, he was subdued by Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie when the Sanzang party came across him. They consequently took him in to be a part of the pilgrimage to the West.

Sha Wujing's weapon is the Yuèyáchǎn ("Moon Fang Spade" or "Monk's Spade"). Aside from that, he knows eighteen transformations and is highly effective in water combat. He is about as strong as Bajie, and is much stronger than Wukong in water. However, Bajie can beat Wujing in a test of endurance, and Wukong can beat him out of water.

Wujìng is known to be the most obedient, logical, and polite of the three disciples, and always takes care of his master, seldom engaging in the bickerings of his fellow-disciples. Ever reliable, he carries the luggage for the travelers and often prioritizes safety of others around him. Perhaps this is why he is sometimes seen as a minor character; the lack of any particular perks confers the lack of distinguishing and/or redeeming characteristics aside from being astute and having some moments of his own spotlight to cover the group's back. Though the 1996 adaptation is famous for making him rather unintelligent and/or stating the obvious (which was hinted even when acting as a general and the reasoning behind his accident), but makes up for it with being head-strong, honest and hyper-focused on important tasks to a fault.

Wujiìng eventually becomes an arhat at the end of the journey, giving him a higher level of exaltation than Bajie, who is relegated to cleaning every altar at every Buddhist temple for eternity via consuming the leftovers (which he is rather fond of), but is still lower spiritually than Wukong or Xuanzang who are granted Buddhahood.

In Japanese on'yomi, Sha Wujing is romanized as Sha Gojō , with his original incarnation's name/title romanized as Kenren Taishō in Gensōmaden Saiyūki . In Japanese, the character for "jing/jō" is written differently in Japanese due to conflicting writing systems, with 淨 being the older form closer to Chinese, and 浄 being the current character used.

List of Demons [ ]

There are many demons in the story. Examples are listed below:

• Black-Bear-Demon (pinyin: Hēixióngguài )
• Yellow Wind Demon (Huángfēngguài)
• Zhen Yuan Holy Man; he is not a demon, but an immortal, who got annoyed by the disciples who stole his precious immortal-fruits (Ginseng Fruits, 人参果).
• White-Bone-Demon (pinyin: Báigǔjīng )
• Yellow Robe Demon (pinyin: Huángpáoguài )
• Gold-Horn and Silver-Horn (pinyin: Jīnjiǎo and Yínjiǎo )
• Crimson Boy a.k.a. Holy Baby King (pinyin: Hónghái'ér ; Japanese: Kōgaiji )
• Tiger Power, Deer Power, and Goat (or Antelope) Power Great Hermits
• Black River Dragon Demon (Hēi Shǔi Hé Yuan Lóng Gài)
• Carp Demon (Li Yu Jīng)
• Green-Ox-Demon (pinyin: Qīngniújīng )
• Scorpion-Demon (pinyin: Xiēzijīng )
• Six Ear Macaque (a.k.a Fake Sun Wukong, Lìuěrmíhóu )
• Ox/Bull Demon King (pinyin: Niúmówáng ; Japanese: Gyūmaō ): The inspiration for the Ox King , who also shares the same name in the Asian scripts/dubs as the original Ox-Demon-King.
• Demon Woman (Luo Cha Nǚ)
• Jade-Faced Princess (pinyin: Yùmiàn Gōngzhǔ ; Japanese: Gyokumen Kōshū )
• Boa Demon ( Hóng Shé Jīng )
• Nine-Headed Bird Demon (Jiǔ Tou Fu Ma)
• Seven-Spider-Demons (pinyin: Zhīzhū-jīng )
• Hundred-Eyed Taoist (Bǎi Yan Mo Jun)
• Green Lion Demon (pinyin: Qīngshījīng )
• White-Elephant-Demon (pinyin: Báixiàngjīng )
• Falcon Demon (Sun Jīng)
• Biqiu Country Minister a.k.a Deer Demon
• Gold-Nosed, White Mouse Demon (Lao Shu Jīng)
• Dream-Demon

Notable English-language translations [ ]

• Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China (1942), an abridged translation by Arthur Waley. For many years, the best translation available in English; it only translates thirty out of the hundred chapters. (Penguin reprint ISBN 0-14-044111-5 )
• Journey to the West , a complete translation by W.J.F. Jenner published by the Foreign Languages Press in Beijing 1955 (three volumes; 1982/1984 edition: ISBN 0-8351-1003-6 , ISBN 0-8351-1193-8 , ISBN 0-8351-1364-7 )
• The Journey to the West (1977–1983), a complete translation in four volumes by Anthony C. Yu. University of Chicago Press: HC ISBN 0-226-97145-7 , ISBN 0-226-97146-5 , ISBN 0-226-97147-3 , ISBN 0-226-97148-1 ; PB ISBN 0-226-97150-3 , ISBN 0-226-97151-1 ; ISBN 0-226-97153-8 ; ISBN 0-226-97154-6 .

