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The Best Episodes of Saiyuki Season 1

Every episode of Saiyuki Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Saiyuki Season 1!

Binge this in 10h 25m•Peaking at 8.2/10

Many years ago, humans and demons lived in harmony. But that unity ended when demons started attacking humans and plotted a mission to unleash Gyumao - an evil demon imprisoned for thousands of

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 11 - Tragic Revenge – The Death Laughs
    8.2/10(6 votes)

    S1:E11

    Awakened from a nightmare, Hakkai thinks about the girl he loved. When Sha Gojyo talks to Hakkai, a puppet controlled by the fortune-teller Chin-Ih-So attacks him and injects Sha Gojyo with the seed of a blood-sucking plant. The seed cannot be removed because it is too close to his heart. Sanzo tries to save Sha Gojyo by shooting the seed out of Sha Gojyo's body with a spirit-blasting gun. Sha Gojyo survives. Goku and White Dragon go out to fetch water and disappear.

    Director:Masaaki Kumagai
    Writer:Daisuke Yajima

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  2. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 12 - Wandering Destiny – Struggle in the Darkness
    8.2/10(6 votes)

    S1:E12

    The fortune-teller Chin-Ih-So approaches the heroes. Hakkai destroyed his family. Chin-Ih-So plots to cause Hakkai to go insane. Sha Gojyo and Goku are injured. Sanzo supports Hakkai in a silent battle with a dark, psychic world. Hakkai tries shake off a twisted illusion but, he is trapped by Chin-Ih-So's trick and suddenly attacks and wounds Sanzo. If Hakkai reverts back to himself, the heroes will quickly die.

    Director:Shintaro Inokawa
    Writer:Daisuke Yajima

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  3. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 15 - The Ill-fated Guy – Spell of Red
    8.2/10(6 votes)

    S1:E15

    The heroes have to sleep outside in the rain. Looking up in the rain, Sha Gojyo remembers three three years ago, he helped a young man named Chogo-Noh, who was laying on the roadside.Meanwhile, the Trinity Gods order Sanzo to arrest the man who massacred many monsters, who is Chogo-Noh.

    Director:Rion Kujo
    Writer:Katsuyuki Sumisawa

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  4. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 16 - Be There! – A Praise for Staying Alive
    8.2/10(6 votes)

    S1:E16

    Chogo-Noh flees into the woods to carry out his self-imposed mission. Suddenly, he is attacked by Crow-Man whose family Chogo-Noh killed. They fight and Crow-Man is shocked by Chogo-Noh's fighting spirit. Sanzo and Goku, who were tailing him, arrive and are followed by Sha Gojyo.

    Director:Takashi Yamazaki
    Writer:Katsuyuki Sumisawa

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  5. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 23 - Scapegoat – Reward of Subordination
    8.2/10(6 votes)

    S1:E23

    The heroes arrive at a Village with big canons sticking into the sky. They are surprised by a ceremony that offers a sacrifice to an evil monster that rules the residents. Hakkai is stunned by the young woman who is chosen as a sacrifice because she looks exactly like his dead girlfriend Kanan. The monster must be destroyed before the woman is sacrificed.

    Director:Masaaki Kumagai
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  6. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 5 - Pure Assassin
    8.0/10(7 votes)

    S1:E5

    Cheer-Rat (Yaone), one of Kogaiji's followers, wants to please her master. She asks Kogaiji to issue an order to destroy Sanzo's party. Cheer-Rat feels indebted to Kogaiji, who saved her from the monster the "Demon with One Hundred Eyes". Cheer-Rat plans to poison the heroes at a restaurant but hesitates after they save her from two drunken thugs. Cheer-Rat still wants to help her master so she makes a plan.

    Director:Masaaki Kumagai
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  7. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 10 - A False Savior
    8.0/10(6 votes)

    S1:E10

    Sanzo and his comrades arrive in a village where the residents believe their village was saved by the priest Sanzo. Thanks to this story, the heroes enjoy an enthusiastic welcome. However, a false party of Sanzo appears and the heroes are mistaken for imposters. The villagers jail the heroes, believing the bogus priest is the real Sanzo. That night, a monster assassin appears and the village is in a panic.

    Director:Takashi Yamazaki
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  8. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 22 - Devastation – The Outcome of a Deadly Duel
    8.0/10(6 votes)

    S1:E22

    Goku takes out his head ring, which controls his infinite power; his sense of judgment vanishes, and he cannot recognize his friends and his enemies. With cruelty and violence, Goku begins to attack whoever he sees. No-one can stop Goku's devastating power but Sanzo manages to get up in front of Goku.

