Wukong was a big part of my childhood growing up! The exuberantly long title is a reference to my favorite portrayal of him by Dicky Cheung in the 1996 "Journey To the West" HK-Drama.
I made sure to put in iconic characters and locations such as his master and sworn brothers: Tang Sazang, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing. Plus the key celestials he fights during his "storming of the heavens": Erlang, Nezha, Li Jing, 4 Heavenly Kings and 100,000 Soldiers. The waterfall in the back also alludes to the Water Curtain Cave in Mount Huaguo.
Design-wise I wanted to do my own take on his Great Sage armor, of course I had to include his Golden headband and Somersault Cloud! I also threw in his lesser known Tiger skin kilt.
Anyway, I'm so happy that Black Myth's success has put the character in the spotlight in the West! 🐵👑