tvtropes.org

Nezha Conquers the Dragon King - TV Tropes

  • ️Wed Jan 29 2025

Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (Animation)

Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (Chinese: Nézhà Nào Hǎi, 哪吒闹海, lit. Nezha Fights the Sea) is a 1979 Chinese animated film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and based on one of the most famous legends involving the divine child-warrior Nezha, as originally told in the 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods.

After a pregnancy lasting three-and-a-half years, Yin Shi, the wife of Shang Dynasty general Li Jing, gives birth to a strange lump of flesh from which miraculously a lotus flower that in turn opens up to reveal a mystical baby named Nezha. Already able to walk and talk, Nezha is soon visited by the great immortal Taiyi Zhenren, who imbues him with divine spirit and grants him magical weaponry.

However, all is not well in China. The mighty Dragon Kings, rulers of the Four Seas, have tired of their duties to the people of China in bringing rain and ensuring the prosperity and safety of the ocean. As a result, they have grown increasingly cruel and corrupt, now using their spectacular powers to cause floods and wreak destruction upon humanity, even ignoring desperate worshipers' prayers for rain to save their crops and instead demanding human sacrifices. One day, Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, orders one of his generals, a yaksha named Li Gen, to find him children to capture and serve at his dinner table. Li Gen does find a child, but said kid happens to also be a friend of Nezha. Nezha is quick to rescue his friend and easily defeats Li Gen. Enraged, Ao Guang orders his son, the crown prince Ao Bing, to eliminate Nezha, but Ao Bing himself is killed by the child in the ensuing battle. His anger now beyond words, Ao Guang decides to take matters into his own hands.

What ensues for Nezha is a series of great battles, as the boy conflicts not just with the Dragon Kings, but also his austere father, who believes Nezha's fighting against the Dragon Kings is only making things worse. But ultimately, if Nezha is going to bring an end to the Dragon Kings' reign of terror over the people of China, he must make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of not just his family, but all of China.

Nezha Conquers the Dragon King holds a very important position in the history of Chinese animation, for the release of this film marked the resuscitation of the Chinese animation industry (especially for Shanghai Animation Film Studio) following a roughly decade-long creative slump caused by the Cultural Revolution (the Red Guards had banned animation and sent numerous animators to work in the countryside). The death of Mao Zedong a few years earlier and the rise of Deng Xiaoping around the time of the film had resulted in economic and social reforms that allowed China to rebuild its film and television industries, and Nezha Conquers the Dragon King would help to open the floodgates for Chinese animation in the following decades, ensuring for the People's Republic that domestically-produced animation would continue to remain a viable business and a force to be reckoned with on the global stage even as anime and American animation began to enter the Chinese market. As a result, Nezha Conquers the Dragon King is one of China's most beloved films, sharing its spotlight with other Shanghai Animation juggernauts like Havoc in Heaven, Calabash Brothers, and Lotus Lantern as one of the icons of not just Shanghai Animation's library but all of Chinese animation.

Unusually for a Chinese animated work, Nezha Conquers the Dragon King managed to get a decent amount of exposure in the west. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1980 under the title Prince Nezha's Triumph Against Dragon King. It later made its way to British television, where it aired on BBC Two in 1984 as Little Nezha Fights Great Dragon Kings. For its BBC airing, the film got an English dub by Leah International, with Nezha being voiced by actress Rosemary Miller and the film's score (done by Jin Fuzai and the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra) being replaced with one from British composer Ivor Slaney. Said English dub was released on home video by BBC International in 1986 and received a few reruns for a good measure. The original Chinese version would not become available in physical media or to English-speaking audiences until 2005, when it received a DVD release that included English subtitles and gave it its current and official English name.

