Genjo Sanzo

Genjo Sanzo (玄奘三蔵, Genjo Sanzō) is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Saiyuki. He is one of the four protagonists, loosely based on (or inspired by) the character Xuanzang.

Name and Origin

His name is spelled Genjo Sanzo in the English anime and the Singapore English manga, while in the North American English manga it is Genjyo Sanzo (the -jō is spelt in hiragana as ji-(yo)-u, with a small yo to indicate a glide rather than separate syllables).

He was rescued as a baby from the waters of the Yangtze river and named Kōryū of the "river flow", a name he used until he was thirteen. He is generally called "Sanzo" by his traveling companions, although his full title is "The 31st of China, Genjo Sanzo".

Personality

As opposed to Xuanzang of Journey to the West, which is in turn based on the historical Buddhist monk Xuanzang, Genjo Sanzo is not the "purest" person undertaking a holy pilgrimage.

A brutal, worldly man, he doesn't fit the stereotypical image of the passive, or pacifist, cleric. Disregarding basic Buddhist principles, he smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish, gambles, swears like a sailor, and generally follows his own path. Sanzo is a cold, rational thinker and somewhat aloof. When there's a job to be done he usually has Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai do it for him. He is called an old man by Gojyo because he likes to drink tea while reading his paper, and because he likes to go to bed early. Arrogant and short tempered, he nonetheless prefers to remain above the melee unless the situation is desperate. He is strongly opinionated, and despite his terse demeanor, highly moralistic and quick to defend the weak. The superstition among demons that eating his flesh will grant them eternal life is present, as it is in the original Journey to the West.

Background

Genjo Sanzo was rescued as a baby from the waters of the Yangtze river by Kōmyō-Sanzō. The boy was named Kōryū of the "river flow"; a name he used until he was thirteen. He was raised by a group of monks. One night when he was thirteen the priest Koumyou Sanzo, a father figure to him as well as his mentor, was murdered and his sutra was stolen by a band of Youkai. After the raid Kouryu was crowned Genjo Sanzo the 31st of China. He was given a Smith & Wesson revolver and set out to find his master's sutra.

In a past life, he was Konzen Douji, the nephew of Kanzeon Bosatsu. He worked for her in filing and signing documents. He usually complains how boring Heaven is and his aunt feels the same way. He was told to take care of the heretic child, named Son Goku, and had a stressful time keeping up with him. Like his human profile he is a little loud and had zero temper especially to Goku (he calls him his pet). But to Goku he was "the sun" because of his long golden blond hair.

Weapon

His primary weapon is a five-shot Smith & Wesson revolver known as a "banishing gun", which he wields as an expert marksman and is rarely without it in combat. A secondary "weapon" is the holy sutra he carries on his shoulders, the Maten Sutra ("scripture of darkness"). Sanzo occasionally is seen fighting in hand-to-hand combat, but this usually is only on humans and lesser demons. Last but not least, he's often quick to whip out his harisen (paper fan) and whack his way through the occasional intraparty conflict (usually Goku).

As part of his priestly garb, he wears the Maten Kyoumon on his shoulders, and has a small red chakra at the center of his forehead. So it's kind of hard to disguise him as a high official of the church, despite his attitude. He is also in charge of a divine gold card (as it were), which he thinks nothing of spending, since it is not his. He has downturned purple eyes and golden hair, as well as a tendency to be called "pretty" from time to time.

Reception

In 2013, he was ranked 36 on ComicsAlliance's 50 Sexiest Male Characters in Comics list.

See also

• List of Saiyuki characters
• Journey to the West
• List of Journey to the West characters