    Director:Hitoyuki Matsui
    Writer:Katsuyuki Sumisawa

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  9. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 28 - Lonely – The Signal of Rebellion
    8.0/10(7 votes)

    S1:E28

    Abandoning the Celestial Heavens, Prince Homura, Zenon and Shien decide to build a new world. They choose the tower and castle made by monster King Gailu and his warriors as their headquarters. The army of the Celestial Heavens, which is led by the self-professed gods, begins to attack and seize the tower. Leaving the battlefield, Prince Homura goes to see King Gairu with an offer.

    Director:Hitoyuki Matsui
    Writer:Katsuyuki Sumisawa

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  10. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 8 - The Man Who Foretells Death
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E8

    The heroes arrive at a town where a bazaar is underway. They meet a dubious fortune-teller named Chin-Ih-So, who uses mahjong tiles to tell fortune. Chin-Ih-So precisely reveals Hakkai's past. Suddenly, a giant crab, apparently a ghastly apparition, appears to attack the heroes but efore they engage in battle, a tiny girl destroys the monster crab. She is Lilin, the younger sister of Kogaiji. Soon, Kogaiji and his followers arrive to help Lilin.

    Director:Toshio Matsuhashi
    Writer:Daisuke Yajima

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  11. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 9 - Lethal Trap – Battle Feast
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E9

    The heroes and Kogaiji's band engage in a fierce battle. Kogaiji realizes the secret of Goku and his comrades' infinite strength in battle is the power of spirits – to fight for one's own is the best way to help others. The monster crab controlled by an evil sorcerer appears again. The parties agree to a truce to get rid of the monster crab.

    Director:Rion Kujo
    Writer:Daisuke Yajima

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  12. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 14 - A Sweet Client – I keep My Promise
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E14

    Sanzo and three boys arrive in a small, remote village. When Sha Gojyo leaves to find pretty women, he meets a young woman who tags along with him. The woman tries to persuade Sha Gojyo to destroy a monster that killed her parents. Sha Gojyo is led to the monster's hideout and senses something weird is going on inside but does not realize it is a trap.

    Director:Tomoki Kyoda
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  13. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 20 - Sandstorm – Trap of Quicksand
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E20

    A monster that ate the priest Sanzo Senior hides in the desert. The heroes go into the desert and fall into quicksand. The desert monster has set a trap because he believes he will get eternal life if he eats a priest of great virtue. The monster becomes enraged by Sanzo's arrogant and disgraceful manner. In an underground jail, Goku, Sha Gojyo and Hakkai are engaged in a desperate battle with incessant scorpions.

    Director:Tomoki Kyoda
    Writer:Daisuke Yajima

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  14. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 24 - Mother – Crimson Bond
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E24

    Goku and Sha Gojyo enter a village in search of food, and meet a young mother named Yan-Min, who is hugging a new-born baby. The baby's eyes and hair are red like Goku's. Yan-Min's husband is a human-looking monster; the villagers despise her for having a monster's baby. A man called Nijenye is interested in the sadness and hatred spawned in her heart, and plans to use her secret feeling for his own purpose.

    Director:Keisuke Onishi
    Writer:Daisuke Yajima

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  15. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 25 - Tomboy – Frightening Assassins!
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E25

    Lilin, the young sister of Kogaiji, appears to challenge the heroes. Her trick is "Operation – Meat Bums on the Road", which fails to induce the heroes but surprisingly it works on three stupid monsters, who are defeated by Lilin and become her followers. Ordered by their new boss, they keep meddling in the heroes ways.

    Director:Masahiko Murata
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  16. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 32 - Fake Star Strikes Back – Pride of the Impostors
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E32

    The heroes again meet the party of the bogus Sanzo. After the earlier incident, the bogus Sanzo never introduces himself as the priest Sanzo. The Bogus Sanzo and the impostors are fearful. The party of bogus heroes remember their pride as the best impostors in the world; they are sly and mean. They devise a plot to revenge the true heroes.

    Director:Masaaki Kumagai
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  17. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 37 - Taciturnity – A Smile of Reticence
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E37

    Sanzo and his party walk into a village in which Cho-Hakkai grew up in an orphanage. Hakkai has feelings of nostalgia and bitterness; he was a desperate child who never smiled. He meets Sister Shaohei, who spent her childhood in the same orphanage. She tells Hakkai there is a boy who never smiles, just like little Hakkai. Hakkai wants to see the boy.