Tropes

  • Abusive Parent: Much like in the source material, Li Jing and Nezha have a difficult relationship, primarily stemming from the father's disapproval of his son's actions. When Ao Guang brings his accusations of Nezha to Li Jing, Li becomes furious with his son for provoking the Dragon Kings, and later on after, Nezha subdues Ao Guang the first time, Li Jing instead disowns Nezha and has him tied up in the basement. And finally, he attempts to kill Nezha to appease the Dragon Kings' demands for Ao Bing's death to be compensated. However, he ultimately draws the line there when Nezha calls him father as he is about to strike him down, and is horrified by Nezha's self-sacrifice.
  • Adaptation Deviation:
    • In Investiture of the Gods, Nezha started the conflict with the Dragon Kings when his divine powers caused an undersea earthquake as he was playing in the ocean. Here, the Dragon Kings are the instigators of the conflict, as they have been terrorizing China for years and send minions to the surface to capture children for them to eat. While Nezha disturbing Ao Guang's palace as he frolicked in the ocean still occurs, it's now a result of him cleaning his weaponry after his battle with Li Gen.
    • In Investiture of the Gods, the Dragon Kings were asking for Li Jing and Yin Shi to sacrifice themselves when Nezha intervenes and offers himself instead. By contrast, the Dragon Kings of the film are instead demanding Li Jing kill Nezha as compensation for Ao Bing's death.
  • Adaptational Villainy: The Dragon Kings are seen in Chinese mythology as benevolent entities, and in Investiture of the Gods, their conflict with Nezha started for understandable reasons that were primarily Nezha's fault. Here, the Dragon Kings have turned evil and are now using their powers to cause human suffering, with Nezha fighting them when they try to eat him and his friends.
  • Adapted Out:
    • Nezha's ambush of Ao Guang in Heaven cuts out a famous sequence where Nezha forces Ao Guang to transform himself into a small snake as a sign of submission before bringing him back home. Instead, Ao Guang remains in his original form when brought back down to Earth and is forced to promise to never do evil again (which he of course backtracks on).
    • In Investiture of the Gods, Nezha's conflict with the Dragon Kings is briefly interluded by a sequence where Nezha battles a stone demon witch named Shiji Niangniang (after he temporarily forces Ao Guang to submit and before the Dragon Kings return for revenge), but due to its lack of relevancy to the plot, it is cut out entirely here.
    • Likewise, the resurrection of Nezha in Investiture of the Gods took place over a much longer series of events, with Li Jing trying to prevent Nezha's revival due to his anger for how much trouble his son had caused. Additionally, Yin Shi's role in Nezha's resurrection is cut out entirely.
  • Animated Adaptation: Of what is arguably the most famous segment of Investiture of the Gods and the most famous legend featuring Nezha.
  • Barbie Doll Anatomy: Averted. When Nezha is born from the lotus, his genitalia is visible.
  • Came Back Strong: Nezha gains new powers as a result of being resurrected by Taiyi Zhenren, most notably his One-Winged Angel form and two new weapons in the form of the Wind-Fire Wheels and the Flame-Tipped Spear — all of which help him to finally triumph over the Dragon Kings.
  • Carry a Big Stick: Ao Bing wields twin maces in his fight against Nezha.
  • Censored Child Death: The little girl who's a close friend of Nezha is abducted by Ao Guang's minions and dragged into the seas. When Nezha confronts Ao Guang later on, turns out she's been devoured off-camera which leads to Nezha killing him in revenge.
  • Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Each of the Dragon Kings has a particular color marking their identities and associating them with a respective direction — Ao Guang of the East is green , Ao Qin of the South is red, Ao Run of the West is white, and Ao Shun of the North is black.
  • Divine Birds: Taiyi Zhenren rides a crane, a bird that in Chinese folklore is often depicted as the steed of gods and immortals due to its association with longevity. Said crane also collects Nezha's soul after his Heroic Sacrifice and returns him to Taiyi Zhenren to be resurrected.
  • Dragon Rider: While fighting Ao Guang in Heaven, Nezha throws his ring and sash around Ao Guang's neck and rides him down to Earth, forcing him to surrender.
  • Eats Babies: Ao Guang has gained a craving for the flesh of human children after becoming evil, and he sends out his minions to find kids for him to eat.
  • Elemental Powers: Each of the Dragon Kings are depicted as having unique elemental abilities, each representing a different aspect of a storm.
    • Blow You Away: Ao Shun can create massive tornadoes.
    • An Ice Person: Ao Run creates blizzards from his body.
    • Making a Splash: Ao Guang maintains the mastery over rain and the ocean typical of Chinese dragons, which he typically manifests by gushing jets of water from his mouth.
    • Playing with Fire: Ao Qin has the ability to breathe fire like a classic western dragon, but it seems to be more of a general representation of heat, as he later on uses lightning against Nezha.
  • Evil Redhead: Ao Bing and Li Gen are both given bright red hair, and both are evil minions of Ao Guang.
