Sha Gojyo

Sha Gojyo (沙悟浄, Sha Gojō) is a hanyou, a cross between a youkai and a human, and uses Shakujo, a metal staff-like weapon with a sickle and chain, as his primary means of combat. He is a one of the four members of the Sanzo Ikkou and though he carries no visible significance to the group, he is very essential to their harmony.

Appearance
Sha Gojyo is 6'1" tall and about 160 pounds of bone, hair, and muscle. His blood-red hair and eyes mark him as a "child of taboo", a half-human, half-youkai. Carved deep across his left cheekbone are two slightly curving scars - a memento from age twelve, when his stepmother attacked him with an ax . As ashamed as he is of his scars and coloring, he's proud of the rest of his body, and takes great pleasure in showing it off, wearing tight pants and frequently going without a shirt at all. Topless, his ribs and collarbone are even more prominent, but he wears his scrawniness well and he's got a good layer of hard-won muscle over all the rest. He's been fighting for his life for over ten years , and it shows, not only in his muscles and bony ribs, but in a thousand little scars, from scrapes, cuts, bites.

In Gensomaden Saiyuki, his outfits are mostly pronounced to suit his style. His initial appearance has him wearing a blue leather collared vest with a white tank top underneath, brown baggy pants with a large black belt tucked into his tank top and black boots. He also wears wristbands in each side and a blue headband on his forehead. His blood-red hair becomes lighter in this appearance.

In both Saiyuki Reload and Saiyuki Reload Gunlock, Sha Gojyo now wears a modern outfit as a contrast to his previous primary attire. He wears a brown leather jacket in a black collar with a white sleeveless loose shirt, black jeans with a brown belt to his waist and brown leather shoes. His headband is now changed to brown to match his outfit. His blood-red hair is no longer changing color like in the previous series but it shows his natural hair color.

When he, Genjo Sanzo and Cho Hakkai are drying their wet clothes and being trapped by the demon's power except Son Goku, his black jeans is shown to be hipster and also applies to both Sanzo and Hakkai's jeans.

As a child while being abused by his stepmother and being protected by his half-older brother, Sha Jien, Gojyo wears only a white short sleeve loose shirt and black jeans.

Personality
Because he is a halfbreed, Gojyo gets labeled everywhere he goes. Called a child of taboo and unclean by those who recognize his origins, Gojyo hides the pain and discomfort this causes with sly remarks and laughs. Though most people label him before ever getting to know him, Gojyo doesn't let people's opinions stop him. He's the only member of the group with street smarts, though he often seems to be asking for death by teasing Genjo Sanzo. One of his hobbies is picking on Son Goku, and because the two can be childish, they argue almost constantly. The only time he keeps his mouth shut is when someone--usually Cho Hakkai--is either seriously hurt or angry. Otherwise he is quick to crack a joke and says whatever comes to mind.

He is slightly vain of his good looks and strong physique, and has been shown working out with hand weights between battles, claiming that "ladies will cry if I don't keep my temple sculpted". Though he boasts frequently of his conquests and his sex appeal, in reality his seductions seldom seem to work out, which he accepts philosophically. He is always kind to children --probably because he really sympathizes with them due to his out history-- and will go far out of his way to protect them, even when they appear as enemies to the party. .

Gojyo is an avid smoker, usually seen smoking even more than Sanzo. Sanzo appears to dislike Gojyo's brand of cigarettes, putting one in his mouth and taking it out almost instantly. He is also seen as a 'womanizer' by most people and a 'pervert' by Goku. Gojyo even claims that he is going to die in the arms of a beautiful woman, and that dying on the way West is not an option. While most of the group usually frowns upon his dirty jokes/inappropriate manner, they see him as "a dependable big brother" and an irreplaceable companion, as noted when he leaves and the group goes to search for him.

Weapon/Abilities
Gojyo yields a weapon known as a shakujou, or Shakugetsujou. In a bonus chapter of Reload, it is seen that he acquired this unique weapon by breaking the jar it was sealed in. This weapon comes to Gojyo when called and is a long staff with a crescent moon-shaped blade at one end and a wide spade-shaped blade at the other. Although always called a shakujo in the series, it is actually a variation on a yueyachan ("moon fang spade" or "monk's spade"), the weapon carried by his origin character, Sha Wujing/Friar Sand, in the original Journey to the West.

It can come apart and extend due to the chain concealed in the hollow part of the staff. This allows Gojyo to fight enemies a good distance away. The shakujo has been dented and broken periodically through the series - such as when Gojyo fought Goku in his Sage form - but whenever he calls the staff to his hand, it is always back in perfect condition.

Saiyuki Gaiden

 * Main article: Kenren

Background
Born of a human mother and a youkai father (which means he is a 'child of taboo'), Gojyo was raised by his unstable stepmother (Dokugakuji's mother), a full-blood youkai and his father's legal wife. She abused Gojyo because of his hanyou status and her anger at her husband's infidelity. (It is not revealed in the anime or manga what happened to the father or the human mistress, who is Gojyo's mother; however, in the "Sayuubito" volume Minekura revealed that they had committed suicide together.) Gojyo bonded deeply with his half-brother, who was known at that time as Sha Jien. Jien tried to help Gojyo by minimizing the abuse his brother had to endure, usually by sleeping with his mother to calm her down. However, when his mother was about to kill Gojyo one day, Jien killed her to protect Gojyo. Jien left, unable to stand the pain of killing his own mother, leaving his brother and name behind. He became one of Kougaiji's trusted servants, pledging his loyalty and using the name Dokugakuji.

Abandoned at the juvenile age of 12, Gojyo searched for his brother while living a punk life. He committed larceny and gambled, and sometimes made a living being something like a kept boy. It was during this time that he met Banri, a youkai, who taught him the ways of the street. They were inseparable, until Banri got into too much trouble and fled, leaving Gojyo alone (this may have happened more than once, as Gojyo seems to expect his return).

Fated Meeting
Even with Banri's inconsistent presence, Gojyo managed to settle down in a small town, supporting himself by gambling at cards, and filling in his loneliness with booze and women.On his way home from a bar, alone, he stumbled across what he thought at first was a corpse. In fact it was youkai with deep green eyes, whom was gravely injured, lying in the middle of the road. Gojyo helped him, taking him to his house, securing medical care for him, and letting him stay while he healed."You were in a coma for a week. You should be pretty much fixed up by now. I kinda shoved your guts back in, but you seem okay enough."

- Sha Gojyo Gojyo never bothered to ask his guest about what happen or even for his name. One night the stranger approached Gojyo, saying he thought it was about time he moved one, but before he left, he wanted to tell Gojyo something he thought was important. The two sat down and the stranger told Gojyo about these crimes he had committed and how he found penitence in the color of his hair and eyes. the stranger had confessed earlier that he'd been in a relationship with his twin sister, but Gojyo had shrugged it off saying, "I guess some people... go for that." Now he was telling Gojyo how he'd killed many for the sake of revenge. Right as Gonou was leaving, about to tell Gojyo his name and finally introduce him, a Buddhist monk came knocking on his door.

The Priest, Genjo Sanzo, was searching for a Cho Gonou. The criminal was to be brought before The Three Aspects to receive punishment. Gojyo stepped out of the house closing the door behind him--keeping Gonou securely in the house--and honestly said he'd never heard the name even though he knew the wanted man was his wayward house guest. There was a fight, ending with Gonou fleeing. Sanzo and Goku, Sanzo's charge that had tagged along, went in pursuit, followed by Gojyo, who was concerned with what exactly Gonou plans to do; he didn't want his hard work--saving his life--to be wasted. When they found Gonou, he'd already been found by another youkai that was trying to take revenge to his clan--one of the one that Gonou has annihilated in pursuit of his lover. Gojyo, Sanzo, and Goku saved Gonou who's only major wound was self-inflicted--the lose of his right eye. The four of them together finished Gonou trek to Hyakugan Maoh's Castle. But found only the charged ash of the fortress still remain. Apparently Gonou's lover's corpse had still been inside. Gojyo pesters the priest to chant for her, and he eventually relents, but says before he begins that he doesn't chant sutras for the dead.