Media adaptations [ ]

• Journey to the West: The Musical : A stage musical which received its world premiere at the New York Musical Theatre Festival on September 25, 2006.
• Monkey: Journey to the West : A stage musical version created by Chen Shi-zheng, Damon Albarn (frontman of British rock band Blur) and Jamie Hewlett, the latter two better known as creators of the Gorillaz musical project. It premiered as part of the 2007 Manchester International Festival at the Palace Theatre on June 28.
• The Monkey King : A production by the Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis, MN in 2005.
• A Chinese Odyssey by Stephen Chow.
• A Chinese Tall Story : 2005 live action movie starring Nicholas Tse as Xuánzàng.
• Heavenly Legend : A 1998 film by Tai Seng Entertainment starring Kung Fu kid Sik Siu Loong is partially based on this legend.
• Monkey Goes West : The Shaw Brothers' 1966 Hong Kong film (Cantonese: Sau yau gei ). Also known as "Monkey with 72 Magic"
• The Forbidden Kingdom : 2008 live action movie starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li which is said to be based on the Legend of the Monkey King, the same legend as the TV show Monkey. Towards the end, Li's character is revealed to be the Monkey King of the legend. [1]

Live-action television [ ]

• Monkey (1978–1980): A well-known 1970s Japanese television series based on Journey to the West translated into English by the BBC.
• Journey to the West (1986): A TV series produced by CCTV.
• Journey to the West (1996): A popular series produced by Hong Kong studio TVB, starring Dicky Cheung.
• Journey to the West II (1998): The sequel to TVB's Journey to the West series, starring Benny Chan.
• The Monkey King (2001): Sci Fi Channel's TV adaptation of this legend, also called The Lost Empire .
• The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra (2002): A loose adaptation starring Dicky Cheung, who also portrayed Sun Wukong in the 1996 TVB series.
• Saiyūki (2006): A Japanese television series starring the SMAP star Shingo Katori.

Comics, manga and anime [ ]

• Alakazam the Great : One of the first anime films produced by Toei Animation , a retelling of first part of the story based on the characters designed by Osamu Tezuka.
• Coincidentally, both the version of Wukong/Goku and Wujing/Gojo share traits of the original Bajie/Hakkai; the former shares Bajie's hunger (akin to Dragon Ball' s version of Wukong/Goku), while the latter shares Bajie's lust/perversions for women. Both of them also often argue back-to-back, akin to Wukong and Bajie's dynamics in the original source material.
• Havoc in Heaven (also known as Uproar in Heaven ): Original animation from China.
• Iyashite Agerun Saiyūki : A 2007 adult anime [1]
• Monkey Magic : An animated retelling of the legend.
• Monkey Typhoon : A manga and anime series based on the Journey to the West saga, following a futuristic steampunk-retelling of the legend.
• Starzinger : An animated science fiction version of the story.
• The Monkey King : A gruesome manga inspired by the tale.

Works referencing Journey to the West [ ]

