Jade Empire/Characters

The Spirit Monk
The Player Character. Master Li's favorite pupil. Shortly after learning that s/he is the last Spirit Monk, his/her hometown of Two Rivers is destroyed and Master Li is captured. This prompts him/her to go on a journey to find Master Li and learn what his/her destiny is.


 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Closed Fist
 * Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny: ...
 * Potentially Justified:.
 * Interestingly enough,.
 * Calling Your Attacks: Loudly announces every style they bring into combat.
 * The Chosen One: : there's nothing particularly special about you wise, you're just a kid who was born a few days before shit went down. However, with  and your status as the last of your kind, you're the only person in a position to end the problem of the walking dead.
 * Cool Big Sis: How Dawn Star sees you if you're female.
 * Deadpan Snarker: In true bioware tradition, almost every dialogue has a potential snarky response.
 * Doomed Hometown: Twice, losing Dirge (born) and Two Rivers (raised).
 * Heroic Mime
 * Last of His Kind
 * Martial Pacifist: The Open Palm path has you try to avoid conflict unless necessary to save yourself or others.
 * The Messiah: Again, Open Palm.
 * Player Character
 * The Social Darwinist: The "Closed Fist" path.
 * Player Character
 * The Social Darwinist: The "Closed Fist" path.

Dawn Star
"Voiced by: Kim Mai Guest"

The Spirit Monk's childhood friend. She has the ability to sense spirits that cannot be seen by anyone else. This has led to her being scorned by most of the townsfolk of Two Rivers. She was named after a bright fire that was seen when she was born. . A potential love interest for a male Spirit Monk.


 * All of the Other Reindeer: Shunned by many of the villagers who are wary of her ability to communicate with the dead.
 * Betty and Veronica: Dawn Star as the Betty and Silk Fox as the Veronica.
 * Childhood Friend Romance: Whether she's victorious or unlucky depends on the player.
 * The Empath: She is sensitive to the spiritual world.
 * Fire-Forged Friends: Spends much of the game arguing with Silk Fox, but they come to respect each other after fighting together at the bridge of Dirge.
 * The Heart
 * Heroes Prefer Swords
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With the female Spirit Monk. The two of you are very close, and she loves you like a sister.
 * Leitmotif
 * Show Some Leg
 * Show Some Leg

Sagacious Zu
"Voiced by: Robin Atkin Downes"

An old man who the Spirit Monk meets in the swamp outside of Two Rivers. After Two Rivers is destroyed, he admits to being a former Lotus Assassin and agrees to accompany the party for his own reasons. .


 * Anti-Hero: Arguably Type III, since he's not above killing enemy minions who have surrendered.
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Defector From Decadence
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: A weird mixture of the two, but he IS covered in them, head to toe.
 * Shell Shocked Senior
 * Simple Staff: His weapon of choice.
 * Stealth Hi Bye:.
 * Zen Survivor
 * Shell Shocked Senior
 * Simple Staff: His weapon of choice.
 * Stealth Hi Bye:.
 * Zen Survivor
 * Shell Shocked Senior
 * Simple Staff: His weapon of choice.
 * Stealth Hi Bye:.
 * Zen Survivor

Silk Fox
"Voiced by: Masasa Moyo"

A ninja-like character who attacks the party believing them responsible for the destruction of Two Rivers. . A potential love interest for a Spirit Monk of either gender.


 * Betty and Veronica: Silk Fox as the Veronica and Dawn Star as the Betty.
 * Bi the Way
 * Death Glare: Gives one to Kang as he's being disrespectful to her.
 * Even the Girls Want Her: Borderline case, in-game.
 * Fire-Forged Friends: Spends much of the game arguing with Dawn Star, but they come to respect each other after fighting together at the bridge of Dirge.
 * Gay Option
 * Heroes Prefer Swords
 * It Was a Gift: a gem at the start of Act III.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Typically snipes at the other party members, especially Dawn Star, but cares strongly about doing the right thing.
 * Leitmotif
 * Tsundere
 * Leitmotif
 * Tsundere
 * Tsundere

Sky
"Voiced by: Cam Clarke"

A Lovable Rogue who seeks revenge on the crime lord Gao the Greater. A potential love interest for a Spirit Monk of either gender.


