With his pouch of millet dumplings tied securely around his waist, Momotarō stepped onto the path that led far beyond the village.
Not long into his journey, he met a dog.
“Where are you going, Momotarō?” asked the dog.
“To Oni Island,” he replied, “to defeat the ogres and make the world safe again.”
“If you give me one of those dumplings,” said the dog, “I’ll come with you and help.”
Momotarō smiled and handed over a dumpling. The dog wagged his tail and joined him.
Soon after, they met a monkey.
“Where are you going, Momotarō?” the monkey asked.
“To fight the oni,” he said.
“Give me a dumpling, and I’ll fight by your side.”
Momotarō nodded and gave the monkey a dumpling. Now there were three.
A little farther on, a pheasant flew down from the sky.
“Where are you going, Momotarō?” asked the bird.
“To Oni Island,” he answered. “Would you like to come?”
“With a dumpling, I’ll fly ahead and scout the way!”
Momotarō shared his last dumpling, and the pheasant joined them.
And so, the brave boy and his three animal friends—dog, monkey, and pheasant—marched toward Oni Island, ready to face whatever lay ahead.