how does xuanzang change by the journey to the west

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Journey to the West (Traditional: 西遊記; Simplified: 西游记; Pinyin: Xī Yóu Jì; Pronounced roughly shee-yo-jee) is one of the Iv Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature alongside Romance of the Iii Kingdoms, Water Margin, and Dream of the Red Chamber, and first published in the 1590s, although it is plainly based on much older folk-legends. It is Inspired by… the pilgrimage undertaken past the Tang dynasty Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who nearly a m years earlier travelled to Bharat to report Buddhism at its source and obtain accurate copies of Buddhist texts (the "Iii Baskets Scriptures") known in Mainland china only through inaccurate nth-generation copies.

In the novel, Xuanzang ^notation Xuanzang is likewise called Sanzang, which is the name of the Three Baskets Scriptures in Chinese, or Tripitaka, which is their name in Sanskrit. is accompanied (at the asking of the bodhisattva Guan Yin) by three supernatural beings who have been assigned to guide and protect him as penance for by misdeeds. Zhu Bajie, pig-similar in appearance and a greedy hog in beliefs, and Sha Wujing, a river monster whose tearing appearance belies his thoughtful nature, are former heavenly dignitaries exiled to their electric current existences. The third companion is Sun Wukong.

Sunday Wukong deserves a paragraph to himself. Warrior, sorcerer, and trickster, the Handsome Monkey King (by acclamation of his subjects) and Corking Sage Equal of Heaven (self-proclaimed) gets seven chapters devoted to his rise and autumn before the novel's nominal hero showtime appears, and continues to steal the limelight throughout with adept ease. Every reader has a favourite Sunday Wukong story — the one about his bet with the Buddha is peculiarly popular — but alas, this page is too pocket-sized to do them all justice. He besides has tons and tons of imitators.

There's besides Yulong, a dragon who eats Xuanzang's equus caballus and in restitution is required to transform into horse shape and carry Xuanzang the rest of the way. But even the author seems to forget most of the time that he'south not just a horse.

After many adventures, in which Sun Wukong and his allies defend Xuanzang from thieves, robbers, cannibals, vamps, fake priests and monsters of all varieties (not to mention the horrifying affair of the escaped goldfish), they reach Bharat and everybody lives happily ever after. Yay!

Journey to the West has been adapted to idiot box many times - particularly in Japan, where the story is called Saiyuki and the characters are Genjo Sanzo, Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojo, and Son Goku (all simply the on'yomi Japanese reading of the Chinese character names). Many anime series have at to the lowest degree one Shout-Out, and some go for outright plunder (from Gensomaden Saiyuki to, of all things, Dragon Ball - yes, that Son Goku was inspired directly by and named after this Son Goku). One Japanese live-action adaption of the 1970s, and its thoroughly gender-aptitude cast (the office of Xuanzang/Tripitaka/Genjo Sanzo is traditionally played past a woman), is still fondly remembered only every bit Monkey in English-speaking countries from the irreverent (almost Gag Dub) BBC translated version, with its annoyingly catchy disco theme-song "Monkey Magic" (straight taken from the Japanese circulate where it was also sung in Surprisingly Proficient English). The most recent TV adaptation as of this writing is 2022's Journey to the West. Another notable Japanese accommodation was a film by none other than Osamu Tezuka that was localized in the due west every bit Alakazam the Great; this moving picture, while more often than not obscure, is best known for existence the inspiration for Bowser from the Super Mario Bros. serial.

While it is popular in Japan, it's omnipresent in its native China. For example, there was a 1980s Journey to the W TV series in Cathay that was so popular, it'due south said that to this day there's ever at least one boob tube station rerunning it anywhere in the nation (and too in Vietnam, where it's simply equally famous and widely loved.) The testify is amusing even if you don't understand Chinese.

The tetralogy from Shaw Brothers made in the late 60s, The Monkey Goes West, is in particular the showtime instance of a footing-breaking adaptation of the novel series. Jeff Lau's A Chinese Odyssey films renewed the popularity of the novel for young Hong Kong audiences during the mid-'90s.

The movie The Forbidden Kingdom adapts the run across of Xuanzang and Sun Wukong, complete with the "principal" character being named Jason Tripitakas, and just similar in Journeying to the West, Xuanzang/Jason has the carpet pulled out from nether him by the Monkey King.

The team responsible for Gorillaz, Damon Albarn (of Blur) and Jamie Hewlett (of Tank Daughter fame), adapted the story into an opera in 2007. They also did a two-minute animated version for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which was used every bit a title sequence for the BBC television coverage of the event.

There are many works based, more than or less, on Journey to the W; for a list, see the Referenced By folio. (The stardom between "based on Journey to the W" and "contains many references to Journeying to the Due west" is not always articulate.)

You tin can read the whole story here.

