Onmyoji Arena's New Original Shikigami Suspected to Be Sun Wukong — Japanese-Themed MOBA Gets a Chinese Mythology Crossover and Players Have Questions

Can you imagine an onmyoji commanding the Monkey King in a Japanese-themed MOBA? Onmyoji Arena's latest 'original shikigami' has been virtually unmasked by players just from its silhouette — it's unmistakably Sun Wukong (孙悟空), China's most legendary mythological hero.

After the OP posted what appear to be concept art images of the new shikigami, the comment section quickly split into two camps. One side invoked the gaming community's golden rule: Sun Wukong and Nezha (哪吒) are the two most overworked cameos in Chinese gaming — a new monkey is hardly surprising.

One player posed the ultimate rhetorical question: "Is there even a MOBA that doesn't have a monkey?" — complete with a meme for emphasis. Others chimed in: even Heroes of the Storm shoehorned a monkey in via a skin. The logic? "If you have the means, add a monkey; if you don't, create the means with a skin — either way, monkey goes in." Meanwhile, Mo San Guo (梦三国) already has the entire Journey to the West squad assembled. In the MOBA multiverse, the monkey is practically mandatory.

But the other camp's concerns went deeper. One user flatly asked: "How is this even drama?" — their issue wasn't the monkey itself, but what exactly is 'original' about it. Unless Wukong gets a completely unique design, this is just a reskin at best.

The real controversy lies in the setting clash. Onmyoji Arena is a MOBA set in Japan's Heian period, so dropping a Chinese mythological figure into it is either creative cultural fusion or a tonal disaster. As one player put it: "Japanese-themed games mixing Chinese elements is so rampant it's not even drama anymore." But others found it genuinely absurd — "Sun Wukong and Heian-era Kyoto aren't the same aesthetic" — pointing out that the game already has Kawazaru (川猿, a Japanese monkey spirit) as a perfectly fitting alternative.

The sharpest jab came from this comment: "Adding Wukong isn't the drama — the drama would be if they assign him to Japan or make him take orders from a Japanese onmyoji." But someone immediately piled on: isn't that exactly what happens in-game? Players literally roleplay as Seimei and Black Seimei, so Wukong would indeed be taking commands from a Japanese exorcist. Awkward.

The most devastating observation? "If a certain rival studio had done this, the comment section would NOT be this chill." The implication: NetEase benefits from a fanbase filter that keeps the pitchforks at bay. If this were miHoYo or another competitor, the forums would already be on fire.

On a fun side note, the thread also stumbled into FGO trivia: Fate/Grand Order still hasn't added Sun Wukong, though Lord El-Melloi II's Adventures (二世大冒险) has already teased him as an upcoming servant — ETA unknown. As for the shitpost replies — "just add Kakarot instead" and "does the monkey going to Japan count as a power move?" — they perfectly embody the NGA spirit of never letting a good dumpster fire go unappreciated.