This article is about the real Monkey King. You may be looking for another version. |
- Note: Due to Monkie Kid not being a direct representation to Journey to the West,[1] this article will be primarily about the Monkey King's appearance within Monkie Kid. For information about the Monkey King in Journey to the West, click here.
“I've never let anyone dictate my destiny in the past, and I'm not about to start now. None of us are. We can't change who we were yesterday, or in a past life, or a hundred lifetimes ago. We live with the choices we've made. But what matters is the choices we make right now. Only we decide who we are and what we do with the power we have!” |
— The Monkey King[src] |
Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, is a legendary hero. Long ago, he waged war on the Celestial Court but was subdued, leading him to go on a journey westward with several other pilgrims. He later chose MK to be his successor.
Some time after imprisoning the Demon Bull King, the Monkey King took a liking to a young man named MK and appointed him to be his successor. After introducing himself to MK at Flower Fruit Mountain, he encouraged MK to believe in himself and take the Golden Staff back.
Since then, the Monkey King began training MK and giving him advice. After the Six-Eared Macaque tricked MK and stole his powers, the Monkey King battled him.
During New Year's, the Spider Queen attacked with the help of the Lady Bone Demon, who revealed herself to Monkey King. Learning that Lady Bone Demon was freed from her tomb, he left Flower Fruit Mountain to look for a weapon that could help him defeat her. However, he was too late, as by the time he came back, the Bone Demon had already gained full power. Along with the Monkie Kids, Monkey King went on a journey to reunite the Samadhi Fire.
When the fire was unleashed, he went on to fight the Lady Bone Demon alone, he almost defeated her but was possessed, becoming her new champion. He broke out of her possession with the help of MK. After the Lady Bone Demon's defeat, he apologized to MK and continued training with him.
When the protective curse began to resurface onto the real world, Monkey King was sucked into the Scroll of Memory, where he discovered MK's stone until he battled the protective curse. When the curse was destroyed, Monkey King continued to be trapped in the scroll by Azure Lion, which resulted in having the plank being sliced in two after MK tried to steal it back. Trapped and burdened by guilt from his past, Monkey King found solace when MK encouraged him. With newfound determination, MK and Macaque freed Monkey King from the scroll, and together they confronted the Brotherhood.
Official descriptions
Monkie Kid™ HeroesCenturies ago, the wise king vanished on his magical cloud. Or maybe he just transformed himself into one of his 72 known forms? Either way, now he’s back and ready to train a new generation of demon fighters.[8] LEGO® Life Magazine Issue 1 2022This famous hero searched for years to find a worthy successor. Now he teaches Monkie Kid to use his powers wisely, even if he sometimes has to pull pranks to make his point.[9] Legendary mentorFrom his magical cloud, the Monkey King trains a new generation of demon fighters. [10] |
Personality
The Monkey King is a confident individual, especially in battle. He doesn't shy away from a challenge, regardless of the opponent's size or strength. Like MK he often 'plays dumb' or acts a little silly to lighten the mood.[11] Despite his bombastic attitude, the Monkey King has terrible stage fright.[12]
He used to go into battle without a plan, and previously believed he can and must handle big threats all on his own. Monkey King hid important information from the other characters because he wanted to keep them safe.[11][13][5] When he was young, all he wanted was to get stronger so he could protect the ones he loved.
Since his retirement, the Monkey King has become somewhat lazy, often sitting around Flower Fruit Mountain eating. He doesn't step in fighting demons unless they are a true threat. Despite his laziness, the Monkey King makes time to train MK. His training is odd but he makes sure to not push MK farther than his limits and always encourages him.[14] He cares greatly for MK, and believes that MK might have already done more the world than he ever has.
The Monkey King used to be quite violent and is almost always holding his true power back.[15] He is hesitant but willing to destroy someone for the greater good.[16][11]
Game appearances
LEGO Brawls
The Monkey King is a playable character in LEGO Brawls. He is the fourth and final character that can be unlocked after collecting enough Season Trophies in the final week of Season 14 of LEGO Brawls. In addition, the Monkey King also portrays as the mascot for the Flower Fruit Mountain arena.
