Who is who in Journey to the West
There are a lot of them and the names are unfamiliar, so the first read is a blur. They are grouped by side here. Start with whoever you are curious about and jump straight to the chapters they appear in.
The pilgrims 5
The five who travel west together: one master, four disciples, and one of the four is a horse.
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Sun Wukong
a monkey born from stone. He once turned Heaven upside down, and now guards his master on the road west
Relations disciple of Tang Sanzang
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Tang Sanzang
the monk who set out west for the scriptures. He drank a handful of homeland soil before leaving Chang'an
Relations master of Sun Wukong · master of Zhu Bajie · master of Sha Wujing
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Zhu Bajie
the disciple with a pig's face. He loves eating and sleeping, but he pulls his weight
Relations disciple of Tang Sanzang
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Sha Wujing
once a boatman on the river of sand. He walks on, carrying the load, without complaint
Relations disciple of Tang Sanzang
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White Dragon Horse
the horse that carries Tang Sanzang. He was once a son of the Dragon King
Heaven and the Western Paradise 15
They open the road and they block it. The tests the pilgrims face usually come from this side too.
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Guanyin
the bodhisattva of mercy. She laid the road west before anyone set out on it
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the Tathagata
the Buddha of the Western Paradise. With a single palm he measured the monkey's strength
Relations master of Ananda
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Jade Emperor
the ruler of Heaven. His throne once shook because of a single monkey
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Laojun
Heaven's alchemist. He brews the elixirs of the immortals in his furnace
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Yama
the king who rules the underworld. He keeps the ledger of every life
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Manjushri
the bodhisattva of wisdom. He rides a lion
Appears in -
Li Jing
the heavenly king who carries a pagoda. His name is Li Jing, and he is Nezha's father
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Subhuti
a master who teaches the Way deep in the mountains. He gave the monkey both his name and his powers
Appears in -
Ao Guang
the Dragon King who rules the Eastern Sea. He lost a treasure from his seabed and took his complaint to Heaven
Appears in -
Nezha
a boy god reborn from a lotus. He fights with a spear, fast as the wind
Appears in -
Erlang
a heavenly general with a third eye on his brow. He was the one match for the monkey in a fair fight
Appears in -
Samantabhadra
the bodhisattva of practice. He rides a white elephant
Appears in -
Zhenyuan
an earthly immortal who keeps the Wuzhuang Temple. He once clashed with the monkey over his ginseng fruit tree
Appears in -
Ananda
a disciple who long attended the Buddha. He stands beside him when the scriptures are handed over
Relations disciple of the Tathagata
Appears in -
Kasyapa
the Buddha's senior disciple. He hands over the scriptures together with Ananda
Appears in
The demons on the road 11
The side that blocks the pilgrims. Some of them came down from Heaven and some did not, and that difference decides how each one ends.
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Bull Demon King
a demon who was once the monkey's sworn brother. He is Red Boy's father and Princess Iron Fan's husband
Relations husband of Princess Iron Fan · father of Red Boy
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White Bone Demon
a demon who took human form three times to get close to Tang Sanzang. Only the monkey ever saw through her
Appears in -
Golden Horn
a demon paired with Silver Horn. He carries a gourd that calls your name, and answering pulls you in
Appears in -
Silver Horn
a demon paired with Golden Horn. He was once an attendant boy of Laojun
Appears in -
Red Boy
son of the Bull Demon King. He breathes a fire so fierce that even water cannot put it out
Relations son of Bull Demon King
Appears in -
Six-Eared Macaque
a demon who looks exactly like the monkey. Not even the gods or the bodhisattva could tell the two apart
Appears in -
Princess Iron Fan
a demon who owns the palm-leaf fan that can put out the Flaming Mountain. She is the Bull Demon King's wife
Relations wife of Bull Demon King
Appears in -
Yellow Brow
a demon who sat like the Buddha to deceive people. He filled an entire temple with a lie
Appears in -
Great Peng
a demon who ruled Lion-Camel Ridge. When he spreads his wings, they cover the sky
Appears in -
Golden-Nosed Rat
a demon who lives in the Bottomless Cave. She was once the adopted daughter of a heavenly general
Appears in -
Jade Rabbit
a demon who came down from the moon to pose as a princess. The real princess had been cast aside
Appears in
The mortal world 1
The people who set the journey going.
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Emperor Taizong
the emperor of Tang China. After a journey to the underworld, he sends Tang Sanzang west