History Characters / Mulan

* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: Even though some Disney fans would consider her as tomboyish due to how she disguised as a man in order to be in battle and save China, she does wear a lot of fashionable and feminine outfits throughout her movie.

* BloodKnight: His first two scenes suggest him to be this (see EstablishingCharacterMoment below), and he later confirms it when he rejects a suggestion to avoid the Imperial Army rather than meet them in combat. Shortly before the [[spoiler:avalanche wipes out his army]] he personally leads the charge against the heroes, and is so far in front of his horde that it is very clear he wants to fight them himself.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: No matter what Chi Fu says, this guy has got the skills to back up his rank.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The leader is the most dangerous.

** Averted, however, in one deleted scene: after the Huns have ransacked a village, one of them finds a small bird in a cage, still alive, and smuggles it into his clothing. Shan Yu finds him moments later after asking the Huns if anything at all in the village was still alive. He releases the bird, remarking, "all creatures should be given a chance to live free, but freedom has its price" as his falcon kills the bird and he stabs the man, turning it into a BadassBoast about what they're going to do to the Emperor of China.

* PreMortemOneLiner: To one of the two Chinese scouts he turned loose to give a message to the Emperor. While he doesn't directly kill the scout himself, he does give the implicit order to do so with chilling humor.
-->'''Shan Yu:''' How many men does it take to deliver a message?\\

** He also attempts this with Mulan at the end.
-->'''Shan Yu:''' It looks like you're out of ideas.\\

* GirlfriendInCanada: Chi Fu claims he has an amazing girl back home. The sideways glance he gives the other soldiers implies he's just lying to impress the other guys.

* SmallNameBigEgo: He's quite full of himself, believing he's indispensable as the Emperor's personal counsel and is not afraid to flaunt his position in front of China's officers. Despite his ego, he never actually says anything of worth and just keeps running his mouth like some authoritarian big shot.

* FlowerMotif: Her name means "wood orchid" or "magnolia", which is used by [[GoodParents multiple]] [[CoolOldGuy characters]] and deliberately invoked with the flower in her hair.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion:

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Not so much in an earlier installment than in an earlier scene. Chien Po's early recitation of a Buddhist chant to calm Yao down in addition to his baldness give him the appearance of a monk. Which makes one wonder what he's doing in the army (although it could have been out of obligation, as every family was required to send one son to serve as a soldier). Compounded later on when he proclaims his love of meat dishes in the "A Girl worth fighting for" song.

** This is updated in the sequel, as [[CharacterDevelopment their interests in women have changed to be much more about the personalities of the women]] rather than whether those women provide for them. Ling wants to be with someone who he can have a good laugh with (and share his sense of humor), Yao wants a woman who is willing to be kind and caring to him when he's down or sick. Chien Po doesn't really change that much, although it's notable that his desires seem to be about finding a woman who loves food like himself, [[StayInTheKitchen rather than just a woman who cooks for him]].

-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JuneForay (speaking), Marni Nixon (singing); [[Creator/RocioGarcel Rocío Garcel]] (Latin American Spanish dub); Lily Baron (speaking) and Marie Thérèse Orain (singing) (European French dub); Nechama Handel (Hebrew dub)

-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JamesHong (original); Mario Filio (Latin American Spanish dub); Michel Prudhomme (European French dub); Creator/YoshitoYasuhara (Japanese dub); Lior Zohar (Hebrew dub)

* PragmaticVillainy: After learning of the imperial army's attempt to ambush them, the bald-headed archer notes they could easily avoid the trap to avoid unnecessary casualties. Shan Yu decides, however, that going through the Tung Shao Pass was the fastest way to get to the emperor.

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Aside from his lack of reaction to Mulan being a woman, he hardly reacts when he sees a literal dragon at the end of the movie. Granted, he was probably more focused on the giant explosive Mushu was aiming at him, and the fact that Mulan had once again outsmarted him.

* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: When the Imperial scouts are captured he hoists one of them in a NeckLift with a single hand like he's picking up a feather. Later after infiltrating the palace in an effort to kill Mulan he furiously slices a sword through thick wooden pillars like they're made of cloth.

* BirdsOfAFeather: Opposing personalities notwithstanding, Mulan and Shang bond over their struggle to be good soldiers (shown when Mulan comforts Shang after Chi-Fu antagonizes him for being a poor captain) and their desire to help their fathers. They also happen to be [[FriendToAllChildren good with children]].

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Zigzagged. Mulan has to prove herself numerous times to some of the characters before they'll respect her, such as Li-Shang. Chi-Fu, however, remains an UngratefulBastard towards her the entire time, even after she's saved his life repeatedly.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: No matter what Chi-Fu says, this guy has got the skills to back up his rank.