Appearance
The Monkey King is an anthropomorphic monkey relatively the size of an average human. He has orange fur covering his body and tail, and peach skin on his torso, face, ears, knees, hands, and feet. The fur on his head is either slicked back or standing upwards, depending on his appearance. He has a pink heart-shaped marking across his face, golden eyes with a lined wing, and thick black eyebrows.
Minifigures
Accessories
Golden Staff
The Golden Staff is legendary staff that used to belong to Monkey King. It was once used by the Monkey King to imprison the Demon Bull King under Demon Hill. It was taken from the Dragon of the East.
Abilities
Note: Italicized text indicates all of Monkey King's former abilities.
Skillset
- Immense physical attributes - As shown during his fight against the Demon Bull King, the Monkey King possesses incredible physical abilities. He yields immense speed, strength, agility, and reflexes to take on the toughest of enemies.
- 108,000 Leap Somersault - While fighting his enemies, the Monkey King can do a somersault that helps him dodge his enemy's attack.
- Immense combat skills - The Monkey King is a fantastic fighter. His centuries of facing off against powerful deities have made him a master martial artist, allowing him to battle and defeat powerful enemies, whether demonic or celestial.
- Staff proficiency - The Monkey King's skill with his Golden Staff is unparalleled. In addition to that, the Monkey King can change the size of his staff to his whim.
- Artistry - Like MK, Monkey King is a talented artist.[17]
Powers
- Immortality - Due to a variety of reasons, the Monkey King became ageless and yields eternal youth, allowing him to live out several thousands of years.
- Aquatic Breathing - Monkey King can breathe underwater.
- Chi manipulation - Although not directly stated, the Monkey King can manipulate golden Chi energy to increase the force of his attacks. This is first demonstrated in his battle against the Demon Bull King when surrounds his fists with the energy to pulverize the stone debris and smash the Demon Bull King into the ground.
- Magic cloud - The Monkey King can generate a magic cloud to use as transportation.
- Flight - Even without the help of his cloud, the Monkey King can still fly.
- Shapeshifting - The Monkey King can shapeshift into one of 72 forms. However, he has trouble changing his tail.
- Known Forms:
- Bear
- Bird
- Butterfly
- Eagle
- Ladybug
- Tiger
- Turtle
- Known Forms:
- Replication - Monkey King has the ability to make copies of himself by using strands of his hair.
- Astral projection - Monkey King can interact with other people through astral projections, thus being able to talk to another person despite not being in the same place as them.
- Flaming Fist of Fury - The Monkey King can ignite his fists and throw flaming punches.
- Laser eyes - The Monkey King can shoot powerful laser beams out of his eyes.
- Size alteration - Monkey King can grow or shrink his body and objects.
- Gold Vision - Gold Vision is a power that allows Monkey King to see through demonic illusions. He gained this power while imprisoned in the Trigram Furnace.
- Bone Demon powers - While corrupted, the Monkey King possessed the Lady Bone Demon's powers.
Weaknesses
While Monkey King is regarded as immortal, there are indications that he can still be susceptible to certain supernatural forces that have the ability to end his life. For instance, his own powers pose a threat to him,[15] as well as universe bending forces like the Samadhi Fire and the Power of the Jade Emperor. The latter two, in particular, are said to possess such immense strength that they could potentially eliminate Monkey King at full strength.
