Last updated: 05-25-2025
The idea that the Monkey King can gain the strength and magical abilities of an opponent by copying their appearance via bodily transformation or hair clones became popular online sometime around (or before) 2021, and it continues to spread (fig. 1).
Fig. 1 – (Top row) screenshot of a Twitter comment dated September 2021; (bottom three rows) screenshots of reddit comments taken in December 2023 (larger version).
A more recent example is an Instagram reel from August 2024. The transcript reads:
[Sun Wukong can’t be defeated by the video game character Kratos (of God of War fame) because] … one of his most broken abilities is his hair. You see, each of his individual hairs can transform into anything he wants. Basically, he can create another version of Kratos. He could just create another Kratos who would be just as strong as this Kratos. He could create 84,000* of Kratoses. So now, you have a Wukong who’s just as strong as Kratos, on top of the fact that he has another Kratos with him (source).
* This refers to the metaphorical number of Sun’s hairs as stated in chapter two of the original novel (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 128).
But where does this idea come from? Does it even appear in the original Journey to the West (Xiyouji, 西遊記, 1592; “JTTW” hereafter)? In this article, I will discuss what the novel has to say about this topic.
1. Source
I am 100% certain that the claim was influenced by the battle between Monkey and Nezha from JTTW chapter four:
This Prince Nezha,* properly armed, leaped from his camp and dashed to the Water-Curtain Cave. Wukong was just dismissing his troops when he saw Nezha approaching fiercely. Dear Prince!
[poem about Nezha’s appearance and skills omitted for the sake of brevity]
Wukong drew near and asked, “Whose little brother are you, and what do you want, barging through my gate?” “Lawless monstrous monkey!” shouted Nezha. “Don’t you recognize me? I am Nezha, third son of the Pagoda Bearer Devaraja. I am under the imperial commission of the Jade Emperor to come and arrest you.” “Little prince,” said Wukong laughing, “your baby teeth haven’t even fallen out, and your natal hair is still damp! How dare you talk so big? I’m going to spare your life, and I won’t fight you. Just take a look at the words on my banner and report them to the Jade Emperor above. Grant me this title, and you won’t need to stir your forces. I will submit on my own. If you don’t satisfy my cravings, I will surely fight my way up to the Treasure Hall of Divine Mists.”
Lifting his head to look, Nezha saw the words, “Great Sage, Equal to Heaven.” “What great power does this monstrous monkey possess,” said Nezha, “that he dares claim such a title? Fear not! Swallow my sword.” “I’ll just stand here quietly,” said Wukong, “and you can take a few hacks at me with your sword.” Young Nezha grew angry. “Change!” he yelled loudly, and he changed at once into a fearsome person having three heads and six arms [fig. 2]. In his hands he held six kinds of weapons: a monster-stabbing sword, a monster-cleaving scimitar, a monster-binding rope, a monster-taming club, an embroidered ball, and a fiery wheel. Brandishing these weapons, he mounted a frontal attack. “This little brother does know a few tricks!” said Wukong, somewhat alarmed by what he saw. “But don’t be rash. Watch my magic!” Dear Great Sage! He shouted, “Change!” and he too transformed himself into a creature with three heads and six arms. One wave of the golden-hooped rod and it became three staffs, which were held with six hands. The conflict was truly earth-shaking and made the very mountains tremble. What a battle!
[Poem about their battle omitted for the sake of brevity.]
Each displaying his divine powers, the Third Prince and Wukong battled for thirty rounds. The six weapons of that prince changed into a thousand and ten thousand pieces; the golden-hooped rod of Sun Wukong into ten thousand and a thousand. They clashed like raindrops and meteors in the air, but victory or defeat was not yet determined. Wukong, however, proved to be the one swifter of eye and hand. Right in the midst of the confusion, he plucked a piece of hair and shouted, “Change!” It changed into a copy of him, also wielding a rod in its hands and deceiving Nezha. His real person leaped behind Nezha and struck his left shoulder with the rod. Nezha, still performing his magic, heard the rod whizzing through the air and tried desperately to dodge it. Unable to move quickly enough, he took the blow and fled in pain. Breaking off his magic and gathering up his six weapons, he returned to his camp in defeat (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, pp. 154-156). [1]
* Yu (Wu & Yu, 2012) originally translated 哪吒 here as “Naṭa.” However, “Nezha” is far and away the most popular rendering. I’ve, therefore, changed the text.
