gaming

How Xuanzang's 7th‑century pilgrimage led to Toriyama's 1984 manga and modern pop culture

PC Gamer's Causality Chain traces a direct line from 7th‑century Chinese monk Xuanzang's pilgrimage to India through the 16th‑century novel Journey to the West to Akira Toriyama's 1984 manga and onward into contemporary film and games. Xuanzang traveled from China to India beginning around 627, returned in 645 with hundreds of Sanskrit manuscripts he translated, and his account inspired later storytelling. Journey to the West (published in the late 1500s) fictionalized Xuanzang's trek and introduced characters like Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong that became templates for later creators. In 1984 Toriyama consciously used Journey to the West as the basis for a new series after Dr. Slump, and the chain of influence reaches into modern properties referenced alongside Keanu Reeves and Sonic the Hedgehog.

• Xuanzang began a pilgrimage around 627, returned in 645 with hundreds of Sanskrit manuscripts and spent years translating them.
• A disciple recorded Xuanzang's journey as Records of the Western Regions, which inspired a millennium of folktales.
• Journey to the West was published in the late 16th century as a fictionalized account featuring Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong.
• In 1984 Akira Toriyama used Journey to the West as the template for a new manga series after Dr. Slump, linking that narrative lineage to modern film and game culture.