Saiyuki (manga)

Saiyuki (Japanese: 最遊記, Hepburn: Saiyūki) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuya Minekura. It was originally serialized in Square Enix's Shōnen magazine Monthly GFantasy between February 1997 and November 2001, with its chapters collected in nine tankōbon volumes. It was later republished by Ichijinsha, who released nine volumes with new covers from October 2002 to June 2003, and a five-volume bunkoban edition which was released from April to August 2015. 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 yokai (demons) to stop the revival of Gyumao, an evil god.

The manga was licensed for an English release by Tokyopop, who published nine volumes between March and July, 2005. The most recent publication in North America is by Kodansha, the series receiving a hardcover release with a new translation between February 2020 and January 2021.

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 prize for best anime. 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), ten stage musicals, a light novel adaptation, numerous video games, drama CDs, and artbooks 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.