• American Born Chinese : An American graphic novel by Gene Yang. Nominated for the National Book Award (2006).
• Doraemon : A special tells the story of Journey to The West , casting the Doraemon characters as the characters of the legend.
• Dragon Ball : Japanese manga and anime series loosely based on Journey to the West .
• Eyeshield 21 : Three of the players for the Shinryuji Nagas are referred to as the Saiyuki Trio based upon their appearances and personalities.
• InuYasha : The characters meet descendants of three of the main characters of the Journey of the West , led by Cho Kyuukai (a boar demon ), in one episode. Also, the main character Kagome Higurashi says a few lines about the whole book and story and explains it to the others who live in Feudal Japan, ergo have not heard about the Journey to the West .
• Kaleido Star : The cast performs Saiyuki on stage a few times in the beginning of the second half of the series.
• Love Hina : The characters put on a play based on the story in anime episode 16.
• Naruto : A character named Temari is based on Princess Iron Fan from the legend. Enma is a summoned monkey who bears resemblance to Sun Wukong. He has the ability to transform into a staff similar to the rúyì-jīngū-bàng , which can alter its size at will. Also, one of the Tailed Beasts (also known as Bijū ) is named Son Gokū with the exact same kanji for both the Monkey King and the Earthling-raised Saiyan, sporting horns which resemble the diadem worn by the original Wukong/Goku.
• Ninja Sentai Kakuranger : The 1994 Super Sentai series, where four of the five rangers are inspired by the main characters of Journey to the West
• GoGo Sentai Boukenger : The 2006 Super Sentai series, where its final episode involved the Rúyì-jīngū-bàng
• Juken Sentai Gekiranger : The 2007 Super Sentai series, where one of its villain's fighting style is homage to Sun Wukong.
• Patalliro Saiyuki : A shōnen-ai series in both anime and manga formats with the Patalliro cast playing out the Zaiyuji storyline with a yaoi twist.
• Ranma 1/2 : Pastiches of the characters appear throughout the manga and movies.
• Read or Die (OVA) : One of the villains is a clone of Xuanzang, who seems to have the powers of Sun Wukong and Xuanzang.
• Sakura Wars : The Imperial Flower Troupe Performs the play of Journey to the West . Ironically, Mayumi Tanaka , who voices Krillin and Yajirobe in the Dragon Ball franchise, voices the monkey king Son Goku in the play.
• Shinzo : An anime loosely based on Journey to the West .
• XIN : An American comic mini-series produced by Anarchy Studio.
• Pokémon : Infernape, a Fire/Fighting Pokémon, has a design based on motifs related to Sun Wukong and Emboar, another Fire/Fighting Pokémon, has a design based on motifs similar to Zhu Bajie.
• The God of Highschool : A Korean web-toon that barrows a lot of the elements from every mythology notable, with few of the main cast based on characters from the novel. The main character, Jin Mo-Ri , being based off the Monkey King as well as Dragon Ball's Son Goku.
• Yuu Yuu Ki : A video game for the Famicom Disk System, based directly on the story.
• Journey to the West : An unlicensed Famicom game by Taiwanese developer TXC Corp, 1994. [2]
• Pokémon Diamond and Pearl : A video game and multi series in which the Pokémon creatures Chimchar, Monferno, and mainly Infernape are based on Sūn Wùkōng.
• Coincidentally, the portrayal of Zhu Bajie/Cho Hakkai is voiced by Naoki Tatsuta , who also voices Oolong with Bajie being his inspiration.
• Fuun Gokuu Ninden : An action game for the PlayStation. The characters of the game are based on the characters of Journey to the West . [3]
• Saiyu Gouma Roku : A 1988 arcade game by Technos, based in the original story and characters. The North American version is named "China Gate". [4]
• SonSon : A video game and character of the same name created by Capcom whose title character is a caricature of Sun Wukong (and would be read as "SunSun" in pinyin). The granddaughter of SonSon (also named SonSon, or SonSon III) appears in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 as a playable character.
• Westward Journey : A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).
• Whomp 'Em : NES game whose Japanese version is based on the story (the American version features an Indian boy instead of Wukong). Although a marketing failure, it is also a cult classic.
• Likewise, the two other MOBA games, Smite and Heroes of the Werwerth , also feature the original Sun Wukong as a playable character, with the former having removed him from the game for a visual rework to resemble the original figure, and the latter being simply known as "Monkey King" and possessing a skin that's a close reference to Dragon Ball in general (almost resembling the Dragon Ball Wukong/Goku's Super Saiyan 4 form). Smite also has other characters pertaining to the legend or similar ones that tie into Journey into the West in general, such as the East Sea Dragon King and Nezha/Nata (the former also received a similar rework). Defense of the Ancients 2 has also recently revealed their own version of the Monkey King as well.
• More so however, Masako Nozawa , the Japanese voice actress of the Dragon Ball Wukong/Goku, also voices the League of Legends Wukong in the Japanese dub as a direct allusion. Meanwhile, Sean Schemmel has voiced the reworked Wukong in Smite as another allusion.

