>Opinions | The Legend of the Monkey King

Originally Posted 05/2003 by Jeff Harris

Almost everybody under the sun has heard of Son Goku, the hero of Akira Toriyama's popular manga and anime series Dragonball. Everybody knows about how this young boy filled with goodness, with a tail, great strength, and a pole that extends beyond the heavens and how he grew to become the Earth's greatest savior, protecting the planet from the likes of The Red Ribbon Army, Piccolo, Raditz, Vegeta, Freeza, the Androids, Cell, and Majin Buu. However, his story was inspired by the exploits of another hero named Son Goku, the Monkey King.

And he's not the only character in animation and comics to find inspiration from that story.

Various projects from the cartoony Monkey Magic and Alakazam the Great to the urban detective Midnight Eye Goku to the exploits of StarZinger to Kevin Lau's Xin to the bishonen du jour Saiyuki have all found inspiration from the story that spawned Son Goku, Saiyuki (Journey To the West).

What is this journey all about? I'll explain the myth and the real event that inspired the myth.

Now, go here or else I'll encase you in a stone in a mountain.