This story provides examples of:

Achilles in His Tent: When Wukong quits the quest (sometimes at the same time as existence fired by Tang Sang Zang) he goes back to his mountain kingdom of monkey demons, and does non come back until Tang Sanzang has been turned into a tiger and everyone has been trounced by the demon. Bajie is sent to plead for Wukong's help, but he doesn't succeed until he tricks Wukong by proverb the demon was insulting him.
Activeness Daughter: Several she-devils authorize equally this when they're not busy seducing Tripitaka. Bonus points if they are animal demons and take fighting styles that match, i.e. spider demons.
Adaptational Bewitchery: The original novel gleefully describes how hideous Tripitaka's three disciples are at every opportunity (Wukong apparently has ruddy eyes and a "face similar a thunder god"), and information technology's even a minor plot point at several parts. Near of the adaptations - especially the cartoons - tone this downward a lot.
Adaptational Heroism: The portrayals of Dominicus Wukong and Tang Sanzang in the novel aren't so noble compared to the more pop adaptations. In the original, Sun Wukong lacks mercy in countless instances and Tang Sanzang is continually naive and acts inconsistently or even hypocritically. Their 2-dimensional individual characterization and negative portrayals can both be explained past dissonance with today'south values, and likewise past the fact that the novel'southward main characters were intended to be an apologue for the state of a single individual's spiritual journey - each character represents a different attribute of human nature.
Adaptation Species Change: Probably due to some form of Lost in Translation. Sha Wujing was originally a demon abode in a river of sand. When the story was brought over to Japan, it seems the function near the river being sand got left out, and so Sha Wujing, now Sha Gojyo, was turned into their river-dwelling man-eating (ish) monster, the kappa, hence why all Japanese references to Sha Gojyo at least give him kappa traits.
A Day in the Limelight: Whenever the enemy has a lair underwater, and only then, Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie will outshine Wukong.
Take a chance-Friendly Earth: Ur-Example. Humans are amassed together in walled-off cities, with all the state in between being infested with man-eating demons, but the cities themselves are somehow demon-costless (with a few exceptions) despite this. Even within the cities, in that location seems to e'er be a quest of some sort in need of conveniently-timed protagonists to solve, normally involving killing something and/or proving the righteousness of Buddhism in some mode.
Almighty Janitor:
- When Wukong demands a place in Heaven near the first, he gets assigned the job of Heavenly... Stable Male child. This becomes a Chekhov'southward Skill later in the story because all horses gain an innate respect/fright for Wukong because of this. Cultural joke because monkeys were in one case kept with horses considering people believed they could keep horses healthy. Wukong's literal title for this task is "Ban Equus caballus Plague."
- Bajie's reward for completing the quest is to become the deity who is charged with really eating all of the food and drink that is sacrificed to Buddha from every altar in the globe, for the rest of eternity. Buddha explains that Bajie, for all he improved, is nevertheless far too crude and earthy to get a Boddhistva like the others, but he still deserves a reward and it was hoped that this would suffice. Needless to say, as far equally Bajie is concerned, he has the best job in Heaven.
E'er Someone Improve:
- Sun Wukong manages to thrash the entire celestial regular army, just Erlang Shen matches him in unmarried gainsay. Yous can read more into this if you remember Erlang Shen is supposed to have the aforementioned powers every bit Wukong. Besides an example of Conservation of Ninjutsu.
- The Buddha is the 1 who finally and definitively subdues Wukong past winning their bet and dropping a mountain on him.
- Wukong also respects/fears the Goddess of Mercy Guanyin because she'south got a agglomeration of equipment that tin genuinely injure him (such equally the infamous the Headband of Agony), but likewise considering she's normally nice to him and helps them out.
- In the volume it's implied that the Big Three Religions/Representative Heads (Buddhism/Buddha, Taoism/Laozi, Confucianism/Jade Emperor) are having a ability struggle in the background. Buddhism consistently wins out in many instances, although Laozi likes to show off every now and again likewise. The author as well makes it a signal that Buddha is the one that beats Wukong, and that Wukong has only kowtowed to iii people: Buddha, Guanyin, and Xuanzang.
Ascend to a Higher Airplane of Being: Xuanzang and company afterwards they successfully bring back the sacred scriptures. At least, Xuanzang and Wukong practice. Bajie and Wujing were already immortals in the get-go place, and Wujing gets the best promotion as arhat. The dragon horse gets to exist a naga.
Badass Boast: These are frequent and often in verse. Commonly proceeded past "Mind to my recital." Tin can exist about everything from powers, to weapons, to really simple things. In afterward chapters, Wukong and Bajie do this but to recite their backstory for the demons' do good.
Large Damn Heroes: Sunday Wukong and Zhu Bajie do it all the fourth dimension. The dragon horse tried it in one case, simply didn't succeed. Wujing does not get to do this.
Blade on a Stick: This is ancient China, so look to see spears and halberds everywhere. And long, swoony poetry about their weapons.
Blow You Away:
- The Yellow Wind Demon King, whose fiendish winds tin bullheaded fifty-fifty Sunday Wukong.
- One Fetch Quest was to get a magical fan so that they could blow out a supernaturally powerful volcano and pass through the expanse unharmed. Unfortunately, said magical fan was endemic by Princess Iron Fan, the mother of Cherry Boy (Hong Hai'er), whose ass Wukong had soundly kicked in an earlier story arc. Princess Iron Fan is not very welcoming. Unfortunately, they not only cannot continue on the quest without blowing out the volcano, the volcano was created by Wukong when he burst out of Laozi's Eight Trigrams Brazier.
Boring Return Journey: The journey to the West takes 86 chapters. The return to the E (with supernatural assistance loaned by the Buddha) takes one.
