Saiyuki

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuya Minekura. It was originally serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy from 1997 to 2002, and Ichijinsha later published it in nine tankōbon volumes from October 2002 to June 2003. The story, which is loosely based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, follows a monk named Genjo Sanzo who receives a mission to travel to the west with a group of three yōkai (demons) to stop anyone reviving the evil god Gyumao. Minekura's manga includes two sequels titled Saiyuki Reload and Saiyuki Reload Blast, as well as two prequels titled Saiyuki Gaiden and Saiyuki Ibun. The series has spawned a media franchise that includes five anime series. Pierrot produced a 50-episode anime television series titled Gensomaden Saiyuki that aired from April 2000 to March 2001, and won the twenty-third annual Animage Anime Grand Prix Award. The same studio developed an anime film adaptation and two anime sequel series titled Saiyuki Reload and Saiyuki Reload Gunlock, which were broadcast together in Japan from October 2003 to September 2004. Two other animes were produced; Platinum Vision made Saiyuki Reload Blast in 2017 and Liden Films made Saiyuki Reload: Zeroin, in 2022. Three original video animations (OVAs), nine stage musicals, a light novel adaptation, numerous video games, and drama CDs have also been made. As of July 2017, the Saiyuki franchise has sold 25 million copies in circulation worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time; it has become a mainstay of manga/anime culture, and its entries have continually garnered critical praise and accolades. Plot