  • Face–Heel Turn: The Dragon Kings were once benevolent deities who create rain for humanity, but have now become evil, using their powers to cause chaos and demanding China give them children to eat.
  • Goo-Goo-Godlike: Nezha is only a very small child, aged up a few years by Taiyi Zhenren within an hour after he was born. But from the lotus he stepped forth from his Mystical Lotus, Nezha could not only walk and talk, but possessed spectacular magical power, enhanced by Taiyi Zhenren's gifts, which he then uses to battle four powerful dragons.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Seeing the destruction the enraged Dragon Kings are wreaking upon China as they demand Nezha be punished, Nezha opts to kill himself to appease the Dragon Kings by slitting his throat open with Li Jing's sword. Fortunately, Taiyi Zhenren revives him afterward.
  • I Lied: After Nezha subdues Ao Guang, the Dragon King pleads to Nezha that he'll never bother humanity again. Instead, he gathers his brothers and all four launch an assault on China, demanding Nezha be killed as compensation for Ao Bing's death and then warning Li Jing that they'll continue demanding child sacrifices and terrorizing humanity after Nezha's sacrifice.
  • Longest Pregnancy Ever: Li Jing's wife, Lady Yin, was pregnant with Nezha for over three years.
  • Magical Floating Shawl: Nezha's Red Armillary Sash, another gift from Taiyi Zhenren, functions as one, except it also works as a weapon.
  • The Marvelous Deer: Nezha rides a white deer as a symbol of his mystical nature. This deer goes on to become Nezha's most faithful companion throughout the whole movie.
  • Mystical Lotus: Nezha is born from a blossoming lotus, signifying his divine nature (which is only further indicated when he clothes himself and starts walking immediately after birth). Nezha's resurrection by Taiyi Zhenren is also performed using a lotus, which the immortal places his soul in before opening the lotus to reveal a reborn Nezha.
  • Nature Spirit: Li Gen is a yaksha, a type of nature spirit from Indian mythology that was absorbed into Buddhism and exported to China with the spread of Buddhist teachings (becoming know as Yecha in China). While yakshas in India are traditionally associated with forests and mountains as servants of the god of wealth, Kubera, they became servants of the Dragon Kings in China and thus primarily linked with oceans and rivers instead.
  • Never My Fault: Ao Guang refuses to take the blame for anything that happens as a result of his evildoings. After Nezha defeats Li Gen and kills Ao Bing, Ao Guang goes to Li Jing to tell him what his son did, conveniently leaving out the detail that it all started because of his appetite for children. When Nezha calls him out on this, Ao Guang accuses him of lying and flies into a murderous rage before leaving and trying to appeal to the Jade Emperor with the same story (which also fails when Nezha, at Taiyi Zhenren's suggestion, follows him up there and fights him).
  • Offerings to the Gods: The people of China toss food into the ocean in an effort to placate the Dragon Kings. Turtles and stingrays pick up said offerings to take them to the Dragon Kings' palaces, but the Dragon Kings reject them.
  • One-Winged Angel: After being resurrected by Taiyi Zhenren, Nezha gains the power to sprout two extra heads and four more arms, which he uses to battle the Dragon Kings in the finak confrontation.
  • Our Dragons Are Different: The Dragon Kings are the classic Chinese dragons, being imagined in Chinese mythology as the mightiest of all dragons. As typical of Chinese dragons, they are long and serpentine with horns and whiskers, flying through the sky without wings and commanding the elements, but they also assume humanoid forms when their true forms aren't needed. But whereas Chinese dragons are typically thought of as benevolent, the Dragon Kings have turned evil.
  • Prongs of Poseidon: Li Gen wields a trident, befitting of his nature as a water spirit serving the kings of the ocean.
  • Revised Ending: In Investiture of the Gods, the conflict between Nezha and the Dragon Kings ends when the Jade Emperor has Ao Bing resurrected after Nezha is returned to life, finally placating the furious Dragon Kings. Here, Nezha instead heads under the waves for a final showdown at Ao Guang's palace, where he completely trashes the castle, defeats all of Ao Guang's warriors, and finally subdues the Dragon Kings for good, freeing China from their reign of terror forever.
  • Ring of Power: Taiyi Zhenren gifts Nezha with a magical golden hoop called the Universe Ring, which becomes one of Nezha's primary weapons against the Dragon Kings.
  • Scenery Porn: There are some beautiful backgrounds throughout the film, with certain shots practically existing just to show them off, like the mountains where Taiyi Zhenren dwells and the view of Heaven itself.
  • Seahorse Steed: Ao Bing rides a giant seahorse as he heads out to confront Nezha. Later on, the Dragon Kings are seen riding on jellyfish chariots pulled by seahorses.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: Li Gen was killed by Nezha in their fight in Investiture of the Gods. Here, he survives the battle and escapes by transforming into a frog.
  • Underwater City: The Dragon Kings live in huge palaces at the bottom of the ocean, served by marine animals and water spirits.