Bring My Brown Pants: Literally happens to Baije during one run-in with a monster though he has the decency to drop trou.
Broken Aesop: Buddhism is supposedly very important. In contrast, well-nigh of the conflicts are solved through a combination of cunning and violence.
…But He Sounds Handsome: In affiliate 42, Sun Wukong takes the advent of the begetter of Red Boy (Hong Hai'er), a monster who kidnapped his master. Under this disguise, he tells the monster that Sun Wukong is an unrivaled fighter.
Can't Default to Murder: Sun Wukong frequently has to be held back from killing people past the Buddhist monk Xuanzang via the enchanted headband stuck on his head, fifty-fifty when information technology's genuinely the best solution.
Behave a Large Stick:
- Wukong'southward weapon is an iron rod/cudgel that is able to abound to an enormous size and is said to weigh 8100kg. (Acquired, total size, from an undersea dragon king that had no idea what to practise with it. Which was then shrunk with monkey magic. And put backside Wukong's ear.) It too qualifies as Unproblematic Staff, or at least this is how Wukong usually uses it.
- Sha Wujing and several other demons ofttimes use clubs and hammers every bit weapons.
Casanova Wannabe: The story introduces you to Bajie as a demon that Wukong must subdue, because he pretended to be a normal man and convinced a rich homo to ally off his girl to him. After he got drunk at the wedding ceremony and his disguise wore off, he locked the girl in a part of the house and refused to let her leave. Equally the story goes on, Bajie fights a continual battle against gluttony and lust. (The whole reason he concluded up as a grunter-demon in the first place was that he made inappropriate remarks to Chang'E, the goddess of the moon. In one translation, he really committed sexual harassment/tried to rape her.) Bajie does not amend by the terminate of the story, although that's largely because he represents the base man desires/id, including sexual want.
Cavern Behind the Falls: Sun Wukong'south dwelling house and some other fiendish lairs. Wukong'south abode is literally behind a giant waterfall. He becomes the Handsome Monkey Male monarch by betting the other monkeys he could spring through the waterfall. He does, finds the beautiful cave home, and duly is crowned the Monkey Male monarch.
Celestial Bureaucracy: All of reality works because of the Emperor issuing decrees to lesser officials who do a given duty. For instance, he tells a water dragon where to ship rain. Sun Wukong occasionally uses his connections/influence with certain officials to acquire some object or other objective. For someone who was sentenced every bit a criminal twice by Sky, he gets forth shockingly well with many Heavenly immortals. During the quest he manages to borrow a number of precious objects from other immortals, and likewise gets a few of them to help him fight off the demons.
Chaste Hero: Xuanzang is a celibate monk, only keeps getting abducted by beautiful women and female demons who detect him attractive, good to eat, or both because of the rumor that eating Xuanzang would grant you immortality and magical power. For female demons, they get the option of not simply eating Xuanzang, merely as well having sex with him to achieve the aforementioned goal. The big deal, is that the female demons only desire him for sexual activity, which depending on the monster is either physically harmless (Xuanzang considers it A Fate Worse Than Death) or Out with a Blindside. Either way, they desire him to brand the first motion and keep it consensual. Then there's the office that by having him consent to sex, he would be breaking his vows which is kind of important. Because monks believe that you lot should preserve your inner "essence" and non have sex, having sexual activity was believed to remove some of that essence from you.
Grapheme Development: But equally important equally kicking demon-ass is Monkey'due south personal journeying to becoming a decent person. He is not so much fundamentally-bad every bit he is a selfish Manchild who needed the guidance of a loving, patient and wise father-figure to truly abound upwardly, which he constitute in Tripitaka. By the time he is deemed worthy of truly joining the Gods at the end of his journey, he has grown from a tantrum-throwing tyrant into a kind-hearted, compassionate and noble protector of the weak.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: The Journey would not have taken virtually so long if Xuanzang didn't insist on helping everyone they met forth the way. However, this is part of the point of the journey; we find out that 81 trials/hardships are demanded past the Buddha every bit part of their quest to reach enlightenment, and he even adds an extra i after they've finally gotten the scriptures and are on their fashion back because he realized they're nonetheless one short.
Conservation of Ninjutsu: Whatever time a large group of nameless beings appear expect them to be exist defeated by a single character to showcase how powerful said character is.
- In the opening chapter, Monkey almost unmarried-handedly with the help of his clones routs the all-time warriors of Sky along with 100,000 heavenly troops only to be defeated by Erlang Shen.
- Whenever the group encounters large numbers of nameless demons expect Monkey or Pigsy to kill all of them on their ain.
- Monkey suffers from this whenever he uses he makes copies of himself once the journey begins. The demon he is fighting always has a power or weapon that defeats the copies.
Continuity Nod: Occasionally the group volition meet characters they met earlier or talk most previous adventures, such as the "River of Heaven" arc where Xuanzang complains about always having trouble at river crossings.
Cool Sword: Many demons wield scimitars and swords in battle. The most notable one is the Vii Star Sword.
Covering for the Noise: In the 1999 animated adaptation, Zhu Bajie was supposed to exist pretending to be a mute to remain cloak-and-dagger. Still when he speaks in agreement and most tips off the authorities, Sun Wukong covers for him by saying that was the sound of his stomach growling.
Crossover Cosmology: Taoism and Confucianism with their immortals and celestial bureaucracy is shown every bit existing in (sorta) harmony with the bodhisattvas of Buddhism.
