{"id":1656421,"date":"2026-08-07T23:10:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pLeAXVeWczsgdfSiTgU869"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:10:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:10:15","slug":"from-ancient-buddhism-to-iconic-manga-hair-to-keanu-reeves-a-pc-gamer-causality-chain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/from-ancient-buddhism-to-iconic-manga-hair-to-keanu-reeves-a-pc-gamer-causality-chain\/","title":{"rendered":"From ancient Buddhism, to iconic manga hair, to Keanu Reeves: a PC Gamer Causality Chain\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Causality Chain is a series at PC Gamer exploring the unlikely links between history, culture, and videogames. And ocassionally hedgehogs. <\/em><\/p>\n

The arc of history curves in mysterious ways. Beloved actor Keanu Reeves\u2014Ted, Neo, John Wick himself\u2014may not be Buddhist<\/a>, but he does, in fact, owe the existence of one of his blockbuster roles to the teachings of one of Buddhism’s most important figures.<\/p>\n

How, you ask? And what exactly does this have to do with videogames? Excellent questions that can only be answered by a causality chain, tracing the butterfly effect of a man walking westward 1,400 years ago to the modern day movie star known for his iconic delivery of the word “Whoa.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Join us, as we tip over the dominoes to link past to present…<\/p>\n

The origins of Chinese Buddhism \ud83d\udd17 Keanu Reeves big dogging Sonic the Hedgehog<\/h2>\n

The foundational text<\/span><\/h3>\n
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620s AD:<\/strong> Around the year 627, Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang begins a 17 year journey from China to India in search of Buddhist texts…<\/p>\n

He returns in the year 645 with hundreds of Sanskrit manuscripts, which he will work to translate until his death. One of Xuanzang’s disciples writes and publishes a book titled Records of the Western Regions, a dictated account of his pilgrimage.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

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A legendary journey<\/span><\/h3>\n
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1590s:<\/strong> Xuanzang’s account inspires 1,000 years of folktales, both written and in the oral tradition. In the late 16th century, a fictional account of the journey of Buddhist monk Tang Sanzang and the monkey king Sun Wukong is published under the name Journey to the West.2<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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From the west to the east<\/span><\/h3>\n
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1984<\/strong>: Manga artist Akira Toriyama decides to follow up his hit comic Dr. Slump, which was set in a vague satirical version of America, with a new series that has “Chinese scenery” instead.3<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Toriyama uses Journey to the West as the template, saying in a 1995 interview “I thought it would be easy if that story served as the basis, since all I would have to do would be to arrange things.” His protagonist Son Goku is modeled after the Monkey King.<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Akira Toriyama, Jump)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Super moment<\/span><\/h3>\n
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1991: <\/strong>After Dragon Ball becomes increasingly popular as a battle manga, Toriyama gives Goku a power-up called Super Saiyan. He draws Super Saiyan Goku with a golden aura and blonde hair instead of black so that his assistant can spend less time inking Goku’s hair each issue.4<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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Sonic’s power-up looks mighty familiar<\/span><\/h3>\n
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1992:<\/strong> Sonic the Hedgehog 2 debuts in November the following year. When he powers up by collecting the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic glows gold and transforms into Super Sonic.<\/p>\n

Coincidence?? No.5<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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Sonic needs a shadow<\/span><\/h3>\n
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2001:<\/strong> To give Sonic a more powerful rival, Sonic Team creates Shadow the Hedgehog, the “ultimate lifeform.” He canonically approves of stealing candy from babies6<\/sup><\/a>, and is also maybe Vegeta.7<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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Keanu is the ultimate life form?<\/span><\/h3>\n
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2024: <\/strong>After being cast as the voice of Shadow, Keanu Reeves looks an interviewer dead in the eyes and declares that he, either as a human man or the voice of a CGI hedgehog, can beat up Sonic the Hedgehog.8<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Keanu Reeves, Paramount)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sources and further reading<\/span><\/h2>\n
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  1. Xuanzang, Wikipedia<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. How to understand Journey to the West, Stone Bridge Press<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Akira Toriyama Super Interview, Kanzenshuu<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. The Truth About the \u201cDragon Ball\u201d Manga, Kanzenshuu<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Sonic the Hedgehog & Dragon Ball \u2013 Influences and Inspiration, Zed’s Writings<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Shadow the Hedgehog – This is like taking candy from a baby, YouTube<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Iizuka says Shadow the Hedgehog wasn’t inspired by Vegeta, but fans have receipts that say otherwise, PC Gamer<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Keanu Reeves Talks Voicing Shadow, YouTube<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Read more on PC Gamer<\/strong><\/p>\n