History Literature / JourneyToTheWest

* BringMyBrownPants: ''Literally'' happens to Baije during one run-in with a monster though he has the decency to drop trou.
* BrokenAesop: Buddhism is supposedly very important. In contrast, most of the conflicts are solved through a combination of cunning and violence.

''Journey to the West'' (Traditional: 西遊記; Simplified: 西游记; Pinyin: ''Xī Yóu Jì''; Pronounced roughly ''shee-yo-jee'') is one of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Great_Classical_Novels the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature]] alongside ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', ''Literature/WaterMargin'', and ''Literature/DreamOfTheRedChamber'', and first published in the 1590s, although it is plainly based on much older folk-legends. It is {{inspired by}} the pilgrimage undertaken by the Tang dynasty [[UsefulNotes/{{China}} Chinese]] Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who nearly a thousand years earlier travelled to UsefulNotes/{{India}} to study UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} at its source and obtain accurate copies of Buddhist texts (the "Three Baskets Scriptures") known in China only through inaccurate nth-generation copies.

* ADayInTheLimelight / ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: Whenever the enemy has a lair underwater, and only then, Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie will outshine Wukong.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Sun Wukong's teacher, Bodhi/Bhuti/Subhuti/Xuputi.

* WeWantOurJerkBack[=/=]WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Happens each time Wukong gets expelled from the group (or quits himself).

''Journey to the West'' has been adapted to television many times - especially in Japan, where the story is called ''Saiyuki'' and the characters are Genjo Sanzo, Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojo, and Son Goku ([[AlternateCharacterReading all just the on'yomi Japanese reading of the Chinese character names]]). Many anime series have at least one ShoutOut, and some go for outright plunder (from ''[[Manga/{{Saiyuki}} Gensomaden Saiyuki]]'' to, of all things, ''Manga/DragonBall'' - 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-bent cast (the role of Xuanzang/Tripitaka/Genjo Sanzo is traditionally played by a woman), is still fondly remembered simply as ''Series/{{Monkey}}'' in English-speaking countries from the irreverent (almost GagDub) [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] translated version, with its annoyingly catchy disco theme-song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zOFAD6e9Bk "Monkey Magic"]] (directly taken from the Japanese broadcast where it was also sung in English). The most recent TV adaptation as of this writing is 2011's ''Series/{{Journey to the West|2011}}''. Another notable Japanese adaptation was a film by none other than Creator/OsamuTezuka that was localized in the west as ''Anime/AlakazamTheGreat''; this film, while generally obscure, is best known for being the inspiration for [[Characters/SuperMarioBrosBowser Bowser]] from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series.

* PurpleProse: It's not purple ''prose'', it's friggin' purple '''''poetry''''', but descriptive asides peppering the novel defy any other definition. It gets downright [[JustForPun florid]] when they reach Thorn Ridge and Xuanzang takes part in essentially a freestyle poetry jam with some magical sentient human-looking trees. One is an female apricot tree that tries to seduce him after he's shown off his superior poetry skills.

* ADayInTheLimelight: Whenever the enemy has a lair underwater, and only then, Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie will outshine Wukong.

* BladeOnAStick: This is ancient China, so expect to see spears and halberds everywhere. And long, swoony poetry about their weapons.

* BadassDecay: At his height, defending Flower Fruit Mountain from heaven with his army, Sun Wukong was unstoppable, even in solo battles against many combatants. After spending 500 years under a different mountain, he loses against demons easily and often has to go to heaven for help.

''Journey to the West'' has been adapted to television many times - especially in Japan, where the story is called ''Saiyuki'' and the characters are Genjo Sanzo, Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojo, and Son Goku ([[AlternateCharacterReading all just the on'yomi Japanese reading of the Chinese character names]]). Many anime series have at least one ShoutOut, and some go for outright plunder (from ''[[Manga/{{Saiyuki}} Gensomaden Saiyuki]]'' to, of all things, ''Manga/DragonBall'' - 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-bent cast (the role of Xuanzang/Tripitaka/Genjo Sanzo is traditionally played by a woman), is still fondly remembered simply as ''Series/{{Monkey}}'' in English-speaking countries from the irreverent (almost GagDub) [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] translated version, with its annoyingly catchy disco theme-song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zOFAD6e9Bk "Monkey Magic"]] (directly taken from the Japanese broadcast where it was also sung in SurprisinglyGoodEnglish). The most recent TV adaptation as of this writing is 2011's ''Series/{{Journey to the West|2011}}''. Another notable Japanese adaptation was a film by none other than Creator/OsamuTezuka that was localized in the west as ''Anime/AlakazamTheGreat''; this film, while generally obscure, is best known for being the inspiration for [[Characters/SuperMarioBrosBowser Bowser]] from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series.

* AchillesInHisTent: When Wukong quits the quest (sometimes at the same time as being fired by Tang Sang Zang) he goes back to his mountain kingdom of monkey demons, and does not 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 saying the demon was insulting him.

** When Wukong demands a place in Heaven near the beginning, he gets assigned the job of Heavenly... Stable Boy. This becomes a ChekhovsSkill later in the story because all horses gain an innate respect/fear for Wukong because of this. Cultural joke because monkeys were once kept with horses because people believed they could keep horses healthy. Wukong's literal title for this job is "Ban Horse Plague."

