| Asura | |
 | |
| Allegiance(s): | Devil Eight
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| Element: | none
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| Weapon(s): | none (uses sorcery)
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| Real form: | Three faced, six handed humanoid giant
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| Real name: | Asura
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| Chinese name: | 阿修罗
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| Also known as: | Axiūluo
Ashura or Shura |
| Divine name(s): | n/a
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| Asura is the name for a rank of deities within Hinduism and Buddhism, not a single entity as the character in the game. | |
Asura (アスラ) is the main antagonist and final boss of Saiyuki: Journey West. He is the leader of a group of malevolent, immortal beings referred to as the Devil Eight (八鬼衆).
Role in Game[]
One thousand years ago, Asura, a Devilish God, sought to become a Holy Guardian but was denied by Buddha. Feeling betrayed, Asura rebelled against Heaven with his army, the Devil Eight. The rebellion failed, and they were exiled to Hell. Instead of reflecting on his actions, Asura spent the next thousand years secretly breaking free from Hell. When the time was right, he invaded Heaven, absorbing its souls and gaining immense power. Buddha hid, the Guardians fell to Earth, and Lady Kannon protected Sanzo.
Asura ruled Heaven and wanted to create a new world in his own image. He wanted it to be miserable and dark. He found out about Lady Kannon's movements and wanted to capture the Guardians resting within her staff. He couldn't touch the staff, so he tried to lure Sanzo to him instead. Asura created a doll to observe Sanzo's movements. When Sanzo and his friends reached Truths Temple, Asura confronted them with a magical barrier. But they broke the four monuments guarding him and defeated his human form. Asura rose again and dragged them into the Pit to face them in his real form. Lady Kannon was forced into the staff, so Sanzo and his friends had to rely on themselves and the Guardians for the final battle.
After weakening Asura, Lady Kannon and the Guardians use their powers to remove the souls he absorbed. Asura then appears in his human form and asks to be erased before being imprisoned again. Asura blames Heaven for his problems and apologizes to Deva, who forgives him. If the player loses, a cinematic shows Sanzo's failure and Asura's destruction of the world.
Personality[]
Asura, a sadistic demon who governs with draconian principles, is a vengeful entity driven by a deep yearning for proper respect. He perceives his race as societal outcasts and endeavors to rectify what he perceives as Heaven's prejudiced treatment towards them. Initially a revolutionary, his aspirations for recognition became entangled with despair and anger during his prolonged imprisonment. Satisfied with the immense power he acquired through the annihilation of Heaven, he becomes consumed by ambition and seeks to inflict upon the world the same darkness that has plagued his own existence. As he surpasses Buddha in strength by the time Sanzo confronts him, he exudes an overwhelming sense of confidence, to the extent that he remains indifferent to any opposition from the monk. As a highly articulate individual, he condescends to nearly all who encounter him.
Despite his malevolent nature, Asura's closest companion is Deva, although even he is not exempt from the cruel manipulations that Asura subjects his other followers to. Despite this, Asura places complete trust in Deva and firmly believes that his friend will never betray him.
Fighting Style[]
Asura's fight has two phases. In the first phase, he appears in Truths Temple with a group of scary monsters to attack the player's party. If the monsters are defeated, they will come back periodically as long as Asura is still active. Asura's minions are there to slow down Sanzo's party before they can reach the four crystals in the corners of the map. There is a tile that acts as a barrier for the party, going up and down once per turn. The goal of the battle is to disable the four crystals before attacking Asura himself.
Asura and his monsters can attack Sanzo's members freely, so the player will need to split their party into two roles: one to distract Asura while the others deal with the crystals. The second group can be replaced by Goku, who can use his Cloud ability to quickly reach the crystals. The monsters are not very dangerous, but the sorcerer in the upper left is troublesome because of its damaging poison spells and its ability to randomly heal Asura. It is recommended to get rid of the sorcerer early in the battle.
Meanwhile, Asura attacks with destructive high leveled magic and he can teleport to any section of the map, proving a danger to anyone heading for the crystals. His AI tends to either target weakened characters or characters within groups. If players choose to use just Goku for the crystals, they may dedicate the rest of their party for a stalwart defense against Asura. Should they choose to instead divide and conquer, they will need at least one person to stay on the upper level to routinely distract him while the crystals and monsters are being simultaneously defeated. Otherwise, Asura may transport himself across the map to attack each member, who may or may not have the means to fully recover themselves. When the crystals are disabled, the party can reunite and hurl whatever attack they want at him for a quick victory.
The final battle against Asura in the game is extremely difficult and requires careful strategy to avoid losing quickly. Asura's six arms surround the party and they must position themselves around his head in the center of the map. There is limited space to move and the arms can attack from a distance with powerful weapons. However, their attacks do not reach the entire map, so players can find shelter if they learn the range of the attacks. Asura's head can also launch devastating group attacks if a party member is attacking or in front of him. Using weres is not recommended for this battle as the arms specifically target them.
Initially, it may seem possible for each party member to handle one arm individually. However, unless the characters are highly leveled, they will likely be overwhelmed and defeated. It is better to gather the party on one side of the map to avoid some of the arms' attacks. Players can choose to either focus all their attacks on Asura's head or divide their party to deal with each arm separately. In either plan, it is important to have at least one designated healer as the characters will frequently get injured.
The arms have an innate null element, but they still share elemental weaknesses like the rest of the monsters in the game. With some experimenting, players can pinpoint which arm is weak to what element and chop off each arm one at a time. Unlike the monsters from the first stage of the battle, the hands do not regenerate and their attacks are not shared by another arm. If there is a particular attack that is specifically hazardous to the health of a key attacker, it may benefit the player to pay attention and take out the arm controlling it.
Gallery[]