Deus ex Machina: Whenever Wukong can't resolve something himself, he mostly goes to Guan Yin for aid, or if information technology's beyond her abilities, Buddha himself. He'due south besides lodged his share of complaints confronting the Celestial Courtroom.
Diabolus ex Nihilo: The Scorpion-Adult female. At that place were no mountains (for in one case) then she literally just appears in a crowd.
Did You Merely Flip Off Cthulhu?: Wukong'due south various pranks during the banquet of Heaven.
Did You lot Just Punch Out Cthulhu?:
- Wukong beats up whole armies, including several gods.
- By the time of the journey, he already is i of the strongest and most feared of all beings... but the Scorpion Lady, who has managed to injure Buddha himself in the past, manages to defeat Wukong with 1 tail strike.
Disproportionate Retribution: Shā Wùjìng, a general of heaven, was given 800 lashings, forced to reincarnate into a flesh-eating demon, and every week a flight sword would come up and stab him in the breast and in the side 100 times. The only way he could avoid this last part was to hide in a river. His crime? Accidentally breaking a crystal cup at one of the Festivals of Immortal Peaches.
Distressed Dude: Being abducted (for nutrient or otherwise), deceived and generally harassed seems to be a main occupation of Xuanzang. Usually only to show how badass Lord's day Wukong is.
The Dreaded: Sun Wukong one time fought every ground forces in Heaven. Alone. And almost won. Anyone who knows who he is tends to freak out and panic in his presence purely because of how nightmarishly powerful he is, even people who are on his side.
Practise Not Taunt Cthulhu: Wukong finally meets his match with Buddha, who imprisons him for 500 years under a mount after he wins their bet. The bet was that Wukong could somersault out of Buddha'due south palm. He does, and sees v pillars at the end of the earth. Wukong writes Great Sage Equal to Heaven was Hither, and and so pees on one of the pillars, and somersaults back. So Buddha shows him his paw, which says the aforementioned bulletin on it and even smells faintly of monkey pee. Buddha then flips his hand over and traps him nether the Five Phases Mount to prevarication there until Guanyin recruits him for Xuanzang's journeying.
Doorstopper: Every bit per usual with the Chinese classics, unspooling all those logograms into letters can bulk the text upwards to ~2000 pages. Due to the book's episodic nature, more than "Western friendly" translations deal with the problem by sticking only to the essential stories.
- For example, the 1942 abridgement past Arthur Whaley (missing out about of the capacity and nearly all of the poesy) is well-nigh a fifth the size of the full four-volume translation by Anthony Yu
Enlightenment Superpower: Many of Lord's day Wukong's powers, including the shapeshifting, the ability to summon duplicates of himself, and the ability to leap large distances in a single bound, were gained as side-effects of studying the secrets of the universe under the sage Subhuti. Subhuti eventually asked him to exit when he realized he was more than interested in the superpowers than the enlightenment, and forbids Wukong from telling anyone who he learned his skills from.
Evil Twin: After Wukong is falsely accused of murdering some bandits, Xuanzang kicks him out of the group again and Wukong runs off in tears. So Xuanzang runs into another Wukong that knocks him out and steals their stuff. By the terminate of the story, the whole team ends up with their ain Dopplegangers; naturally, Sun Wukong's is the hardest to deal with. Buddha later explains the faux Wukong is actually a six-eared macaque, although the beast had never been heard of before and never over again makes an appearance in the series. The fake Wukong could represent Xuanzang's own faux beliefs about Wukong'southward character, and at the cease he is set right. Conspiracy theories take suggested it could have been Wukong'due south ain double, and he did it to get dorsum at Xuanzang.
Find Out Next Time: Each chapter ends with the narrator encouraging the reader to go on to the next chapter to find out what happens adjacent.
- This may be a throwback to the oral storytelling tradition, where a marketplace storyteller would entice his audience to come back (and pay him over again) the next day to hear another function of the story.
Giant Spider: The Vii Spider Ladies. Bonus points for them being sexy and having webs everywhere.
Gone Swimming, Apparel Stolen: In chapter 72, the seven spider ladies are bathing in a hot spring. Sunday Wukong in the guise of a falcon steals their apparel, so they are forced to stay in the water until Zhu Bajie attacks them.
Horny Devils: At least three female demons (the Scorpion Woman, the Earth Catamenia Lady and the Jade Hare) are very beautiful and want to achieve immortality by taking Tripitaka'due south "yang". (or having sex with him, if you prefer.) Literal evil temptation.
Horrible Guess of Character: Sanzang always, always, ever thinks that he's being approached by a harmless old lady, or a squeamish stranger offer their Sacred Hospitality for the night, or...
Man Pack Mule: The equus caballus carries Xuanzang, simply Zhu Bajie carries everything else — when he's not convincing Sha Wujing to do information technology for him.
I Ate WHAT?!: Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing fob some Taoists into drinking their urine past passing it off as holy water. The Taoists get mad and claiming the four travelers to various magical challenges, like meditating on a stack of tables, using magic to survive decapitation, and taking a bath in humid oil. Wukong makes sure to succeed in all of them, and so uses the challenges to kill off each of the Taoists.
Impossible Chore: Jumping out of the Buddha's palm. Monkey's legendary jump but takes him to the end of the Buddha's fingers. It'due south an allegory.
Improbable Weapon User: Zhu Bajie'southward nine jade-toothed rake. Other examples include pots, bells, cymbals, an iron gorse, a scraper and a pestle. That said, a weapon that looked very much like a rake was actually used equally a function of Chinese warfare at one signal.
In a Single Bound: Wukong can travel "108,000 li" in a single backflip. ^note That's about 35,000 to 45,000 kilometres depending on what definition y'all use for "li", an aboriginal Chinese unit of length that has varied considerably over the centuries. For comparison, the length of the equator is almost 40,000 km. It'due south basically hyperbole for "a very long distance" and 108 is a meaning number in Buddhism, considering it'due south a multiple of nine.
