Despite the obvious differences and endless comparisons, manga’s fierce rivals Dragon ball, NarutoAnd A piece shared inspiration and common ideas in Ton Ngo Khong – can’t hold back King of the monkey The main character in the Chinese epic Journey to the West. It’s a connection that not only marks Monkey King’s indelible influence on the Shonen Jump manga series, but also makes the titles much more similar than their fandoms might realize.
Journey to the West is a 16th-century Chinese novel attributed to Wu Cheng’en. It is one of the greatest allegories of human civilization and a classic tale of heroes, demons and gods widely known in China – the country of its origin. – and Japan as well as King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in the West. Furthermore, just as King Arthur serves as a constant source of inspiration for the Western comic book industry, Journey to the West is one of the most insightful sources of content for Japanese comics. This is best demonstrated by the influence the story has had on three of the most iconic and influential manga series in the history of the industry. While Sun Wukong’s influence on Son Goku in Dragon Ball is pretty obvious and well known, fans will be surprised to learn that the Monkey King also has his paws in Luffy and Naruto.
The adventure of Sun Wukong is the journey of the quintessential hero
Journey to the West is about Sun Wukong, an extremely powerful being with a seriously mischievous streak who, believing himself invincible, decides to invite himself to Heaven. Though powerful, the gods were never truly challenged in their own homes. That proves their downfall as Wukong uses every trick in the book to overcome their abilities. In the end, the gods called on Guanyin for help, who quickly neutralized Sun Wukong and placed a mountain above his head to prevent him from escaping. Hoping that Sun Wukong would use the time trapped to reflect on his crimes, Guanyin ordered that he be trapped in the mountains until a “pure” spirit found him. ta and teach him what is essentially humility.
After 500 years, monk Duong Than accidentally met Sun Wukong. Sent by the Emperor to retrieve sacred Buddhist texts from India, the purity of Tang Shen elevated Quan Yin’s command. However, instead of being released unconditionally, Wukong’s freedom is only guaranteed if he can help Tang Than successfully complete his journey. So the quest of the hero Monkey King begins. Along the way, he cultivates and improves his impressive abilities by protecting Tang Shen. But most importantly, he learned the humility, patience, kindness, and diligence that Quan Yin believes he has always possessed. During this journey, Sun Wukong is tasked with overcoming countless dangers, temptations, and sadness. Of course, he also gets into a lot of fights. So the story provides a profoundly rich amount of content that manga creators can and draw ideas to use in their work.
Dragon Ball’s Goku is the Monkey King
The influence of the Monkey King on Dragon Ball is evident from the very first page of the story. “Son Goku” is a literal Japanese translation of Sun Wukong’s name Sun Wukong. There is also the fact that although both can fly, they originally rode a magical cloud. However, the effects don’t stop there. Like Wukong, Goku is also a primate with near-invincible power to wreak havoc. Indeed, the frenzied, uncontrollable and frenzied attacks that Goku performs in his Great Ape form are similar to the insane and unstoppable rage Wukong in Heaven made him we’re in trouble. The magical staff that Goku uses early in his adventure is also inspired by the Jingu Bang used by the Monkey King.
There is also Goku’s slow but steady process of “enlightenment”. No fan can deny that Goku has matured a lot in his adventures and he is a very different character in Dragon Ball Super than in Dragon Ball. Every battle, every defeat, and every success allows him to unlock another level of mental toughness that manifests in his various forms of “power-ups”. These developments mirror the Monkey King’s similar progression throughout his journey from a smug but kind bully to a serious, caring fighter.
Naruto’s shinobi share power with the Monkey King
Although the Monkey King’s influence on Naruto is not as obvious as it is with Dragon Ball, it is still an important element of the story. However, rather than focusing on one character, its most obvious focus is on abilities and skills. One of the Monkey King’s most powerful abilities is loosely translated as “golden eye of fire and smoke”. It is a special visual power that allows the Monkey King to see miles away, as well as through the various transformations, illusions, and disguises of the monsters, ghosts, and spirits he encounters on his journey. In Naruto, the Monkey King’s visual powers are depicted in the coveted Dojutsu abilities of some Shinobi. Like the Monkey King, Dojutsu abilities in Naruto are incredibly powerful abilities that make the holder nearly invincible.
Another basic ability that the Monkey King often uses to defeat enemies or get out of difficult situations is the ability to create over 80,000 copies of himself, with each clone being a complete clone – including including his trusty weapon – the original. In Naruto, this ability is described in the Shadow Clone Technique. Like the replicant powers of the Monkey King, Shadow Clone Technique allows users to create physical clones that are practically exact copies of the user, and it has become one of the most iconic features of the game. most iconic of the Naruto series.
One Piece’s vast adventures re-imagine Sun Wukong’s journey to the West
The easiest way to see the Monkey King’s influence on One Piece is through the main character, who like Dragon Ball’s Goku is literally named after him. But there’s more to it than just his name. Monkey D. Luffy’s mischievous, fun-loving attitude even when faced with life-or-death situations is typical of the Monkey King. While wreaking havoc in Heaven, the Monkey King also ate a bunch of Immortality Peaches, which may have been one of the inspirations behind One Piece’s Devil Fruits. In addition to extending life to anyone who eats them, Immortal Peaches can also grant a series of extraordinary abilities such as the power of flight and eternal youth, and eating them makes the Monkey King even stronger .
Perhaps the most profound influence of the Monkey King on One Piece is most evident in Luffy’s years-long treasure hunt. It is a journey to the promised land that reflects Monkey’s years-long expedition with Tang Shen to retrieve sacred Buddhist texts. In either case, the exact location of the destination is unknown so Luffy and the Monkey King must find it along the way. Furthermore, while the journeys begin with just Sun Wukong and Tang Chen in Journey to the West and Luffy in One Piece, they meet and befriend many different people – often after fighting them – who who eventually become trusted friends and key members of the expedition.
Sun Wukong’s influence on Manga is spreading more and more
It should be noted that the influence of the Monkey King is not unique to Shueisha’s manga, but is a common feature found throughout the manga and anime industries. There are many manga by Kodansha – another major manga publisher in Japan – that are heavily influenced by King of the monkey. Indeed, if his influence is strong in the manga that is known and loved by many people like Dragon ball, NarutoAnd A piecelater inspired countless other works, there’s really no telling how far Sun Wukong and J have gone.Ourney to the WestThe industry’s influence on the industry actually increased.