 * Berserk Button: Slavery of any kind. It's Personal, you see. He may not give a rip about.
 * Bi the Way
 * Dual-Wielding
 * Dummied Out: An ending in which he.
 * Fake Defector:.
 * Gay Option
 * Heartbroken Badass: Despite his laid-back demeanor, he clearly.
 * Heroes Prefer Swords
 * Hide Your Gays: In order to have a same-sex romance with him, you have to make it absolutely clear that you are not interested in neither Dawn Star nor Silk Fox (which pretty much means you have to insult them) and then say the right things to him. Even then, the scene where you kiss is censored (but easily restored on the PC version).
 * Hot Dad
 * Ladykiller in Love: Starts of playfully flirting with you, but he doesn't know quite what to make of you at first. It will eventually evolve into love if you return his affections.
 * Leitmotif
 * Lovable Rogue:.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: On one when the player meets him. In cut content,.

The Black Whirlwind
"Voiced by: Victor Brandt"

A mercenary who is most famous for storming a fortress while naked, screaming and drunk. .


 * Abusive Parents: His father, whom he killed.
 * An Axe to Grind: Two axes to be specific.
 * Ax Crazy
 * Blood Knight
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Defeat Means Friendship: He mistakes you for a ghost and attacks you
 * Establishing Character Moment: His meeting with you showcases his love of combat and his tendency to act before thinking.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Disgusted by a man forcing a girl to go into the dangerous crypts to pay back her debt under threat of being sent to the Wall. He also dislikes the treatment of the, believing she deserved a clean and final death.
 * I Call It Vera His axes, the Twins.
 * Let's You and Him Fight: How you first encounter him.
 * Mercy Kill: can be interpreted as this.
 * Odango Hair: Of all the hairstyles to have...
 * Parental Abandonment: He killed his father and his mother disowned him.
 * Refuge in Audacity: His backstory and his ending. Never have killing and mutilating lots of mostly innocent people sounded more fun!
 * Self-Made Orphan: He killed his abusive father.

Wild Flower
"Voiced by: Nicky Pugh"

A little girl who channels two opposing demons Chai Ka and Ya Zhen.


 * Children Are Innocent: Decidedly Open Palm in her responses to moral decisions.
 * Creepy Child: Not so much when Chai Ka is speaking through her, but with Ya Zhen; a sneering male voice and furious red aura? Brr.
 * Willing Channeler: To Chai Ka. She likes the big guy. Ya Zhen is a different matter entirely.
 * Creepy Child: Not so much when Chai Ka is speaking through her, but with Ya Zhen; a sneering male voice and furious red aura? Brr.
 * Willing Channeler: To Chai Ka. She likes the big guy. Ya Zhen is a different matter entirely.

Chai Ka
A benevolent demon that is channeled by Wild Flower. He is often called "The Guardian".


 * Defeat Means Friendship: Like Silk Fox, he demands a fight before he'll join you, as a result of mistaking you for an enemy.
 * Gentle Giant
 * Mighty Glacier
 * My Master, Right or Wrong: He dislikes the actions taken by a Closed Fist Spirit Monk, but has sworn to serve him/her..
 * Noble Demon

Ya Zhen
"Voiced by: Gord Marriott"

Chai Ka's Evil Counterpart. He is trying to forcibly take over Wild Flower. He is often called "The Other".


 * Deal with the Devil: Offers one to the Spirit Monk.
 * Evil Sounds Deep: His voice is considerably deeper than Chai Ka's, or any of the other companions.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: When he's in control of Wild Flower, her eyes glow red.

