Gensomaden Saiyuki

Gensomaden Saiyuki is a story that's very loosely based on the Chinese epic Hsi Yu Chi or "Journey to the West," sometimes entitled "Monkey." It follows the adventures of four extraordinary individuals: a godless, remorseless young priest called Genjo Sanzo; a powerful, innocent, playful creature named Son Goku; a handsome, womanizing hooligan named Sha Gojyo; and a courteous, mild-mannered murderer called Cho Hakkai.

Main Characters

Genjo Sanzo














Genjō-Sanzō-hōshi, Pinyin:is one of the four main characters in the manga and anime series Saiyūki (Known as Gensōmaden Saiyūki in Japan). His name is spelled Genjō-Sanzō in the English anime and the Singapore English manga, while in the North American English manga it is Genjyō-Sanzō (the -jō is spelt in hiragana as ji-yo-u). In the anime, he is voiced by Seki Toshihiko.


The title Sanzō, meaning "three baskets" (Tripitaka in Sanskrit), is the formal term for a Buddhist canon of scriptures, as well as the title of a high-ranking Buddhist monk. Hence, Genjō-Sanzō (even though he doesn't seem like one) is also a high ranking monk.


His character is loosely based on that of the monk Xuánzàng-Sānzàng, from the Chinese novel Journey to the West upon which the manga is based. In the manga, Sanzō is featured with blond hair and purple eyes. Having lost his father-figure (Koumyou Sanzo) to demons (yōkai), he is a brutal, worldly priest, who carries a gun (Smith and Wesson), excessively smokes (Marlboros), drinks (anything alcoholic), often abusing his traveling companions, except Cho Hakkai, verbally and physically. When others ask who his travelling companions are, his common response is, "They are not my disciples. They are my servants."

Sanzō's chosen weapons are the magical Maten Sutra which holds great power, even subduing Son Gokū when his power limiter came off and went berserk; a handgun, as previously mentioned; and a paper fan (harisen) for idiots (Gojyō and Gokū included). His favorite phrases, incidentally, are "Die!", "I'll kill you!" and "Shut up!" (used when Gokū and Gojyō argue, the last phrase is used rarely to silence Hakkai).

Sanzō is egotistical, haughty, and sometimes cruel, but he also has calm judgement, unwavering intensity, and surprising charisma.

Sanzō's parentage is unknown, as he was found floating down the Yangtze river as a baby, and was raised under the name Kōryū ("river-flow") by his teacher, Kōmyo-Sanzō. Kōmyo-Sanzō once told him that he had called out to him inside his mind.

Kōryū was promoted to his rank as Sanzō when he was only 13, given the title by his teacher. He left his monastery in which he was raised to search for the Seitan Sutra that was stolen the night his teacher was killed. He carries the scars of his childhood because his teacher was killed trying to protect him (whenever it rains, he grows moody, often reflecting on his past). This is karmically ironic, as he is sent on a mission to stop the very people who were responsible for the murder of his master some ten years after that event.

Sanzō found Gokū one day while walking through the mountains because a voice kept calling out for him. When Sanzō could not take it anymore, he went to search for the source of the voice, to hit the person and tell them to shut up. He finally came to a cave on the top of a mountain that resembled a jail and sitting inside was Gokū. Sanzō remembered his teacher's words about being the sun of someone else's life and that moved him to take in Gokū at the temple where he lived. Though he acts like he doesn't care, he is extremely attached to the little monkey and gets angry when Gokū is in danger. The same goes for Gokū, who almost worships Sanzō for rescuing him. In the original story, Gokū was supposed to be Sanzō's errant, loyal disciple, albeit a hot-headed one.

Cho Hakkai (豬八戒 Cho Hakkai) is a fictional character in the manga and anime Saiyuki. Cho Hakkai is the mild, polite and level-headed member of the group who always looks out for their day to day wellbeing. He takes on the more feminine roles: cooking, cleaning up after everyone, making sure their supplies are in order, and solving (or at least calming down) the arguments and yelling matches that happen frequently. He is also their healer, his kikou jutsu (chi manipulation/Qigong) coming in handy in battle in the form of ki blasts and protective barriers.

Cho Hakkai














Hakkai is very fond of sake, but never gets drunk no matter how much he consumes. He is extremely good at poker as well. His pet dragon, named Hakuryu, turns into a green jeep and serves as their mode of transportation. Hakkai usually drives with Genjo Sanzo in the passenger seat, and Son Goku and Sha Gojyo in the back. He wears a monocle over his nearly blind right eye, and on his left ear he wears three metal clips which are youkai (yōkai) limiters, keeping his power and form in check. Unlike Goku, Hakkai has more control over his transformation, and has been able to remove and replace his limiters under his own power on three separate occasions.

