Famous Quotes from the Anime Saiyuki

What is Saiyuki About?

The Story

The story of Saiyuki starts with a mission from the gods. In a land called Shangri-La, humans and demons (called youkai ) used to live together peacefully. But a strange "Minus Wave" is making the youkai lose control and attack humans.

This wave is part of a plan to bring back a powerful demon king named Gyumao. To stop this, a goddess tells a monk named Genjo Sanzo to travel to India. He has to team up with three youkai to get the job done.

This story is a cool and modern take on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West . The author, Kazuya Minekura, keeps the basic characters but changes them a lot. The holy monk from the original story is now a tough guy who chain-smokes and carries a gun.

About the Author

Kazuya Minekura created everything in Saiyuki . Her art style is easy to recognize, with tall, skinny characters and a lot of dark shadows. Her storytelling mixes fantasy, action, and even dirty jokes.

Minekura loves to explore characters with painful pasts. She uses their histories to explain why they act the way they do. The journey in Saiyuki is really just a way for four broken men to face their pasts.

The Main Characters

The show is all about the messy "found family" of the Sanzo Party. Their different personalities are key to understanding their journey and their quotes.

• Genjo Sanzo: A human priest who is angry, powerful, and not very religious. He smokes, drinks, and uses a revolver. He's the unwilling leader of the group.
• Son Goku: A special being who was born from a rock. He was locked away for 500 years. Goku is the sweet and energetic kid of the group and is always hungry.
• Sha Gojyo: A half-youkai, half-human, which was considered taboo. He acts like a cynical ladies' man to hide his pain about who he is.
• Cho Hakkai: He used to be human but became a youkai after killing a thousand demons in a rage. He is the polite "mom" of the group, but he hides a cold anger under his smile.

Best Saiyuki Quotes by Character

Genjo Sanzo's Quotes about Life and Defiance

Sanzo's view on life is tough and practical. He doesn't believe in God or fate. He only trusts his own will to survive.

• "With a strength I can be proud of, I live only for myself, and only die for myself. I'll never die for someone, 'cause I know the pain of who remains alive. This is my pride."
  • He says this when people question why he acts so selfish.
  • But he isn't just selfish. He refuses to die for others because he knows how much it hurts the people left behind. This belief comes from the trauma of watching his mentor die.
• "If you want to become that close to 'God', die instead."
  • This is his go-to comeback for anyone who talks about God's will or becoming a god.
  • It shows he thinks worrying about gods is a waste of time for the living. For Sanzo, only the here and now matters.
• "You can choose to die. You can choose to run... but dying alone won't change a thing. Trust me on that one. If you really want things to change... you're going to have to live."
  • He often says this to people who are trapped by their past and think dying is the only way out.
  • This shows the more positive side of his beliefs. Since there's no god or fate, only living people can make a change.
• "Muichi Motsu: 'Hold nothing.' If you meet Buddha, kill Buddha. If you meet the patriarchs, kill the patriarchs. Free of all, bound by nothing, you live your life simply as it is."
  • Sanzo explains this Zen Buddhist idea he follows.
  • He likes it because it's about not worshipping anything outside of yourself. It's a spiritual way to justify his belief in total self-reliance.
• "I'll kill you." / "Die."
  • He says these phrases all the time, as a greeting, a complaint, or a real threat.
  • It's more than a catchphrase; it's a way to cope. As a powerless kid, he watched his father figure get murdered by demons. Now, he constantly threatens to kill others to feel in control of death.
• "If you die, I'll kill you."
  • He says this to his friends, especially Goku, when they're about to die.
  • It's a threat that doesn't make sense, but it's his way of begging them to live. It shows how much he cares about his found family, even though he pretends he doesn't.

Son Goku's Quotes on Hunger and Friendship

Son Goku is all about simple instincts. His way of looking at the world is direct and pure. This makes him a great contrast to his more troubled friends.

