Yes, Hanuman is exactly who I was talking about.

Brief history of Chinese Buddhism. Buddhism is not natively Chinese, it was imported from India. It traveled north into Afghanistan and then into western China (now called Xinjiang) where it spread to the rest of China. And another sect, the esoteric Dual Cultivation method of Tantrism spread into Tibet during the Tang Dynasty. It flourished in Tibet, but was eliminated from China during the fall of the Tang Dynasty. And then there's the [debatable] legend which says that Bodhidharma brought Chan [Zen] Buddhism along with him to the Shaolin temple. Over millenia it changed into something distinctively Chinese, where they now worship multiple Buddha's and the cultivation system is completely different from the Buddhism of India. Daoism and folk shamanism were the largest native belief systems of China.

Buddhism and all of its legends and culture were imported along with the beliefs. It's my understanding that Hanuman was included in those. Then, over centuries, Buddhist and Daoist beliefs intermingled, creating folk tales and bar stories of a Monkey King that had mystical Daoist powers who helped a Buddhist monk travel to India and back to recover the sacred scriptures. Eventually this tale became more solidified, and finally in the 16th century, Wu Cheng'En wrote them down into an epic tale. He is attributed as the author, at least.

So it's true that Sun Wukong was a Chinese creation, but only because of the already existing Indian beliefs. That's how I understand it. And then in the late 20th century Akira Toriyama built on top of that. What's interesting is that with each variation of the character and story it has reached increasingly more people and become increasingly embedded in pop culture.

Hi, Rhianne! That is nice to hear! Thanks for letting me share it with others. Great tattoo!

Thanks! Yes, the general ideas and arguments are in the book. But I don't have enough space to dedicate to the subject like I do here. Have to keep it concise and leave room for other topics.

Very cool. I knew a guy like that in high school!

Isn't it interesting how the techniques we're taught when we are young stay with us into adulthood, and then grow along with us? It reminds me of how the Kamehameha continued to become more powerful as Goku grew, or how Naruto's Rasengan continues to change in form or size as he learns to control the power within. In the beginning it seems like such a simple thing, but it grows deeper in tandem with our own character.

Thanks, Biba! I really liked your recent "In Defense of Nappa" article. That helped me see Nappa in a whole new light. I just rewatched the Saiyan Saga and was thinking about what you said the entire time. Now I see that Nappa has more depth than is noticeable at first glance.

Dai Tozoku was a good movie. The influences are pretty obvious when you're familiar with the content in Dragon Ball. Seems to me that Toriyama must have watched it as a young boy. Of course nobody has ever mentioned this link before, so I'm going out on a limb. But I'm sure others will agree if they are able to see the film.

Wow, thanks, Haad! Very nice of you to say.

I've found that there are a lot of people who were influenced by Dragon Ball to enter the martial arts. From there they entered into the Way and started studying philosophy, history and spirituality. Dragon Ball has all of those, so while they're walking the path they repeatedly come back to Dragon Ball and find references to these ancient principles.

Most importantly for me, I'm very glad that there are people like yourself who understand and appreciate what I'm writing. Even if there weren't I would still be doing this, but it's very nice all the same. :) Thanks again.

Please let me know if you have other suggestions. I'm happy to write what people want to read.

I have to plead ignorance and admit that I have never seen the Ranma 1/2 series. I had only played a couple of the video games back on the SNES. But I found this video profile on Happosai, and yes, that guy is definitely a dirty old man!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGxcMAP3EpM

That is exactly what I am looking for. Thank you.

You are big on the Kiai? How do you use a Kiai in your martial arts?

And thanks Haad, glad you liked it!

Thank you!