"Your training takes place deep in the mountains. We call it monk training, but it's really just eating dumplings all day. Enjoy!"
— Munchy Monk Description
Template:Game-NavTemplate:Game-NavTemplate:Minigame infoboxMunchy Monk (しゅぎょう?, Shugyō) is the 16th minigame in Rhythm Heaven and 68th minigame in Rhythm Heaven Megamix. It features the Munchy Monk training in the art of eating dumplings. A sequel is unlocked later on in Rhythm Heaven called Munchy Monk 2.
The Munchy Monk raises out his hand as off screen people continuously give him dumplings to eat. They will give the Munchy Monk either one, two, or three dumplings in a row. The monk eats the dumplings by slapping his wrist in order to pop the dumpling in his mouth. To do this correctly, the player must time it right by only tapping the touch screen right as the person says "Go!". The cues are:
"One! Go!": The person gives the monk one white dumpling. These are always consecutive, and require tapping at a constant pace.
"Three! Go! Go! Go!": The person gives the monk three green dumplings in a row. These require faster tapping to eat them all.
"Two-two! Go-go!": The person gives the monk two pink dumplings. After a slight pause, two quick taps must be made in rhythm.
Controls
Button Mode
A: Slap wrist
Simple Tap Mode
Tap: Slap wrist
Timing Notes
Hit: The dumpling flies into the mouth of the Monk and he successfully swallows it. If not interrupted, the Monk will blush and smile afterwards.
Barely: The dumpling flies and hits the Monk's nose in which he exclaims in surprise. A barely counts as a miss.
In the Japanese versions, when you are given three dumplings, the voice counts "1 2 3" in Chinese.
It is most likely because monks originated from China.
The game is a parody on real ancient Monks, who (depending on the religion) starve themselves as part of their training, while here it's the opposite.
The dumplings are referred to as a bread called Manju in the Japanese version.
This is the shortest game in Rhythm Heaven lasting 54 seconds, though it isn't the shortest game in the franchise, as Showtime beats it by 7 Seconds and Rhythm Rally by 12 seconds.
The employee in Packing Pests bears a striking resemblance to the Munchy Monk. Notably both games involve characters using their hands, and both involve food in some way.
This one of the few games in Rhythm Heaven Megamix to receive a major overhaul in it's visuals. The Munchy Monk himself is redesigned to match his appearance in the Endless Game of the same name, mainly in the presence of sleeves, as well as visible ears and eyebrows. The background is more detailed and is now animated. Due to Rhythm Heaven's screen resolution, when translating the game to Rhythm Heaven Megamix, there was an abundance of empty space on both sides, so the baby was added as a way to fill in the blanks. This is hinted at during the practice and beginning of the game where it seems like everything's the same as the original, until the monk slides to the left, revealing the formerly hidden baby. The left side shows off the handler's full arm, revealing that he too wears a uniform like the monk.