• "I'm hungry." / "But I'm so hungry, I have rigor mortis!"
  • Goku says he's hungry all the time, in both funny and serious moments.
  • His hunger is a reminder of the 500 years he spent starving alone in a cave. Eating with his friends shows he's alive and has a place where he belongs.
• "Eat till you're full. Play anytime you want. Sleep as much as you like. Cry. Get angry. Laugh. Live. Live. Live."
  • This quote captures Goku's whole philosophy.
  • His view on life is simple: just feel your feelings and live. While the others are stuck on their pasts, Goku focuses on the simple needs of the present.
• "Even though he 'angers easily' he is beautiful."
  • These are Goku's first words to Sanzo's past self when they meet.
  • It shows that Goku sees people for who they really are. He accepts Sanzo's anger as part of his "beauty." He's the only one who accepts the others completely from the start.
• "Gojyo: That no good holy man's been rubbing off on you! / Goku: Me? Like Sanzo?! What a rotten thing to say!"
  • This is from a funny argument where Gojyo says Goku is acting like Sanzo.
  • It shows Goku's innocence. He loves Sanzo, but he knows Sanzo's rude personality isn't who he is.
• [After transforming and hurting his friends] "Even Sanzo..."
  • Goku says this when he realizes he tried to kill his friends while in his powerful demon form.
  • The thought of hurting his friends is awful for him. But mentioning Sanzo specifically shows that his bond with Sanzo is his moral compass. The idea of breaking that bond is what truly scares him.

Sha Gojyo's Quotes on Freedom and Scars

Sha Gojyo acts like a carefree flirt, but it's all a cover. He uses humor and a bad-boy attitude to hide his pain. As a half-blood, he has always felt rejected, so his quotes are about finding a place to belong.

• "Who do you suppose decided that the birds are free? Even if they can fly the skies... they might even come to resent having those wings. True freedom... may be having somewhere to return to."
  • This is a rare deep thought from Gojyo.
  • He realizes that real freedom isn't about having no attachments. It's about having people you can always come back to. For him, the Sanzo party has become that "somewhere."
• "I don't have anything important in my life....Just once, I think I wanna know. What exactly is love? Not that I want it particularly. You don't need love to get laid."
  • He says this in a quiet moment with Hakkai.
  • This quote shows his inner conflict perfectly. He states his usual carefree attitude about women. But he quickly admits he's lonely and wants to know what love is.
• "What a bright shade of red -- an ugly shade of red like your hair! Was her blood this red?!"
  • His abusive stepmother screamed these words at him as a child.
  • This is the source of his trauma. His red hair and eyes marked him as a taboo child. His adult life of chasing women is his way of trying to find acceptance.
• "If you die, nothing will change. However, if you continue living there are some things you can change."
  • Gojyo repeats these words he heard from Sanzo.
  • It shows that even though he's a cynic, he has taken Sanzo's core message to heart. Despite his complaints, he is a survivor who believes in the power of living.
• "I'll make you look at these hair and eyes again."
  • Gojyo says this to Hakkai when they first meet.
  • This is a powerful moment where he reclaims his identity. Instead of hiding his red hair, which is a symbol of his pain, he forces others to see it. It's the start of him accepting himself.

Cho Hakkai's Quotes on Guilt and Anger

Cho Hakkai is the most complicated member of the group. He is a gentle and polite "mother figure." But he is also a mass murderer who killed 1,000 youkai.

His past self, Cho Gonou, went on a rampage after his lover was killed. His whole life now is about making up for a sin he thinks is unforgivable.

• "With these hands stained with blood I can no longer hold anyone to me..."
  • This is Hakkai's inner thought about his past actions.
  • This is the key to understanding him. He believes his past actions have cost him the right to be close to anyone. He cares for the group from a distance because he feels he can't get too close.
• "Even though she smiled and forgave me, I cannot forgive myself..."
  • He says this about his lover, Kanan, who died in his arms.
  • This shows that Hakkai doesn't care if others forgive him. He is his own judge. His journey is about finding his own peace, not getting it from someone else.
• "What's it like to be one of us... the youkai who violated your beloved?"
  • These words were spoken by the person who turned Hakkai into a youkai.
  • This question created the man he is today. He became the very thing he hated. His polite personality is his way of fighting against the idea that he is a monster.
• "Oh, we're thorough-going terrorists."
  • A calm, smiling admission to an enemy about how the world sees them.
  • This shows the anger behind his smile. Hakkai's politeness is a weapon. It's the scary calm of a man who has killed over a thousand beings and has nothing left to lose.
• (Paraphrased): "I would advise you to move... if you value your life."
  • This is how Hakkai usually makes threats: a polite suggestion with deadly intent.
  • This is his two-sided nature in action. He always gives a polite warning, but it's an absolute. This makes him the most dangerous member of the group because his violence is always a calm choice.

Funny Saiyuki Quotes

The humor in Saiyuki is dark and comes from the characters' messy family dynamic. Their constant bickering is how they show they care. It's their love language in a world that has only shown them cruelty.