After Gonou was arrested, Sanzo obliquely told Gojyo that Gonou was dead and Gojyo obstinately cut his hair. Several days later, Gojyo was walking around town, when he saw a fruit stand with apples and was reminded of the way the stuff priest and his monkey had gone on about how blood wasn't the only thing that was red. Gojyo ask for one, at the same time, a familiar face addressed him. There was the face of his wayward house guest, still very much alive. He had taken on a new identity, Cho Hakkai, and after their humorous reunion, Hakkai asked if he could move in with Gojyo. Gojyo was happy to comply and they continued to live together.

Roommates...
Living with Hakkai seemed to be a far different lifestyle then anything Gojyo had ever experienced."...I just can't get used to it. The room all pretty, and the food just...here. The feeling...that someone's waiting for me."

- Sha Gojyo

Gojyo had never had someone waiting for him after his evening escapades. It took the two of them some time to adjust to each other--such as Hakkai's insistence that Gojyo use a ashtray and not whatever beer can that was lying around. They'd almost seemed to be getting use to it when an old face reappeared... And kicked the door down. Banri was back, if not for just a visit. Gojyo and Banri started joking around like usual and Gojyo introduce Hakkai, but shortly after Hakkai excused himself to work. He'd taken up being Goku's tutor are the Keiun Temple. After Hakkai was gone, Banri purposed a deal to Gojyo, asking him to help him out with a job. Since Gojyo never joined Banri later on, it is safe to assume that he turned him down. The two then decide to sit back, reminisce, and get drunk off their asses. At some point, Gojyo passed out. When he woke, it was to the sight of Hakkai penning Banri to the table.

Some time later, Sanzo came over proposing his own job to Gojyo and Hakkai. There had been some robberies of local temples recently. He wanted the two of them to stop the people responsible and retrieve the stolen objects. Gojyo turned him down flat, saying "Since when is your job our job? " Hakkai turns Sanzo down as well. Sanzo said something the ticked Gojyo off, and he retaliated. Sanzo smacked his hands away and said:"It seems like it's a little too late for you two to wear white. Dirt rags do what dirt rags are good for, but... It's not too late to change."

- Genjo Sanzo After that, Sanzo left. The following evening, some men came looking for Gojyo. Ignoring Hakkai's foresight, Gojyo went with the men saying to Hakkai, "This is now of your business. " Gojyo left, leaving Hakkai and not expecting him to be there when he got back. Gojyo was taken to the basement of a building in downtown Chang’an where he was thrown down the stairs. He pushed himself up, cursing, but quickly noticed Banri tied to a chair.

Turns out that the men that Banri's been working for caught him keeping some of the good they've stolen instead of handing it all over. Turns out, as fate would have it, that Banri and his clients where the ones looting the temples that Sanzo mentioned earlier. Banri had cut a deal with the group of thugs: he would go rob Keiun Temple, and they would keep Gojyo, his dear friend, as collateral until he came back with the loot. Gojyo knew that once Banri saw a chance to, he'd split. He knew this, but agreed to take his place all the same. Gojyo and the thugs wait the allotted time, but when Banri doesn't show, Gojyo starts laughing. "You, shit-for-brains. Banri ditched your ass.' " The thugs struck at him replying that he was just as stupid for taking Banri's place. They kicked the chair Gojyo was tied to over and held a gun to Gojyo's face. Gojyo admits to himself that he never expected anything better then this. He certainly wasn't expecting for Hakkai, whom he'd thought he'd definitely chased away, to come to his rescue. Hakkai removed his limiters and beat of the group of thugs. The two walked home together, rather disgruntled that they had technically done just what the monk--Sanzo--wanted them to do. Hakkai asked Gojyo why he had stayed even though he knew it was a trap. Gojyo replied, saying that Banri would have been screwed either way. Hakkai laughed saying: " Honestlty. You make a terrible villain."