* BadassOnPaper: He is promoted to captain based on his success as a student (and the fact that his father is the general). He has no actual combat experience, which is a sore spot Chi-Fu likes to poke.

* BirdsOfAFeather: Opposing personalities notwithstanding, Mulan and Shang bond over their struggle to be good soldiers (shown when Mulan comforts Shang after Chi-Fu antagonizes him for being a poor captain) and their desire to help their fathers. They also happen to be [[FriendToAllChildren good with children]].

* TheChainsOfCommanding: Not only does he have to stay captain at all times, he has the obnoxious Chi-Fu hanging around, ready to report him to the Emperor.

** Shang held some sexist beliefs in the first film, especially noted in some of his lyrics in "I'll Make A Man Out of You" and was initially dismissive of Mulan's claim that Shan-Yu because of it (although it was also mainly due to her lies). But, by the end, he lets go of sexism and was ready to attack Chi-Fu when he made sexist insults at Mulan despite saving all of China.

* MilitaryBrat: His father's the general. Chi-Fu gives him a barbed comment about only getting his captaincy through nepotism, but Shang seems competent enough.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Shang makes sexist remarks in "I'll Make a Man Out of You" and is dismissive of Mulan after her reveal as a woman. He comes to change his viewpoints, going so far as to threatening Chi-Fu for continuing to make misogynistic remarks towards Mulan despite her heroism.
* RageBreakingPoint: How Shang feels with Chi-Fu in the end when the latter [[UngratefulBastard continues to demean Mulan despite her saving all of them]]. He's just about to give him a well-deserved clock-cleaning for it when the Emperor comes down.
-->'''Chi-Fu:''' Stand aside! That creature's not worth protecting!\\

'''Chi-Fu:''' ''[snidely]'' 'Tis a woman! She'll never be worth anything!\\
'''Shang:''' ''[angrily grabs Chi-Fu]'' Listen, you pompous--!

* FireForgedFriends: Yao and Ling didn't think much of Mulan as Ping, where they prank her any chance they get during the TrainingMontage. They became friends once they all succeed in their training. Best exemplified when Mulan is sentenced to be executed, and the three of them rush forward in her defense, only to be stopped by Chi-Fu.

-->'''Chien-Po:''' I couldn't care / Less what she'll wear / Or what she looks like / It all depends on what she cooks like! (Beef, pork, chicken, mmmm...)

* HappilyMarried: To Fa Li. He gives Mulan and Shang 'ying yang' advice in the sequel.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: He's famous enough that Chi-Fu and Li Shang know him by name. How did he become so famous? What happened to his leg?

'''Chi-Fu:''' I didn't know Fa Zhou had a son!

* RetiredBadass: Served in the army during his younger years. Both Li-Shang and Chi-Fu respect his name when "Ping" claims to be his son.

[[folder:Chi-Fu]]

* AmbiguouslyGay: Loosely implied, since the soldiers assume his "girl back home" [[MamasBoy is his mother]] and doesn't show much appreciation for women. Granted, that's not particularly special in this period, but with Chi-Fu it's significant. Though it's highly possible, based on his position and the time in which the film is set, that he is a [[EunuchsAreEvil eunuch]].

* BilingualBonus: Chi-Fu's name is a pun on the Chinese word for "[[MeaningfulName to bully]]."

* EffeminateMisogynisticGuy: Chi-Fu is a NonActionGuy known for his GirlyScream, yet when told that Mulan is a hero he simply says ''"'tis a woman, she'll never be worth anything."'' Granted, there is some room for interpreting this as contempt for Mulan as an ''individual'', but given his statement that women should know to hold their tongues in front of men, he is definitely the most openly-misogynistic male character.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: No one in the Chinese Army seems to regard Chi-Fu with any respect, from the chain of command down to the lowly recruits. General Li gives him a DisapprovingLook (essentially ordering him to shut up) when he tries to interject during Li and Shang's meeting, Shang openly detests him, and the trainees mock him every chance they get without fear of repercussion. It's telling that when he tries to join in while the troops are all having a lake bath, they kick him out and humiliate him for good measure.
* GirlfriendInCanada: Chi-Fu claims he has an amazing girl back home. The sideways glance he gives the other soldiers implies he's just lying to impress the other guys.

