Comparing Black Myth: Wukong's Bajie to the Journey to the…

The following contains spoilers for Black Myth: Wukong.

As it is based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong has a pool of pre-established characters to pull from to tell its story. Throughout their time in Black Myth: Wukong, players will get to meet many of these characters, some friends and some foes, but they'll spend the majority of their playthrough with Zhu Bajie, a humanoid pig yaoguai who is otherwise known as "Pigsy" in Journey to the West.

Bajie is one of the most familiar characters in Journey to the West and one of the most lovable, despite possessing a few off-color personality traits. Black Myth: Wukong represents the first time Bajie has ever been realized as a video game character, which means this particular adapted version of his character could differ from the original. That said, Game Science has done an excellent job remaining faithful to the novel in its adaptation of Bajie, especially considering Black Myth: Wukong is set five centuries after Journey to the West. Still, there are some subtle differences between this version of Bajie and the original that are worth taking a look at.

Black Myth Wukong title screen with the Destined One and Bajie

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By Josh Cotts

How Black Myth: Wukong's Bajie Compares to Journey to the West's Bajie

Black Myth: Wukong's Bajie Maintains the Complexity of the Original

Zhu Bajie is one of Journey to the West's most complex characters, primarily due to his bipolar personality traits that can make him both endearing and off-putting at times. The same couldn't be more true of Black Myth: Wukong's Bajie, whose love for Sun Wukong comes out in his loyalty to the Destined One, but he often uses the other side of his mouth to talk down to the protagonist all the same. Bajie persistently complains as though he's being forced beyond his will to help the Destined One, but he continues to show up and help anyway, despite not actually being forced to do so. He's a complicated character, both in Journey to the West and Black Myth: Wukong, but that's what makes him one of each story's best.

Not All of Bajie's Journey to the West Characteristics Are Represented in Black Myth: Wukong's Bajie

While Bajie's disposition is the same in both Journey to the West and Black Myth: Wukong, not all of his characteristics are represented in the game. Specifically, Bajie is known for being very lustful in Journey to the West, as he allows his desires to cloud his judgment and get him into trouble. In fact, Bajie's struggle with lust is one of the more humorous parts of his character, as it shows his own frailty and therefore makes him more relatable than someone like Sun Wukong. However, Bajie's iconic lustfulness is not one of his defining characteristics in Black Myth: Wukong.

In Journey to the West, despite all his flaws, Bajie is a kind, loyal friend whose laziness sometimes contributes to his discontent — but in the most lighthearted and endearing way possible. In Black Myth: Wukong, he is the exact same person from the novel, as it's often very easy to see his true nature in his kind eyes. Bajie has several moments in Black Myth: Wukong where he wears his heart on his sleeve, with one of his most emotional reckonings happening after the final boss fight of Chapter 4.

One of the reasons Bajie is so lovable is because he is relatable. As an everyman type of yaoguai, he embodies the weaknesses and strengths of the average person, and his journey full of growth and self-reflection is much like what anyone would experience. Black Myth: Wukong wouldn't have been able to make such a character without the help of his Journey to the West counterpart. Thankfully, the two are nearly identical so even those who haven't read the novel can experience the true Bajie.

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