- Cho Hakkai

The Road Ahead
After the incident with Banri, Hakkai and Gojyo started taking up odd jobs courtesy of Sanzo. Sanzo paid them for their services and they all kept in contact over the three years prior to the beginning of the journey west. Gojyo even got roped into cleaning the temples storage room once with Goku. The two of them were messing around and broke one of the artifacts in the room. Shortly after, due to a mishap, Gojyo became the one responsible for Goku's shorter haircut.

Sometime after the incident Banri, Gojyo also stopped his late night escapades with women. He still, however, continued to make most of his pocket money from gambling with friends at the local bars. Gojyo's first appearance in Gensoumaden Saiyuki was in one such place playing cards with one of his acquaintances--Soushi--who went mad because of the effects of the Minus Wave. Gojyo was forced to kill him, and this lead up to the beginning of the quest.

Saiyuki
At the beginning of Saiyuki, prior to the journey, Gojyo was playing a game of cards with an acquaintance of his, a game which he won, and after taunting him for his loss the man, who was a demon, became angered and went mad, due to the effects of the Minus Wave, and started attacking him. Although Gojyo tried to calm him down, it was no use, and Gojyo was forced to kill him. Afterwards, he decides to reunite with Hakkai, Sanzo and Goku in order to figure out the cause.

To be updated...

Saiyuki Reload
To be updated...

Saiyuki Reload Blast
He develops a demon mark on the back of his neck. To be updated...

Anime and Manga Difference
To be updated...

Bus Gamer
In one of original series by Minekura-sensei, Bus Gamer, both anime and manga was shown that Gojyo is a playable character in an arcade game. He was seen fighting with Kougaiji and later with Chin Yisou.

Relationships
Cho Hakkai - Gojyo and Hakkai are best friends. Years ago, Gojyo found the mortally wounded Gonou lying in the middle of the road. At first he thought it was a corpse. Gojyo helped Gonou, taking him to his house, securing medical care for him, and letting him stay while he healed. They played cards together and usually drank booze at bars. Gojyo is very loyal to Hakkai/Gonou, the greatest example being when they first meet Sanzo, and Gojyo goes up against Sanzo to defend a guy whose name he doesn't even know. As the series progresses, Gojyo and Hakkai grow closer as friends. Conversation between them is easy and they know each other so well that they often don't have to finish a sentence to understand each other. At the same time, when Gojyo does something that upsets Hakkai, he can expect no mercy.

Genjo Sanzo - Gojyo and Sanzo can't very well stand each other and usually Gojyo refers to him as a "damn arrogant monk". Gojyo met Sanzo at his doorstep asking him about the demon killer Gonou to which Gojyo replies he never heard of him. This results in a fight between them. Even throughout the years, Gojyo and Sanzo still haven't made peace with each other. When the group was attacked by Kinkaku and his "demon" brother, Gojyo and Sanzo were forced to work together to save Hakkai and Goku. They bickered and argued about how much they hated each other when they are ambushed by the humans (the ones Gojyo beat up to save Kinkaku) and later on,youkai. However, there is one thing that Gojyo and Sanzo do that throws wrench in their already rocky relationship: They share lighters. Not always, but when one needs a light, they will bum it off the other. They'll even light their cigarettes off each others sometime. This being said, they never share cigarettes since they use different brands and Sanzo finds Gojyo's distasteful.

Son Goku - Gojyo and Goku are like arguing siblings and he usually refers to Goku as a "Stupid Monkey" as a running gag. They yell, argue, and bicker all the time from the day they've met and even throughout the years they've spent together. They only cease bickering when they hear Sanzo's bashing gun go off or he hits them with the infamous paper fan. Despite their actions, Gojyo and Goku care about each other and Gojyo treats Goku like a younger brother. Gojyo even treats him to ice cream. One time Gojyo was seen sick and Goku stayed on his side and slept beside him till morning.

Sha Jien - Gojyo's older half-brother, who took care of him when he lived with Jien's mother. As Jien's mother had no love for Gojyo, Jien tried to make sure he was alright. Jien seemed to shift from looking-after to teasing his little half-brother. One of Gojyo's complaints were that Jien always stole his pocket money. Despite everything, Gojyo does seem to hold some fondness for the memories of his half-brother.