To sum up: Sun and Nezha battle. The child-god takes on a three-headed, six-armed war form, prompting Monkey to do the same. They continue to fight with no conclusion, until the Great Sage makes a hair clone decoy of his war form and finally wounds Nezha with a staff blow from behind.
Fig 2 – Monkey fighting a three-headed, six-armed Nezha (larger version). Image found here. It appears to be an illustration from a children’s book retelling Uproar in Heaven (1961/64).
2. Analysis
Someone might take the above as evidence supporting the claim, but they are overlooking two important details. One, Sun is clearly using his famous “Multitude of Terrestrial Killers” (Disha shu, 地煞數), a.k.a. “72 Changes” (Qishier ban bianhua, 七十二般變化), in response to the prince’s metamorphosis. As a reminder, this magic ability allows him to transform into anything he wants, including other humanoid figures, animals, insects, miscellaneous objects, incorporeal beams of light, and even buildings. Therefore, Sun mirroring Nezha’s multi-headed and armed war form is not a case of him magically copying the prince’s abilities. He’s simply using a pre-existing power to change himself in a similar way.
And two, Monkey’s hair clone is an extension of himself, so again, he’s not using it to copy a foe’s powers. And the hair clone certainly isn’t being used to create a stronger version of an adversary, in this case Nezha, as claimed in the comments from figure one. As can be seen, the battle is won by strategy and not some copied ability.
Now, I can already hear some readers disagreeing with my take. In that case, I challenge you to cite examples proving me wrong. This is a very specific request. You can’t just quote where he takes on or creates a random character’s shape. That happens many times over. You have to show where mirroring an opponent’s appearance gives the Great Sage or a hair clone new powers that he/it/they didn’t previously have.
If you’re not quite sure where to start, I suggest consulting my 200-plus page catalog of Monkey’s powers and skills from all 100 chapters of the book. I look forward to any future responses.
3. A Special Message
I hope this challenge helps netizens enamored with Sun Wukong’s embellished online persona as an unstoppable and unkillable cosmic force to understand that the only reliable source of information about him is the JTTW novel. Here’s some advice: if you happen upon someone making bold claims about the Great Sage (or JTTW characters and events in general), ask them to prove their point by quoting directly from the book. Don’t accept anything—no youtubers like OSP, no forum or social media posts, no video games, etc.—beyond cited canonical information. You can check the PDFs here to make sure that the quote is correct. And even then, it’s best to consult someone (Chinese or otherwise) who has a solid foundation in Chinese literature, religion, and culture to make sure that the person’s understanding of the material falls in line with what the original text actually means. I say this because I’ve seen a lot of people take something at face value without realizing that there’s some kind of underlying context.
Update: 05-08-25
My comments section is not the best for ongoing debates. I can’t reply to anyone who responds to my initial response to a comment. I think it’s best to move this to a different platform, maybe Reddit or Discord. I’ll leave it up to commenters to decide. I’ll post a link to the chosen debate site when it is agreed upon.
(Edit: I just discovered that I can respond if I go into my dashboard, but this isn’t as fast or convenient as directly answering the reply on the article page.)
Update: 05-25-25
A reader just commented that Monkey can gain the abilities of the animals that he changes into—something I’ve recorded several times in my catalog of his powers and skills—thereby implying that he should also be able to acquire the powers of a copied foe. However, the novel is clear that there’s a marked difference in quality between his animal/object forms and his humanoid forms. Chapter 75 reveals the fatal flaw:
“Elder Brother,” said the third fiend,” didn’t you see him? He [Wukong disguised as a small demon] was giggling just now with his face half turned, and I saw for a moment a thunder god beak on him. When I grabbed him, he changed back immediately into his present looks.” He then called out: “Little ones, bring me some ropes.” The captains took out ropes immediately. Wrestling Pilgrim to the ground, the third fiend had him hog-tied before they hitched up his clothes to examine him. It became apparent at once that he was the BanHorsePlague all right! Pilgrim, you see, was capable of seventy-two kinds of transformation. If it was a matter of changing into a fowl, a beast, a plant, a utensil, or an insect, his entire body could be transformed. But when he had to change into another person, only his face but not his body could be transformed. When they lifted up his clothes, therefore, they saw a body full of brown fur, two red buttocks, and a tail (emphasis added) (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 367).
三怪道：「哥哥，你不曾看見他？他才子閃著身笑了一聲，我見他就露出個雷公嘴來。見我扯住時，他又變作個這等模樣。」叫：「小的們，拿繩來。」眾頭目即取繩索。
This means that the Great Sage’s changes are not perfect. How then would he be able to acquire an opponent’s strength or magical abilities via imperfect transformations? I look forward to future responses.
