The Chinese novel Journey to the West has been a massive inspiration across shonen anime. Originally written in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty, the novel describes the adventures of four protagonists in quests to recover lost sacred texts, discover magical weapons, fight demonic forces and liberate nations. One of these leads, the Monkey King Sun Wukong, directly inspired Dragon Ball's Goku. Journey to the West is so foundational in East Asian culture -- and so extensively emulated in Dragon Ball -- that subsequent anime must carefully navigate either to tell their own stories.
However, creators have found ingenious ways to adapt elements of these classic stories within their own. One example of this is the differing depictions of a magical tool from Journey to the West, the Bashōsen. This magical fan's migration from Journey to the West to Dragon Ball, and finally to its shonen successor Naruto, illustrates how shonen anime borrow from mythology.
Journey to the West's Bashosen in Dragon Ball
The Bashōsen of Dragon Ball (named "Bansho Fan" ) reflects the series' playful yet intensive relationship to Journey to the West. Owing to its nickname of "Banana Leaf Fan," it resembles a green, rounded fan with red trim. The Bansho Fan was briefly possessed by Master Roshi, who first used it as a potholder before, in classic Dragon Ball fashion, throwing it away after spilling wonton soup on it.
Master Roshi describes the Bansho Fan's power as "raising a typhoon with a single wave, a thunderstorm with two, and a monsoon with three," a description mirroring the original in Journey to the West. Predictably, in a filler arc toward the end of the series, the Bansho Fan again becomes important, as Goku and Chi-Chi -- herself based on Princess Iron Fan, another character from Journey to the West -- need its magical properties to put out the flames threatening Fire Mountain. This typifies Dragon Ball's relationship with the classic Chinese novel, playfully yet scrupulously intertwining the old with the new.
Journey to the West's Bashosen in Naruto's Fourth Great Ninja War
In contrast, Naruto's interpretation of the Bashōsen is much more limited in scope within the backdrop of its own complex worldbuilding. Here, the Bashōsen was originally one of the Treasured Tools of the Sage of the Six Paths. It later became the property of Kumogakure's Demon Brothers Ginkaku and Jinkaku -- themselves based on a pair of so-named villains from Journey to the West. Consequently, their resurrection in the Fourth Great Ninja War coincides with the Bashōsen's appearance in Naruto.
In the anime, the fan resembles a broad shock of fronds with alternating red and white bands; its powers allow it to generate any of the five chakra natures with a verbal command. While its role in Naruto is limited, more peculiarities from Journey to the West nevertheless find their way into the story. For example, before using the Bashōsen, Kinkaku pulls it out of his own mouth -- another direct reference to Journey to the West, in which the Bashōsen is hidden under the tongue of Ginkaku's wife. This highly specific yet still peripheral approach allows Naruto's creators to bring in different aspects of the original source material, while distinguishing the overall story from Journey to the West and Dragon Ball alike.
The powerful influence of Journey to the West in Dragon Ball and Naruto, centuries after its creation, testifies to its outsized effect on all aspects of culture. As such, creators strive to both pay their respects to these progenitors while still telling their own stories. The differing interpretations of the Bashōsen between these two famous anime illustrate how the breadth and reach of even minor elements of this classic novel continue to inspire new forms of creativity.
