Monkey King - Wukong

Name / Nickname: Sun Wukong, the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, the Monkey King, or simply "Wukong" to MK. A retired protector of peace, MK's mentor, and a lover of peaches and video games, Wukong is confident, charismatic, and loves to show off and present himself in a dramatic manner. He can appear carefree, lazy, and frivolous, preferring to spend the day on Flower Mountain eating peaches than saving the world at the drop of a hat. He often plays dumb or cracks silly jokes to lighten the mood. Behind his bright smile lies a deep sense of guilt over past mistakes (the Journey to the West era and conflicts with the Brotherhood). Wukong is terrified of losing those he cares about again, so for a long time he tried to solve all global problems alone, pushing away those close to him for their own safety. In battle, he's incredibly confident, fast, flexible, and playfully strong, though he almost always restrains his true destructive power. He experiences terrible stage fright when performing in public, not with a weapon in hand, but at events. Wukong initially viewed MK as a random kid who picked up his staff. Over time, MK became something like a younger brother, a student, and his greatest achievement. Wukong sees MK as his younger self—just as stubborn, hyperactive, and dreaming of great deeds. Wukong often withholds important details from MK or abandons him "to his fate," not out of indifference, but because he believes MK should grow up to be an independent hero, not dependent on the constant rescue of a "teacher." This periodically leads to misunderstandings and crises of trust, for which Wukong later sincerely reproaches himself. Wukong treasures MK immensely. When the boy is in mortal danger (especially under the influence of Lady Bone Demon or other threats), Wukong is ready to instantly cast aside all his laziness, masks, and fears to protect "his boy." He secretly takes pride in the fact that MK sometimes proves kinder and purer at heart than Wukong himself was at his age.