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Who is Zhong Kui

Zhong Kui is a deity in Chinese Taoism and folklore, traditionally regarded as a vanquisher of ghosts and evil spirits. He is sometimes called the "Demon Hunter" or the "King of Ghosts." In Black Myth: Zhong Kui, he is the playable protagonist — a shift from the Monkey King of the first game to a very different kind of mythological figure.

Origin myth

The most widely told version of Zhong Kui's story goes like this: he was a brilliant scholar during the Tang Dynasty who took the imperial examinations and excelled. He should have earned the top honor — the title of Zhuangyuan — but the emperor denied it to him solely because of his grotesque, ugly appearance. Enraged by the injustice, Zhong Kui killed himself by smashing his head against the palace doors.

After death, he was sent to Youdu, the capital of the Chinese underworld. There, Yanluo Wang (the King of Hell) recognized his intelligence, bravery, and sense of justice. Rather than condemning him, Yanluo Wang granted Zhong Kui the title of "King of Ghosts" and tasked him with hunting, capturing, and maintaining order among the dead.

The origin of his cultural prominence traces to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (reigned 712-756 AD). The emperor fell ill and dreamed that a small ghost was tormenting him. In the dream, a large figure in a tattered blue robe and official's cap appeared, caught the ghost, gouged out its eyes, and ate it. The emperor asked who this savior was, and the figure identified himself as Zhong Kui — a scholar who had killed himself after being wrongly denied the Zhuangyuan title. When the emperor woke, his illness was gone. He commissioned the court painter Wu Daozi to paint Zhong Kui's image, and the tradition of displaying Zhong Kui's portrait to ward off evil spirits spread throughout China.

Powers and abilities

In mythology, Zhong Kui commands over 80,000 ghosts and demons. He is the supreme authority figure of the spirit world under Yanluo Wang's court, responsible for keeping the dead in line and hunting those who escape into the mortal realm. His traditional weapons are a sword and sometimes a fan. He often travels with a retinue of smaller ghosts and demons who serve as his attendants.

The Gamescom trailer showed these attendant goblins carrying Zhong Kui's massive sword for him — a detail pulled straight from classical paintings. He was also shown riding his signature tiger mount.

Appearance in the game

Game Science's version of Zhong Kui keeps his traditional black beard but modernizes the rest. In the Gamescom trailer, he wears blue-black mechanized armor with shoulder guards designed after the flying eaves of Chang'an city architecture — a deliberate Tang Dynasty reference. His face is partially obscured, and the overall design is darker and more armored than the traditional robed figure in classical paintings.

Yang Qi, Game Science's art director, conceived the character after dreaming of "a black-faced, red-bearded figure holding a tiger" standing on a balcony. He later confirmed the dream image matched Ming dynasty depictions of Zhong Kui riding a tiger.

Cultural significance

Zhong Kui's image has been displayed in Chinese households for over a thousand years, typically near doorways or gates to ward off evil spirits. He is especially prominent during Lunar New Year and the Dragon Boat Festival. Paintings, woodblock prints, and porcelain figures of Zhong Kui remain common across China, Taiwan, and other East Asian countries.

Despite his massive cultural footprint in East Asia, Zhong Kui is far less known internationally than figures like Sun Wukong (the Monkey King). Black Myth: Zhong Kui is the first major AAA game to center on this character, which gives Game Science a fresh mythological canvas that even many Chinese gamers may not know in depth.

Key relationships

• Du Ping — Zhong Kui's closest friend in life. After Zhong Kui's suicide, Du Ping arranged his burial and later married Zhong Kui's younger sister. In gratitude, Zhong Kui's ghost is said to protect Du Ping's family.

• Yanluo Wang — The King of Hell who appointed Zhong Kui as the King of Ghosts. Their relationship is that of a judge granting authority to an enforcer.

• Zhong Kui's sister — In many versions of the story, she married Du Ping at Zhong Kui's arrangement. Some adaptations portray her as a central emotional figure in Zhong Kui's story.