Indy Ploy: What Sun Wukong normally does after Xuanzang gets kidnapped again, only his go off like he's actually Crazy-Prepared. At one point, Sun Wukong lampshades this, by explaining to another graphic symbol the structure of a typical adventure episode.
Informed Ability: Tripitaka'due south much-vaunted holiness is undercut by his tendency to tell footling lies, how hands he tin be swayed by Bajie, his readiness to torture Sun Wukong, and the fact that his Buddhist stoicism breaks down any time he thinks his journey might exist delayed. He as well stops request his disciples not to kill after the kickoff couple of times. Allegorical equally he represents the normal person and their struggle between human being nature and enlightenment.
Jerkass Gods:
- Sun Wukong, before his imprisonment, literally beats up, steals from, and terrorizes near everyone he meets. He scares a Dragon God to such an extent that he gives Wukong the nail belongings the Milky Fashion in place just to get him out of his house. He gets improve... sort of.
- Later on they collect the scriptures, the Buddha's servants hand over a bunch of blank scrolls after realising that the pilgrims didn't bring any gifts, although Buddha does comment that blank scriptures like them are true scriptures. Zen, eh?
- While Xuanzang and co. were being flown back to Red china by the Eight Vajrapanis, Guanyin asked how many ordeals they had suffered on their way to him. After finding out information technology was 80, she decided to take them go through another i because they were one curt of the number required to reach the truth, and as soon equally the Vajrapanis hear of the command they instantly drop the group where they are.
- All the gods in the series, to some extent, are this. They know total well that they tin subdue all the monsters on Earth and salvage countless humans, nevertheless they refuse to do so. It'due south only when the monsters get in Xuanzang's manner that they determine to have action. The fact that many monsters were formerly their pets, and only became monsters because they failed to incorporate them increases their moral failing. Sort of excused by saying that Heaven orchestrated this whole journey for Xuanzang, and fabricated sure there were enough demons along the manner to claiming him. But Heaven tin can as well just be cruel in general...
- In i story, a kingdom had been suffering under a heavy drought for years, because the king once had an argument with his wife and he got so mad he overturned the table of offerings for Heaven onto the floor. And then he let the dogs clean it upward. To respond this double insult, Heaven organized for a mountain of rice, a mountain of flour, and a padlock hanging above a single lamp. Until this one chicken ate all the rice, and 1 dog licked up all the flour, AND the padlock finally melted, Heaven would not grant rain to the kingdom.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Wukong, after he was stuck under a rock for a few centuries, is so grateful to Xuanzang that he swears everlasting loyalty (though Xuanzang, beingness a monk, doesn't approve of Wukong'southward more tearing problem solving methods).
Only Eat Him: Some larger devils try to get rid of Sun Wukong by swallowing him. They end upwards with an awful instance of stomach ache to say the least. In some stories Wukong realizes how effective his threats are when he says them inside someone'southward stomach, so he actively finds means to go swallowed in social club to rescue Xuanzang.
Killer Rabbit: Fifty-fifty a goldfish tin plough into a fearsome ogre. To make it worse, information technology was one of Guanyin's goldfish, and the demon had been forcing the village to sacrifice small children for him to consume once a year.
Kilroy Was Here: Wukong leaves his proper noun (and piss) on what he thinks is a mighty pillar when trying to escape from Buddha'south grasp. Nope, those were Buddha's fingers. It's an allegory.
Knight Templar: Dominicus Wukong tin can be like this when it comes to dealing with demons and bandits, all of whom he sees as evil monsters who casualty on the weak (peculiarly those who desire to swallow Xuanzang). This is nigh notably seen during the White Os Demon and the Doppelgänger chapters. In some adaptations, Xuanzong kicks Wukong out not because of what he did (like killing an innocent human which was actually a demon in disguise or a group of bandits), simply because of his Knight Templarish attitude.
Let'southward You and Him Fight: Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing each fight Sunday Wukong before discovering that they're on the aforementioned side. So they each surrender their demon lifestyle and become one of Xuanzang's disciples.
Last of His Kind: The 6-eared Macaque. Then Wukong makes sure the species is extinct.
Living Forever Is Crawly: There are no finish to mortals who 'cultivated their deport' and/or 'refined their spirit' to become immortal and love information technology. The Wuzhuang temple has a customs of immortals because of a ginsheng tree that produces life extending fruit and are extremely protective of it. The Jade Emperor has immortality-granting peaches and immortality wine, and Laozi tin brand immortality pills. Wukong manages to consume a surprising amount of all of these things.
- Many yaoguai are either secretly minor immortals or immortal creatures, or are animals that have cultivated their conduct and begun working towards enlightenment.
MacGuffin: The Iii Baskets scriptures in the Thunder Monastery are the reason for the pilgrimage.
Fabricated of Indestructium: Wukong survived beingness thrown into a brazier filled with samadhi burn, said to be able to kill immortals and gods, for 49 days! That he had previously gorged himself on the Peaches of Immortality, the Elixir of Immortality, and the Pills of Immortality helped. In fact, all the fire did (having originally been used to produce the immortality medicines) was cause them to harden inside his body, making him not simply immortal but Fabricated of Diamond as well. The smoke of the fire likewise afflicted Wukong'southward eyes, granting him the ability to meet through illusions, disguises and transformations. Some versions of the story all the same state that Wukong survived because he stood in the currents of air current fabricated by the fanning of the servants to keep the fire going. Either way, Heaven really screwed itself over big time.