Brazen Courage Gohan (Kid) card from Dokkan Battle

Courage to the Max! Goku card from Dokkan Battle

• Asura's Wrath (アスラズ ラース, Asurazu Rāsu ) : A video game developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Capcom. The game is playable on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One via 360 backwards compatibility, and the PlayStation 4 and PC via PlayStation Now. The game follows the title character, the demigod Asura as he seeks revenge on the pantheon of other demigods who betrayed him.
• In Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle , there are two cards based upon the Journey to the West inspired outfits worn by Goku and Gohan . Goku's is called Courage to the Max! Goku card and Gohan's is Brazen Courage Gohan (Kid) card. Both cards are Legendary Rare cards that feature Super Attacks featuring Goku and Gohan wielding their respective Power Poles (Gohan's Power Pole design features a more Journey to the West -style design rather than the Dragon Ball style design of Goku's Power Pole). Both characters ride a Flying Nimbus to fit the Sun Wukong motif.

Female Future Warrior wearing the Saiyuki Outfit in Dragon Ball: Xenoverse

• In Dragon Ball Xenoverse , there is an unlockable Saiyuki outfit which is described as a Journey to the West-style outfit, which can be unlocked by making a wish of " I want to dress up! " to Shenron. It is based on the Journey to the West inspired outfit worn by Gohan on Manga cover page for DBZ: 13 " Son Gohan, the Inconsolable " and Gohan also wears the same outfit in Detekoi Tobikiri ZENKAI Power! . There is also an NPC Shapeshifter Nema who also wears the costume as part of one of her transformations, though she has no idea as to who the transformation is supposed to be.

Goku wearing his Journey to the West Costume from Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

• After the 1.09.00 Update, the Future Warrior can purchase Gifts which are special costumes that they can give to Instructors which can then be worn via Partner Customization. Gift (Goku) unlocks Goku's Journey to the West Costume for Goku to wear (it comes complete with Hood though the Hood will be removed when Goku transforms into any of his available Super Saiyan forms). Gift (Gohan (Kid)) unlocks his Saiyuki Costume ( Journey to the West Costume) from DBZ : 13 " Son Gohan, the Inconsolable " and Detekoi Tobikiri ZENKAI Power! (it also comes complete with Hood as well). Both Gifts can be purchased at the TP Medal Shop.

References [ ]

• ↑ Journey to the West . Unlicensed NES Guide .
• ↑ Fuun Gokuu Ninden (The God of Monkey) . Extreme-Gamers .
• ↑ China Gate . Coin-Op Express .

External links [ ]

• Inspirations of Dragon Ball at fullpowerdbz.com
• Monkey - Great Sage equal of Heaven - fansite
• Journey to the West - Freeware complete English text version in PDF format (2.56MB). From Chine Informations
• Journey to the West - Comprehensive and detailed website with in-depth information about Journey to the West.
• Story of Sun Wukong and the beginning of Journey to the West with manhua
• Complete novel in Simplified Characters (utf-16 encoding).
• Solarguard Monkey Plot summary (one paragraph for each of one hundred in novel) plus summary of book on historical Xuanzang.
• Summary of most chapters of Journey to the West and more, illustrated by various paintings from Summer Palace
• 2 List of Power Levels
• 3 Ultra Ego

Journey to the West Research

A repository for research on the great 16th-century chinese classic, dragon ball and journey to the west.

Last updated : 12-29-2022

It recently occurred to me that I’ve referenced the Dragon Ball franchise in several blog articles. So I’ve taken the opportunity to gather everything into one spot, including information that I haven’t previously mentioned. This is meant to be a very basic introduction and not an exhaustive analysis. My current interest here is in modern adaptations of Journey to the West  ( Xiyouji , 西遊記 , 1592).

Those interested in a broader discussion on the influences of Dragon Ball should consult the work of Derek Padula .

I. Son Goku

The name of the series protagonist, Son Goku (孫悟空) (fig. 1), is a Japanese transliteration of Sun Wukong, meaning “Monkey Aware of Emptiness ,” an allusion to Buddhist enlightenment . While referencing  Rhesus macaques and “grandsons ,” the surname Sun (孫), is also a veiled symbol for the development of an immortal spirit in Taoist elixir arts . Therefore, the name Son Goku straddles both Buddhism and Taoism.

Goku’s monkey tail ,  flying nimbus cloud , and extending  power pole (fig. 2) are all based on the respective trait, skill, and weapon of the Monkey King. The latter’s skill is called the “ Cloud Somersault ( jindou yun , 筋斗雲), which can travel 108,000 li (33,554 mi / 54,000 km), or one and one-third the circumference of Earth, in a single leap. Sun’s staff, the “‘ As-You-Will ‘ Gold-Banded staff,” weighs a whopping 17,560 lbs  (7,965 kg) and (among other abilities) can  magically grow as big or shrink as small  as the immortal desires.

