< Jade Empire

Jade Empire/Characters


Playable 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: It seems your master trained this flaw in you to make you easier for him to kill. Incredibly, after defeating a small army, all it takes to kill you is to throw some bauble up in the air, you look up, and get blind sided as your master sucker punches you. The bastard...
    • Potentially Justified: as a Spirit Monk, you are likely attuned to spirits, and the bauble in question was the Water Dragon's spirit shard so it attracts your attention much more than the "spirit" of your mortal foes.
    • Interestingly enough, most of the people who point out this flaw are allies. Perhaps you let your guard down when you're not fighting to the death.
  • Calling Your Attacks: Loudly announces every style they bring into combat.
  • The Chosen One: Double Subverted: there's nothing particularly special about you Spirit Monk wise, you're just a kid who was born a few days before shit went down. However, with Sun Li's training 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).
  • A God Am I: In the Closed Fist ending after absorbing the power of the Water Dragon.
  • Heroic Mime
  • Laser Guided Tykebomb
  • 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.
  • Unwitting Pawn: "He trained you to fight a tyrant, but with a flaw. He wanted you to be vulnerable in your moment of triumph.


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. This fire was the burning of the Temple of Dirge. She is Master Li's daughter, although neither of them are aware of this. A potential love interest for a male Spirit Monk.

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. When the party's attempt to infiltrate the Lotus Assassin Fortress fails, he sacrifices himself to kill Death's Hand. He left the Lotus Assassins when he was ordered to kill Master Li's family: he killed Li's wife but spared his newborn daughter Dawn Star.

Silk Fox

Voiced by: Masasa Moyo

A ninja-like character who attacks the party believing them responsible for the destruction of Two Rivers. She is secretly Princess Sun Lian, the heir to the Empire. She joins the party to prove that her father is being manipulated by Death's Hand. A potential love interest for a Spirit Monk of either gender.

Sky

Voiced by: Cam Clarke

A Lovable Rogue who seeks revenge on the crime lord Gao the Greater for murdering his five-year-old daughter. He joins the party after they beat him to it. 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 The Laws of Heaven, but he is pretty ticked about the Brothers Sun enslaving a goddess.
  • Bi the Way
  • Dual-Wielding
  • Dummied Out: An ending in which he is not forgiven for his seeming betrayal at Diege and pursues his campaign of revenge until it claims his life.
  • Fake Defector: Lets Death's Hand into the inner Dirge Temple under offer of his daughter being brought back to life, so that he can spring a trap on him.
  • Gay Option
  • Heartbroken Badass: Despite his laid-back demeanor, he clearly misses his deceased wife and little girl.
  • 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: If you're a female Closed Fist player, and you romance him, the ending mentions that he becomes a Complete Monster instead.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: On one when the player meets him. In cut content, if the player decides not to forgive him for his betrayal, he resumes fighting against the people behind Gao until he ultimately gets poisoned.

The Black Whirlwind

Voiced by: Victor Brandt

A mercenary who is most famous for storming a fortress while naked, screaming and drunk. He used to be an arena fighter of some renown, but left when Kai Lan the Serpent's schemes prompted him to kill his brother.

Wild Flower

Voiced by: Nicky Pugh

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

  • Back from the Dead: She was killed during the flooding of Old Tien's Landing, but was resurrected by Chai Ka.
  • Battle in the Center of the Mind: The final confrontation between 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.

Chai Ka

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

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".

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.

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. He is actually the Inventor God Lord Lao, although he does not remember this.

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.

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. After the Spirit Monk is killed, he explains the truth behind the fall of Dirge. He fights alongside the Spirit Monk until he restores the Water Dragon's power, whereupon he is finally able to rest in peace.

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. Or at least, that's what we're initially told. He is actually Sun Hai's very loyal second-in-command. He used to be Sun Kin, the youngest of the Brothers Sun and former leader of the Order of the Lotus (the precursor to the Lotus Assassins). He was killed by Sun Hai when he tried to commit fratricide himself as Hai was draining the Water Dragon's power. Sun Hai then bound his soul to Master Li's discarded armor. After he is defeated, the Spirit Monk has the opportunity to bind his soul, gaining him as a party member.

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. He was actually the mastermind behind the massacre at Dirge. He manipulates the Spirit Monk into killing Sun Hai, whereupn he kills him/her and steals the power of the Water Dragon.

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, which he ended by binding the Water Dragon to his control. Now, problems are plaguing the kingdom, and it is feared that he is ineffectual in the face of Death's Hand's manipulation. In reality, Death's Hand and the Lotus Assassins answer to him and he cares only for his own power.

Gao the Lesser

One of Master Li's strongest students at Two Rivers

Gao the Greater

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

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.

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. Sun Hai has kept her alive using a machine, both to end the Great Drought through the water that she bleeds and to absorb her powers. Her goal is to have the Spirit Monk Mercy Kill her.

  • And I Must Scream
  • Big Good
  • The Chessmaster
  • Ms. Exposition
  • Spanner in the Works: In the moments between when Master Li kills the Spirit Monk and when he starts to drain her power, she is able to bring the Spirit Monk's spirit to Dirge, where s/he can help her begin to regain her power.
  • Too Dumb to Live: She tells the Spirit Monk how s/he can drain her power while cutting Li off from it. Granted, Abbot Song had already told the Monk how traitorous Spirit Monks used blood in the same manner, but this isn't very smart.

Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard

Voiced by: John Cleese

Outlander[1] explorer and adventurer that has decided to 'educate' the Jade Empire after being shipwrecked there.

  1. ↑ Fantasy Counterpart Culture of the British Empire, although Roderick wears typical Conquistador armor.
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