Who is Zhong Kui? Next Black Myth game protagonist's lore explored

Black Myth Zhong Kui, the next title by Game Science, features Zhong Kui as the new protagonist. The success of Black Myth Wukong seems to have prompted Game Science to create a "Black Myth" universe, featuring on the darker aspects of Chinese folklore. Although Zhong Kui is quite different from Sun Wukong, there's interesting lore about him and his supernatural origins.

Simply put, Zhong Kui is the King of Ghosts and a Demon Hunter in Chinese mythology. He too, was prejudiced upon (akin to Wukong who was betrayed), which possibly cements his entry to the Black Myth verse. Read on to learn out more about Zhong Kui as we explore his lore and background in details.

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Black Myth Zhong Kui protagonist lore explored

Black Myth Zhong Kui official artwork (Image via Game Science)

Black Myth Zhong Kui's protagonist has quite a few variants to his title, but the most common one is King of Ghosts. He is also lauded as the God of Exorcism, or the Demon-Slaying God. The one certain factor is that he attained his supernatural status after his demise, a tragic death marked by only prejudice.

Zhong Kui's tragic origin story

According to legend, Zhong Kui was a traveling scholar who lived during the Tang Dynasty. He had great academic talent, but his appearance was hideous: a square face with bulging eyes, unkept hair, and bushy eyebrows. It seemed Zhong Kui didn't care much for his appearance, which led to his tragic origin.

Zhong Kui travelled to the capital city of Chang'an to attend the Imperial Examination with his friend Du Ping. He supposedly aced the test and rightfully earned the title of Zhuangyuan (equivalent to valedictorian). But when the Emperor saw Zhong Kui's unsightly appearance, he stripped him off all honorary titles.

Unable to accept this outcome, Zhong Kui ended his life by throwing himself under the imperial palace gates till his skull was crushed. In turn, Du Ping carried his friend back to their hometown to lay him to rest properly. In the meantime, Zhong Kui's soul arrived in Diyu (the Chinese underworld) where he was noticed by Yan Wang, the King of Hell.

Yan Wang took pity on Zhong Kui and realized his true potential. Unwilling to let his story end, the King of Hell bestowed the title "King of Ghosts" to Zhong Kui. He was also given a new mission: protect the mortals by slaying or exorcising demons. The new role empowered him with the command of several thousands of demons (and ghosts), with the ability to reprimand or exercise evil spirits.

Zhong Kui returned to his hometown on Chinese New Year, and thanked his friend Du Ping for returning his body. As a token of gratitude, Zhong Kui entrusted his sister's hand in marriage to Du Ping.

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Zhong Kui's rise to fame

Zhong Kui in the game's official website (Image via Game Science)

It was much later when a severely ill Emperor Xuangzong had a dream about Zhong Kui that he actually rose to fame. The Emperor apparently had a dream where a small ghost stole his flute and purse from the imperial consort Yang Guifei.

The Emperor saw in his dream that a larger ghost reprimanded the smaller one, and devoured him completely. In turn, this large ghost also introduced himself as Zhong Kui to the Emperor, and vowed to keep the lands safe from all evil. When Emperor Xuangzong woke up, he miraculously recovered and remembered his dream perfectly.

Believing this to be divine intervention, Emperor Xuangzong immediately commissioned a painting of Zhong Kui. He paid his respects and advised his counsel and officials to do the same. This is what eventually led to Zhong Kui's rise in Chinese folklore and literature.

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Black Myth Zhong Kui: What we saw in the trailer

Smaller demons carrying Zhong Kui's sword (Image via Game Science)

Zhong Kui had a band of five demons, called the five moving ghosts. These were like his retainers and often carried his items including vessels, swords, and other necessities. The description match the smaller demons we saw; however, the Black Myth Zhong Kui trailer also depicted him mounted on a Tiger, which isn't mentioned in the Chinese myths.

Shoki, as seen in Japanese legends (Image via National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Instutition)

Although Zhong Kui himself originates from Chinese folklore and legends, he has also been adapted to Japanese myths, where he is called Shoki. Interestingly, Shoki is seen riding a tiger, and his appearance in the Black Myth Zhong Kui trailer matches that of a painting from the 1800s. Game Science seemingly fused the Chinese folklore with its Japanese adaptation to create a unique version.

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Black Myth Zhong Kui doesn't have a release date yet. However, taking the development cycle of Black Myth Wukong into account, it is likely to come out in late 2026 or even in 2027.