- To see the 1998 film's character page, click here.
A character page for Disney's 2020 live-action film Mulan.
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Hua Family
Hua Mulan
Hua Mulan
Portrayed By: Liu Yifei, Crystal Rao (young)
The protagonist, a young woman blessed with enormous chi. After her father is called to fight against the Rourans, Mulan disguises herself as a man and goes in his place.
- The Ace: In one of the featurettes, one of Mulan's squadmates calls her the best warrior in the unit after she has been discovered.
- Action Girl: Mulan, even moreso than in the animated version. Her chi allows her to be quite the nimble acrobat, and on the battlefield, she's able to take down several enemy soldiers all by herself.
- Adaptational Badass: Mulan has experience with weapons and combat through her father's training, whereas the original Mulan from the 1998 film had no such experience. This brings her closer to her ballad counterpart, who was well-trained long before she joined the army. She also now has the ability to harness her chi, which allows her to become quite a formidable opponent in the heat of battle.
- Adaptational Hairstyle Change: Mulan doesn't cut her hair from waist-length to shoulder-length like does in the iconic scene from the animated film. This was done partly in an attempt to be more historically accurate, as most Chinese in that time period (not just soldiers) did wear their hair long.
- Adaptational Heroism: In the original film, Mulan failed at the Matchmaker because of her own errors, such as cheating, and lighting the Matchmaker on fire. In this version, the only reason she fails so badly is because her sister has a panic attack because of her arachnaphobia, and she rushed to calm her down.
- Adaptation Name Change: A holdover from the 1998 film, but typically "Mulan" is treated as a unisex name and the earliest case of her using an alias had her just use her father's name of "Hu". Here, she calls herself "Jun", rather than "Zhou", as her father is called in this adaptation, or "Ping", which she used in the animated film.
- Age Lift: The earliest case of an age being given for Mulan when she went off to war was in The Complete Account of Extraordinary Mulan, which had her at fourteen. While her age is not stated in the film, she is clearly older than fourteen.
- Attractive Bent-Gender: At one point in the film, Commander Tung tells Mulan, who he believes is Hua Zhou's son, and not his daughter, that he wants her to marry his own daughter.
- Big Sister Instinct: During the matchmaker interview, Mulan covers up a spider with the teapot to prevent her sister from freaking out over it. She reluctantly removes the teapot when the matchmaker insists that she put it back in its proper place.
- Cool Big Sis: She clearly has a good relationship with her sister, joking with her, and she immediately abandons her chances with the Matchmaker when her sister has a panic attack.
- Full-Name Basis: The other members of the regiment consistently address Mulan's male guise as Hua Jun, in full. After she reveals her true identity, they continue the practice and address her as Hua Mulan, which extends to the Emperor as well.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: Purposefully invoked by her while masquerading as Hua Jun. She pretends to be stand-offish and distant to prevent herself from being found out as a woman. Yet when she feels her secret is safe, she lets her guard down, reverting back to her kind and caring nature.
- Little Miss Badass: The film opens with young Mulan being trained by her father, which helps indicate that this adaptation takes more from the original ballad.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Mulan delivers one to Lang when the latter points out she will die pretending to be a man, while Mulan asserts that her presence will show there is a place for her despite her gender.
Hua Zhou
Hua Zhou
Portrayed By: Tzi Ma
Mulan's father, an esteemed former soldier who bears his injuries from the last war against the invaders.
- Adaptation Name Change: A hold over from the 1998 animated film, but his given name is still "Zhou" rather than "Hu".
- Cultured Badass: He is shown to be very knowledgeable regarding Chinese mythology and symbolism, and he is a former war hero; several TV shots show him teaching Mulan how to use a sword despite his old age and other injuries.
- Disabled in the Adaptation: Downplayed. While Fa Zhou was never the most physically able person in the original film, he's even more crippled here, needing to wear a leg brace to walk properly.
- Good Parents: He is a rather good father to Mulan, fully accepting her chi, showing impressment with her martial art abilities, and clearly guilt ridden when he has to tell her to suppress her chi.
- Honor Before Reason: Hua Zhou still volunteers for service despite the Emperor's advisors making it clear to him that he is not required to serve because of his prior services and his injuries.
- Papa Wolf: At the end of the film, Hua Zhou tells Commander Tung he will have to go through him if he wishes to execute Mulan. Instead, Commander Tung has arrived to merely offer her another sword to replace the one destroyed along with a high position in the army.
Hua Li
Hua Li
Portrayed By: Rosalind Chao
Mulan's devoted mother, who wants Mulan to marry well.
- Adaptation Name Change: A hold over from the 1998 animated film, but her given name is still "Li" rather than "Jia".
- Feminine Mother, Tomboyish Daughter: Unlike in the animated film, Mulan's mother disapproves of her warrior-like daughter and insists to her husband that Mulan must suppress her chi and become a good wife.
