Majin Planet

Xi You Ji also known as Journey to the West, is the story of a monk by the name of Tang Seng. During the seventh century, Tang Seng was sent from China to India by his brother the emperor to get a collection of Buddhist bibles. He faced many dangers along the way but finally reached India, returned and the 'Jing' or Gold (the bibles were priceless) and they currently reside in the giant Pagoda in Central Xi An, which is now open to tourists. Journey to the West isn't the true story but it's based on Tang Seng going from China to India in 629AD to 646AD, adding many mythical areas to the story and it has become one of the most loved stories in Chinese history. The main characters in Journey to the West are Tang Seng; "Sun Wukong" and "Sha Seng"(Sand Monk).

Akira Toriyama was inspired by the story to create what became known as Dragonball. In Journey to the West, a character known as Sun Wukong "Monkey" inspired the character that we all came to know and love, Son Goku or simply Goky (in the U.S.A.). This is why Goku had a tail and is able to transform into a giant monkey. As when the manga started it wasn't set for Goku to be a saiyan sent to Earth. That was added in part 2 much later that is known as Dragonball Z.

In the story Journey to the West, Sun Wukong had an expanding staff and a cloud that he would fly around on. In Dragonball Goku is given the power pole from his adoptive grandfather Gohan while in Journey to the West he is given the Ruyi Jingu Bang from the Dragon King. The nimbus cloud is also base off a cloud, but unlike Journey to the West, Goku rides it most of Dragonball while Sun Wukong walked mostly.

Sun Wukong and Son Goku are totally different when it comes to their personality. Goku, as a child is very naive and innocent, good-hearted. He always wants to protect and help others. Sun Wukong is very clever and sky. His greatest shortcoming is his tremendous hubris. With his immense strength, he had no problem rebelling against Heaven and declaring himself, "The Great Sage Equaling Heaven." However he is not evil, but instead simply highly arrogant and self-assured.

Like most literary characters whose fatal flaw is pride, Monkey is punished for his actions. After spending five hundred years trapped beneath a mountain with nothing to eat or drink, he has a chance to redeem himself by assisting the Buddhist Priest Sanzang on his journey to the west to fetch scriptures from Buddha. In an early brush-in with bandits, Sun Wukong kills all of them without a thought. Over the course of the journey, however, he gradually begins to restrain himself and purges himself of his initial propensity towards evil.

In Dragonball we learn that Goku too has a sort of dual good/evil personality when he transforms into a mindless giant ape by the moon's light. I'm sure this ideas came from the same place. Goku also changes and is more like Sun Wukong when he first transforms into a Super Saiyan.

The character of Sanzang can be seen as more or less like Bulma from Dragonball. Given that a self center girl and a pious monk have almost nothing in common, upon a closer look they do. First thing, they're usually the only human amongst their non-human followers. Secondly, they set off on their journey alone and recruit these non-human followers along the way. Remember that Bulma meets Goku because he has a Dragon Ball that she wants. Another trait that Bulma and Sanzang share is their helplessness.

They depend on Goku and Sun Wukong to save them every time they're in danger. A recurring sight in Journey to the West is Sun Wukong having to rescue a sobbing Sanzang who's been stripped naked and tied by demons who want to gain immortality by eating his flesh. Pilaf, a villain from Dragonball who wants the Dragon Balls to take over the world, is likely to have been based on the numerous power-hungry demons from Journey to the West. Lastly, both Bulma and Sanzang are bossy and not always likable as characters. Bulma is prone to yelling, while Sanzang nags his disciples and exhorts them not to be so bad.

In both stories, a pig serves as a comic foil to the protagonist Sun Wukong. As you can guess, this is Oolong. Complaining, cowardly, and lazy, he is modelled closely on Pig from Journey to the West. Both are the butt of jokes, and both get their groups in trouble. To their credit, they do help out, but these occasions are few and far. Usually it's their ability to do transformations that allow them to be of use. Pig is mightier than Oolong. With his nine-pronged rake, he's strong enough to do battle with demons. Additionally, he's an excellent swimmer. When Sanzang and Sun Wukong first encounter him, he's a monster terrorizing villagers. Oolong was doing the same when Bulma and Goku run into him. Cheng'en and Toriyama acknowledge the expression "chauvinist pig" by their portrayal of the lust of both Pig and Oolong. On several occasions, Pig is tempted by pleasures of the flesh, and he always succumbs, though it always turns out to work against him. Oolong too is boorish. Besides being a peeping tom, he has a panty fetish.

Within Dragonball there are lot more examples of Journey to the West. One case for instance, is when the path to a Dragon Ball is blocked by a blazing fire. Ox King is introduced at this point. The fire and Ox King are lifted straight out of Journey to the West, except that the original character is called "Hermit Ox" who likewise has a horned helmet. Another example, take the Dragonball character Puar, who like Oolong, is capable of transformations. In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong and Pig are both able to shape shift. Then there's King Yemma. In Journey to the West and Chinese mythology, he's one of the ten kings of hell who judge the deceased. In Dragonball, he's the sole judge of the afterlife. It is important to realize that Toriyama did not copy Journey to the West. He was, however, noticeably influenced by it, and this influence is reflected in the characters and settings of Dragonball.