- Impulsivity - Monkey King possesses a distinctive characteristic of not thoroughly considering his plans before executing them. Despite his intentions to achieve positive outcomes, he often acts impetuous, and fails to communicate with others. Monkey King tends to keep the crucial aspects of his plans hidden from others, leading to a lack of trust from those around him.[18][19] It wasn't until Mei pointed this out that Monkey King realized the potential risks that others could face due to his actions.[5]
Etymology
The name Wùkōng (悟空) translates to “awakened to emptiness”, referencing Buddhist enlightenment. "Wù" (悟) meaning awakened and Kōng (空) meaning hollow or empty. "Sūn" (孫) normally translates to grandson but in this context it means monkey.[20]
Appearances
Episodes and sets
Monkie Kid: A Hero is Born | ||||||||||||
Opening sequence: | Appears | |||||||||||
Episodes | ||||||||||||
"Monkie Kid: A Hero is Born": | Debut | |||||||||||
Sets | ||||||||||||
80006 White Dragon Horse Bike: |
Absent | 80007 Iron Bull Tank: |
Absent | |||||||||
80008 Monkie Kid's Cloud Jet: |
Absent | 80009 Pigsy's Food Truck: |
Absent | |||||||||
80010 Demon Bull King: |
Absent | 80011 Red Son's Inferno Truck: |
Absent | |||||||||
80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech: |
Appears | 80013 Monkie Kid's Team Secret HQ: |
Absent |
Season 1 | ||||||||||||
Opening sequence: | Appears | |||||||||||
Episodes | ||||||||||||
1. "Bad Weather": | Appears | 2. "Duplicatnation": | Video | |||||||||
3. "Coming Home": | Absent | 4. "Noodles or Death": | ||||||||||
5. "Calabash": | Absent | 6. "The Great Wall Race": | Appears | |||||||||
7. "Impossible Delivery": | Appears | 8. "Skeleton Key": | Absent | |||||||||
9. "Macaque": | Appears | 10. "The End is Here!": | ||||||||||
Sets | ||||||||||||
80014 Sandy's Speedboat: |
Absent | |||||||||||
80015 Monkie Kid's Cloud Roadster: |
Absent | 80016 The Flaming Foundry: |
Absent |
Season 2 | ||||||||||||
Opening sequence: | Appears | |||||||||||
Episodes | ||||||||||||
"Revenge of the Spider Queen": | Appears | |||||||||||
11. "Sleep Bug": | Appears | 12. "Dumpling Destruction": | Appears | |||||||||
13. "Pig Pong Panic": | 14. "Sweet 'n' Sour": | |||||||||||
15. "Minor Scale": | Appears | 16. "Game On": | Video game | |||||||||
17. "Shadow Play": | Flashback | 18. "To Catch a Leaf": | Absent | |||||||||
19. "72 Transformations": | Mentioned | 20. "This is the End!": | Appears | |||||||||
Sets | ||||||||||||
80018 Monkie Kid's Cloud Bike: |
Absent | 80019 Red Son's Inferno Jet: |
Absent | |||||||||
80020 White Dragon Horse Jet: |
Absent | 80021 Monkie Kid's Lion Guardian: |
Absent | |||||||||
80022 Spider Queen's Arachnoid Base: |
Appears | 80023 Monkie Kid's Team Dronecopter: |
Absent | |||||||||
80024 The Legendary Flower Fruit Mountain: |
Appears | 80025 Sandy's Power Loader Mech: |
Absent | |||||||||
80026 Pigsy's Noodle Tank: |
Absent | 80028 The Bone Demon: |
Absent |
Season 3 | ||||||||||||
Opening sequence: | Appears | |||||||||||
Episodes | ||||||||||||
21. "On the Run": | Appears | 22. "Great Grand Dragon of the East": | Appears | |||||||||
23. "Smartie Kid": | Appears | 24. "The Winning Side": | Appears | |||||||||
25. "Amnesia Rules": | Appears | 26. "The First Ring": | Appears | |||||||||
27. "Cooking With Chang'e": | Appears | 28. "Benched": | Appears | |||||||||
29. "The King, the Prince, and the Shadow": | Appears | 30. "The Samadhi Fire": | Appears | |||||||||
Embrace Your Destiny | ||||||||||||
31. "This Imperfect World": | Appears | 32. "The Corrupted King": | Possessed | |||||||||
33. "Time to Be Warriors": | Possessed | 34. "Destiny Fulfilled": | Appears | |||||||||
Sets | ||||||||||||