Goku’s proficiency in boxing (fig. 3) has a fun connection to Sun Wukong. Series creator Akira Toriyama partly based the  Saiyan’s fighting style  on the  Wing Chun  techniques used by Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan in their respective films. This style falls under the umbrella term “ Short Fist ” ( Duan quan , 短拳), a school of martial arts with a low stance and quick, compact punches. Journey to the West states that this very style is the Monkey King’s preferred fighting technique! He uses Short Fist a few times in the novel .

The  spherical spaceship that baby Goku crash lands on Earth in from DBZ (fig. 4) is a clever nod to the magic stone that Sun Wukong is born from in the beginning of the novel.

Goku’s Ozaro (大猿) form, or his ability to change into  a titanic “great ape” during a full moon (fig. 5), is largely based on the Monkey King’s cosmic transformation . The novel calls this magical skill the “Method of Modeling Heaven on Earth” ( Fatian xiangdi , 法天像地), and Sun uses it to grow 100,000 feet (30,480 m) tall during battles with powerful opponents. This is related to ancient Pre- Qin and Han dynasty concepts of astral-geography later used in the construction of imperial Chinese cities.

While I don’t have confirmation from Toriyama, Goku’s “ Instant Transmission ” skill (fig. 6) might be based on the aforementioned cloud somersault . This is because Chinese Buddhist literature mentions the world of man is separated from the Buddha’s paradise by 108,000 li (the distance covered by the cloud), and the only way to instantly bypass all of the hardships in-between is achieving enlightenment. Hence the cloud somersault is symbolic of instant travel.

II. Other characters

Goku’s early  quest to find the dragon balls  along with  Bulma (Tripitaka), the shape-shifting pig Oolong (Zhu Bajie), and the desert bandit Yamcha (Sha Wujing) is based on the quest for sutras in Journey to the West . Not surprisingly, other DB/DBZ characters come from the Chinese novel. The  Ox-King  and  Chi-Chi  are respectively based on the  Bull Demon King  and his wife,  Princess Iron Fan (fig. 7). Tien Shinhan  is based on  Erlang , the only  god to truly defeat Sun Wukong , which is why Tien is such a threat to young Goku.

Goku’s martial arts teacher,  Master Roshi , is based on the  Buddho-Taoist Sage Subodhi  who teaches Sun Wukong  magic and the secret of immortality . Subodhi is based on Subhuti, a historical disciple of the Buddha . This is hilarious when you think about how much of a pervert Roshi is (fig. 8).

The antagonist Broly (fig. 9) wears a shock collar  and  mind-controlling headband  in various DB media. These are based on the Monkey King’s “ Golden Fillet ” ( jing gu quan , 金箍圈), which represses his unruly nature by painfully constricting around his head when a magic spell is chanted. It’s interesting to note that this fillet is based on a historical ritual headband worn by ancient Indian Buddhist yogins as a physical reminder of self-restraint.

III. Miscellaneous

The  senzu (仙豆, “immortal bean”) (fig. 10) used by Goku and other Z fighters to replenish their strength from prolonged training or battle are based on  immortality-bestowing elixir pills  that Sun Wukong eats while drunkenly stumbling through the laboratory of the Taoist high god  Laozi . Once eaten, the pills immediately counteract the effects of the heavenly wine.

Update : 03-20-22

I recently remembered that I’ve also referenced the origin of the spikey hair in esoteric Buddhist art. On 02-14-2019 I posted on twitter saying: “Goku’s spiked hair is based on esoteric guardian deities . For ex., here is Tianpeng, the former incarnation of Oolong’s precursor Zhu Bajie [fig. 11].”

Update : 12-20-22

I first became interested in Journey to the West thanks to Dragon Ball Z . The series is obviously named after the seven glass-like orbs (fig. 12) created by the Namekian -turned-protector deity Kami for the benefit of mankind. When all seven are collected, they summon the dragon god Shenron , who grants a single wish. One common wish is to resurrect a beloved fighter who had previously been killed in battle.

