Monkey Magic

Monkey Magic (モンキーマジック) was a television series that aired in the late 1990s. The story is an adaptation of the novel Journey to the West. To avoid religious implications, the Buddha was named "The Guardian". Sunsoft produced a PlayStation video game based on the anime. The series premiered between 20.09.1998 and 13.12.1998 on UPN (US Television). Japanese airings followed between 31.12.1999 and 25.03.2000 on TV Tokyo.

Based on the legendary tale Journey to the West, Monkey Magic focuses on Goku (Kongo), a monkey torn between becoming a savior to his people and alone, arrogant warrior. Born from a mysterious meteor that crash-lands on Mount Flower Fruit, Goku has an indestructible head and a stubborn streak. He becomes the leader of his people and tries to protect them from the local humans who would steal their resources. Spurred on by his own ambition and the whisperings of Batty, an evil minion of the ruler of the Underworld, Goku sets off to learn magic and become the strongest being in the universe. He acquires various amazing skills and returns home to save his friends, but his violent revenge against the humans angers the deities in the Celestial Realm. They send a fleet against him and more, but after several spectacular battles, the gods try a new tack, inviting Goku and his friends for a visit to paradise. When what starts as a lark eventually sparks a more destructive war than ever before, can even the two most powerful deities in Buddhism put a stop to the mad monkey's rampage? Will Goku ever beat peace with others as well as himself?