7 Best Anime Inspired By Journey To The West, Ranked

Journey to the West is a medieval Chinese novel that dates from the 16th Century but is set in the 7th Century, and features characters and places drawn from history and ancient Chinese legend. Written by Wu Cheng’en, it’s one of the most popular books in the world and has inspired countless modern adaptations in the form of movies, books, comics, and anime. The video game Black Myth: Wukong, which is currently making a big impact in the entertainment world, is yet another example of this story’s continuing popularity.

Plenty of anime use some of the elements from Journey to the West as part of their setting, storyline, or heroes. There’s a wide range of genres and types of anime based on this novel, with some only making references to it while others are intended to be full adaptations.

7 Gokū no Daibōken

Comedy, Fantasy, And Demons

• Directed By: Gisaburô Sugii
• Produced By: Eichi Kawabata
• Studio: Mushi Productions
• Release Date: January 7, 1967

Gokū no Daibōken is notable for several reasons, starting with its historic place as one of the earliest Japanese animated shows to make it overseas, although the localizations were confined to Europe as opposed to North America. The anime follows the same basic storyline as the novel and includes Goku as one of the guardians intended to guide the monk Xuanzang to India.

The show is also entitled Adventures of the Monkey King and Goku’s Great Adventures, depending on the localization. Although it never made it Stateside back in the day, the show is currently available for those interested in classic and vintage anime.

6 Sci-Fi West Saga Starzinger

A Creative Futuristic Adaptation

• Directed By: Yugo Serikawa
• Written By: Tatsuo Tamura, Mitsuru Majima, Sukehiro Tomita
• Studio: Toei Animation
• Release Date: April 2, 1978

Instead of a historical adaptation of the novel, a popular method of interpreting Journey To the West is through a futuristic or fantasy lens. Known as Spaceketeers in the United States, this series included the same character dynamics and search for a sacred MacGuffin, but takes place in a far-distant future time.

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Instead of a monk, the main character is a princess, and her three guardians are based on the ones from the novel. The most powerful of the three, and the story’s protagonist, is Jan Kugo, who is heavily based on The Monkey King.

5 Monkey Typhoon

A Mixed Media Project That Combines Fantasy, Action, And Comedy

• Directed By: Mamoru Hamatsu
• Written By: Hiroshi Hashimoto, Rika Nakase, Shin Kibayashi
• Studio: Studio Egg
• Release Date: October 1, 2002

Based on the original manga by Jōji Arimori, the saga of Monkey Typhoon also consists of 52 animated episodes and can also be found under the original Japanese name, Assobot Robot Goku. The series involves a futuristic setting that includes robots, making the original title more descriptive than the English translation.

Instead of searching for Buddhist scriptures, the main character, Goku, who happens to be a first-gen “assobot” with certain specific powers and monkey-like features, is tasked with searching for the 49 Keys of the Apocalypse. Being a trickster, his real goal is the treasure that’s hidden in the same place as the keys.

4 Alakazam The Great

A Vintage Adaptation From Early Toei

• Directed By: Taiji Yabushita and Daisaku Shirakawa
• Written By: Keinosuke Uekusa
• Studio: Toei Doga
• Release Date: August 14, 1960

One of the first full-length animated movies to make it to the United States from Japan, Alakazam the Great is an interpretation of the novel that makes Goku the hero and leaves out the details regarding the Buddhist relics. Instead, it follows Goku’s rise to the kingship of the Monkey Tribe and how he becomes arrogant, and even tyrannical, only to learn some important lessons and change his ways.

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Goku is never really a villain, but a mischief-maker and playful thief, which is how he’s depicted in most Chinese mythology and the novel Journey To the West. The Monkey King uses his cleverness and ingenuity to defeat demons, escape his bondage, and return to his subjects.

3 Shinzo

The Human Race Is The Relic That Must Be Saved

• Directed By: Tetsuo Imazawa
• Written By: Mayori Sekijima
• Studio: Toei Animation
• Release Date: February 5, 2000

For those anime fans who like elaborate stories with immersive lore and complex settings, Shinzo is an ideal choice. In Japanese, the show is known as Mushrambo, but the English version of the show is named after a mysterious sanctuary, hidden somewhere on Earth, a location that is the key to restoring the planet’s original inhabitants, human beings.

It’s a clever twist to switch out the ancient Buddhist texts with human beings, but that’s not the only similarity. The character of Mushra, one of the three figures that guards and guides the main character, isn’t a monkey, but retains the features of a staff as a weapon and the distinctive golden headband.

2 Gensomaden Saiyuki

A Unique Dystopian Interpretation

• Directed By: Hayato Date
• Written By: Katsuyuki Sumisawa
• Studio: Pierrot
• Release Date: April 4, 2000

“Go Into The West” is the name of the very first episode of this anime series, so it’s clear they aren’t exactly being subtle about using Journey to the West as their source material. The setting is the fantasy paradise of Shangri-La, which has been disturbed by a wave of negative energy, rising evil spirits, and vicious monsters. A Priest named Sanzo is ordered by the Celestial Heavens to travel to India and discover what has happened and how to fix it.

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Sanzo is obviously intended to be the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang, and naturally, he’s joined as usual by three companions, one of which is Son Goku. The show was popular enough to prompt a full-length movie and a remake, Saiyuki Reloaded.

1 Dragon Ball

Humor And Mythology Evolved Into A Franchise

The full name of the Monkey King in Journey to the West is Sun Wukong. In Japanese, the pronunciation is Son Goku, and thus we have the name of our iconic protagonist in Dragon Ball. Goku also has a tail, uses a staff, and flies around on a cloud, all powers that Sun Wukong also has.

The plot of Journey to the West is about a Buddhist monk who is charged with finding ancient religious texts in India and taking their knowledge back to China. The initial season of Dragon Ball is about Goku and his friends seeking out the magical Dragon Balls. Not as many fans are familiar with the first season of this popular series, which is a science-fiction and fantasy comedy as opposed to the action anime that it evolved into for its second season.

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