News culture This groundbreaking novel inspired Dragon Ball and Black Myth Wukong: There is a strong connection between the manga and Souls-like
Akira Toriyama, who is considered the father of shônen manga with Dragon Ball, was inspired by a big name in manga: Osamu Tezuka. The latter, sometimes called “the god of manga,” also found light when delving into the extraordinary side of Chinese literature.
The three kingdoms, At the water’s edge, The journey to the west et The dream in the Red Pavilion All four are considered exceptional novels in Chinese literature. They are credited with having an enormous influence on many works of popular culture, particularly in Asia. For example, The dream in the Red Pavilion is often compared to the collection “In Search of Lost Time” by Marcel Proust. The journey to the westin turn, continues to influence literature and the world of video games to this day.
This 16th-century novel by Wu Cheng’en traces the (presumably historical) journey of the 7th-century Buddhist monk Tang Sanzang. From China he went to India to translate Buddhist texts into his language. During his journey, he must fend off fantastic creatures attracted to his flesh (which would give the person who eats it another 10,000 years), but also takes several disciples under his wing. One of them is Sun Wukong, a monkey born from a stone who becomes the king of his species.
Paintings in the Long Corridor of the Summer Palace in Beijing, where artistic works inspired by literary works or historical events are exhibited.
A novel that inspired the “God of Manga” and in turn the “Father of Shônen”.
This story can be found in the manga The Legend of Son Goku. It is directed by Osamu Tezuka, bearer of nicknames that represent a reputation that no longer needs to be proven: father of manga, godfather of manga or even god of manga, for example. Tezuka is one of the people who laid the foundation for Japanese comics today. It is with AstroBoy that he revolutionized Japanese animation (for example, it was he who established this weekly release rhythm).
It’s in one of the 1995 editions of Weekly Shonen Jump (weekly magazine published in Japan that airs chapters of current, popular manga), which Akira Toriyama states he was inspired by Tezuka’s Astro Boy. However, the latter is himself the author of The Legend of Son Gokua story directly inspired by The journey to the west. The father of Dragon Ball was therefore probably not directly inspired by Wu Cheng’en’s novel, but by Tezuka’s production.
A source of creativity that can be observed through many similarities. Without pointing fingers at them all, We can say that Son Goku is the Japanese translation of Sun Wukong; that the character has the same extendable staff and magic cloud, or that he meets Bulma. The latter is undoubtedly the embodiment of the monk Tang Sanzang, since it is she who is looking for the Dragon Ball.
An influence in video games too
Where did he say it? The journey to the west also inspired other video games. The character Wukong appears in the video game League of Legends. He is also the main character of Black Myth: Wukong, a title that appears in the top 4 most anticipated games on Steam. It is a new version of the extraordinary novel in which the Monkey King has to relive his journey by confronting various creatures from Chinese mythology. Enough to “discover the truth behind a glorious legend”
Black Myth Wukong is an action role-playing game that seems to be characterized by dark fantasy. The various gameplay sequences illustrate battles with colossal monsters, sometimes reminiscent of those from FromSoftware video games (Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice). If the title is visually catchy, I personally have reservations about the gameplay and the areas, which seem a bit empty at the moment. However, Black Myth Wukong is worth considering as long as it offers a rereading of one of the most influential novels in popular culture. See you on August 20th with the release of the title on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series.