Note:
1) Here’s the original Chinese for the JTTW chapter four fight, including that for the omitted poems:
這哪吒太子甲冑齊整，跳出營盤，撞至水簾洞外。那悟空正來收兵，見哪吒來的勇猛。好太子：
總角才遮顖，披毛未蓋肩。神奇多敏悟，骨秀更清妍。誠為天上麒麟子，果是煙霞彩鳳仙。龍種自然非俗相，妙齡端不類塵凡。身帶六般神器械，飛騰變化廣無邊。今受玉皇金口詔，敕封海會號三壇。
悟空迎近前來問曰：「你是誰家小哥？闖近吾門，有何事幹？」哪吒喝道：「潑妖猴！豈不認得我？我乃托塔天王三太子哪吒是也，今奉玉帝欽差，至此捉你。」悟空笑道：「小太子，你的嬭牙尚未退，胎毛尚未乾，怎敢說這般大話？我且留你的性命，不打你。你只看我旌旗上是甚麼字號，拜上玉帝：是這般官銜，再也不須動眾，我自皈依；若是不遂我心，定要打上靈霄寶殿。」哪吒擡頭看處，乃「齊天大聖」四字。哪吒道：「這妖猴能有多大神通，就敢稱此名號？不要怕，吃吾一劍。」悟空道：「我只站下不動，任你砍幾劍罷。」那哪吒奮怒，大喝一聲，叫：「變！」即變做三頭六臂，惡狠狠，手持著六般兵器，乃是斬妖劍、砍妖刀、縛妖索、降妖杵、繡毬兒、火輪兒，丫丫叉叉，撲面來打。悟空見了，心驚道：「這小哥倒也會弄些手段。莫無禮，看我神通。」好大聖，喝聲：「變！」也變做三頭六臂；把金箍棒幌一幌，也變作三條。六隻手拿著三條棒架住。這場鬥，真個是地動山搖，好殺也：
六臂哪吒太子，天生美石猴王，相逢真對手，正遇本源流。那一個蒙差來下界，這一個欺心鬧斗牛。斬妖寶劍鋒芒快，砍妖刀狠鬼神愁；縛妖索子如飛蟒，降妖大杵似狼頭；火輪掣電烘烘艷，往往來來滾繡毬。大聖三條如意棒，前遮後擋運機謀。苦爭數合無高下，太子心中不肯休。把那六件兵器多教變，百千萬億照頭丟。猴王不懼呵呵笑，鐵棒翻騰自運籌。以一化千千化萬，滿空亂舞賽飛虯。諕得各洞妖王都閉戶，遍山鬼怪盡藏頭。神兵怒氣雲慘慘，金箍鐵棒響颼颼。那壁廂，天丁吶喊人人怕；這壁廂，猴怪搖旗個個憂。發狠兩家齊鬥勇，不知那個剛強那個柔。
三太子與悟空各騁神威，鬥了個三十回合。那太子六般兵，變做千千萬萬；孫悟空金箍棒，變作萬萬千千。半空中似雨點流星，不分勝負。
原來悟空手疾眼快，正在那混亂之時，他拔下一根毫毛，叫聲：「變！」就變做他的本相，手挺著棒，演著哪吒；他的真身，卻一縱，趕至哪吒腦後，著左膊上一棒打來。哪吒正使法間，聽得棒頭風響，急躲閃時，不能措手，被他著了一下，負痛逃走。收了法，把六件兵器依舊歸身，敗陣而回。(source)
Source:
Wu, C., & Yu, A. C. (2012). The Journey to the West (Vols. 1-4) (Rev. ed.). Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.
On a metaphysical level, one can make the claim as a materialist that Sun Wukong in theory would be able to copy powers and abilities through his 72 transformations. It depends on how you want to interpret how the 72 transformations work. For example, it’s heavily implied when he transforms into objects and animals, he retains the physical properties of said objects and animals. Such as turning into a bird to fly, he must have actual bird physiology such as hollow bones and functional feathers in order to fly. It’s unclear how detailed and accurate a transformation is. For example if he shapeshifts into a copy of a demon, is he molecularly identical to the demon? And thus has the demon’s exact brain chemistry? This would theoretically give him access to all of the demon’s memories, and thus access to knowledge. Magic seems to be mostly knowledge based and gained through cultivation. If the 72 transformations can be used to perfectly copy the form of another being, it’s not unreasonable for Wukong to copy their abilities. Like can Wukong simply shapeshift into a lump of kryptonite to defeat superman? Does the 72 transformations retain the properties of real kryptonite?
