The fifth day of The International 6 was peppered with surprises. Despite announcing the release of Underlord on the 23rd of August, Valve has showcased another new hero. Monkey King will be arriving this Fall, through the New Journey update. He is the first hero to be released in Dota 2, a hero that is not a direct port form DotA



Despite the long waited release of Underlord, Valve has stepped up their effort and announced the release of a second hero.



On the fifth day of The International 6, fans were asked to stick around for “a presentation”. An impressive show of martial arts was performed on stage, to the sound of Taiko drums, at the end of which Valve showcased the trailer for the new hero: Monkey King.



Monkey King seems to has it’s root in the monkey god, Sun Wukong – a mythical being, highly deceptive and a skilled martial arts warrior.



The hero will be released this fall alongside the “New Journey” update – an appropiate name considering Sun Wukong’s legend can be traced back to the 16th century, in a classical Chinese novel: Journey to the West.



Sun Wukong’s is the first hero to be released, that is not a direct port from DotA. He was teased many times in the original mod, through a secret quest, but was never officially released.



The first signs of his release came with an update on the Dota 2 test server that included bananas, as drop from cutting trees. The resemblance to the original secret quest was quickly drawn – as in the original DotA, heroes had to cut down specific tress on the map to collect peaches.



While his role and abilities have not yet been revealed, we can take a guess at his arsenal.



The trailer showcases him as a very agile and deceptive hero, capable of performing a powerful, stun-like ability while also being capable of transforming into a tree and ultimately sending out a wave of illusions to overwhelm his enemies.



Sun Wukong’s title, Monkey King may also hint to a passive ability that would grant him true strike and a mini-bash – just like the item, Monkey King Bar.



Sun Wukong’s story describes him as a being capable of executing 72 different transformations, allow him to transform into various animals and objects. Through the magical properties of his hair, he is capable of transforming into various clones of himself and/or into various weapons, animals, and other objects. He knows spells to command wind, part water, conjure protective circles against demons, and freeze humans, demons, and gods alike.



The community has received this new hero with mixed feelings: older DotA fans have rejoiced at the final release of Sun Wukong while some fans are raising concerns regarding the hero originally and Valve flat-out copying a hero from other MOBA’s such as Heroes of Newearth or League of Legends.



Sun Wukong will be joining Underlord, who was announced shortly before the Monkey King, in the AllStar Match, pushing the hero roster to 112 released heroes..