80030 Monkie Kid's Staff Creations: |
Appears | 80031 Mei's Dragon Car: |
Absent | |||||||||
80032 Chang'e Moon Cake Factory: |
Absent | 80033 Evil Macaque's Mech: |
Absent | |||||||||
80034 Nezha's Fire Ring: |
Appears | 80035 Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer: |
Absent | |||||||||
80036 The City of Lanterns: |
80037 Dragon of the East: |
Absent | ||||||||||
80038 Monkie Kid's Team Van: |
Absent | 80039 The Heavenly Realms: |
Appears |
Season 4 | ||||||||||||
Opening sequence: | Appears | |||||||||||
Episodes | ||||||||||||
35. "Familiar Tales": | Appears | 36. "New Adventures": | Flashback | |||||||||
37. "The Great Tang Man": | Vision | 38. "Pig-Napped!": | Vision | |||||||||
39. "Court of the Yellow Robed Demon": | Pictured | 40. "Show Me the Monster": | Flashback | |||||||||
41. "Pitiful Creatures": | Appears | 42. "The Brotherhood": | Memory | |||||||||
43. "Roast of the Monkie Kids": | Flashback | 44. "The Jade Emperor": | Pictured | |||||||||
The Emperor's Wrath | ||||||||||||
45. "A Lifetime of Mistakes": | Appears | 46. "The Plan Man": | Appears | |||||||||
47. "Rip and Tear": | Appears | 48. "Better Than We Found It": | Appears | |||||||||
Sets | ||||||||||||
80040 Monkie Kid's Combi Mech: |
Absent | |||||||||||
80041 Mei's Dragon Jet: |
Absent | 80043 Yellow Tusk Elephant: |
Absent | |||||||||
80044 Monkie Kid's Team Hideout: |
Pictured | 80045 Monkey King Ultra Mech: |
Appears | |||||||||
80046 Monkie Kid's Cloud Airship: |
Pictured | 80047 Mei's Guardian Dragon: |
Absent | |||||||||
80048 The Mighty Azure Lion: |
Appears | 80049 Dragon of the East Palace: |
Appears |
Season 5 | ||||||||||||
Opening sequence: | Appears | |||||||||||
Episodes | ||||||||||||
49. "Strings That Bind": | Appears | 50. "Collar the King": | Appears | |||||||||
51. "Temple of the Goddess": | Appears | 52. "The Storm Within": | Appears | |||||||||
53. "Claim to Flame": | Flashback | 54. "Festival Fugitives": | Appears | |||||||||
55. "Into the Pagoda": | Appears | 56. "The Cage": | Appears | |||||||||
57."Sacrifice": | Appears | 58. "Harbinger": | Appears | |||||||||
Sets | ||||||||||||
80050 Creative Vehicles: |
Appears | 80051 Monkie Kid's Mini Mech: |
Absent | |||||||||
80053 Mei's Dragon Mech: |
Absent | 80054 Megapolis City: |
Appears | |||||||||
80055 Monkie Kid's Team Power Truck: |
Absent | 80056 Nine-Headed Beast: |
Appears | |||||||||
80057 Nezha's Ring of Fire Mech: |
Appears | 80058 Celestial Pagoda: |
Pictured |
Season 6 | ||||||||||||
Opening sequence: | Absent | |||||||||||
Episodes | ||||||||||||
59. "TBA": | Absent | 60. "TBA": | Absent | |||||||||
61. "TBA": | Absent | 62. "TBA": | Absent | |||||||||
63. "TBA": | Absent | 64. "TBA": | Absent | |||||||||
65. "TBA": | Absent | 66. "TBA": | Absent | |||||||||
67. "TBA": | Absent | 68. "TBA": | Absent | |||||||||
Sets | ||||||||||||
80065 Erlang's Celestial Mech: |
Appears | 80066 Mythical Creature Qilin: |
Absent |
Other Sets | |||||||||
30341 Monkie Kid's Delivery Bike |
Absent | 40381 Monkey King: |
Appears | ||||||
40474 Build your own Monkey King: |
Appears | 40472 Monkie Kid's RC Race: |
Absent | ||||||
30344 Mini Monkey King Warrior Mech: |
Absent | 854085 Monkie Kid Key Chain: |
Absent | ||||||
854086 Red Son Key Chain: |
Absent | 30562 Monkie Kid's Underwater Journey: |
Absent | ||||||
30656 Monkey King Marketplace: |
Appears | 6476261 Monkie Kid 5th Anniversary Cake: |
Absent |
Books and comics
Monkie Kid Comic Story | |||||||||
1. Monkie Kid Comic Story 1: | Appears | 2. Monkie Kid Comic Story 2: | Appears | ||||||
3. Monkie Kid Comic Story 3: | Appears | 4. Monkie Kid Comic Story 4: | Appears | ||||||
5. Monkie Kid Comic Story 5: | Appears | 6. Monkie Kid Comic Story 6: | Appears | ||||||
