Son Go Ku vs Sun Wu Kong

Kartun has been reliving her childhood and rewatching Dragon Ball. Watching the series now evoked a different feeling than I had then. Then it was more character-based, sometimes I didn’t really understand the content. Now, I marvel at Akira Toriyama’s creactivity - the way he combined humour with action.

As I watch, I can’t help comparing Dragon Ball’s protagonist, Son Go ku to the original Sun Wu Kong from Journey to the West. Just how similar or different are these two characters?

Let’s examine the similarities first:

1. Both have the same name, whether it’s written in Japanese, Chinese or English.
2. Both can fly and fly fast!
3. Both have a tail that resemble that of a monkey’s.
4. Both uses the Power Pole - which can extend or shorten according to the owner’s wish.
5. Both follow a few masters - Goku (Muten Roshi, Karin sama, Kami sama & Kaio sama) & Wu Kong (San Zang & a certain fellow who taught him magic)
6. Both are powerful, skilled in fighting.

Now we look at the differences between the two characters:

Son Wu Kong	Son Go Ku
1. Has the ability to change to 72 different forms.	1. Has the ability to change to 4 different forms.
2. Can conjure up many different things (magic!)	2. Can blast “ki” – eg. Kame Hame Ha
3. Very hairy – resembles a big monkey	3. Not a single strand of hair on his body except the crown on his head.
4. Mischievous, capable of evil	4. Innocent and child-like
5. Wears a ring around his head to prevent him from doing mischief.	5. No ring around his head, except the halo above it after he died.

6. Flies very fast, over several cloud nimbuses in 1 second.

6. Owns a flying nimbus.

There are of course more similarities and differences that Kartun cannot think of. Maybe the reader can suggest?