User:CharlotteMR/revising Son Goku

Son Goku is one of the four protagonists in the manga and anime series Saiyuki (Gensoumaden Saiyuki in Japan), which won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 2000. Deeply rooted in classical Chinese myth, this character, often called the Monkey King appears in many other Asian works of fiction. In Saiyuki, his character is voice acted in the Japanese-language anime by Soichiro Hoshi and in the English-language anime by Greg Ayres.

Son Goku in Saiyuki
Loosely based on the character Sun Wukong, from the classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en, in the Saiyuki anime and manga, Son Goku assists the monk, Genjo Sanzo in his quest to stop the possible resurrection of the Bull-Demon-King, Gyumaoh.

Very young in attitude, the Son Goku character is actually the oldest of the four protagonists. It is somewhat unclear if he is a demon, god, or monster, but he is said to have been born from a rock over 500 years earlier as the Monkey King and presented to the gods as a gift. Upon displeasing them, he was locked up without food or water for 500 years in Mt. Gogyo, also called the Mountain of the Five Elements. He was released and taken in by Sanzo.

Accessories
Like the youkai, Cho Hakkai and Sha Gojyo, in the party, Son Goku must wear a power limiter in order to keep from going berserk and attacking friend and foe alike. His limiter takes the form of a golden crown and is based on the golden cornet worn by Sun Wukong. It is only removed when he or his companions realize that his significant power must be released against overwhelming odds. He can also break it unintentionally when extremely angry.

Son Goku fights with a Nyoi-buo (Chinese:Rú Yì Bàng), a type of staff that he can shorten and lengthen at will or split into a nyoi-sansetsukon (three-sectioned staff).

History of the Character
Of the four main characters in Saiyuki, Goku is probably the most rooted in traditional Chinese mythology. Monkey (novel), by Arthur Waley, the most heavily cited English translation of Journey to the West, is named after his character. Saiyuki's Son Goku is only one reincarnation of a character who has reappeared in many Sun Wukong in popular culture, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai.