The BEST episodes of Monkey
Every episode of Monkey ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Monkey!
Buddhist priest Tripitaka and his three disciples Monkey, Pigsy, and Sandy, travel from China to India to fetch the Buddhist scriptures. They have been sent by Buddha, and getting these scriptures will bring peace to the people of the world.
#1 - Give and Take
Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/2/1980
While Tripitaka and his disciples sleep, The Illiterate Vampire appears and plans to bite Tripitaka. The others wake, and chase him away. The next day, the pilgrims see a display of wanted posters - the king is rewarding people for killing monsters, 10 gold pieces per monster. Pigsy meets a blind girl selling flowers in the street, and becomes fond of her. To raise 100 gold pieces for an operation to cure her blindness, Pigsy goes into business as a monster-killer.
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#2 - Monkey Meets the Demon Digger
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/14/1979
While climbing a mountain, the pilgrims discover a man who's been digging a tunnel through the mountain for the past twenty-two years, to provide an easier route for travellers. Ever-helpful Tripitaka tells his reluctant disciples that they must all stay and help dig the tunnel until it's finished. When Monkey uses his magic to help speed things up, Tripitaka is furious and dismisses him. Without Monkey around, the pilgrims fall into grave danger.
#3 - Keep On Dancing
Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/24/1980
A young goblin, Yung-Hu, is desperately in love with a married human woman called I-Ling. I-Ling and her husband, Kwo-Fong, are excited that the pilgrims are approaching, because they want to learn about Buddha. Tripitaka is deeply offended by I-Ling's awful Buddhist dance, and the pilgrims leave. The goblin father disguises himself as a priest and convinces Kwo-Fong to join Tripitaka's pilgrimage to India, to become a Buddhist. With Kwo-Fong out of the way, Yung-Hu goes to see I-Ling.
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#4 - Monkey's Yearning
Season 2 - Episode 25 - Aired 4/27/1980
While having lunch, the pilgrims catch a mischievous young boy called Chou trying to steal food from them. Monkey takes him home, and falls instantly in love with his mother, Shugyoku. Chou's father was killed by the fire-breathing Tiger Demon two years earlier, but Shugyoku detests violence, and insists that Monkey should not get involved. Monkey takes a break from the journey to India, and stays with Shugyoku and Chou. Will Tripitaka and the others ever see Monkey again?
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#5 - At the Top of the Mountain
Season 2 - Episode 26 - Aired 5/4/1980
Tripitaka has an ominous dream that his mother is dying, and becomes very preoccupied the next day. Concerned about his master, Monkey cloud-flies back to China, and finds Tripitaka's mother, Wing-Chow, infected with a deadly plague. Just before dying, she tells Monkey that her son, original name Hsüan Tsang, must continue his journey to India. Monkey returns and impersonates Wing-Chow, to pretend she's alive, fearing that Tripitaka would stop his journey and return to China if he knew the truth.
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#6 - What is Wisdom?
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/27/1980
Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy and Tripitaka are on their way to the palace in The Land of Search for Understanding; the king insists on interviewing all pilgrims who pass. Following an argument, Monkey stays behind, and an evil magician turns him invisible. Posing as a Taoist priest, the magician persuades the naïve king to hold a contest between him and reluctant Tripitaka to determine which is better - Taoism or Buddhism. The magician plans to take over the kingdom - will he succeed?
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#7 - Hungry Like the Wolf
Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired 4/20/1980
After losing their way, the pilgrims find themselves heading towards Mt. Blue Wolf, a place where hideous wolf demons swagger like peacocks. Their leader, Blue Wolf Demon, craves human flesh, and sets his sights on the tasty Tripitaka. While looking for food, Dragon falls off a cliff. He is rescued by a farmer called Ri Shishin, who turns out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing; Blue Wolf Demon makes him an offer he can't refuse to hunt down Tripitaka.
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#8 - Mothers
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/30/1980
The pilgrims enter a country where an evil wasp witch with a magic whip flies on her chariot and steals children from their parents. The witch lives in a poison mountain called Kijo, and has a hundred or more children of her own. No one knows what she does with the stolen children. While Sandy and Pigsy help the villagers set traps and prepare themselves to fight the witch, Monkey decides to pay her a visit.
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#9 - Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/1/1978
Mischievous King Monkey is summoned to Heaven, where he steals the heavenly peaches, and eats them to gain immortality. He fights two of the Emperor's officials, and all three of them are expelled to Earth. Monkey gets imprisoned under a mountain of rocks, while the other two are transformed into a pig monster (Pigsy) and a water monster (Sandy). Buddha says that a holy man must be sent to fetch holy scriptures from India, to save the world.
#10 - Two Little Blessings
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/11/1979
Forty years before the pilgrims' journey to India, two lovers Chun-Ying and Yu-Lee disobey the God of Fertility Ju-Lee by eloping together - love is forbidden in his country. As punishment, he separates them and turns the young Yu-Lee into an old woman, the Keeper of the Well of Small Blessings. To regain her youth and her man, she must make Tripitaka drink the magic water. Things get very strange indeed when Pigsy and Sandy drink the water and become pregnant.
#11 - You Win Some, You Lose Some
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/25/1979
A powerful man called Shotenki and his demon master, Kokufki, lure all the men from surrounding villages to their casino in Ittakudo, where they spend all their time gambling. Tripitaka offers to help the desperate wives and children of one village, and sends Pigsy and Sandy to bring the men back to their senses. When their attempt fails, Sandy asks Monkey for assistance in finishing off Shotenki for good.
#12 - Monkey Turns Nursemaid
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/8/1978
Buddha sends a messenger, the Boddhisattva Kuan-yin the Compassionate, to find a holy man to make the journey from China to India to fetch the large vehicle scriptures. She chooses the boy priest Hsüan Tsang, and bestows upon him the name Tripitaka. Joined by the irrepressible Monkey - with his magic wishing staff and magic powers - and a talking horse, this could be a journey to remember...
#13 - The Difference Between Night and Day
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/10/1978
An invisible wall separates the land of night from the land of day. The blood-sucking Queen of Night terrorises the inhabitants of her land, while everyone in the land of day is forced into slavery by their merciless king. Tripitaka finds the task of reuniting night and day very difficult, especially when Monkey becomes hopelessly besotted with a pretty girl and Pigsy falls for a lady of the night.
#14 - Stoned
Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired 4/13/1980
Disowned by his parents for being unable to do sorcery, the young demon Shosanpu practises on the unsuspecting pilgrims, but is soon found out. After listening to his story, Monkey decides to give him special training, against Tripitaka's wishes. Using Monkey's staff, Shosanpu turns the four pilgrims into stone statues, and goes to fetch his father, Yuzankun. While he's away, the four statues are stolen and taken to an auction. Will Shosanpu find them in time, to change them back?
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#15 - Pearls Before Swine
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/17/1978
The once-prosperous land of Codslow is ruled by three animal-strength immortals, and its enslaved people are dying of hunger. The immortals depend on pearls, paper and wine for their magical powers. The pilgrims offer to help a young girl and her family restore their land to its former glory. When lovesick Pigsy almost becomes roast pork, Monkey hatches a plan to end the immortals' reign of terror.
#16 - Village of the Undead
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/4/1979
In a deserted village, the evil male demon Wun-Lung and three beautiful witches await the arrival of Tripitaka, Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy. If they can make the four travellers believe in them, they'll be brought to life. They plan to capture Tripitaka and his disciples one by one, and convince them of their existence by killing them. Who'll be the first pilgrim to fall into the trap?
#17 - The Foolish Philosopher
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/13/1980
A snobby princess has been kidnapped by a fish monster who wants to marry her, but she continually refuses because he's too common. She sends two little water sprites to get help from her parents. They meet Tripitaka and his disciples, who offer their help. Tripitaka and Monkey escort them to the king and queen, while Sandy and Pigsy go to rescue the princess. Things aren't looking good for Sandy when the fish monster captures him.