Goku's Constant Hunger

Goku is always hungry, and his complaints are used to break the tension. It's funny because he never, ever stops.

• "But I'm so hungry, I have rigor mortis!"
• Goku: "Hey, Hakkai when are we going to get to next town? I'm starving' here."
  Gojyo: "Well then good radiance to you then."

Gojyo's Banter with Goku

The insults between Gojyo and Goku are a big part of their daily life. Gojyo calls Goku "Stupid monkey!" and Goku calls Gojyo "Pervy kappa!" These are basically their nicknames for each other.

• Gojyo: "Shut up you stupid monkey."
  Goku: "Hey shut up you perverted water sprite cockroach."
• Gojyo: "Monkey doesn't fish, monkey doesn't eat."
  Goku: "But-that's not fair! You guys didn't wake me up!"
  Sanzo: "Nobody woke me up!"

Sanzo's Angry Reactions

Sanzo's humor comes from his bad temper. He is often the angry straight man to his friends' chaos. His gun often becomes the punchline to their arguments.

• Sanzo to Gojyo: "And give me my gun back. I don't want your idiocy getting all over it."
• Sanzo: "Quiet down both of you or I am going to shoot the both of you."
  [A moment later, after they keep arguing]
  Sanzo: "I thought I told you two to be quiet or I will kill you."

Hakkai's Polite Threats

The smartest humor in the show comes from Cho Hakkai. His politeness is a weapon. His passive-aggressive comments usually fly right over Goku's head but make Gojyo and Sanzo nervous.

• [After a monk apologizes for his temple's rowdiness]
  Monk: "Forgive our rudeness."
  Hakkai: "Please, don't worry about it. A little purity is good for them."
  Sanzo: "You saying I'm corrupt?"
• Sanzo: "Hn. We should just boil and eat this stupid monkey and perverted kappa."
  Hakkai: "Now, now. Let's leave aside Goku and Gojyo as our last emergency rations, and first procure provisions."
  Gojyo: "Did he say something freaky scary just now?"

Big Ideas in Saiyuki Quotes

Quotes on Found Family

Saiyuki is about four traumatized men who heal together. Their constant bickering is how they show intimacy. They don't say it, but they have unbreakable trust in each other.

• "True freedom... true freedom may be having somewhere to return to."
  • Gojyo's line is the main idea of their found family. They are four outcasts with no homes. But he realizes the group itself has become his home.
• "I'll never die for someone, 'cause I know the pain of who remains alive..."
  • Sanzo says this to sound like he doesn't want friends. But it actually proves how much he cares. He refuses to make his friends feel the pain of loss that he feels every day.

Quotes on Fighting the Past

A big theme in Saiyuki is that you can't escape your past, but you can choose to face it. Each of the main characters is haunted by something awful. The story is defined by their choice to fight back.

• "A past may chase you if you try to escape from it... but once you confront it, it's just an old memory inside you. There's nothing to be afraid of."
  • This is the show's advice for dealing with trauma. The journey forces each man to face his past. They don't get over it, but they learn to live with it and turn it into a source of strength.
• "You can choose to die. You can choose to run... but if you really want things to change... you're going to have to live."
  • This is the show's final word on choice versus fate. The world is tough and the past is set in stone. The only choice that matters is to keep living, because life is the only thing that offers a chance for change.

Quotes on Finding "Salvation"

The biggest point of Saiyuki is about how you save yourself. The show argues that you don't get salvation from a higher power. You have to seize it for yourself.

The Sanzo party isn't trying to find salvation in India. They already are each other's salvation. They save each other by giving one another a reason to live.

This isn't a clean or holy kind of salvation. It's something they had to earn through fighting and getting their hands dirty. The show's message is that salvation is an action, not a gift.

• "Even though she smiled and forgave me, I cannot forgive myself..."
  • Hakkai rejects the idea of being saved by someone else. He takes salvation into his own hands. His journey is about forgiving himself, not being forgiven by God.
• "If you want to become that close to 'God', die instead."
  • Sanzo's quote is a complete rejection of a higher power. As a priest, he offers no salvation, only a gun and a choice. This makes it clear that salvation is a human matter.
• "A past may chase you if you try to escape from it... but once you confront it, it's just an old memory inside you."
  • This is the "how-to" guide for saving yourself in the world of Saiyuki. You aren't saved from your past. You save yourself by facing it down until it can't hurt you anymore.