The challenge isn’t about metaphysics, though. Theorizing how Monkey’s powers might work is not the same as citing specific examples from the novel where the claimed ability to copy the strength and powers of a foe actually happen.
This isn’t a debate about theorizing tho. Like if I wrote a novel about someone who is good at soccer. It’s not a theory to say that he could seriously hurt someone by kicking them. Like just because there are no citations of him kicking and hurting someone in my novel, it’s not an unrealistic conclusion that a soccer player has a strong kick. If we have direct instances of how Sun Wukong’s powers working in one way, we can take it to logical conclusions based on the existing logic of the novel. One can claim author intent would negate this, but that’s impossible to prove either way.
Are you replying to me or the first person?
As someone writing a story with the meta-principles you are implying, I understand where you are coming from. However, from story context and framing, there are a number of reasons why this should not work in Journey to the West.
Firstly, since Sūn Wùkōng lacks the Buddha Mind and thus has to go on the Journey, he does not have the mindset to perfectly understand others. To give him the ability to become a perfect facsimile of his enemies would counter the overlaying theme of the story. He has to regain his empathy and discard his overwhelming sense of self. To take on all of the aspects, skills and thoughts included, of those he shifts into would mean he already discards his self.
From a story angle, he cannot be willing to go that far because it would mean supplanting his sense of identity. Maintaining that identity while pretending to change, (both physically and mentally) is a major part of the Trickster archetype.
Secondly, copying powers is extremely dangerous. Proficiency is key. It is more of a detriment to take a power when one will not have the skill to use it. That is one of the reasons that Tricksters and Shifters usually don’t bother… and those that do tend to cause more damage than they mean to. Mainly to themselves.
Since he already has a very wide array of skills to work with, it would be safer to use a similar skill of his own than borrowing another’s.
Thirdly, there is no need to go all the way. No matter who Sūn Wùkōng goes against, his main skillset is his creativity, not necessarily his physical strength, and his extremely strong confidence. There is no need to put in that much effort to be somebody else when one can be themselves.
Being yourself while playing a part is much easier than becoming another person.
His disguises will be found out at some point because he cannot maintain another person’s identity as well as his own. He will, inevitably, show his tail.
As to the idea of fighting Kratos, I really doubt Wùkōng would even entertain the notion to begin with. It would take a great deal of contrivances to make a situation where the two would fight. For one, if Kratos were to attack the Celestial Realm, Wùkōng would more than likely join him than fight him. No matter what stage of life with either combatant. Having Kratos fight Èrláng Shen is more likely than Sūn Wùkōng, but that is also a stretch since Èrláng is not exactly happy with the Court either.
I am speaking from a storyteller perspective. It is not worth having a fight, in my opinion, if it is just a brainless brawl for the sake of fighting. The hardest part of plotting these kinds of things is finding a reason for characters to fight.
Even though a lot of media portray Sūn Wùkōng as impulsive, he is not surly. If people call him names, it does not bother him, and if they hit him, he does not get angry. He is just polite to them and that is that.
One has to know what line to cross in order to instigate a believable battle. Such as attacking Huāguǒ Mountain or attacking family.
Yet when it comes down to it, the one who wins is the one the writer wants to win. I used to write battles like that, but it is extremely difficult to keep up a fighting mindset.
Especially since the more powerful the character, the less they actually have the need to fight.
Mowing down nameless raiders, easy! Just have the focus character plow through them in interesting ways.
Two characters of near or equal skills (or temperament)… there is a reason that Sūn Wùkōng and Èrláng’s fight was cut off by Lǎozǐ and that diamond snare of his. Without divine intervention, that would have gone on and on because it is difficult to decide who should win fairly! (Trust me. It is difficult.)
