- 2,773
- 126
Note: This is not my research, all credit goes to DonatelloRawks on Comicvine. I will quote what he said down below
"I've read the beginning of the novel a bit again (Its Chinese New Year, the year of the Monkey), and I finally understood why are people saying that Sun Wukong "held up the galaxy" with his magic staff. Its still completely wrong, but at least now I can see how did the wrong idea came about.
I've updated the list of feats for Sun Wukong (See spoilers tag): Amongst the edits include the fact that the novel DID mention that the magic staff had "held up the milky way". As I had explained earlier on, this changes nothing. Please understand the context.
Source: http://www.chine-informations.com/fichiers/jourwest.pdf
Also, Sun Wukong never held up the galaxy with his magic staff. He never busted a galaxy, he never busted a star, he never even busted a planet. There was never any mention of a universe that we understand in our context today. The novel has never said that. He doesn't have the feats for that."
Link: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/bat...t-superman-577677/?page=3#js-message-16232828
I would appreciate opinion of any admin/mod who's knowledgeable on Journey to the West
"I've read the beginning of the novel a bit again (Its Chinese New Year, the year of the Monkey), and I finally understood why are people saying that Sun Wukong "held up the galaxy" with his magic staff. Its still completely wrong, but at least now I can see how did the wrong idea came about.
I've updated the list of feats for Sun Wukong (See spoilers tag): Amongst the edits include the fact that the novel DID mention that the magic staff had "held up the milky way". As I had explained earlier on, this changes nothing. Please understand the context.
- Firstly, for the ancient Chinese it is referring to the Heavenly River, which again as I had mentioned, knows nothing about the actual Milky Way. Besides, the magic staff's subsequent feats never match up to anywhere near planet level.
- Secondly, even IF that was true, its still technically not a feat of Sun Wukong because he never actually used the staff to hold up the milky way. As mentioned in the first point, Sun Wukong's feats with the magic staff are below planet level.
- Finally, I am only interpreting the novel literally, which is not appropriate because it is full of metaphors and hyperbole (A beautiful expression of the Chinese language), so by the "more accurate literal interpretation", the magic staff holding up the heavenly river is already a hyperbole itself.
Source: http://www.chine-informations.com/fichiers/jourwest.pdf
- Wukong's best FIGHTING feats were his wrecking havoc on Heaven. Page 72 to 74 saw him forcing back the 100,000 troops of Heaven with his multiple clones magic trick. Page 87 to 90 saw him freed from Lao Zi's cauldron and he started his rampage on heaven, where he was forced into a corner. Notice that the 100,000 troops of heaven were feat-less other than they were "fighting fiercely". None of these feats suggested him threatening the universe, galaxy, or even planet.
- Wukong's best DESTRUCTIVE feat was busting a mountain. Page 207 sees him doing that to free himself after Buddha's magic imprisonment seal was released.
- Sun Wukong's Regenerationn CAPABILITY was shown in page 643 to 645: He can regrow his head and can sew up his own stomach at will after cutting it open.
- Wukong's best battle-relevant MAGIC TRICK was his size-changing. Page 848-849 shows Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King grew to extreme sizes and clashes with each other, which draws the attention of the Taoist pantheon. Notice that there is still nothing stated of him beyond mountain/country-busting.
- Wukong's weapon of choice is the magic staff, which can also grow and shrink at will. It weighs less than 10 tons, as described in page 41. Page 41-42 also shows that Wukong grew into, depending on the translation, a 100,000 feet or 10,000 feet tall giant, with his magic staff also growing to touch heaven and hell, which is literally the earth and the sky. Notice that there's nothing stated of any feat spanning the planet/galaxy/universe. The concept of the modern universe is completely foreign to the author of Journey to the West.
- There indeed is a mention of the magic staff being able to "hold up the Milky Way" in page 39. HOWEVER, please understand the context. For the ancient Chinese it is referring to the Heavenly River, which again as I had mentioned, knows nothing about the actual Milky Way. Besides, the magic staff's subsequent feats never match up to anywhere near planet level.
- Wukong wasn't omnipotent at all: Amongst Wukong's many problems he faced which he alone can't solve, was the Red Boy. He was overwhelmed by the Red Boy's magical fires in Page 570-572. Returning for a second round nearly killed him, as seen in Page 575-577. This is consistent with the novel's portrayal of Sun Wukong having regular trouble against earth-bound demons who aren't even planet-level.
- Another event that obviously demonstrates that Wukong isn't planet level was that he was pinned down by the weight of 3 mountains. Read Page 464 to 466. If his hax was that good why did he ask for help from the mountain gods to free him?
- There are even more adventures that the monkey god went through, but all those feats are of his great fighting abilities and use of quick wits, not his magic hax.
Also, Sun Wukong never held up the galaxy with his magic staff. He never busted a galaxy, he never busted a star, he never even busted a planet. There was never any mention of a universe that we understand in our context today. The novel has never said that. He doesn't have the feats for that."
Link: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/bat...t-superman-577677/?page=3#js-message-16232828
I would appreciate opinion of any admin/mod who's knowledgeable on Journey to the West