Majin Buu and Naruto, too

Post by **SaiyaJedi** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 4:02 pm

Let's not forget, of course, that Bulma is DB's version of Sanzo / Sanzang / Tripitaka. A very non-monastic one, to be sure, but she has the same sort of role in keeping the group together on single mission.

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 4:37 pm

And also of getting them to join and help her, especially Goku. ^^

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 4:53 pm

And they show the exact same response to certain situations...

''Oh no, danger! I'll just wet my pants and faint now.''

And SDHero, he probably didn't, but hey, it's the same for practically every other discussion that's held on this forum.

Post by **Herms** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 7:54 pm

Well, having finally found the previously mentioned letter to Toriyama, (it’s in Volume 4 of Viz’s translation) I see that are ideas are not so far off:

Q. Okay, I’ve figured it out…Dragon Ball is based on the old Chinese legend Saiyuki (Journey to the West). Even the characters are the same: Bulma is Sanzo Hoshi, Oolong is Hakkai, Yamcha is Sagojo, and Shen Long is Sanzo Hoshi’s horse. Even the order they appear in is the same. Am I wrong? I am a girl in my third year of middle school. I am afraid of the high school entrance exams!
Masae O’ouchi
Ibaraki Prefecture

A. It’s true, in the beginning I did set out to create a modern day version of Saiyuki. But soon it became difficult to remain true to the original, so I started ignoring it. So even though they have the same name, please consider my Son Goku and the Monkey King Son Goku to be two different characters. However, I did get the Ox King story from Saiyuki. Good luck on your entrance exams!

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 5:40 am

How can Shenlong be the Dragon Horse? >.> Only resemblence is the Dragon, but a LOT of Dragons appear in JttW.

And it's quite apparent Gokuu and Wukong are different characters, man, Wukong is one of the cleverest creatures in the book >.>

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 9:27 am

When it comes to combat. Other than that, it's a complete lack for respect, rules or anything of the like, plus more than one overly stupid response to situations. It wouldn't really say he's one of the cleverest characters in the book.

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:04 am

He's wasn't clever. Sun Wukong just had a huge ego and was always declaring how he was more powerful than anyone, constantly angering the other heavenly beings. I'm actually suprised he didn't end up under that mountain sooner!

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:08 am

But the lack of respect and such come from other characteristics: Gokuu doesn't really has respect because he's a mountainboy, he just wasn't raised with the values civilization expect, while Wukong has no lack of respect simply out of arrogance, he thinks he's the smartest and the strongest.

Wukong not one of the cleverest of the book? While he tends to get captured a lot [not to the extent of a certain monk or pig] he always finds a way to get out in the greatest ways. He's almost a Lupin.
In the first 13, 14 chapters his intellegence isn't that apparent, aside of his training, but after he has been powered down after he got trapped under the Five Elements mountain, he shows his cunning tricks to make up for the power loss in the way to the Western Heaven. [read the Silver Horn Great King and Gold Horn Great King story? To read how Wukong gets all the weapons, is so funny XD]

He knows how people and gods act, react and think, he can manipulate most of them, that's Wukong's real power in the book. It's just his temper that gets him in trouble.

He isn't called "the intelligent stone monkey" by Buddha for nothing

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:17 am

Of course he's cleverer in a lot of dangerous situations. That doesn't change the fact that compared to a lot of other people in the book, and in almost every matter beside tactics and combat, he's a moron.

I'm not saying he's stupid... Just disagreeing with the way you're stating it.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:34 am

But Wukong is quite smart in other fields beside tactics and combat too...for example, he knows medicine a lot better than the human docters, as shown with his medicine making and the string-analysis of a patient. It's just not many of the adventures, maybe 30%, are in the cities, so Wukong's intellegence isn't used as much as his fighting power and cunning.

He really is quite smart overall, but then again, he's just written like that. Metaphorically, Wukong is the mind, intellegent, knowledgable on a lot of subjects, while i.e. Wuneng is the flesh, greedy and perverse.

He is one of the smartest characters in the book, when he sets his temper and ego aside. Then again, not that many people are smart in the book, the only other smart beings that come in mind are Buddha, Guanyin and the White Planet...

SDHero · Post by **SDHero** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 4:07 pm

Wukong comes as pretty much the smartest member of his group, and easily the most powerful. The only places his knowledge seems particularly lacking is in matters of Buddhism, then he has to go get a god/spirit/someone to assist him in subduing a demon. Wukong is arrogant, but Tripitaka is whiny, the Pig is a total coward, and Sha Monk just sits with the damn horse to guard their luggage.

The S · Post by **The S** » Thu Oct 28, 2004 10:55 pm

Man, I need to read Saiyuki again... I don't remember half of that shit...