Hua Xiu
Hua Xiu
Portrayed By: Xana Tang
Mulan's younger sister.
- Adaptation Name Change: The earliest case of Mulan's sister having name had it as "Munan" rather than "Xiu".
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Averted. Xiu looks up to Mulan considerably and even seems to be incredibly impressed with her marital arts abilities. She openly admits remorse when her arachnaphobia destroys Mulan's choices with the Matchmaker.
- Composite Character: In the original ballad, Mulan had an elder sister and a younger brother. Later retellings have sometimes combined the two.
- It's All My Fault: She openly expresses remorse for Mulan failing the Matchmaker.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Mulan is significantly tougher and rougher than her traditionally feminine sister. Their mother comments that Xiu will have no problem finding a good match, unlike Mulan.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Mulan's sister is terrified of spiders, which of comes into play when a spider appears during Mulan's meeting with the matchmaker.
Chinese Government and Military
Commander Tung
Commander Tung
Portrayed By: Donnie Yen
A high-ranking member of the Imperial Army and Mulan's commanding officer and mentor.
- Adaptation Name Change: In this film, Mulan's superior officer is named "Tung" instead of "Li Shang", and his rank is Commander, not Captain. Of course, "Li Shang" is an example of an adaptation name change himself, as the first case of Mulan's commanding officer having a name had it as "Commander Xin Ping".
- Decomposite Character: Li Shang is split between Tung and Cheng Honghui. Tung gets the 'military superior' part of the character. Though it is worth noting that Shang himself is a Composite Character, since traditionally Mulan's commanding officer and love interest are two different people, making this an example of a decomposite character that returns a composite character to separate characters.
Chen Honghui
Chen Honghui
Portrayed By: Yoson An
A talented and ambitious recruit in Tung's unit.
- Decomposite Character: Of Li Shang, who was split between him and Tung. Honghui gets the 'comrade-in-arms and ostensible love interest' part of the deal. Though it is worth noting that Shang himself is a Composite Character, since traditionally Mulan's love interest and commanding officer are two different people, making this an example of a decomposite character that returns a composite character to separate characters.
- He also has some of the traits of Yao, and Ling, being rivals to Mulan before becoming friends with her. His words to her when they are in the lake is straight out of the original lake scene.
- The Not-Love Interest: Despite the trailers and TV spots insinuating that Mulan and Chen would become love interests, nothing overtly romantic ever happens between the two despite a lot of Ship Tease.
- Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: Chen Honghui has had zero presence in the theatrical trailers despite being the advertised love interest. A clip released later does show him and "Jun" drawing swords on each other.
Ling, Yao, Chien-Po
Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po
Portrayed By: Jimmy Wong (Ling), Chien Tang (Yao), Doua Moua (Chien-Po)
Three of Mulan's squadmates.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Yao in the original film was a short and burly-faced character with a permanent black eye, while this version bears none of these features.
- Adaptational Personality Change: Both Ling and Chien-Po are portrayed much less comically here. Chien-Po in particular is now gruffer (and slightly meaner) than his Big Fun counterpart; his original gentle-natured personality has essentially been transferred to Canon Foreigner Cricket.
- Decomposite Character: Chien-Po gets the name and position as one of Mulan's squadmates and part of a trio with Ling and Yao, but his kind personality is given to Cricket.
- Demoted to Extra: While Yao, Chien-Po, and Ling still serve as supporting characters, they don't get nearly as much focus (or dialogue) as they did in the original.
- Waxing Lyrical: When the guys are discussing what kind of women they like, Chien Po says almost word-for-word his lines from “A Girl Worth Fighting For”.
Cricket
Cricket
Portrayed By: Jun Yu
A kind-hearted recruit in Tung's squad.
- Adaptation Species Change: In the original film, Cri Kee was a cricket. Here, he is a human recruit.
- Canon Foreigner: Cricket, the young and innocent-minded soldier who befriends Mulan and the others at camp, does not have an animated film counterpart. He is, however, based on Cri Kee from the original film.
- Decomposite Character: While Chien-Po exists as Mulan's squadmate here as he does in the film, his kind Big Fun personality has been transferred to Cricket.
The Emperor
The Emperor
Portrayed By: Jet Li
The reigning Emperor of China, who has commissioned the recruitment of one man from each family to fight the Rourans.
- Adaptational Badass: In the original film, he was a Non-Action Guy, while in this film, it is made clear that he was a skillful soldier himself back in the day and he does not hesitate to take the fight offer Böri Khan makes.
- Adaptational Personality Change: The Emperor is more of a no nonsense leader this time around. When he gets word that Böri Khan is challenging him personally, he actually accepts the duel and emerges from the palace in full armor, ready to do battle with his enemy.