Mister Seahorse: Although information technology was averted before something actually happened, there is a section of the novel (offset in affiliate 53) nearly Sun Wukong going to retrieve a pregnancy antidote because Zhu Bajie and Xuanzang unknowingly drank magical pregnancy-inducing river water flowing through a town filled with nothing merely women. Wukong then has to fight a demon that'south been hoarding the magical abortion h2o to himself, before Bajie and Xuanzang have to requite birth.
Morphic Resonance: An extreme case — although his 72 transformations include many perfectly shaped animal disguises, Sun Wukong tin can only turn his head into that of a human and must muffle the rest of his trunk. His tail also comically never seems to cooperate with the transformations.
Munchkin: Sunday Wukong's abilities are utterly over the top.
- Small list of examples: Flight on either a magical deject or by turning somersaults that propel him several tens of thousands of miles with each plow, irresolute into 72 dissimilar shapes, being able to modify his hairs into different shapes (such as dozens of miniature versions of himself to help fight), meet through illusions of all sorts, Super Force, can't die due to a mixture of having crossed himself out of the Book of the Dead and eating immortality substances before existence baked in a divine furnace, and is able to see for miles. And then there are his abilities to see through illusions, disguises and transformations, manipulate the current of air, part the waters, create barriers, summon gods, walk through burn unharmed, survive underwater, pass through metal and rock, walk on Solid Clouds, freeze any kind of creature, including demons and gods, or make them fall asleep, have horses mind to his every whim, larn new spells with only a few glances and the bare minimum of pedagogy and open whatsoever lock. Wukong besides has great knowledge of medicine and his 72 transformations actually allow him to have the form of anyone and anything, including growing extra torso parts and transforming other objects by spitting his blood on it. Wukong tin go as far every bit turning objects into living beings and then using them as puppets (though they lack souls. Motility and spoken communication needs to be programmed into them). Add in Wukong'south indestructibility plus his ability to wing across the Earth with a single somersault and you lot've got the near bizarre/awesome set of powers in archetype literature.
- In one instance, Wukong acts as a traditional Chinese medicine doctor and takes a male monarch's pulse and diagnosis, in another room, with only some thread tied to the king'due south wrist. The diagnosis was heartache and astringent constipation. In another example, Wukong puts out a burn happening miles away by taking a glass of wine and throwing it behind him.
- This is partly considering Chinese mythology largely does not accept specific hardline rules regarding powers. Some deities take specialties, just very few specific limits and even less regard for rules similar physics. The overarching theme is that Sky nonetheless holds all the cards, and you are merely a pawn on Heaven's chessboard. You can't fight destiny or change your fate. Every bit a political allegory, Wukong is refreshing as a character with the ability to come across the truth and the forcefulness to meet it through, no matter how powerful the college authority is or how restrictive the course hierarchy is. It'south a novel concept for a culture deeply steeped in Confucianism'south thought of don't rock the gunkhole.
Nepotism: Why the Black River God couldn't get the celestial bureaucracy to kick out Tuolong/Kid Croc later on he usurped the river. Ironically, Tuolong's uncle, the Western Dragon King Ao Run was very not okay with said usurpation.
Non-Activeness Guy: Xuanzang does nada merely pray and complain and despair. Ironically, his ix-ringed staff is a khakkhara, which monks tin apply to fight with. He does not use it to fight.
Not in This for Your Revolution: The other main characters are all spring to Xuanzang out of duty rather than personal choice to begin with. Though all three, to varying degrees, come to genuinely intendance near the monk as a father-figure.
Not Quite Flight: Wukong travels via very, very powerful jumping. Either that or riding on a cloud.
I-Homo Regular army: During the journey, Wukong is able to fight and defeat simply about every Mook, Aristocracy Mook and the fricking Dragon of the Heavens, each said to fight similar a god himself. Earlier that, he fought the heavenly regular army of 100,000 potent at the aforementioned time, ripped through heaven'south greatest champions and non but survived every single thing they could throw at him, just HE GOT Even STRONGER. By the fourth dimension he was punished by the Buddha, he was on the brink of really becoming the Emperor of Heaven himself.
Merely the Called May Wield: The Dragon Male monarch of the Eastern Ocean has in his armory a slice of magic atomic number 26 that was used to mensurate the depth of the Milky way. Information technology is 20 anxiety long and as thick as a butt. No ane can lift it. And then one mean solar day it begins to glow, and soon Wukong arrives seeking a weapon. He picks up the rod and tells it to become smaller: it shrinks to fit him (but is yet as thick as a rice bowl and weighs many thousand pounds). He can get it to exist any size he wants, and when not in use, he reduces it to the size of a needle and stores it in his ear.
Only Y'all Can Repopulate My Race: During a hilarious incident in a kingdom entirely populated by women. They can reproduce without him via a magic bound, just they understandably want men too. Poor, poor Xuanzang...
Our Dragons Are Different: Probably they're the least dangerous type of demons met past Sun Wukong.
- It may too be culture daze for some to see the Dragon Kings talk and act like regular people, including having pretty human-looking wives. Generally they are depicted every bit standing upright, wearing richly-made silk robes, and participating in Sky'southward bureaucracy.
- Xuanzang rides one, afterwards the dragon submits to being made into a horse as penance for his errors. The dragon is also a prince, and similar the other dragons, can turn into a human.