7. Monkie Kid Comic Story 7: | Appears | 8. Monkie Kid Comic Story 8: | Appears | ||||||
9. Monkie Kid Comic Story 9: | Absent | 10. Monkie Kid Comic Story 10: | Absent |
Other
Video Games | |||||||||
LEGO Brawls: | Appears |
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Translation, etymology, and notes |
---|---|---|
Arabic | مونكي كينغ | Arabic reading of the English word “Monkey King”. |
Cantonese | 孫悟空 | Translates to “monkey awakened to emptiness”. |
French | Roi Singe | Translates to Monkey King. |
German | Monkey King | Same as English. |
Hebrew | מונקי קינג | Hebrew reading of the English “Monkey King”. |
Japanese | モンキーキング | Japanese reading of the English word "Monkey King". |
Korean | 손오공 | Korean reading of “Sun Wukong”. |
Mandarin (China) |
孫悟空 | Translates to “monkey awakened to emptiness”. |
Mandarin (Taiwan) |
孫悟空 | Translates to “monkey awakened to emptiness”. |
Spanish (Latin America) |
Monkey King | Same as English. |
Spanish (Spain) |
Rey Mono | Translates to Monkey King. |
Behind the scenes
- Monkey King's voice actor, Sean Schemmel, is known for voicing Son Goku of Dragon Ball. Goku is directly based off of Sun Wukong, even sharing his name (albeit with the Japanese pronunciation). Goku shares other similarities with the Monkey King, such as immense strength, a magical cloud, a length-changing staff, and living on a mountain.
- Schemmel's performance is partially based on comedian Norm MacDonald. [21]
- In Mandarin dub, the Monkey King refers to the Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan as his brother and sister-in-law respectively.
- In the novel, before being taught and named by Master Subodhi, Monkey King was known as the "Stone Monkey" (石猴 "Shí hóu") and the "Handsome Monkey King" (美猴王 "Měi hóu wáng"). While detailing the four celestial primates, the Buddha calls Monkey King the "Intelligent Stone Monkey", who "knows transformations, recognizes the seasons, discerns the advantages of earth, and is able to alter the course of planets and stars". [23]
- He represents the mind, and is associated with the element of metal in the novel. [24]
Trivia
- Despite it being a brief joke that Sun Wukong doesn't know how to read, he has been shown to be literate on several occasions, with him writing notes in "Revenge of the Spider Queen" and "Pig Pong Panic".
- That being said he does seem to struggle with spelling.[11]
- His handwriting somewhat resembles cursive script.
- Monkey King has an email and a lawyer.[14]
- One year prior to the release of Monkie Kid, LEGO released a Monkey King minifigure in Lego Minifigures Series 19.
- This minifigure was designed by producer Xiaodong Wen and was used as a placeholder during the production of the sets.[25]
- Monkey King has several in-universe media tie-ins, they are: Monkey King Adventures, The Monkey King: The Animated Series, Monkey Cop, Monkey King cereal, and several action figures.
- He exists as a mascot costume that was used for the stage-show Monkie Kid LEGO Adventures.
- Monkey King's eye color changed during the show, in "Monkie Kid: A Hero is Born" his pupils were white and in "Revenge of the Spider Queen" onward they are pale yellow.
- Monkey King knows how to code, as evidenced by his VR game.
- Both of Monkey King's Classic outfits are clearly based off of his iteration from the 1961 Chinese donghua film Havoc in Heaven. This film is considered one of the most iconic and influential Journey to the West adaptations.
- Several of his minifigures also reference the series Journey to the West (1986).
- In the sets, Monkey King's eyes used to be black before he was cooked in the Trigram Furnace.
