Release OrderRecommended
0 / 8 watchedBroadcast order. Best for first-timers.
Chronological Order
0 / 7 watchedStory order, for rewatches once the quartet is known.
About Saiyuki
Saiyuki sends the monk Genjo Sanzo west with demons Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai to stop the resurrection of the Bull Demon King, retelling Journey to the West as a josei road epic. The anime opened with 50 episodes of Gensomaden Saiyuki in 2000, continued through the Requiem film, Reload and Gunlock, then closed arcs with the Burial and Gaiden prequel OVAs, Blast in 2017 and Zeroin in 2022.
Release order is the recommended path, since the prequel OVAs assume you know the quartet first. Chronological order moves Burial and Gaiden to the front for rewatches. One caveat: Zeroin remakes the Even a Worm arc already covered by Gunlock, so pick one version rather than watching both back to back.
Good to know
The two orders genuinely differ because the Burial and Gaiden OVAs are prequels. First-timers should follow release order so the past lands as backstory. Rewatchers can start chronologically. The manga's Ibun chapters are still ongoing, so the anime may yet continue past Zeroin. Either way, Gensomaden comes first on a first viewing.