Sha Gojyo














He is the hanyou (half-yōkai) companion of the Sanzō-ikkō ("Sanzō's party"), armed with a shakujō (which is the incorrect name given for a yuèyáchǎn). Its crescent blade is attached to a chain and he can control it for a mortally-accurate long-distance attack. In the anime, he's voiced by Hirata Hiroaki.

Gojyō is the product of a married yōkai father and his human mistress. His unusual genetic heritage resulted in blood-red hair and eyes, earning him the label "child of taboo" (kinki-no-ko). For a short part of his childhood, he lived with his widowed stepmother and half-brother, Jien (Dokugakuji). Gojyō tried his best to win his stepmother's love, but was unsuccessful in all attempts as his hair and eyes were a constant reminder of her husband's infidelity. When he was twelve, Gojyō's stepmother finally tried to kill him, the attack leaving two scars on his left cheek. He was saved by Jien, who did so by killing her, and both brothers went separate ways and left home.

Several years later, the 19-year-old Gojyō was walking home in the rain after a short gambling session and found a man face-down in the mud with his insides coming out - Cho Hakkai (Zhu Bajie's Saiyūki counterpart). He took the man in, got a doctor and gave him a place to stay. Hakkai became a permanent fixture in Gojyō's life from then on, performing the cooking and cleaning chores their home desparately needed. Hakkai also saved him from an encounter with gangsters when he was trying to help out a friend. It was the first time Hakkai took off his limiters. Later, Gojyō encountered Genjō-Sanzō (Sanzang) and Son Gokū (Sun Wukong) when they were looking for Hakkai, who had murdered a thousand yōkai and half a human village, and somehow the four ended up as the motley group heading West to Tenjiku (India) today. He still remains close friends with Hakkai, because they lived together for nearly three years. Enough so that Gojyō/Hakkai or Hakkai/Gojyō (58/85) remain two of the popular pairings in the fandom.

Gojyō is an incurable playboy, cracking dirty jokes at Sanzō and hitting on virtually any pretty girl in sight. He doesn't seem to have run out of pick-up lines yet, but he hasn't made a single lasting hit in the ten-plus volumes of manga, three anime series and a movie. He also has incredible luck in gambling games, with only Hakkai able to consistently beat him at a game of poker. His favourite target for jokes and insults is Gokū, with the two making the most noise in the jeep and often getting shot at by Sanzō for being irritating. He also smokes (his brand is Hi-Lites) and holds his liquor well. He gets touchy, however, when people talk about the color of his hair and eyes. The symbol on his headband in the manga means "pleasure".

Despite his rather irreverent attitude, Gojyō often takes on the big brother role. He genuniely cares for Gokū, despite all of their picking on each other, and he even has a soft spot for Sanzō, as proven during the "Kami-sama" arc of the manga and the anime. Hakkai is easily his best friend, and the two are often found in each other's company.

Son Goku














In Saiyuki, Son Goku, like the legendary Sun Wukong, is a deity who was imprisoned in a cave for five hundred years. When Sanzo was dispatched by the gods to journey to the west and stop a process that was causing the world's demons to go mad and turn on the humans with whom they had lived peacefully, Son Goku accompanied him, along with the demon Cho Hakkai and the half-demon Sha Gojyo.

Son Goku is a skilled fighter with the nyoi-bou (nyoi-bō). Although a deity, he is kept in human form with a golden power limiter that he wears as a coronet. When this is removed, he goes berserk and is unable to distinguish friend from foe. He is known for his voracious appetite. The power-limiting coronet concept is inspired by the original Chinese legend.

In the anime and manga, Goku is seen as a monster rather than a demon, and cannot die no matter how brutally he's beaten or how long he goes without food. He's a bottomless pit for food, and extremely affectionate. It has also been said that he was born from a rock. Thus, he has no parents and Genjo Sanzo acts as a guardian to him in his former and current life. Goku is very attached to Sanzo and if Sanzo ever gets hurt, Goku tends to lose it, and his fighting ability greatly increases.

He's voiced by Soichiro Hoshi, a good friend of Akira Ishida, who voices Hakkai. In the English dub, he's voiced by Greg Ayres, who was a fan of Goku even before the dub.


Gallery pics shared by others:

http://animepa.csusm.edu/galleries/R-S/Saiyuki/