** Wukong also respects/fears the Goddess of Mercy Guanyin because she's got a bunch of equipment that can genuinely hurt him (such as the infamous the Headband of Agony), but also because she's usually nice to him and helps them out.
** In the book it's implied that the Big Three Religions/Representative Heads (Buddhism/Buddha, Taoism/Laozi, Confucianism/Jade Emperor) are having a power struggle in the background. Buddhism consistently wins out in many instances, although Laozi likes to show off every now and again too. The author also makes it a point that Buddha is the one that beats Wukong, and that Wukong has only kowtowed to three people: Buddha, Guanyin, and Xuanzang.

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

* HornyDevils: At least three female demons (the Scorpion Woman, the Earth Flow Lady and the Jade Hare) are very beautiful and want to achieve immortality by taking Xuanzang’s "yang". (or having sex with him, if you prefer.) Literal evil temptation.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: The Lady of the Earth Flow is actually the spirit of an albino bat/rat, dual wields swords and has a bit of HornyDevils too.

* VowOfCelibacy: Xuanzang has a considerable number of opportunities to reject the celibacy that is expected of him, including several offers from [[HornyDevils supernatural sources]], but he doesn't do so.

* EatMe: A very effective strategy of Wukong. Wukong's 72 transformations make disguising as food pretty easy for him and the baddies are defenceless once Wukong finds his way into their stomachs no matter how powerful they are outside. A very powerful monster in the mid-story, Huangmeier, against whom Wukong has virtually no chancing of winning in normal battles, is subdued by using this strategy.

** Wukong's weapon is an iron rod/cudgel that is able to [[RetractableWeapon grow]] to an enormous size and is said to weigh ''8100kg''. (Acquired, full size, from an undersea dragon king that had no idea what to do with it. Which was then shrunk with monkey magic. And put behind Wukong's ear.) It also qualifies as SimpleStaff, or at least this is how Wukong usually uses it.

* PurpleProse: It's not purple ''prose'', it's friggin' purple '''''poetry''''', but descriptive asides peppering the novel defy any other definition. It gets downright [[UpToEleven flo]][[JustForPun rid]] when they reach Thorn Ridge and Xuanzang takes part in essentially a freestyle poetry jam with some magical sentient human-looking trees. One is an female apricot tree that tries to seduce him after he's shown off his superior poetry skills.

* PlotHole: Early on, Stone Monkey and a bunch of other monkeys find a palace in a cave behind a waterfall. The palace has bowls of food, plates, and beds, but no actual inhabitants. Rather than ponder who built this palace and where the inhabitants went, thy just set up shop in there themselves. Fortunately for them nobody ever comes home to kick them out.

* ActionGirl: Several she-devils qualify as this when they're not busy seducing Tripitaka. Bonus points if they are animal demons and have fighting styles that match, i.e. spider demons.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: The original novel gleefully describes how hideous Tripitaka's three disciples are at every opportunity (Wukong apparently has red eyes and a "face like a thunder god"), and it's even a minor plot point at several parts. Most of the adaptations - especially the cartoons - tone this down a ''lot''.

* CelestialBureaucracy: 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 send rain. Sun Wukong occasionally uses his connections/influence with certain officials to acquire some object or other objective. For someone who was sentenced as a criminal twice by Heaven, he gets along shockingly well with many Heavenly immortals. During the quest he manages to borrow a number of precious objects from other immortals, and also gets a few of them to help him fight off the demons.

* CharacterDevelopment: Just as important as kicking demon-ass is Monkey's ''personal'' journey to becoming a decent person. He is not so much fundamentally-bad as he is a selfish ManChild who needed the guidance of a loving, patient and wise father-figure to truly grow up, which he found 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.

** In the opening chapter, Monkey almost single-handedly with the aid of his clones routs the best warriors of Heaven 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 own.
** 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.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Shā Wùjìng, a general of heaven, was given 800 lashings, forced to reincarnate into a flesh-eating demon, and every week a flying sword would come 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.

** For example, the 1942 abridgement by Arthur Whaley (missing out most of the chapters and nearly all of the poetry) is about a fifth the size of the full 4-volume translation by Anthony Yu

* HornyDevils: At least three female demons (the Scorpion Woman, the Earth Flow Lady and the Jade Hare) are very beautiful and want to achieve immortality by taking Tripitaka's "yang". (or having sex with him, if you prefer.) Literal evil temptation.

* InformedAbility: Tripitaka's much-vaunted holiness is undercut by his tendency to tell petty lies, how easily he can 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 be delayed. He also stops asking his disciples not to kill after the first couple of times. Allegorical as he represents the normal person and their struggle between human nature and enlightenment.

** Sun Wukong, before his imprisonment, literally beats up, steals from, and terrorizes nearly everyone he meets. He scares a Dragon God to such an extent that he gives Wukong ''the nail holding the Milky Way in place'' just to get him out of his house. He gets better... sort of.

* Shapeshifting Seducer:

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Sun Wukong, the handsome king of the monkeys!

** By the time of the journey, he already is one of the strongest and most feared of all beings... [[spoiler:but the Scorpion Lady, who has managed to hurt Buddha himself in the past, manages to defeat Wukong with [[OneHitKill one tail strike.]]