Our Vampires Are Dissimilar: The Lady of the Earth Flow is actually the spirit of an albino bat/rat, dual wields swords and has a fleck of Horny Devils too.
Out of Focus: As one DeviantArt user said, "No one likes you, Yu Lung. Not fifty-fifty your dad." The author fifty-fifty seems to occasionally forget he's non a real horse and what few moments of action he does are just because Wukong's gone and everyone else has been captured. He also never gets an actual proper name, and is simply referred to past dissimilar nicknames.
Paper Fan of Doom: The Banana Leaf Fan, which manipulates fire. The aptly named Atomic number 26 Fan Princess wields a magical fan which can Blow You Abroad.
Playing with Fire: Several examples, including the Aureate Horned King'southward Banana Leaf Fan, Red Boy'south Samadhi of Burn and a magical bell which tin can summon flames.
Plot Hole: Early on, Stone Monkey and a bunch of other monkeys observe a palace in a cavern backside a waterfall. The palace has bowls of nutrient, plates, and beds, only no actual inhabitants. Rather than ponder who built this palace and where the inhabitants went, thy just set upward shop in there themselves. Fortunately for them nobody ever comes dwelling to boot them out.
Purple Prose: It'southward not purple prose, information technology'due south friggin' purple poesy , but descriptive asides peppering the novel defy any other definition. It gets downright florid when they reach Thorn Ridge and Xuanzang takes function in substantially a freestyle poetry jam with some magical sentient human-looking trees. One is an female person apricot tree that tries to seduce him after he'due south shown off his superior poetry skills.
Physical God: Ironically, The Buddha matches this much, much better than the gods themselves. This is every bit much a translation result than annihilation else as Eastern gods aren't really equivalent to the Western thought of such.
Quest to the W: The whole premise and reason for the novel is Xuanzang has to bring the holy Three Baskets sutras from India, and he needs protection and help on the manner, opening the manner to a lot of wacky hijinks. This iv-people quest format has led to a lot of adaptations and loosely inspired works, such as Inuyasha.
Rage Against the Heavens: Sun Wukong takes on the Celestial Bureaucracy single-handed... and almost wins.
Redemption Quest: The whole reason Sunday Wukong and the other bodyguards go on the quest is to earn redemption for past crimes.
Remember When You Blew Up a Sun?: Any given story arc has a good chance of someone mentioning how Monkey trashed Sky 500 years ago.
Restraining Bolt: Sun Wukong has a circlet effectually his head which contracts if Xuanzang chants a sutra and is near often used when Wukong goes on a There Is No Kill Like Overkill rampage. Rather hilariously, his demon companions trick Xuanzang into saying the word every adventure they get. It becomes especially relevant to the plot when dealing with the Evil Twin.
- Allegorical as Wukong represents Xuanzang'due south mind and an enlightened mind. In that location are times when Xuanzang doesn't believe Wukong is telling the truth and punishes him by giving him magical migraines, thus showing that Xuanzang isn't enlightened yet.
Rhino Rampage: The three rhinoceros kings near the end. The Rhinoceros Male monarch, despite his name and unmarried horn, is actually a bull.
Running Gag: Whenever Xuanzang is in trouble, Zhu Bajie suggests that he, Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing should share out the luggage and go back to where they came from.
Seductive Spider: The series spider-demoness and her cronies, shapeshifting spider-women who tries to seduce Tripitaka into giving up his quest and submitting under their order. Their default forms are behemothic spiders, while there are adaptations that depicts them as the classical half-woman half-spider seductress.
Shapeshifter Showdown:
- Early on in the story, Sun Wukong transforms himself to escape the god Erlang. However, Erlang'southward magical third middle gives him an advantage, as no affair what grade Wukong takes, Erlang tin run across through the disguise and transform into an appropriate predator. Wukong tries to brand a last escape by disguising himself as a temple, but Erlang catches him and ultimately brings the Monkey King to Sky for trial.
- During the journeying itself, Sunday Wukong engages in some other such battle against the Balderdash Demon Rex. It climaxes with the Bull Demon King turning into his true course, a jumbo white bull, and Wukong making himself gigantic in plough. The ensuing Behemoth Battle proves so intense that the gods take to arbitrate and aid Sun Wukong subdue the Bull Demon Male monarch for skilful.
Shapeshifting Seducer:
- Transforming into a beautiful woman is 1 of the about common tactics employed past the demons that Tripitaka's group encounters in order to eat the buddhist monk.
- Sun Wukong does this several times besides, transforming into the wives of several demons in society to trick them into lowering their guard.
Side Quest: Take a drink every time Wukong and company become sidetracked because 1) Xuanzang got kidnapped and/or 2) the locals are existence menaced by a demon.
- Take a drink everytime Wukong or someone else mentions his past disharmonize with Sky, or whenever Bajie is complaining or existence lazy.
Spell My Name with an "Southward": Lord's day Wukong's teacher, Bodhi/Bhuti/Subhuti/Xuputi.
Spotlight-Stealing Team: Thy proper name is Sun Wukong.
Stock Shout-Out: The modus operandi of many Eastward Asian artists seems to be: "When really, really, really stumped for ideas, nick them from Journeying To The W."
Stock Wushu Weapons: About all the immortals and monsters encountered are experts of martial arts to varying extents. When they aren't Improbable Weapon User (rakes, pestles, triangular canes...), they tend to wield the appropriate weapons, including sabers, polearms, spears and axes. Curiously enough, there are only two istances in the novel where Lord's day Wukong and his opponent actually engange in proper weaponless kung fu.
