Sun Wukong (Civ6)

Sun Wukong
Melee Hero unit
Introduced in Babylon Pack
Game mode	Heroes & Legends
Stats
Movement	6
Movement	6
Melee	32
Melee	32
Sight	2
Sight	2
Lifespan	50
Lifespan	50
Passive effect - Swift
Ignores all terrain Movement penalties.
Passive effect - Sun Wukong's Disguise
Sun Wukong is hidden unless adjacent to an enemy unit.
Passive effect - Sun Wukong's Immortality
Sun Wukong has significantly increased Lifespan.
Relic
	Staff of Sun Wukong
Notes
The Monkey King, hero of Ancient China, renowned for his cunning and immortality.

Back to the list of heroes

Sun Wukong is a Hero in Civilization VI. He is exclusive to the Heroes & Legends game mode, introduced in the Babylon Pack.

• Attributes:
  • Counts as a melee unit.
  • Cannot earn experience or Promotions.
• Abilities:
  • Swift: Ignores all terrain Movement penalties.
  • Sun Wukong's Disguise: Sun Wukong is hidden unless adjacent to an enemy unit.
  • Sun Wukong's Immortality: Sun Wukong has significantly increased Lifespan.

Strategy

Like all Hero units, Sun Wukong's Strength increases with the progression of the eras, as shown in the table below.

Era	Combat Strength
Classical	44
Medieval	56
Renaissance	68
Industrial	80
Modern	92
Atomic	102
Information	110
Future	122

Sun Wukong is incredibly good at pillaging, and unlike a naval raider unit, he can target all land tiles. This benefit is coupled with his 6 Movement and ability to ignore terrain penalties, allowing him to move from Farm to Farm, from Mine to Mine, and so on, pillage, heal, and then attack a city or unit. If you become the Suzerain of Wolin, he can rapidly earn Great General points and propel you toward a Domination Victory.

In addition, Sun Wukong's stealth mechanic makes it very difficult for your opponents to see him, even while deep in their territory, unless they have a unit right next to him. On top of his 50-turn Lifespan and capability of killing enemies swiftly, this makes him one of the most deceptive and long-lasting Heroes of the batch.

Note that Sun Wukong's Swift ability doesn't apply when crossing Rivers, but it applies to all other terrain and terrain features.

Civilopedia entry

One of the best-known and best-loved characters from Chinese legend, Sun Wukong – the Monkey King, has a tremendous quantity of stories surrounding him. His inspiration comes from a wide variety of sources. When China imported Buddhism from India during the Han Dynasty in around 150 AD, a number of Indian legends came along, including the Ramayana whose best supporting star was Hanuman, the lord of the monkeys and faithful sidekick to the hero Rama. As monkeys had already been seen as auspicious animals in previous Chinese dynasties, the notion of a magical monkey king was immensely popular and acquired a life of its own.

Sun Wukong is not the noblest of heroes. He is at times selfish, at times unpredictable, and at all times mischievous. But unlike more devilish trickster deities like Loki, Sun Wukong ultimately is a force for good… once he can be controlled.

Sun is stronger than all the armies of Heaven. He wields weapons that he stole from the dragon-king of the sea, including a golden staff so heavy that no other being can wield it, but capable of shrinking down so small that the Monkey King can store it in his ear; flying boots; and magical armor. When he is sentenced to death for these thefts, he simply steals the Book of Life and Death and erases his name from it (as well as the names of all the monkeys that he knows). Thus, when all the gods and all the armies of Heaven cannot stop him, the gods appeal to the Buddha, whose power is the greatest of all, and who imprisons the monkey in his palm.

This is not it for Sun Wukong’s story, however. Centuries later, the goddess Guan Yin recruits the hero to protect the monk Tang Sanzang, who travels to India to receive the sacred Buddhist sutras. To control him, Guan Yin tricks him into wearing a magical circlet that tightens painfully when she recites the Tightening Sutra – sometimes, even the Goddess of Mercy needs to be harsh. The travelers face monsters and fantastical terrain as they travel to India, where the living Buddha hands the sacred texts to the monk.

Sun Wukong remains a popular figure in Chinese media, and has been the star of many films. He is popular across East Asia as well, and in the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia.

Trivia

• Sun Wukong's icon is the unremovable circlet he was tricked into wearing when he served the monk Tang Sanzang on his pilgrimage. The circlet could tighten and cause headaches whenever a certain sutra was chanted, allowing Sanzang to control Wukong when needed.
• Sun Wukong's relic is Ruyi Jingu Bang, his magical staff.