But what would the Dragon Balls be like if they appeared in the Journey to the West universe? There are two possibilities. The first is the most obvious, the Cintāmaṇi (Sk: “wish-fulfilling jewel”; Ch: ruyi baozhu , 如意寶珠, lit: “as-you-will treasure jewel”). Also known as “dragon jewels” ( longzhu , 龍珠), these luminous orbs are commonly held by Bodhisattvas in Buddhist art (fig. 13), thereby signifying their ability to grant any wish that a believer desires. They are also mentioned in Buddhist scripture. For instance, the Treatise of the Great Perfection of Wisdom (Sk: Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra ; Ch: Da zhidu lun , 大智度論, c. 2nd-century) reveals that the Cintāmaṇi is a bodily relic found in the brains of dragon kings (longzhu chu longnao zhong, 龍珠出龍腦中 ) (Buswell & Lopez, 2014, p. 193). Therefore, we would be able to maintain the connection to dragons in Journey to the West .

(If we view Dragon Ball Z under the light of this new information, a creepy implication is that Kami killed seven dragon kings in order to create his set of dragon balls.)

In East Asia, the Cintāmaṇi is closely associated with our second possibility, the Śarīra (Sk: “body”; Ch: Sushe / zi , 舍利/子) (fig. 14). These pearl-like beads figure among the bodily relics left over from the historical Buddha’s cremation. [1] Strong (2004) explains: “[They are the result] of a process of metamorphosis brought on not only by the fire of cremation but also by the perfections of the saint (in this case the Buddha) whose body they re-present” (p. 12).

They are said to come in different colors and sizes depending on the country and religious tradition (Strong, 2004, p. 11).

Journey to the West could have one or even both of these bodily relics. For example, the Cintāmaṇi would allow demon kings or lesser spirits to wish for powerful heavenly weapons, thereby helping them fight stronger opponents; or, the Śarīra could grant the devils more spiritual power, thereby allowing them to bypass centuries of spiritual cultivation.

But neither of these items could help evil beings achieve immortality. I’ve previously noted that Journey to the West was heavily influenced by the Buddho-Daoist philosophy of the Southern Quanzhen School Patriarch Zhang Boduan (張伯端, mid to late-980s-1082). He believed that in order to become a true transcendent ( xian , 仙), one had to achieve both the Daoist elixir of immortality and Buddha-nature ( Shao, 1997; 2006 ). The first extends your life, while the second frees you from the endless rounds of rebirth. While the aforementioned spiritual objects may grant them divine longevity, it won’t make them unkillable. And if they are killed, they would still be subject to the wheel of reincarnation. It would be up to them to achieve the last step in this two-step process. But that would require these spirits to mend their evil ways and “return to the right path” ( gui zheng , 歸正)⁠—i.e. convert to Buddhism.

Update : 12-29-22

It turns out that Journey to the West has śarīra beads. In fact, they are mentioned at least 18 times throughout the novel. One example is a treasure belonging to the Yellow-Robed Demon ( Huangpao guai , 黃袍怪). Chapter 31 reads:

Leading Pilgrim [Sun Wukong], the fiend [Yellow Robe] took his companion into the murky depth of the cave before spitting out from his mouth a treasure having the size of a chicken egg. It was a śarīra [ shelizi , 舍利子] of exquisite internal elixir. Secretly delighted, Pilgrim said to himself, “Marvelous thing! It’s unknown how many sedentary exercises had been performed, how many years of trials and sufferings had elapsed, how many times the union of male and female forces had taken place before this śarīra of internal elixir was formed. What great affinity it has today that it should encounter old Monkey!” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 2, pp. 80-81). [2] 那怪攜著行者，一直行到洞裡深遠密閉之處。卻從口中吐出一件寶貝，有雞子大小，是一顆舍利子玲瓏內丹。行者心中暗喜道：「好東西耶。這件物不知打了多少坐工，煉了幾年磨難，配了幾轉雌雄，煉成這顆內丹舍利。今日大有緣法，遇著老孫。」

As can be seen, Yellow Robe’s śarīra is portrayed as the hard-won product of spiritual cultivation. This agrees with Strong’s (2004) statement above that Buddhists believed such beads were “brought on not only by the fire of cremation but also by the perfections of the saint (emphasis added) … whose body they re-present” (p. 12).

1) There are three main types of Buddha relics: 1) those of the body left over from his cremation (hair, teeth, nails, bones, and Śarīra beads); 2) those that he used (walking staff, alms bowl, robes, etc.); and 3) those that he taught (i.e. lessons from scripture) (Strong, 2004, p. 8).

2) Source altered slightly. I’ve made it more accurate.

Buswell, R. E., & Lopez, D. S. (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Shao, P. (1997). Monkey and Chinese Scriptural Tradition: A Rereading of the Novel Xiyouji (UMI No. 9818173) [Doctoral dissertation, Washington University]. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.

