Journey West: The Mage

Other pilgrims rely on Buddhist teachings to make the journey west. He relies on his fists.

At Five-Finger Mountain, Tang Sanzang shatters the Tathagata's seal with one punch and takes Sun Wukong as his disciple. In Eagle Grief Ravine, he swings a dragon around with his bare hands and beats the West Sea Dragon Prince into becoming a white horse. At Gao Village, he brings down a courtyard wall with a single palm strike and takes the pig demon as his disciple. By the banks of the Flowing Sand River, he tells Sha Wujing, “The Heavenly Court may reject you, but I accept you,” and Sha Wujing gladly follows him.

This is a Journey to the West unlike any other, a world brimming with violent spectacle and determined to defy convention. The most fearsome presence isn't a demon or a god. It's Tang Sanzang, who never stops saying, “Amitabha. I am a man who believes in reason.”