post #3035705 post #440809 post #461288 post #1328710 post #2741405

Sun Wukong, also known as The Monkey King (English), Son Gokū (Japanese), Son O-gong (Korean), Tôn Ngộ Không (Vietnamese), Sun Go Kong (Indonesian). is the deuteragonist of the 16th century Chinese Novel/Epic Journey to the West. Sun Wukong is a legendary mythological figure and trickster god who was born from a stone, lived in the palace of the Jade Emperor, was banished for his impertinence, repeatedly obtained immortality, fought the entire pantheon of heaven, was sealed beneath a mountain by The Heavenly Buddha, was freed and enslaved by the Buddhist Monk Tang Sanzang, and ultimately obtains enlightenment.

Sun Wukong is an ugly (though he believes himself to be very handsome), bald Rhesus monkey less than four feet tall. His traditional attire includes a phoenix feather cap, golden chainmail armor, and lotus root-colored boots. Later, he wears a golden fillet, a silk shirt, a tiger skin kilt, and leather boots. He wields a rod of black iron/steel known as the Ruyi Jingu Bang adorned on both ends with a single golden ring and decorated along the body with astronomical charts and an inscription towards one tip listing the weapon’s name and weight. The rod has by default is an immensely heavy and long pillar weighing 17,550 lbs (7,960 kg) that can have it width and length magically adjusted while maintaining its weight and density. He is exclusively bipedal which gives him an uncanny appearance of a cross between a man and a monkey that strikes fears in the hearts of people who see him. Around his head, Sun Wukong wears a magic circlet. The circlet was given to Tang Sanzang by The Heavenly Buddha to help control The Monkey King. Once the circlet is worn, no force in the universe will be able to remove it from the wearer's head. Additionally, Tang Sanzang can cause the circlet to become magically cinched and tighten around The Monkey King's head, causing him excruciating pain.

Sun Wukong wields several magical possessions including:

• Fèngchìzǐjinguān (鳳翅紫金冠)/"Phoenix-feather Cap": One of the treasures of the Dragon Kings, Ào Qin gives this to him in order to get rid of him when he acquires the Rúyì Jīn Gū Bàng.
• 鎖子黃金甲/ "golden chain mail": One of the treasures of the Dragon Kings; Ào Run gives this to him in order to get rid of him when he acquires the Rúyì Jīn Gū Bàng. Extremely effective armor that makes Sun Wukong immune to most forms of conventional weaponry.
• Magical Headband: Not so much a possession as a trap; Guanyin gives Xuánzàng this headband to help him keep Wùkōng under control. A special chant causes the headband to tighten, inflicting terrible pain.
• Ǒusībùyúnlǚ (藕絲步雲履)/"cloud-stepping boots" or "cloud-stepping shoes": Made of lotus fiber, these are one of the treasures of the Dragon Kings; Ào Ming gives them to him in order to get rid of him when he acquires the Rúyì Jīn Gū Bàng. Grants him the power to stand, sit, and surf upon clouds.
• Rúyì Jīn Gū Bàng (如意金箍棒)/"Magic Golden-Clasped Rod" or "Ideal Golden-bound Cudgel": His primary weapon, originally an iron rod used to measure the depth of the sea. The Rúyì Jīn Gū Bàng was given to him by Ào Guǎng. The staff weighs 13,500 jin (8.1 tons), but Wùkōng can lift it easily and change it to any size. He usually shrinks it to the size of a sewing needle and puts it behind his ear when he is not using it.

Sun Wukong is also considered one of the most powerful figures ever written. He has only been known to be defeated by The Heavenly Buddha and The Jade Emperor, and is ridiculously powerful due to the many abilities he has acquired:

• 72 Bian/"72 Transformations": Grants him the power to access 72 different special powers and abilities. The most noteworthy is his ability to transform into any thing including a perfect copy of another individual, gaining all their physical skills, abilities, and weaknesses. The only limitation is that whatever form he assumes retains his monkey tail.
• Bi Huo Jue/"Fire Avoidance Charm": Allows him to survive fire.
• Bi Shui Jue/"Water Avoidance Charm": Allows him to survive deep water; however, he is unable to fight while using this ability.
• Body Freezing Spell: Allows him to immobilize enemies.
• Huǒyǎn-jīnjīng(火眼金睛)/"fiery-eyes golden-gaze": Allows him to see and identify evil and enemies no matter where it is or what form it takes; however, it also causes smoke to sting his eyes. Wùkōng acquired this ability after Lao Tzu traps Wùkōng in his cauldron for 49 days, attempting to distill him as punishment.
• Jie Suo Fa/"Lock-Breaking Spell": Allows him to point a finger or his staff and open any lock.
• Jīndǒuyún/"cloud-somersault" or “cloud trapeze”: Allows him to cover 108,000 li (54,000 km, 33,554 mi) in a single leap.
• Protective Circle: Allows him to erect an impassible barrier by drawing a circle on the ground with his staff.
• Shen Wai Shen Fa/"Body Outside of Body": Specifically refers to his ability to transform each of his 84,000 his hair follicles into perfect clones of himself. Each clone is capable of everything the original was and potentially more.
• Summoning: Allows him to summon local deities.
• Wind: Allows him to summon strong winds and storms.
• Super Strength: Was strong enough to hold up 2 heaven mountains on his shoulders while running.
• Immortality: Sun Wukong gained various forms of immortality from at least 7 different sources and methods.
• Martial Arts: Sun Wukong became a martial arts master from a magical Taoist named Puti Zushi. This is where he first claimed immortality.

Sun Wukong has also inspired several other fictional characters and numerous television series. Most notably he is the inspiration of Dragon Ball's Son Goku.