A stone monkey hatches from a rock on Flower Fruit Mountain and becomes king after successfully leaping behind a waterfall.

Seeking a suitable weapon, the Monkey King creates a disturbance in the Dragon King's underwater palace and obtains the Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden-Hooped Rod).

Sun Wukong is offered a minor position in Heaven as Keeper of the Heavenly Horses (Bimawen) but, feeling insulted by the title, he rebels.

Having declared himself "Great Sage, Equal of Heaven," Wukong fights the Celestial Army and wreaks havoc in the main halls of Heaven.

The Jade Emperor summons his nephew, the powerful Erlang Shen, who battles Wukong in a fierce duel and finally captures him.

Wukong is trapped in Laozi’s furnace, but he escapes; the Buddha intervenes, challenging Wukong to leap out of his palm.

Wukong attempts the impossible leap but fails and is imprisoned by the Buddha beneath the massive Five-Elements Mountain.

The Tang Monk, Xuanzang (later Tripitaka), begins his journey to the West and passes the mountain, freeing Sun Wukong to be his disciple.

A dragon, son of the Dragon King, eats Xuanzang’s horse; Wukong helps subdue the dragon, who is then transformed into Xuanzang's new white steed.

The pilgrims stay at a monastery where a greedy old abbot plots to steal the precious Kasaya (monk's robe) given to Xuanzang by Guanyin.

The abbot’s black bear demon friend steals the robe; Wukong battles and subdues the demon, recovering the garment.

In the Gaolao Village, Wukong subdues the lustful pig demon, Zhu Bajie (Pigsy), who agrees to join the pilgrimage as a second disciple.

The group encounters a demon on Yellow Wind Ridge who uses a powerful sandstorm, forcing Wukong to seek aid from a divine helper.

At the treacherous Quicksand River, the last disciple, Sha Wujing (Sandy), is subdued and joins the group.

At the Wuzhuang Temple, Pigsy and Wukong steal the temple’s precious Ginseng Fruits, which are said to grant immortality.

The angry Taoist master, Zhenyuan Great Immortal, catches the disciples; Wukong damages the immortal tree, which Guanyin must heal to resolve the conflict.

A female demon tries three times to capture Xuanzang by transforming into a woman, an old lady, and an old man, but Wukong sees through her disguises.

Xuanzang, furious after Wukong seemingly kills innocent people (the demon's disguises), dismisses Wukong from the pilgrimage.

Xuanzang is captured by the Yellow Robe Demon in the Wave Moon Cave, who transforms the monk into a tiger.

Pigsy is sent to Flower Fruit Mountain to beg Wukong to return and save their Master from the demon.

The pilgrims encounter the Gold and Silver Horned Kings, two powerful demons armed with magical calabash gourds and ropes.

Wukong uses his cleverness and transformations to trick and capture the two demon kings, recovering the powerful magical items.

In the Kingdom of Wuji, Xuanzang receives a dream from the deceased old king, revealing that a fake king (a demon) has taken his place.

Wukong finds the old king's body in a well and helps restore him, then battles and defeats the shapeshifting demon that had usurped the throne.

The group encounters the Red Boy (Hong Hai'er), the son of the Bull Demon King, a powerful demon child who captures Xuanzang.