Henpecked Hou
"Voiced by: Josh Dean"

A former Drunken Master who currently works as a cook. While his abusive wife forbids him from drinking and fighting, he is still able to give wine to the Spirit Monk to allow him/her to use the Drunken Master style.


 * Alliterative Name
 * Butt Monkey
 * Chef of Iron: Although he has sworn off fighting.
 * Drunken Master: Retired.
 * Henpecked Husband
 * Non-Action Guy: He's no longer in any shape to fight as a result of his wife's efforts to get him to stop..
 * Took a Level in Badass:.

Kang the Mad
"Voiced by: Paul Eiding"

A Mad Scientist forced to develop flyers for Gao the Greater. He eventually decides that he has had enough of Gao's mistreatment and joins the party. .


 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * The Dog Bites Back: Turns on Gao and Lim over being mistreated.
 * Mad Scientist
 * Non-Action Guy: Toward the end of the game, you have to protect him as he blows up a bridge.
 * Talkative Loon
 * Talkative Loon

Zin Bu the Magic Abacus
"Voiced by: Brian Stepanek"

A member of the Celestial Bureaucracy. He used to be responsible for determining where people stand on the wheel of life, but his inability to keep up with the actions of the Spirit Monk caused him to be demoted. He decides to sell Essence Gems to the Spirit Monk to prove to his superiors that he is competent.


 * Adam Smith Hates Your Guts: He overcharges you. Considering that you got him demoted, understandable.
 * Beleaguered Bureaucrat: And HOW, but nothing compare to the entire department assigned to Black Whirlwind.

Abbot Song
"Voiced by: Armin Shimerman"

The ghost of the Abbot of the Temple of Dirge. He has been forced to relive the Battle of Dirge for the last twenty years due to the imprisonment of the Water Dragon. .


 * Bald of Awesome
 * Guest Star Party Member
 * Mr. Exposition
 * You Shall Not Pass: Does this to Sun Kin and, and is killed.
 * You Shall Not Pass: Does this to Sun Kin and, and is killed.

Other Characters

Death's Hand
"Voiced by: Sherman Howard"

The Big Bad. He leads the Lotus Assassins and is widely believed to be corrupting the Emperor. .


 * The Dreaded
 * Dual-Wielding: A long sword and a much shorter one.
 * Evil Chancellor:.
 * Evil Sounds Deep
 * Expy: Death's Hand is absolutely not Darth Vader. Or Darth Nihlus. He just isn't, okay?
 * Hero-Killer:.
 * Reforged Into a Minion
 * That Man Is Dead:.
 * Tin Tyrant
 * Evil Sounds Deep
 * Expy: Death's Hand is absolutely not Darth Vader. Or Darth Nihlus. He just isn't, okay?
 * Hero-Killer:.
 * Reforged Into a Minion
 * That Man Is Dead:.
 * Tin Tyrant
 * Tin Tyrant

Master Li
"Voiced by: Barry Dennen"

The Master of Two Rivers school, the unofficial mayor of Two Rivers and the Spirit Monk's Master. He reveals early on that he is Sun Li the Glorious Strategist, who betrayed the Emperor by attempting to stop the massacre at Dirge. Shortly afterwords, Two Rivers is burned and he is captured. .


 * Authority Equals Asskicking
 * Badass Grandpa:.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Although it's easy to miss.
 * Hypercompetent Sidekick:.
 * Mr. Exposition
 * The Obi-Wan:.
 * Old Master
 * Papa Wolf: Do not harm his students.
 * The Social Expert
 * Stern Teacher: It's said that he doesn't praise his students overly much, but inwardly cares for their development..
 * Hypercompetent Sidekick:.
 * Mr. Exposition
 * The Obi-Wan:.
 * Old Master
 * Papa Wolf: Do not harm his students.
 * The Social Expert
 * Stern Teacher: It's said that he doesn't praise his students overly much, but inwardly cares for their development..
 * The Obi-Wan:.
 * Old Master
 * Papa Wolf: Do not harm his students.
 * The Social Expert
 * Stern Teacher: It's said that he doesn't praise his students overly much, but inwardly cares for their development..