- Age Lift: The original Emperor was an elderly leader with a long white beard. Here, he's played by the middle-aged Jet Li. In addition, the original ballad was about Tuoba Buri's 429 campaign against the Rouran Khaganate, which lasted for twelve years, and Buri was 21 when it began and 33 when it ended, making this an age lift of an age lift.
- Badass in Distress: As in the original, the Emperor ends up becoming the villains' hostage during the climax. This time around, he's nearly executed by fire.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: In the past, he slew the first Böri Khan. In the present, he intends to do the same to the second.Emperor: I will kill this Böri Khan like I killed his father - with my own hands.
The Chancellor
The Chancellor
Portrayed By: Nelson Lee
- Adaptational Nice Guy: The Chancellor (who doesn't go by Chi-Fu in this adaptation) shows no signs of being a misogynistic elitist like the original character.
- Demoted to Extra: In the original, Chi-Fu was put in charge of supervising the training camp. Here, he never leaves the palace, resulting in much less screentime. This has more to do with Xianniang possessing him however, leaving it ambiguous if he is dead.
Antagonists
Bori Khan
Böri Khan
Portrayed By: Jason Scott Lee
A Rouran warlord who launches an invasion against Imperial China, wanting to avenge his father's death at the hands of the Emperor.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: While Böri Khan is still physically menacing like Shan Yu, he at least lacks the latter's sickly grey skin, creepy yellow eyes and fang-like teeth. Overall, he looks less a villain from something propaganda-related.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Shan Yu, despite being one of the most evil villains of the Disney Animated Canon, showed no signs of sexism. While he was surprised to learn the soldier who wiped out most of his army was actually female, he wasn't upset at the knowledge that he was defeated by a woman, and he took her seriously as an adversary. Böri Khan, on the other hand, is a blatant misogynist, and mistreats Xianniang despite the fact that the reason he managed to succeed was because of her and dismisses Mulan as a mere child, in that case even suggesting humiliation at being defeated by someone so much younger than himself.
- Adaptational Personality Change: Böri Khan's personality is both better and worse than his animated film counterpart, Shan Yu. Shan Yu is a bloodthirsty monster who wants to destroy China For the Evulz but treats Mulan an equal soldier rather than a lesser being. Böri Khan is a stern leader seeking to avenge his father by conquering China and killing the Emperor, but is also an unrepentant misogynist.
- Adaptation Name Change: The leader of the barbarian invaders is called "Böri Khan" instead of "Shan Yu", who in turn is a case of an adaptation name change as the earliest case of the barbarian leader having a name was in the play "The Heroine Mulan Goes to War in Her father's Place", where he was called "Leopard Skin."
- Adaptational Sympathy: Böri Khan has a more understandable motive for his invasion of China unlike Shan Yu. Whereas Shan Yu's excuse for invading China was just to prove that he could defeat such a mighty opponent, Böri Khan is primarily motivated by revenge for the death of his father (as well as reclaiming the territories they lost to Imperial China in the last war).
- Big Bad: Böri Khan seeks to annihilate China to avenge his father's death.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the original film, Shan Yu died by fireworks. In this film, Böri Khan dies when Mulan redirects an arrow he shot back into him (assuming the fall hadn't caused any would-be fatal wounds already).
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He is a vicious conqueror, but his motive for conquering China is to avenge his father, who was killed by the Emperor of China.
- Freudian Excuse: His father was slain by the Emperor of China when he was young, in which his invasion is to avenge his death.
- Karmic Death: Böri Khan gets killed by his own arrow, courtesy of Mulan. Even better, Khan had planned to murder the Emperor himself with said arrow.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Böri Khan doesn't think highly of women, to the point where he mistreats Xianniang despite her being his right-hand woman. Which is a striking contrast to Shan Yu from the original, who was notable for being the least sexist man in the film.
- Savage Wolves: Downplayed. It's not brought up directly in the movie, but "Böri" means "wolf" in the Old Turkic language (as well as modern Uyghur).
- Straw Misogynist: Böri Khan has a very low opinion on women, even towards his right-hand woman, Xianniang. Her and Mulan would go on to prove otherwise.
- You Killed My Father: Böri Khan's Roaring Rampage of Revenge is fueled by his desire to kill the Emperor, the man responsible for his father's death.
Xianniang
Xianniang
Portrayed By: Gong Li
A shapeshifting witch allied with Böri Khan.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Hayabusa the falcon has been reinvented as a beautiful (but deadly) witch named Xianniang.
- Adaptational Badass: In the original film, Hayabusa was Shan Yu's falcon who served the ordinary animal sidekick role to Shan Yu and was not that much of a threat. Xianniang, Hayabusa's counterpart, is a powerful witch and fierce warrior whose powers allow Böri Khan's army to gain the upper hand.
