What story does Black Myth: Wukong tell?

Sun Wukong believed that after accumulating merits, entering the ranks of immortals, and becoming the Victorious Fighting Buddha, the heavens would spare him and his home, Huaguo Mountain. However, he still faced constant difficulties and even his very existence was considered a sin. Therefore, Sun Wukong was forced to rebel, intending to return to Huaguo Mountain. Consequently, the heavens sent Erlang Shen to lead an army to suppress Huaguo Mountain.

Sun Wukong fought until the very end, and after his death, his five senses were divided among the demons who contributed to the suppression. Erlang Shen retained the memory of Wukong, but Wukong’s consciousness vanished. Huaguo Mountain was burned, and the monkeys were slaughtered, leaving only a few old, weak, sick survivors and a legend: one day, a destined person will gather the six senses of Wukong, resurrect Sun Wukong, and once again cause havoc in the heavenly palace to overthrow the tyranny of the heavens.

In more modern terms, Sun Wukong is depicted as a warlord with local armed forces. After causing chaos in the heavenly palace, the imperial court considered Sun Wukong a rebel and planned to first attempt to appease him; if that failed, they would kill him. Eventually, the Buddha successfully suppressed Sun Wukong under the Five Elements Mountain.

Within the imperial court, there were two major factions — Buddhism and Taoism — secretly vying for power. The Buddhist faction saw Sun Wukong as a potentially recruitable armed force, so they devised the journey to the west to retrieve the scriptures as a test of loyalty, while also aiming to smooth out his rebellious nature. Pigsy and Sha Wujing were also tested in the process.

Along the journey, Sun Wukong gradually realized this, understanding that joining the Buddhist faction would ensure his survival and peace for the monkeys of Huaguo Mountain. During the “True and False Monkey King” episode, he successfully killed his ego, ultimately passing the test of 81 trials.

However, things did not turn out as expected. The imperial court still viewed Sun Wukong as a rebel and continued to make life difficult for him. This eventually led to the suppression of Huaguo Mountain, the death of Sun Wukong, and the birth of a legend, encouraging the people of Huaguo Mountain to never forget their history and to prefer death over living without freedom.