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Gods and Immortals
Guanyin
Buddha's right-hand woman, she is tasked with assembling the pilgrims and protecting them should the need arise. For some reason, despite being an enlightened spirit, she is quite concerned with her look, in one episode Pigsy and Sandy are surprised that Monkey managed to drag her out without makeup to catch a demon.
- All-Loving Hero: The monstrous pilgrims are impressed when she goes out of her way to save all the animals from a valley she needs to flood with her power. Her limitless compassion is frequently emphasized.
- Angel Unaware: Bodhisattva Unaware. She does this to find out which monk is pious enough to obtain the scripts. It's not the last time she does this.
- Artifact of Power: Her vase, which contains a willow sprig in a special liquid that can heal plants and trees of mystical origins (which comes in handy after Monkey knocks down a one-of-a-kind Man-fruit tree). According to an anecdote by Guan'yin, she once lost a bet to Lao Zi (probably to a game of sorts) and had to give up her willow sprig to him. Lao Zi then roasted the sprig to a crisp in his elixir-refining furnace before giving it back to her, which she then restored the sprig back to its normal condition within a day by using her vase.
- Berserk Button: She maintains a perfect calm at almost all times... but goes ballistic when Wukong informs her that Red Boy transformed into her. When she catches up with him, he ends up with one of the most painful punishments in the story.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: She is very attractive and firmly on the good side.
- Gold and White Are Divine: It emphasizes her purity.
- The Mentor: Becomes one to Red Boy after his Heel–Face Turn and is the one who teaches him to become a benevolent Buddhist.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: A major religious figure who often acts to calm down and peacefully resolve situations.
- Team Mom: Always ready to advise or help Monkey when he's in pinch.
- Unkempt Beauty: During the Spiritual Touch King arc, When Sun Wukong comes to her island and finds her in her "gardening clothes", without makeup nor her showy clothes and with her hair unkempt. The poetry for this section is no less flattering than any other about her.
- You Are Fat: Wukong basically calls her a fat ass when he sees the Red Boy sitting on her Lotus Throne. Being that the powerful being that he is, he gets away with it.
Subhuti/Master Puti
Sun Wukong's first master, who gave him his name, taught him 72 transformation art and 108-li sommersault.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Monkey demonstrated his shape-shifting skill to his classmate. Subhuti punished him by expelling him from his monastery and forbade Monkey to mention his name or ever return to his mountain. It's actually to set Monkey on the path to become Xuanzang's guardian.
- Foreshadowing: His name is the same as the 10th disciple of Buddha, the previous incarnation of Xuanzang. It's heavily implied that he knew Monkey's destiny from the beginning and prepared him accordingly.
- Old Master: Like most Taoist sages.
- Secret Test: He offered Monkey various training methods but he refused because they didn't give him immortality. Faking disappointment, he chastised Monkey, hit him on the head three times then left the hall using the backdoor. The other disciples understandably ridiculed Monkey for being bone-headed but only Monkey understood the hidden message: If he wanted to learn the cool stuff, came at midnight (three strikes means "time three" which is midnight in ancient Chinese way of measuring hours in a day) using the backdoor.
- Trickster Mentor: He taught Monkey awesome superpowers but never bothered to teach him morality or humility. It's possible that he left the last part for Xuanzang to fulfill.
The Jade Emperor
The supreme ruler of Heaven.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Fond of handing these out to even minor violations of the law requiring him to be talked into being more lenient by others.
- Informed Ability: The Jade Emperor is praised as the perfect ruler of heaven and Earth due to spending eons spiritually developing himself and having "infinite wisdom." In the novel he tends to misjudge situations, make stupid decisions, and be clueless as to what to do if anything serious actually happens. He refused to investigate Monkey's birth despite all the miraculous signs and constantly mishandled the situations with him throughout the whole novel.
- Murder Is the Best Solution: His go-to punishment for most crimes.
- Top God: Ruler of heaven and every single god.
- Take That!: His portrayal as an incompetent and not-so almighty ruler is another jab at Taoism and Chinese royalty found in this book.