- Adaptational Personality Change: In the original film, Hayabusa is Shan Yu's loyal falcon companion who serves as the Huns' scout, and is just as ruthless as his master. Here, his equivalent Xianniang is a shape-shifting witch who, while still villainous, is only working with Böri Khan out of sadness for society rejecting her, and the relationship between the two is marked by misogyny and abuse rather than loyalty and companionship.
- Adaptation Species Change: Shan Yu's pet falcon, Hayabusa, was just an ordinary bird in the animated version. Here, the character is reimagined as a shape-shifting witch and Böri Khan's partner.
- Ascended Extra: The closest counterpart to her in the film is Shan Yu's loyal animal sidekick who gets a few scenes. Here, she's a major character who faces off against Mulan twice.
- Ambiguous Situation: There is no indication whether she too is Rouran. For all we know, she is from a different tribe altogether.
- Composite Character: To those unfamiliar with other retellings of the Ballad of Mulan, Xianniang appears to be a Canon Foreigner. However, in the 1850 novel "The Fierce and Filial Girl from Northern Wei", a sorceress named "Huang Fengshan" appears as one of the villains. Add her bird-form into account, and it becomes clear she is a combination of Huang Fengshan and Shan Yu's falcon Hayabusa.
- Dark Action Girl: Xianniang is shown to be just a formidable warrior as Mulan, amassing quite a considerable body count, and manages to fight equally with Mulan. Her ability to practice magic helps.
- Demonic Possession: Xianniang can possess people if she wants to, something she demonstrates with the Emperor's advisor.
- Easily Forgiven: Mulan seems to after she commits to a Heel–Face Turn, and eventually a Heroic Sacrifice.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": One of the transliterations literally means "Fairy Godmother".
- Evil Counterpart: Xianniang is one to Mulan. Both of them have infiltrated a world in which their gender has them being treated differently, and they change their identities. With Mulan, it is through a male disguise, in the case of Xianniang, it is through magic. However, Mulan is filled with honor, while Xianniang has no trouble using her magic in battle.
- Feathered Fiend: The sorceress Xianniang shapeshifts into a hawk or a flock of birds that attacks the Chinese soldiers.
- Heel–Face Turn: After Mulan convinces Xianniang that there is a place for people like themselves, the witch leads her to Böri Khan and the Emperor.
- Heroic Sacrifice: When Xianniang is convinced by Mulan to turn against Böri Khan and leads her to the Emperor, she proceeds to take an arrow for Mulan in falcon form and dies instantly.
- I've Come Too Far: When she sees Mulan leading the army to fight against Böri Khan, she Xianniang realizes that things are not the same for Mulan as they were for her, and there really is a place for women like them. However, Xianniang says that even so, it's too late for her. Mulan at least convinces her to help her out, which turns out to be her last act in life.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Xianniang notes that she and Mulan are very similar, as powerful women who were rejected by men just because of their gender; the only difference is that Mulan chooses to continue trying to help those who rejected her where Xianniang gave up on the idea of ever belonging anywhere and only sides with Böri Khan because she basically doesn't know what else to do with herself.
- Partial Transformation: Xianniang can turn her hands into talons to do various things, such as block swords and perform sorcery.
- Redemption Equals Death: After leading Mulan to Böri Khan with the Emperor on the scaffolding, in addition to having told her about the whole thing in the first place, Xianniang takes an arrow intended for Mulan.
- Running Both Sides: Xianniang possesses the Emperor's advisor and manages to tell the Emperor and their armies exactly where the Rourans so the Chinese armies are wiped out.
- Spell My Name With An S: Official materials have spelled her name as both "Xian Lang" and "Xianniang".
- Stupid Sacrifice: Hua Milan has dodged - and caught - arrows before, so Lang didn't absolutely need to take the hit. She could also have simply grabbed the arrow in her talons and pulled it off-course. That being said, she may have done this because she knew she likely wouldn't be Easily Forgiven for her actions, and chose redemption in death.
- Tragic Villain: Xianniang only joins Böri Khan's army because the public constantly harassed her for being a woman and a witch.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Xianniang explicitly cites this trope, pointing out to Mulan that when the Chinese army finds out who she is, they will kill her because of her gender regardless of her service.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Her main power.
- We Can Rule Together: Xianniang makes this offer to Hua Mulan encouraging her to join her, claiming that they are one in the same due to their special abilities (which, in turn, led to them being mistreated by those around them).
- Wicked Witch: Subverted. She wanted to use her witchcraft to help others, but was instead shunned by society for her powers. Khan took advantage of her isolation when recruiting her.
- Worthy Opponent: Lang has a very high opinion of Mulan and her abilities by the film's climax.Böri Khan: A girl threatens our plans?
Xianniang: A woman. A warrior.