- A sticker in 80046 Monkie Kid's Cloud Airship implies Monkey King can play the piano.
- In Season 4, Mei and Tang assumed that Monkey King was MK's father. In the latter case, it was because Monkey King is only one of the pilgrims still alive, and yet MK inherited all his powers. However, according to David Breen and MK himself, Monkey King isn't MK's father.[26]
- Storyboards for "Familiar Tales" imply Monkey King's online handle is "SON_WUKONG".[27]
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery. |
References
- ↑ Adams, Jeremy. It is not a direct 1:1 representation to JTW by design. It gives us more freedom with stories and characters and hopefully points people to search and experience JTW themselves (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 28, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Breen, David. "New Adventures". Monkie Kid. Season 4. Episode 36.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Breen, David. "A Lifetime of Mistakes". Monkie Kid. Season 4. Episode 45.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Adams, Jeremy. "Revenge of the Spider Queen". Monkie Kid. Season 2 Special.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Adams, Jeremy; Kai, Yin. "The Samadhi Fire". Monkie Kid. Season 3. Episode 30.
- ↑ Adams, Jeremy. "This is the End!". Monkie Kid. Season 2. Episode 20.
- ↑ Harper, Sarah. "Rip and Tear". Monkie Kid. Season 4. Episode 47.
- ↑ LEGO® Monkie Kid™ Playsets for Ages 6-10+| Themes | LEGO.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023.
- ↑ LEGO® Life Magazine Issue 1 2022 (PDF).
- ↑ LEGO® Monkie Kid™ Playsets for Ages 6-10+| Themes | LEGO.com.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Adams, Jeremy; Breen, David; Harper, Sarah; Kai, Yin. "Destiny Fulfilled". Monkie Kid. Season 3. Episode 34.
- ↑ Adams, Jeremy; Kai, Yin. "Benched". Monkie Kid. Season 3. Episode 28.
- ↑ Adams, Jeremy. "This is the End!". Monkie Kid. Season 2. Episode 20.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Adams, Jeremy. "Impossible Delivery". Monkie Kid. Season 1. Episode 7.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Adams, Jeremy. "Macaque". Monkie Kid. Season 1. Episode 9.
- ↑ Adams, Jeremy; Breen, David; Harper, Sarah; Kai, Yin. "This Imperfect World". Monkie Kid. Season 3. Episode 31.
- ↑ Harper, Sarah. "The Jade Emperor". Monkie Kid. Season 4. Episode 44.
- ↑ Adams, Jeremy; Kai, Yin. "The King, the Prince, and the Shadow". Monkie Kid. Season 3. Episode 29.
- ↑ Devlin, Deirdre. "Court of the Yellow Robed Demon". Monkie Kid. Season 4. Episode 39.
- ↑ "The name means “Awakened to Emptiness”, thus referencing Buddhist enlightenment (. . .) The surname “Sun” (孫) means “grandson” but is an open reference to husun (猢猻, lit: “grandson of the barbarian”), the Chinese word for “macaque".
- ↑ Voice Actor Sean Schemmel Talks New Projects and Playing Goku (Interview) "It’s just me, if I were retired, but also still a magic god from China because I’m playing the Monkey King. It’s like me, retired, mixed with a little Norm Macdonald, is the way I’m kind of doing it."
- ↑ Journey to the West, Volume 1, Chapter 3 (Anthony C. Yu translation, Revised Edition)
- ↑ Journey to the West, Volume 3, Chapter 58 (Anthony C. Yu translation, Revised Edition)
- ↑ Journey to the West, Volume 1, Introduction, Page 83 (Anthony C. Yu translation, Revised Edition)
- ↑ File:Monkey mech work in progress issue 69 blocks magazine page 39.jpg
- ↑ Breen, David (2023-01-29). LMK season 4 spoilers
Monkey King was trying to find MK in the scroll, and he found the stone, which is what MK was seeing in his visions. I know, I know, death of the author(s), but he's a good boy who's trying his best. Monkey King ain't the father. 1/ (Tweet). - ↑ Jacobson, Ashe (July 25, 2023). TThis is a test of the Monkie Kid broadcast system..