Stupid Good: Every time a demon disguises itself as a human in peril, yous can wager your donkey that Xuanzang will insist on helping said disguised demon. Despite knowing that demons can take homo form, and that Wukong can see through their disguises, Xuanzang gladly ignores Wukong's advice considering he's just that compassionate of a guy. Only one time in the entire volume, in one of the later chapters, does he consider that Wukong might be right... simply to revert back to Stupid Good when the demon (disguised every bit a child) puts on the puppy dog eyes. This is justified by the very fact that he is suppose to exist a really good Buddhist monk. It wouldn't be specially Buddhist to be selectively compassionate and simply help the people he wants to help.
Summon Bigger Fish: Every bit powerful as Sun Wukong and his companions are, occasionally they run across threats beyond their ability to deal with. Frequently, they have to become help from Guan Yin, Buddha, or other gods to aid subdue the demons they are fighting. Or, very occasionally, the horse, when the author actually remembers that said horse is a transformed dragon. This likewise lets the author practise immortal cameos with Nezha and other important deities.
Supernaturally Succulent and Nutritious: Xuanzang is considered a "super food" by demons because of his high degree of holiness.
Superpower Lottery:
- Sun Wukong most won it, if non for the fact that he's most useless in water.
- Among his opponents there'south the Rhinoceros King, whose ring tin suck in every single weapon you use confronting him, including Sun Wukong'due south rod, the weaponry of a whole ground forces of gods and an army of flame beasts.
Have That!: Some scholars believe that the work is one against the decadent regime at the fourth dimension.
That'southward No Moon!: Those weren't pillars that Wukong vandalized, those were Budda'south fingers!
This Was His True Form: Inverted — Many of the antagonists are wild animals that have learned to mimic human grade (the Chinese version of the henge described on the obake page); they revert to their true form when killed.
Too Dumb to Live: Xuanzang is incapable of seeing through the disguises of the demons that kidnap him. It's understandable since he's a homo, but you would think later the first few times of his blindness getting him kidnapped and almost raped or eaten he would wise up and listen when Sunday Wukong and the others tell him not to trust the distressing looking stranger seeking their assistance.
Touched by Vorlons: Whatsoever animal within earshot of a practicing Taoist or Buddhist whether the religious figure intends it or non volition proceeds some degree of the same powers as the travelers.
- This is what led to the incident with the Scorpion-Adult female, as fifty-fifty Buddha and Guanyin didn't want a damn matter to do with her.
- The Dragon-Horse fifty-fifty points this out when the group needs his piss to make a medicine; even if he pisses in a stream, the fish will turn into dragons.
The Trickster: Sun Wukong, the stray and rebellious monkey, is China'due south nearly well-known trickster.
True Sight: Wukong, as an unforeseen side effect of trying to melt him down in Lao Tzu's furnace, gained the ability to run into through illusions.
Unusual Euphemism: Whenever accosted by beautiful women on his quest, Xuanzang's admirers offer to unite the male to the female.
Very Loosely Based on a True Story: The historical journey of Xuanzang to India - except he mostly did the entire affair himself, occasionally with a handful of homo assistants. Real Xuanzang is as well a badass: When he left he defied the emperor's society that no i leave the kingdom and snuck out, therefore putting himself at risk for decapitation. The Buddhist Sutras he brought back and translated became the footing for East Asian Buddhism, and his detailed records almost his journey and what he saw became the foundation for historians' agreement of the Silk Route.
Vow of Celibacy: Xuanzang has a considerable number of opportunities to refuse the celibacy that is expected of him, including several offers from supernatural sources, but he doesn't do so.
Weapons That Suck: Several examples, including the Ruby Gourd and Jade Pot (which both melt the victim), the Vajura Ring (which can suck and snatch every weapon, flame or danger effectually), the Human Bag (which sucks people within it) and finally, the most dangerous one, the Yin Yang Pot, which destroys whoever'due south inside it with flames, serpents and dragons.
Nosotros Want Our Jerk Back!/Nosotros Cannot Go On Without You: Happens each time Wukong gets expelled from the group (or quits himself).
What Mensurate Is a Not-Human?: Zigzagged depending on the story arc. Killing humans is always very bad but the demons that kidnap Xuanzang are more probable to be imprisoned/reformed than killed. Guanyin outright says this trope to Wukong after i of his numerous freakouts as even innocent Half-Human Hybrid children are fair game but when subduing Red Male child/Boy Sage Male monarch she fabricated sure to clear out every insect, bird and reptile inside a hundred miles so they wouldn't be caught in the flood she released. When Red Male child makes some other appearence, he lives on her isle and has done a Heel–Face up Turn cheers to her.
The Worf Result:
- Wukong and the Panthera leo Rex take backstories of defeating big angelic armies alone.
- Bajie and Wujing only exist to get the crap beaten out of them to testify that Wukong needs to swoop in and salvage the solar day again.
- Equally commonly is that Wukong is beaten besides and needs to fall back on greater Divine Intervention. Even then, some enemies like the Bull Demon King and the 1-Horned Male monarch even so give trouble to divine reinforcements.
Younger Mentor, Older Disciple: Tang Sanzang is a mortal monk in his twenties or thirties at oldest, while his iii disciples are all immortal demigods who are centuries former, with Sun Wukong being over 500 years old due to his imprisonment under a mountain every bit penalty.
Zerg Rush: Wukong tin create numerous clones of himself. A Zerg Blitz of Wukong clones is nil to sneeze at. This doesn't work with the Yellow Wind demon (who blows the clones away like harbinger) and the Gold Horned Rex and Red Boy (who both torch the clones into oblivion). Otherwise they can exist frighteningly effective, equally every Wukong flies effectually wielding the same staff he does.

Sun Wukong, The Monkey King

As Red states, Sunday Wukong, The Monkey King, is the most love character from the whole of the Journey to The West, having been homaged and referenced throughout countless media. Which makes it a surprise to many, that he isn't actually the main protagonist of the text.

Example of:
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