Dragon Ball: Is Goku based on Sun Wukong from Journey to the West? Explained

Modified Aug 23, 2024 14:26 GMT

Dragon Ball and the answer to the question "Is Goku based on Sun Wukong?" (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball fans often ask the question "Is Goku based on Sun Wukong?", who is part of the legendary 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. This comparison has been named time and time again, especially considering elements such as Goku and Sun Wukong's monkey elements and other characteristics.

The truth of the matter is that Goku and several elements of Dragon Ball were inspired by Sun Wukong and Journey to the West as a whole. Author Akira Toriyama has often used several Chinese myths and other tales as a way to influence and develop his series, which is very prominent in the way that his protagonist adopted several key Sun Wukong elements.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Dragon Ball and the truth of the question "Is Goku based on Sun Wukong?"

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Goku is based on Sun Wukong, and that is based on several elements, such as the way he was born, his abilities, and even some physical traits. The first notorious element that needs to be taken into account is that Sun Wukong means "monkey awakened by the emptiness" in Chinese and fits with the monkey theme that the Saiyan race has, which Goku also had at the beginning of the story through his tale and the ability to turn into that beast with a full moon.

The character also eventually makes a lot of different friends throughout his adventures, which is quite similar to Goku's experiences in Akira Toriyama's manga. Sun Wukong also could fly on clouds, which is another element that Goku had, plus the fact that his entire name is "Son Goku," which has a similar sound to that of the Monkey King.

Another element is the fact that one of Sun Wukong's allies was the "Demon King," which was the original title of the evil version of Piccolo before the latter joined Goku's side. This legendary Chinese character also has a staff that can grow, much like the one Goku used throughout the vast majority of the earlier arcs of the series.

More similarities

Goku flew on a cloud as a kid in the anime, much like Sun Wukong (Image via Toei Animation).

Another element that these two characters have in common is that Sun Wukong was born from an egg, and the pod Goku arrived on Earth has a very similar shape, as seen in Dragon Ball. It is also worth pointing out that another similarity, which has been very prevalent when asking "Is Goku based on Sun Wukong?" is that the Journey to the West legend gained immortality through several passages of training, which reflects on the anime protagonist's dedication to martial arts.

It is also worth pointing out that Sun Wukong joins other characters in the story to search for the Buddhist sutras from the West, which is not too dissimilar to the way Goku met Bulma and joined her at the beginning of Dragon Ball. There is a very good chance that Akira Toriyama actually used this element as the main source of inspiration for the series, especially considering that this manga was eventually meant to end with the first arc but was a major hit at the time.

Akira Toriyama also cited Bruce Lee as a major influence, highlighting his interest in Chinese culture.

Final thoughts

There is no denying that Goku was based on Sun Wukong since the Dragon Ball protagonist has too many similarities with the Chinese for that to be a coincidence. Furthermore, it reflects Toriyama's influences and how they shaped one of manga and anime's greatest properties.

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Edited by Somava