The original story was a myth based upon the travels of the Buddhist priest and scholar Tsan-Zhang and his gathering of important Buddhist scriptures from India. In the novel, he was accompanied by magical animal companions, most notably the famous Monkey King.

In this updated version, however, there have been several changes made. The modest priest of the legend has become Genjyo Sanzo: a cynical high priest who drinks, smokes, and most importantly, carries around a gun. He is accompanied not by animals, but rather by three companions that he met three years prior to the series. Son Goku is indeed the Monkey King of legend, but he has lost his memory after being imprisoned in a cave for 500 years. Also along for the ride is the half-demon Sha Gojyo and the human-turned-youkai Cho Hakkai. The four travelers are not heading to India to collect scriptures, but rather to stop the revival of a monstrous youkai named Gyuumaoh, who has been sealed for hundreds of years by the gods themselves. Sanzo has also been told that the people reviving Gyuumaoh are using powerful sutras, including the one stolen from Sanzo's master a decade ago.