Shao, P. (2006). Huineng, Subhūti, and Monkey’s Religion in “Xiyou ji” . The Journal of Asian Studies , 65(4), 713-740. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25076127 .

Strong, J. S. (2004). Relics of the Buddha . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Wu, C., & Yu, A. C. (2012).  The Journey to the West  (Vols. 1-4) (Rev. ed.). Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.

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3 thoughts on “ dragon ball and journey to the west ”.

• Pingback: Naruto's Four-Tailed Beast Sports Too Many Dragon Ball Connections To Be A Coincidence - Looper - Fine Radar

You perhaps slightly undersell the directness of the early story’s resemblance by leaving out the analogy between Oolong and Wuneng (who even both start out terrorizing love interests) and, Id argue, Tripitaka and Bulma.

But yes, interesting piece. An early interest in Dragon Ball pushed me through a Japanese degree eventually as well as eventually leading me to read Journey to the West in translation.

Thank you for the honesty. I’ll make those connections more explicit.

Dragon Ball was also my introduction to Journey to the West.

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The Best Video Games Based On Classic Literature

• Many video games draw inspiration from books, not just movies and TV shows. Classic literature can provide rich material for game developers to adapt and create new narratives.
• The Lord of the Rings Online stands out as a game that directly takes inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien's novels, allowing players to participate in the War of the Ring and explore the rich world of Middle-Earth.
• Castlevania is a game series that adapts Bram Stoker's Dracula in a selective way, focusing on the iconic villain and his Transylvanian castle while introducing new characters and elements from other horror stories.

Many video games take their cues from movies and TV shows. It's not surprising given they're all visual mediums. Developers and artists simply have an easier time translating something that they can see. That said, books can be an equally fruitful source of material.

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That's why classic literature has inspired several of gaming's greats . The titles are sometimes direct adaptations of the novels, letting players tackle the books' iconic events in different ways. More often than not, however, the developers pick and choose aspects to adapt. They then fashion these facets into a new work to capture audiences both new and old. Both approaches can succeed in the right hands, and these games prove that.

The Lord Of The Rings Online

The lord of the rings trilogy by j.r.r. tolkien, lord of the rings online.

Platform(s) PC

Released 2007-04-24

Developer(s) Standing Stone Games

Genre(s) MMORPG

Metascore 86 (Shadows Of Angmar)

J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and other Middle-earth novels are among the greatest literary works of all time. The world of Men, Elves, Dwarves, and other creatures is so rich in detail, history, and culture that fans could swear it was real. At the center of it all, however, are poignant tales of humble heroes triumphing over evil and power corrupting the noblest individuals. These traits are a reliable guide for any narrative. It's partially why so many LOTR games exist, even if most of them use the aesthetic of Peter Jackson's movies.

On the other hand, The Lord of the Rings Online takes inspiration directly from the books. This MMORPG makes players a pivotal part of the War of the Ring. Their deeds have a tremendous impact on events in the mainline trilogy, both on the frontlines and behind the scenes. That's because the narrative tackles the northern conflict and other plot threads described in supplementary works . This material provides hundreds of hours of content as players partake in quests and activities of all stripes.

What's more, these storylines unfold within iconic locales beautifully brought to life. LOTRO truly lets fans live in Middle-Earth.

Castlevania

Dracula by bram stoker.

Platform(s) Nintendo Entertainment System, Switch, PS4, PC, Game Boy Advance

Released 1987-05-01

Developer(s) Konami

Genre(s) Platformer, Action

Metascore 74 (GBA)

One of the great faces of horror is Count Dracula. In Bram Stoker's novel, the vampire terrorizes Victorian London, drinking the blood of innocents and corrupting others into his soulless servants. All of it is to slake his constant thirst and desire for conquest. As effective as he is, the villain transcends the source material and appears in several works outside his original book.

One of these is Castlevania . This action platformer series sees players try to vanquish the evil count in his home. The gothic castles and other haunted settings make for eye-popping level design, and it's always fun to slay classic horror monsters with a trusty whip. Despite these strengths, loyalists may take issue with some of these games .

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Castlevania is selective in how it adapts Bram Stoker's book. Dracula is the overarching villain, and his castle still lies in Transylvania. Yet instead of using Jonathan Harker and Mina Murray as protagonists, the narratives follow the vampire-slaying Belmont clan.