* JerkassHasAPoint: A misogynistic prick and total suck-up to the Emperor notwithstanding, Chi-Fu makes some sensible arguments regarding Li Shang and his trainees.
** His concern over General Li's decision to promote Li Shang to captain and subsequent contempt for the latter stems from the fact that for all his high marks as an academy student and knowledge of combat strategies, Shang is still a recent graduate with no prior military experience who was (mostly) given captaincy due to his father having pride in their family's military background. Even if Chi-Fu was harsh and belittling, he had every reason to lack confidence in a captain who was promoted out of nepotism and was placed in charge of training a group who would be expected to face off against [[TheDreaded the Huns]].
** While his low opinion for the troops themselves could be due in part to their insubordination towards him, Chi-Fu's harsh report of their performance during basic training is a result of their initial incompetence (in one instance firing a rocket that destroyed Chi-Fu's tent that would've gotten him seriously injured or killed) and inability to work together as a unit (based on Yao and Ling's frequent antagonizing of "Ping"), qualities highly unbefitting of a group expected to face battle together. Even if they pulled themselves together and completed their training, Chi-Fu was well in his rights not to have confidence in a group who didn't learn fast enough or take their training seriously.

* LaserGuidedKarma: Played with; after all his abuse towards Mulan, he doesn't really get punished for it, but the Emperor is so impressed by her deeds that when Chi Fu scoffs at the idea of making her one of his advisers, the Emperor casually offers her ''his'' job instead, much to Chi-Fu's disbelief and he faints. And although Mulan turned it down, it's most likely he was fired anyway for all his mistreatment towards her.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: His prejudice against women seems a little shoehorned in just to make him more hateable, but this is actually TruthInTelevision. After all, women in Asia come in second.
* PutOnABus: Unlike the other characters that returned in the sequel, Chi-Fu doesn't return.

* StrawMisogynist: What makes Chi-Fu more irritating and hated than Shan-Yu himself: he is essentially a walking embodiment of incompetent, sexist and sycophantic authority figures everywhere. It's very unlikely that a regular person would be unlucky enough to cross paths with someone like Shan-Yu. However, unless you live a very charmed life, you have met or will meet someone like Chi-Fu, whether it's a teacher, a boss or your co-worker.

* UndyingLoyalty: Despite his snobbish behavior, he does show a positive trait in being industrious and loyal to the Emperor, as when the Emperor ordered the distribution of conscription notices to all of China, Chi-Fu went as far as to distribute them himself. In the comicbook ''Mulan's Adventure Journal: The Palace of Secrets'', the Emperor even considers him the only person he can still trust after finding out there's a conspiration against his life taking place in his own palace.
* UngratefulBastard: [[spoiler: Yes, even after Mulan saved ''all of China'' from Shan Yu and his Huns, Chi-Fu stands by his opinion that she's worthless.]]

** In the sequel, while she is again harsh towards Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po after throwing them out, her telling them to "come back when (they) get personalities" wasn't entirely unjustified.

** Yao, Chien-Po, and Ling eventually finding love in the form of the princesses of the Middle Kingdom (Mei, Su, and Ting-Ting) could be considered this as well since the matchmaker assumed that the three soldiers wouldn't find love matches for themselves.

* CharactefrDevelopment:

* CharacterDevelopment:

* TheQuietOne: Mulan tends to be the least talkative person in a room. Notably, she's only ever chatty when she's around non-talking animals, like Little Brother and Kahn. When talkers like Mushu, her family, or the other soldiers are around, she tends to listen ''far'' more often than she speaks.

* BornLucky: Zig-zagged. He was purchased by Grandma Fa for luck, but he causes disaster for Mulan during her meeting with the Matchmaker. He then helps Mushu help Mulan when she joins the army, which also causes a lot of problems. However, Mulan eventually flourishes in the army and successfully defeats the Huns, and then both Cri-Kee and she survive the avalanche and later fireworks. Lampshaded by Mushu.
-->'''Mushu:''' ''(after saving Cri-Kee from the avalanche)'' Man, you are one lucky bug.

The characters of Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' films.

* SilentSnarker: One can interpret by looking at some of Khan’s expressions that he is constantly silently snarking

* FlatCharacter: Of the three animal sidekicks that Mulan has, he is by far the most animal-like and OutOfFocus, to the point that most viewers will probably forget about him.

* HypercompetentSidekick: He is the most capable of Mulan's animal sidekicks without screwing things up. He even braves rushing into an oncoming snow avalanche in order to save her, while every other character (understandably) runs away from it.

* SilentSnarker: One can interpret by looking at Khan that he's likely silently snarking up a storm.

The characters of Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' and [[WesternAnimation/MulanII its sequel]].

* {{Jerkass}}: Initially, but he grows out of it.

* MotorMouth: He sometimes goes into this.

* RedIsHeroic: Has red scales and is one of the good guys.

* SoulBrotha: Roger Ebert refers to him as the Black Guy in medieval China.

* DeadpanSnarker: When he is not granting sage king wisdom, he speaks in blunt and witty one liners.

* DemotedToExtra: He only gets a couple of scenes in the beginning of the sequel.