Lao Zi/Daode Tianzun
Founder of Taoism and one of Heaven's highest authorities. Made a lot of cool stuffs, which includes Monkey's staff.
- Absent-Minded Professor: His students and pet both end up demons, and in at least the second case, he's none the wiser.
- Historical Domain Character: Laozi was presumably a real person who lived around the fifth century BC. If he became an immortal member of the Heavenly Court is up for debate.
- Horse of a Different Color: His personal mount (who escapes to become the One-Horned Demon King) is a massive azure bull with a broken horn.
- Rings of Death: His Vajra Ring (big enough to serve as a bracelet), which he threw at Monkey during his duel against Erlang. Later the Ring is used by the One Horned Great King to disarm Monkey and defeat anything he threw at him.
Taibai Jinxing, the Great White Planet
The messenger of Jade Emperor, in charge of disseminating his decrees and welcoming new gods and sages to Heaven's bureaucracy.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the planet Venus.
- The Consigliere: To the Jade Emperor as his chief minister.
- Nice Guy: One of the nicest gods, especially in his treatment of Monkey. In return, he's the only god besides Guan Yin that Monkey respects.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Chief minister to the Jade Emperor and often the one who proposes a more conciliatory approach or lenient punishments besides death.
Erlang Shen
Jade Emperor's nephew and Heaven's trump card against Sun Wukong.
- 11th-Hour Ranger: He and his brothers became this during the Jiutochong (The Nine Headed Monster) arc. Basically, they had just returned from a hunting trip and were passing through when Monkey had requested his help. It was a good thing they had accepted, as Monkey and Pigsy were down on their luck by the time they passed.
- Death by Adaptation: Inverted. In the 1986 TV show, Erlang lands the killing blow onto the Nine Headed Monster instead of the latter running away.
- Canine Companion: Has a dog named Xiaotianquan/Shoutenken (Howling Heaven Dog). In some adaptations like the 1996 and 1998 dramas, he even has a human form where he can speak and think for himself.
- Divine Parentage: Started out as a demigod on his mother's side.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Becomes this with Monkey during the afore-mentioned Nine Headed Monster arc. Initially Monkey was hesitant into asking for his help as Erlang had defeated him 500 years ago, but Erlang at this point has no more animosity toward Monkey, being pleased that the latter has chose to redeem himself.
- Genius Bruiser: He's not only strong enough to fight Sun Wukong to a draw, but he can also see through all his transformations and even match him in that game as well.
- The Hermit: Rarely has anything to do with Heaven, instead living in the mountains of Earth.
- Momma's Boy:
- His backstory includes freeing his mother after she was imprisoned under a mountain for eloping with his father.
- It becomes a bit more delved into in the 1998 adaptation and he even gives up all of his powers for a while just for her to be spared.
- Shadow Archetype: To Sun Wukong, having a near identical powerset but is on Heaven's side. Given that Sun Wukong at that point was a mischievous troublemaker, Erlang Shen might even come across as the Good Counterpart.
- Sizeshifter: Turn himself into a colossal, fanged giant to scare Sun Wukong and his army.
- Third Eye: He's also famous for having a third eye on his forehead, which can be used to see through all sorts of things, especially lies and deceptions. In some versions, his eye can also shoot lasers.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Like Wukong.
- Unusual Ears: Being an immortal, his lobes reach his shoulders.
- Weaksauce Weakness: There's a particular buzzard (or mink) that he won't touch or even get close to.
Li Jing/Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King
Leader of Heaven's military forces.
- Bad Boss: He orders the execution of a member of Mighty Spirit when he returns defeated from his clash with Sun Wukong, but is stopped by Nezha
- Badass Family: His family members hold important positions in Heavenly Court: his eldest son Jinzha (who doesn't appear in the story) is Buddha's disciple, his second son Muzha is Guanyin's disciple, and his third son Nezha is one of Heaven's top generals. He also has an adopted daughter who turns evil and kidnaps Xuanzang.