Emperor Sun Hai
"Voiced by: Armin Shimerman"

Eldest of the Brothers Sun and ruler of the Jade Empire. He presided over the empire during the Long Drought,. Now, problems are plaguing the kingdom, and it is feared that he is ineffectual in the face of Death's Hand's manipulation. .


 * Authority Equals Asskicking
 * Older Than They Look:.
 * : Subverted..
 * This Cannot Be!:.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Said to be one to Death's Hand,.
 * Older Than They Look:.
 * : Subverted..
 * This Cannot Be!:.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Said to be one to Death's Hand,.
 * Older Than They Look:.
 * : Subverted..
 * This Cannot Be!:.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Said to be one to Death's Hand,.

Gao the Lesser
One of Master Li's strongest students at Two Rivers


 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy
 * Cutscene Power to the Max: He's able to take down an ogre in a few hits and knock it under collapsing rubble.
 * Duel Boss: In the match at the school, and potentially in the cave.
 * Jerkass: Frequently tries to hit on Dawn Star and acts superior to everyone else.
 * Kill It with Fire
 * Rival Turned Evil

Gao the Greater
A nobleman who controls a group of pirates and slavers, and is allied with the Lotus Assassins.


 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones: His son, Gao the Lesser.
 * Evil Sorcerer
 * Kill It with Fire
 * Papa Wolf
 * Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Inquisitor Lim.
 * Villainous Breakdown: After hearing of his son's death.

Inquisitor Lim
A Lotus Assassin agent who is hunting pieces of the amulet near Tien's Landing.


 * Arc Villain: The main antagonist of Chapter 2.
 * Bald of Evil
 * The Brute
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: Evil scars are on his face.
 * The Starscream: Intends to personally deliver the amulet fragment to Death's Hand in order to get back at Jia.
 * Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He and Gao the Greater dislike each other, and tend to insult each other, argue and shift blame.
 * Would You Like to Hear How They Died?: Says this of Gao the Greater's son.
 * You Have Failed Me...: Threatens to leave Kang with the captive demons if he doesn't finish in time. This is possibly deconstructed when he realizes he'll be killed for his failures if he returns, and decides to kill the Spirit Monk and take the other amulet fragment in the hopes that it will make up for it. He fails and loses the amulet fragment, a setback to the Assassins' plans.

Grand Inquisitor Jia
One of Death's Hand's top lieutenants in the Lotus Assassins.


 * Blow You Away
 * Cool Mask: She takes it off when you confront her.
 * The Evil Genius
 * Just Between You and Me:.

The Water Dragon
"Voiced by: Jocelyn Ahlf"

The Goddess who is responsible for seeing that souls are able to pass between this world and the next. She was killed at the Battle of Dirge, but her spirit appears to provide guidance to the Spirit Monk. .


 * Big Good
 * The Chessmaster
 * Ms. Exposition
 * Spanner in the Works:.
 * Spanner in the Works:.

Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard
"Voiced by: John Cleese"

Outlander explorer and adventurer that has decided to 'educate' the Jade Empire after being shipwrecked there.


 * BFG: Mirabelle
 * Glass Cannon: He's almost helpless in close range, but his gun does a lot of damage.
 * Graceful Loser: He accepts defeat in a surprisingly dignified manner, and is honorable. He'll even give you his beloved Mirabelle if you demand it.
 * I Call It Vera: Mirabelle.
 * Jerkass Has a Point: In the "debate", he brings up a few legitimate criticisms of the Empire, as well as lampshading how the Magitech shouldn't really work.
 * The Mean Brit
 * Mighty Whitey: Subverison, Parody and Deconstruction.
 * Mister Danger
 * Quintessential British Gentleman: Of the snobbish variety.
 * Smug Snake: Even though his name indicates otherwise.
 * Stiff Upper Lip