Kougyoku  - is a red-haired woman that Gojyo meets during his womanizing antics and became his one-time lover. Gojyo became stunned because of her beauty and her hair who had the same color as his and eventually both of them spending time together and ends up kissing leading them both to a one-night stand as seen in Gojyo's flashback during his search for Kougyoku's whereabouts where she was kidnapped by Bakura. When Kougyoku reveals she was working with Bakura who is responsible for kidnapping her and cutting her hair shorter, Gojyo was surprised by this revelation and also became mad when Bakura constantly abuses her just like how his stepmother did to him as a child. However, Kougyoku sacrifices herself to save Gojyo from getting hit from Bakura's malignant weapon and was fatally wounded making Gojyo attacks Bakura for his actions and knocking him through the well. In her dying words, she tells him to put her corpse into the well to go with Bakura which he successfully did after she dies on his arms.

Quotes

 * "I actually have two weaknesses--Tobacco and Tart--and I'm picky about both of them."
 * "What do they say? 'Have women but don't let them have you.' Or is that sake?"
 * "I hate to disappoint you, kid... But we're still alive."
 * "I just wanna see what kinda guy could make a pretty girl so sad."

Gallery

 *  Main article: Sha Gojyo gallery

Trivia

 * Ironically, Gojyo's personality is loosely based on the original Zhu Bajie/Cho Hakkai's from Journey to the West, which is his lust for women and the tendency to be a wannabe charmer. Likewise, his former incarnation's position as General originates from the Curtain Raising General, who was exiled from Heaven and reincarnated into Zhu Bajie after breaking a valuable vase. The original Sha Wujing/Sha Gojyo does however, share his red hair from some adaptations.
 * Also on that note, Saiyuki ' s Goku akin to Dragon Ball ' s Goku shares the original Zhu Bajie/Cho Hakkai's hunger for food. Not to mention Goku also fights and argues with Gojyo much like how the original Wukong and Bajie often were at odds with each other.
 * So far, Gojyo has acquired many nicknames in the series, most of them being invented by Goku on the spot. A majority have to do with Kappa, due to his characters likeness to a kappa in the original Journey to the West (most commonly 'erokappa', oversexed kappa; actually spelled 'erogappa' due to Japanese linguistic rules) and a cockroach (gokiburi) due to his ridiculously long life line and the fact that the two long strands of hair above his forehead resemble the bug's antenna. Sanzo has uses these "nicknames" as well, and even Hakkai has made humorous reference. (when Gojyo remarked that Kougaiji was as hard to kill as a cockroach, Hakkai replied "and if another of the same species says so, it must be true").
 * When it comes to women and children that are in a tight pinch, Gojyo will do everything he can to help. Hakkai has commented several times that his kind heart tends to draw him into trouble.
 * Gojyo's preferred cigarette brand is Hi-Lite.
 * Gojyo's clothes got changed in Saiyuki Reload 4.1 apparently because of Hakkai's mischievousness saying "... as long as we are changing clothes we might as well update our wardrobe." The whole group never vouched for it and got "different" clothings. This results Gojyo's new clothes.
 * Gojyo can't eat sour plum.
 * Gojyo has no spiritual awareness and can't see ghosts. He's the only member of the Sanzo party that can't.
 * Gojyo is a terrible cook and not very helpful with cleaning.
 * In his past life as Kenren, he was literally bandaged to a chair very unceremoniously by a young Goku as order by Tenpou. In the Gensoumaden anime, Goku bandages Gojyo in a similar fashion, but with less bondages.
 * In the original Japanese version of Saiyuki, young Gojyo was voiced by Kayu Suzuki. but later he was voiced by Masayo Hosono (細野 雅世) in Sai R. & Sai R Gun. Just the same, Young Gojyo was voiced by Sam Foster in the English version Saiyuki Julie Anne Taylor in Sai R. & Sai R Gun.)