That said, some series entries incorporate more elements of the source material than others. For instance, John Morris of Castlevania: Bloodlines is the son of the novel's Quincy Morris. The series has also included characters from other scary stories, such as the titular vampire from Carmilla and the monster from Frankenstein . For these reasons, Castlevania is more of a horror highlight reel than a direct translation.

The Witcher

The last wish by andrzej sapkowski, the witcher 3: wild hunt.

Platform(s) Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox One

Released 2015-05-19

Developer(s) CD Projekt Red

Genre(s) Action, RPG, Adventure

Metascore 94

The Witcher series is another rich fantasy realm, albeit one rife with racial strife and international conflict. The books, written by Andrzei Sapkowski, follow Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster slayer who desperately tries to maintain his neutrality. That aim becomes increasingly difficult amid moral and ethical dilemmas, and it's virtually impossible when these dilemmas threaten the people he cares about. While the books may not be decades old, they are highly regarded as some of the best examples of Polish literature of all time.

Fans feel that conflict in The Witcher games. These titles present complex plots involving ambitious power plays, crushing betrayals, and inner turmoil. They technically take place after the books, but they maintain many of the same characters. In addition, they carry similar themes about the price of neutrality and choosing the lesser evil .

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It all culminates in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt . This is a sprawling sandbox encompassing more of Sapkowski's world than ever before. The game has countless quests to complete, and these are all engaging in how they respect the novels' cynical messages and moral ambiguity. More importantly, the title brings Geralt's journey to a satisfying conclusion by reuniting him with his surrogate family. In the end, he shapes a meaningful legacy beyond being just a Witcher.

Enslaved: Odyssey To The West

Journey to the west by wu cheng'en, enslaved: odyssey to the west.

Platform(s) PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Released 2010-10-05

Developer(s) Ninja Theory

Genre(s) Action, Adventure

Metascore 82

One might expect this sci-fi title to have similar sci-fi roots, but Enslaved: Odyssey to the West actually takes inspiration from a classic Chinese folktale: Journey to the West . The classic story chronicles a Buddhist monk's pilgrimage to retrieve a set of sacred scrolls from India. He encounters various demons and other obstacles, and his only defenses are his companions--all inspired by animals like a monkey and a pig. The timeless tale has inspired numerous other stories in fiction.

It also forms the backbone of Enslaved . The game may lack a monk, but it does have Trip, a girl wishing to return to her faraway village. She receives reluctant aid from a couple of unscrupulous individuals: Monkey and Pigsy. In a nod to its Asian roots, the former sports a staff for both melee and ranged combat. It also facilitates some enjoyable (if derivative) platforming. The real attraction, though, is the story.

Enslaved evolves the narrative's themes of finding enlightenment, maturity, and redemption. These emerge not just through the compelling characters and their growing bond, but also via the concept of slavery. In an uncertain world, some people may prefer the solace and blissful ignorance of servitude. Who wants to "enlighten" themselves and face reality in an apocalypse ? The plot puts an unsettling twist on the usual quest for freedom, and it's a journey that not everyone would embark on.

Spec Ops: The Line

Heart of darkness by joseph conrad.

Released 2012-06-26

Developer(s) Yager Development

Genre(s) Third-Person Shooter

Metascore 77

Very little hype was given to this game leading up to its release, but Spec Ops: The Line quickly became an under-the-radar hit thanks to its hard-hitting narrative about the moral grayness and psychological depravity of warfare. A standard third-person military shooter on the surface, Spec Ops hid a much deeper game underneath.

What many don't know is that Spec Ops is based on the Joseph Conrad novella Heart of Darkness. The same story that inspired the classic Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now, Spec Ops' Captain Walker is essentially a reversal of the novella's protagonist, Charles Marlow, with Walker becoming more akin to the novella's eventual antagonist, Kurtz (or Konrad in the game, a play on the name of the original author), by the game's conclusion.

The themes of civilian casualties, the trauma of war, and the flaws of the American war machine's presence abroad that made Apocalypse Now so affecting are all present in Spec Ops: The Line , and while the story is a bit less philosophical than its inspirations, those inspirations still shine through.

MORE: Books About Magical Schools That Are Not Harry Potter

McWhinney plans to sell downtown Salt Lake property

 SALT LAKE CITY — Loveland-based developer McWhinney Real Estate Services Inc. is backing out of its foray into Salt Lake City.

Building Salt Lake reported that the company plans to sell its downtown Salt Lake property and has it listed with commercial real estate firm CBRE. The company said in a press statement that it was evaluating its opportunities in the market.

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