#18 - Better the Demon You Know
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/10/1980
After wandering through endless wilderness, Tripitaka and his starving disciples find themselves in a small town in the middle of nowhere. For two years, ever since her son and his human bride abandoned her, the bloodthirsty demon Kari-Temo Hanja has been appearing at weddings in the town and kidnapping the brides. Monkey goes to seek help from Senju Kannon Bosatsu, the Bodhisattva of endless fulfilment, who was once the demon's master. Meanwhile, Tripitaka decides to pay the demon a visit...
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#19 - A Shadow So Huge
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/17/1980
Chen-Gold, the world's richest man, is advertising for a husband for his only daughter, beautiful Mai-Sun. Possessed of the Spirit of Greed, he eats gold in order to turn himself golden. To feed his habit, he enslaves men to work in his gold mines. When Sandy tries to help an escaped slave, he becomes enslaved himself. Meanwhile, Pigsy puts himself forward as a possible husband for Mai-Sun. Tripitaka wonders where Pigsy and Sandy have gone, and sends Monkey to investigate.
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#20 - The Vampire Master
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/11/1979
The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Buddha's Law invites Tripitaka and his disciples to stay as his honoured guests. He tells them of the difficulty in controlling the black magicians, shape-changers and bandits who live in the nearby mountains. Tragedy strikes when Tripitaka becomes critically ill with Tibetan Fever. Meanwhile, Pigsy leads the guards in a search for the vampire responsible for a girl's murder. He makes a shocking discovery.
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#21 - The Tenacious Tomboy
Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/6/1980
Mt. Sekigutsu, famous for the flowers that bloom on its rocks, is ruled by a fearful demon called Seisai, who has the power to turn anything into stone. A young stonemason from Ushizokoku called Kokanshi climbs the mountain and falls prey to the demon's magic rays. Two years later, Kokanshi's overzealous fiancée Airen travels to the mountain to rescue him, and tricks Tripitaka's disciples into helping her fight the demon. Meanwhile, Seisai abducts Tripitaka and plans to eat him...
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#22 - The Country of Nightmares
Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/25/1979
On their way to India, the pilgrims must pass through the Land of Nightmares, inhabited by all the legions of Hell, bad demons and wicked spirits. All humans who go there are eaten, and all others must take a magic test upon entry to the land. To allow Tripitaka to travel through safely, Monkey disguises him as a beautiful longhaired female demon, and teaches him some basic magic. Will the King of Bad Dreams see through Tripitaka's disguise?
#23 - The Fake Pilgrims
Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/16/1980
While taking a rest from their journey, the pilgrims are confronted by four sorcerors who are impersonating them. They plan to assassinate Tripitaka and his followers, to improve their ranking in the sorcery community. By wreaking havoc on villages, the imposters ensure that the real pilgrims are blamed and made unwelcome everywhere they go. Monkey decides that Tripitaka should continue alone for a while. The disciples split up, and become targeted by their clones. Will Tripitaka ever see them again?
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#24 - Pretty as a Picture
Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/28/1980
The pilgrims are welcomed to a village headman's house. He shows the disciples a screen that has a picture of the beautiful Goddess Sorosvati painted on it, along with the six other Gods of Good Fortune. During the night, the goddess magically steps out of the screen, tricks Tripitaka, and takes his place on the pilgrimage. While she enchants the others, Monkey discovers Tripitaka trapped in the screen. Can Monkey free Tripitaka and get the goddess back on canvas?
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#25 - The Great Journey Begins
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/15/1978
Tripitaka and the ever-impatient Monkey begin their perilous journey. Arriving at a village terrorised by a greedy and lustful monster, Monkey thus faces the wrath of Pigsy and his deadly muckrake. To cross the Mighty River of Flowing Sands, they must first pass the cannibalistic water monster Sandy. A sandstorm, an army of tiger ghosts - will Tripitaka end up as cat food, or will Monkey save the day?