I think it’s one of his theoretical abilities. In the first chapters (where I consider it to be the “true” Wukong, after his sealing he is terribly nerfed) we don’t know his limits, the powers he displays are only those he wants to display to face his enemies. For example, in chapter 5, Wukong simultaneously faces Nezha, Li and the 4 Heavenly Kings and waits for the sky to darken to summon a horde of clones that easily defeat his enemies. During all the time of their confrontation, it’s as if he was playing with them, and only decides to end it when he decides it’s late. Many other examples show that Wukong has unsuspected resources, and the name of his staff alone sums up his skills: he can do whatever he wants with it, according to his pleasure. Many people who know Wukong without knowing him think that he can clone his enemies because after all it would be logical. He can transform into whatever he wants and create clones identical to himself: what could be more normal than imagining that he can transform his clones into his enemies. The real question, I think, is rather “To what extent do transformations confer the abilities of the things into which one is transformed?” Wukong regularly transforms into insects, and he obtains their abilities (flying, stinging) and when he transforms into a specific person, we do not know if he obtains these abilities because in general he uses this transformation to infiltrate or deceive, not to fight as far as I remember. And in general he transforms into a minion, so fighting with the minion’s skills would not give him an advantage. Another approach would be to imagine that Wukong must know and understand the thing into which he transforms, as he knows insects he can have their skills, but since he does not know in detail his enemies, the functioning of their powers or their organs, he cannot copy them.
Theoretical powers are not the same as cited examples from the book.
To clarify in another comment I made, how do you differentiate between a theory and an interpretation of a cited event? Like in dragon ball, early on there is a character who blows up the moon. Which the author most likely intended as a gag narrative. But taken at face value, are we supposed to interpret it as the character literally having that much power? Or that he has a technique that specifically is able to blow up moons? None of this is clarified technically so how do you extend that feat into dictating the character’s actual capabilities? I think often times is a failure of authors writing interesting abilities but not using them to their fullest extent. Like there’s no logical reason Jedi can’t just throw their enemies 50 ft into the air and kill them with gravity all the time. We simply don’t see that happen since it’s a less interesting story. Just like how it would be less interesting if Sun Wukong just transformed into a stronger version of every opponent he faced. Logically given examples of how we see his powers work, he should be able to replicate the base properties of things he transforms into. So it’s worth entertaining the idea
You are free to place your interpretation here. But please first take note of my recent update.
Can you explain the concept of the Dharmakāya (法身佛) in Journey to the West?
I’m not a religious scholar. It’s best that you contact a specialist.
The 72 Transformations (七十二般变化) allow the user to gain the abilities of the forms they assume. For example, while sunwukong cannot naturally breathe underwater, by transforming into aquatic creatures like fish, he acquires their ability to respire in water.
I am aware of that, but it’s not the same as, say, copying the form of superman and gaining his superstrength, heat vision, and ability to fly. The challenge is to cite examples of Monkey gaining the powers of his opponents.
Does using a hair to transform into a Sleep Bug（瞌睡虫） count? Because the Sleep Bug（瞌睡虫） created from his hair possesses the original Sleep Bug’s ability—it can make mortals and immortals fall asleep.
The phrase “身子变不过来” should not be translated as “not his body could be transformed”, because SunWukong’s transformations are limited only by his knowledge and what he has seen. In this particular instance, he didn’t transform his body because he had never seen what the bodies of humans or demons looked like beneath their clothing—so he only changed his face. In other chapters, he uses his transformation abilities to alter specific parts of his body independently. Therefore, his Seventy-Two Transformations are constrained only by his imagination and knowledge. Since he had never seen the inner body of a human or a demon, he simply didn’t change those parts.
I think the novel is clear about what that phrase means. But how would you translate it?
The three demons flipped the traveler over, and the four horses gathered their hooves to pin him down. When they lifted his clothes to check, it was indeed the Horse Keeper of Heaven.
You see, the Monkey King had seventy-two transformations. If he transformed into birds, beasts, plants, objects, or insects, his whole body would change completely.
But when he transformed into a person, only his head and face would change — the rest of his body wouldn’t fully follow.
Sure enough, he had yellow fur all over, two red buttocks, and a long tail.
Thank you, but how does your translation disprove the idea that Monkey’s transformations are imperfect?
I am a Chinese scholar and Taiji choreographer. “Shen zi bian” means “the body’s seed changes.” “Bu guo lai” means “without fault for having an orgasm.” In other words, you can’t change the fact that the body becomes aroused and can release an orgasm at the sight and thought of the opposite sex. It is normal for the body to respond like that because that’s how we are built and cannot change, though the heart can change.
If you have time, you can take a look at The 《五部六册》. This work predates Journey to the West by several decades. Journey to the West appears to have borrowed some elements from 《五部六册》, and it seems that the inspiration for Sunwukong’s eventual attainment of Buddhahood may have originated from 《五部六册》.
I’m almost finished writing an article about the《五部六册》.
What about the sleep inducing bugs. Didn’t he win them from a drinking game? If he was able to create them with his hair, and maintain their magic power, its either that he can copy both form and abilities or he can create them if he can imagine them.