- Hot-Blooded: Loses his cool very easily.
- General Failure: Likely because of this, everytime he showed up he got whipped by whatever threat of the day was.
Lianhua Santaizi Nezha
Third son of Li Jing, one of Heaven's top generals.
- Badass Adorable: A little boy who happens to be in charge of subduing demons. He even fought Wukong to a standstill for up to three days.
- Canon Immigrant: He originally was from his own novel (specifically Nezha Conquering the Sea from Investiture of the Gods/Fengshen Yanyi) and from one of Taigong Wang's stories. This adaptation of him is one of the detailings after his own story.
- Clothing Combat: Has his Turbid Heaven Twill AKA Red Armillary Sash, which is a red sash that can reach quite far and is very sturdy.
- The Dandy: Wears lotus blossom decorations, despite being a boy.
- Made of Iron: Got hit squarely in the shoulder by Sun Wukong's staff (which usually one-hit-smashes anything that gets hit) and survives, albeit with a broken shoulder.
- Multi-Melee Master: Contrasting his classical description, Nezha shows off with six different demon-repelling weapons when he fights: a sword, a saber, a length of rope, a club, an embroidered sphere and his fire-and-wind wheel. In other depictions, Nezha usually fights with a lance and uses his other treasures, none of which are proper weapons.
- Multiple Head Case: As well as an arm case; Nezha is also popular for being able to grow two extra heads, each with their own pair of arms and their own spears.
- Playing with Fire: He's often quite fire-themed in his attacks.
- Red Baron:
- His title also literally translates to "Lotus Flower Third Crown Prince".
- He also is known as the "Mid-Podium Field Marshall".
- Rings of Death: Has two-three in the form of his Universe Circle and Wind-Fire Rings. The latter he rides on with his feet. He also uses them to finally defeat the Bull Demon King.
- Storm of Blades: Does this on multiple occasions. Takes his six weapons in his three headed, six armed form, and then multiplies them... numbering in the thousands, where he then proceeds to rain them down upon the enemy.
Dragon Kings
Four Dragon Kings in charge of the four oceans in Chinese cosmology. They are:
- Ao Guang: The Azure Dragon, in charge of the East Sea.
- Ao Qin: The Red Dragon, in charge of the South Sea.
- Ao Shun: The Black Dragon, in charge of the North Sea.
- Ao Ji: The White Dragon, in charge of the West Sea.
- An Ice Person: By virtue of his arctic residence, the North Dragon King has the power to become an ice dragon
- Our Dragons Are Different: Of the Chinese variety. They're embodiment of rain, fertility and wisdom, the wisdom part is questionable, though. They can take full dragon form or the human-like form with human body and dragon head.
- Chew Toy: Starts off being terrorized by Monkey in search of armor and weapons, later end up being at Monkey's beck and call. Their brother-in-law also gets executed
- Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: The Dragon King's colours correspond with the four seasons: blue is spring, red is summer, white is autumn and black is winter.
- I Have No Son!: For his crime of setting fire to the throne room, Yu Long's father disowns and reports him to the Heavenly Authorities.
- Making a Splash: The four of them rule the seas and act as rain deities.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: In spite of being the chew toy to Monkey, they're generally benevolent people.
- Superpowerful Genetics: Their offspring are dragons just like them.
- Team Dad: Even though Monkey never gives him the proper respect, the East Dragon King plays mentor to Monkey on at least one occasion
Prince Mo-ang
White Dragon King's crown prince. A pretty chill guy.
- A Day in the Limelight: His fight scence with Kid Croc in the 2000 TV series (the sort-of sequel to the famous 1986 TV series) is quite good.
- Cain and Abel: With his cousin, Kid Croc. Oddly, he and his actual brother Yu Long never interact.
- Meaningful Name: His name is a corruption of "Makara" or "Capricorn".
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Crown Prince of the Western Sea, helps out Monkey a few times.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: A responsible and intelligent older brother, and a repentant arsonist younger brother.