    Director:Hayato Date
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  18. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 38 - Fleeting Vision – An Unfilled Promise
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E38

    The heroes defeat the monsters in the woods and get a good drink. While drinking, Sanzo recalls the incident involving his master Kohmyo-Sanzo a long time ago. Soon after, Sanzo and his comrades arrive in a village where they join and win a drinking competition.

    Director:Takashi Yamazaki
    Writer:Satoru Nishizono

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  19. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 46 - Chaos – Shaking Land
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E46

    The Creation of New World of Homura, Shien. and Zeon has begun. Sanzo and his comrades go to the Tower of Konran, where Homura's party are supposed to wait for them. Instead, the heroes are attacked by monsters led by Gairu. The monsters are so weak and the battle quickly ends. When the heroes walk further, they know they have passed only a first easy barrier, and that more enemies are waiting.

    Director:Masaaki Kumagai
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  20. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 48 - Absolutely Heaven! – Door to Freedom
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S1:E48

    Sanzo's party and Kogaiji's group confront Homura, Shien, and Zeon. Sanzo wants to take back his Sutra of Dark Power and Kogaiji has to get the Hallowed Sutra. Shien and Zeon decide to engage in battle side-by-side and send Homura to New World. When the battle begins, Shien releases his true power over to the heroes and Kogaiji's group.

    Director:Toshiyuki Tsuru
    Writer:Michiko Yokote

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  21. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 2 - First Game – A Guide to the Land of the Dead
    7.7/10(10 votes)

    S1:E2

    In a small town, our heroes meet a wounded girl called Ho-May whose friend was killed by an evil creature. Goku can not tell her he is a creature in human disguise. Our heroes are ambushed by a spider-women disguised as traveling entertainers. Goku fights with all his strength for the kindness of the girl and her father who prepared a tasty meal.

    Director:Toshio Matsuhashi
    Writer:Katsuyuki Sumisawa

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  22. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 3 - His God, My God – The Divine Platform
    7.6/10(10 votes)

    S1:E3

    The quartet visits a huge temple on a rocky mountain. All the priests and apprentices live a strict life of studying the sacred scrolls and purifying their souls under the principles of 'no-drinking', 'no-smoking' and 'all tangible things are vain.' They are surprised to see Sanzo partaking in all of these forbidden things. Then, assassins sent by the evil monster Kogaiji attack the temple. Our heroes have to save the priests from the assassins' ghastly violence as the priests are prohibited from killing

    Director:Rion Kujo
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  23. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 18 - Vice or Justice – The Truth of Justice
    7.6/10(6 votes)

    S1:E18

    Several monsters are missing. Yaone, a female warrior of Kogaiji, begins to investigate what is happening. Meanwhile, Sanzo and his three comrades find Tonpoo, an old friend of Sha Gojyo and Hakkai. Tonpoo tells the heroes he volunteered a militia called Fanron Troop, which consisted of humans tasked with hunting evil monsters. The same night, Yaone is captured by the captain of Fanron Troop when she sneaks into the camp.

    Director:Shintaro Inokawa
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  24. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 19 - Don't go Alone – Desperate Girls
    7.6/10(6 votes)

    S1:E19

    The heroes meet four beautiful sisters. Sanzo is reluctant to befriend them. Soon after they leave the sisters, the heroes discover the sisters want to kill them for saving the life of the eldest sister, who was possessed by a parasitic monster.

    Director:Masahiko Murata
    Writer:Akatsuki Yamatoya

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  25. Saiyuki Season 1 Episode 21 - Selfish Dream – Reckless Run to Ruin
    7.6/10(6 votes)

    S1:E21

    Five Sutras who are possessed by Sanzo and his comrades are needed for reviving Gyumao the Bull Satan. Trailing the Sutras, Kogaiji, Son of Bull Satan, crosses the desert and meets the heroes. Goku wants to help Sanzo, who is greatly weakened by scorpion poison but Kogaiji challenges him to a duel and proves to be an extraordinary warrior. Goku fears he cannot defeat Kogaiji with his normal power.

    Director:Rion Kujo
    Writer:Katsuyuki Sumisawa

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Tragic Revenge – The Death Laughs" is the best rated episode of "Saiyuki" season 1. It scored 8.2/10 based on 6 votes. Directed by Masaaki Kumagai and written by Daisuke Yajima, it aired on 6/13/2000. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Wandering Destiny – Struggle in the Darkness".