Spirits of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions
Twenty eight star spirits who usually act as Heaven's Elite Mooks.
- Animal Metaphor: Each of them has a different one.
- Animal Stereotypes: Averted. The one star who does lose himself enough to eat an enemy happens to be a moose/dear spirit (In some translation though he was a jackal spirit, making the thing more believable. The 1986 TV sequel ignored that certain event entirely, saving any form of embarrassment to the poor demon).
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the twenty-eight Chinese Lunar Mansions. They're a weird case, since their true forms are actually shape-shifting animals.
- Boss in Mook Clothing: The Wolf Spirit, after he turned evil, managed to kick both Pigsy and Sandy and Yu Long's asses. Sandy and Pigsy used to be Heaven's military commanders.
- Elemental Powers: Invoked. They're divided into the five Chinese elements plus sun and moon, with four stars to each element. The only group that specifically gets a reference to their elements are the Four Heavenly Wood Star Spirits.
- Horned Humanoid: The god of the Horn mansion has a big horn right on his face. It later comes in handy getting Monkey out of a pinch.
- Love Makes You Evil: The Wood Spirit of the Legs became the Yellow Robed Demon to have an affair with a celestial maiden on earth. See Journey To The West - Demons for more detail.
- My Instincts Are Showing: Since they're originally animal spirits, they will eat their opponents if they lose control of their instincts. One of the rhino demons was unfortunate enough to experience that.
Buddha
Founder of Buddhism, basically God with a capital G.
- The Ace: Even compared to other Bodhisatvas, Buddha is on a whole other level.
- Always a Bigger Fish: Compared to Sun Wukong.
- Crossover Cosmology: If the presence of Guan'yin above didn't clarify it, his presence makes it absolutely clear that both Buddhism and Taoism are real.
- Genius Loci: Apparently it was meant quite literally when it was said he "became one with the universe.".
- Godzilla Threshold: The Jade Emperor would not have called on him to deal with Wukong if he had any other options.
- Historical Domain Character: Religious domain character, but he is Siddharta Gautama, the founder of buddhism.
- The Omnipotent: The guy can do whatever he wants, but prefer subtle guidance over brute force.
- The Omnipresent: His enlightened state of Nirvana allows him to transcend the universe. As such, when Sun Wukong attempts to leap out of Buddha's palm to the edge of the universe, he's still well within it.
Zhenyuan the Immortal (Zhenyuanzi)
An earthbound deity who is the patriarch of all Earth's Immortals. He resides in his temple on Longevity mountain, which is where the legendary Ginsengfruit tree is located, which bears 30 fruit every 9000 years that can extend ones life. By smelling the fruit, a persons lifespan will be extended by 360 years, while eating the fruit will grant 47,000 years.
- Hero Antagonist: He is not evil, but he comes to oppose the pilgrims after being (understandably) furious over Monkey destroying his Ginsengruit tree.
Lingji Bodhisattva
Manjusri
Maitreya
- I Have Many Names: A.k.a. Budai, The Laughing Buddha, Fat Buddha.
Chang'e
Great White Turtle
Formerly an entity from Heaven, he was cast out and is now forced to roam around the eastern River of Heaven.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Is first introduced helping Xuanzang and the Pilgrims across the River of Heaven, while requesting Xuanzang to ask the Tathagata Buddha about his fate. Later on, on the Boring Return Journey, the group encounter him again and since Xuanzang forgot to ask the Tathagata about the turtle's fate, the turtle dumps them halfway through the river, thus becoming the final of 81 ordeals the group had to face.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After the pilgrims defeat the Great King of Spiritual Touch who had taken over his river, he appears and offers to bring the group across safely.
- Post-Climax Confrontation: The very last of the 81 ordeals that Tang Xuanzang and his pilgrims have to face, after they managed to obtain the scriptures. As Tang Xuanzang forgot to ask the Tathagata about when the turtle could be converted, the turtle angrily dumps the group into the River Of Heaven on the way back.
- Talking Animal: He's a huge, talking turtle.
