History Characters / GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiWeiWuxian

* GeniusBruiser: Both his battle skill and his intelligence make him one dangerous cultivator.

* UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo: Downplayed. Throughout the entire story, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji remained at least subconsciously in love with the other. However, during the former's first life, they both attempted to approach the other with friendly intentions, only to be rejected or ignored before their positions were later reversed.

* UrbanLegendLoveLife: It's rumored that he's bedded a lot of women in his past life due to his flirtatious personality, which spiraled into outrageous gossip like kidnapping virgins to the burial mounds after his defection. In actuality, he is a romantic at heart who never even had a relationship with any girl and only kissed once in his life. It doesn't help that he [[BlatantLies told Lan Wanji that he's very experienced when it comes to women]] and is later shown hanging out with a lot of ghost women, much to the other's frustration.

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: The ''donghua'' has Wei Wuxian possess more maturity in his choice to take up demonic cultivation and the way he reacts to others confronting him about it.

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: His skin becomes a shade lighter and, combined with his dark hair and clothes, evokes a corpse-like appearance after becoming the dreaded Yiling Patriach. The ''donghua'' even shows his skin bleaching white while he's being tortured by the resentful energy in the burial mounts.

* HeavySleeper: While Wei Wuxian sleeps for a normal amount of time, he has a later sleeping schedule than most and is almost impossible to wake up. Lan Wangji even tries to adjust his body clock, to no avail.

** There are moments when he finds himself dazed at Lan Wangji's beauty, and the ''donghua'' even has him praise the latter's figure.

* FauxYay: Initially, at least. He has no qualms about flirting with Lan Wangji during his ruse as Mo Xuanyu, in hopes that other people wouldn't suspect his true identity and that doing so would disgust the latter enough that he'd eventually send him on his way. This naturally doesn't work on Lan Wangji since he actually has feelings for him -- even despite [[spoiler:thinking Wei Wuxian rejected him all those years ago and is simply making fun of his feelings]], he's willing to keep up with it because he's ''that'' selfless and in love. The trope wears off when Wei Wuxian

* CasualDangerDialog: He's not above holding mundane conversation during a crisis, especially in the second life where he can often address his enemies in the middle of a fight as if nothing unusual is happening.

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: The ''donghua'' adds one unique detail to Wei Wuxian's childhood -- [[spoiler:his first meeting with Lan Wangji was when they were children, [[ForgottenFirstMeeting but neither of them remember it]]]].

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the ''donghua'', he still disliked Jin Zixuan but was a lot less violent in how he expressed it. When the latter first insulted Jiang Yanli in the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian initially approached him in a casual manner before responding with silent instead of explosive fury when Jin Zixuan continued to talk about both Jiang siblings with a dismissive tone. Then when he humiliated Jiang Yanli in Langya, Wei Wuxian opted only to punch him once rather than beat him senseless like he did in the novel, and merely told him to get out of his sight instead of screaming that he'll kill him one day.

* AloofBigBrother: Downplayed. Wei Wuxian was a close martial brother to Jiang Cheng, but he left the Jiang Clan a long time ago and [[spoiler:the latter also announced to the entire cultivation world that he was essentially disowned after "turning traitor" to them]]. But after Wei Wuxian comes back to the mortal world, any interaction he has with his former martial brother has him speak as little words to him as possible, and his mood around the man is mostly a resigned one. However, he wasn't always impersonal towards Jiang Cheng in the past, just as how the latter wasn't always so hateful towards him back then. While Wei Wuxian holds no ill will towards his old friend, he doesn't make any effort to reach out to him because he knows that he may as well be talking to a giant impenetrable wall, he's aware that both of them had just fallen apart too much, and he feels that the past should stay in the past.

* AmbiguousDisorder:
** A lot of his character tics, thought processes, and actions -- especially in the novel where the reader sees some parts of the story directly from his point of view -- suggests he has ADHD. Aside from his notoriously bad memory, he is also prone to being easily distracted, can be impulsive, has trouble coping with stress, is excessively active, occasionally suffers frequent mood swings, is not the best with long-term planning, and can hyper-focus to an unhealthy degree. This trait becomes downplayed after he came back to life.
** Given what he went through up until now, it wouldn't be baseless to assume that Wei Wuxian suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. [[spoiler:In the last few months of his first life, his ordeals had actually broken both his spirit and mind for some time.]] While he's proven to have recovered after his resurrection, some adaptations hint that he still gets nightmares about the worst segments of his life, and at times he becomes melancholy whenever he reminisces or is confronted by anything or anyone connected to the bleaker parts of his past. After all, in spite of his maturity, his emotional strength, and his healthier coping mechanisms, Wei Wuxian is still only human and he has his limits.

* BerserkButton: Jin Zixuan's presence was enough to irritate Wei Wuxian even if he wasn't being purposefully dislikeable, and they could rarely hold a conversation without things becoming tense. Wei Wuxian even told Lan Wangji back then that he wanted to beat the guy up every time he saw him.

* BigLittleBrother: He was taller than Jiang Yanli despite being a few years younger than her. While they weren't related nor officially recognized as adoptive siblings, it's obvious that Wei Wuxian thought of Jiang Yanli as a sister, and she made it clear that she viewed him as a second younger brother.

* BlackSheep: Downplayed. Prior to [[spoiler:the Lotus Pier massacre]], Wei Wuxian was popular among the other Jiang disciples, who admired him and enjoyed playing with him. However, there were hints that he was not as close with the new disciples that joined the Jiang Clan during the Sunshot Campaign. Both the audio drama and the animated chibi mini-series hint that the new disciples actually disliked Wei Wuxian, or at the very least were wary of him. And in the ''donghua'', they were shown to be just as quick to [[spoiler:attack him alongside the other cultivators in the Nightless Immortal Capital bloodbath]].

* BullyingADragon: In this case, Wei Wuxian is the dragon. In the past, people were well aware that he earned his title as the Yiling Patriarch for a reason, but many cultivators felt that it was easy to take him on as long as they have numbers. It turned out to not be that simple, and [[spoiler:the only reason they even had something close to an upper hand in the past was that Wei Wuxian was not in the best mental and emotional state, and other special outside factors had greatly tipped the scales against his favor]]. Take those out, however, and they would have already been corpse fodder in seconds had that been Wei Wuxian's intention. Lucky for them, Wei Wuxian is above that.

* ColorMotif: His outfits in official artwork and the visual adaptations are primarily black and red. It stays this way even in his second life with Mo Xuanyu's body, for the audience's sake. The colours are befitting of an easygoing and energetic protagonist who also dabbles in dark magic. This makes him stand out from the rest of the cast, who wear their respective clan colours (although some audio drama artwork shows him in the purple Jiang Clan robes during his teen days).

* CrushBlush: Wei Wuxian's face frequently turns pink in the ''manhua'' whenever he's flustered by Lan Wangji, although [[ObliviousToLove he initially doesn't understand why]]. [[spoiler:Even after they get together, there are still some instances when Wei Wuxian breaks into a blushing fit due to his and his husband's mutual affection for each other.]]

* DanceBattler: Played up more in the ''donghua''. He can weave around his opponents almost like he's dancing with incredible ease, mainly to outmaneuver his opponents instead of actually fighting them since Mo Xuanyu's body isn't like his original one. Demonstrated the best when he avoids Jin Ling's strikes and evades a drunk Lan Wangji's movements while they playfully chase one another.

* DeathSeeker: While he had put up a hell of a fight against [[spoiler:the Four Great Clans during the Nightless Immortal Capital bloodbath and the First Siege, he had already crossed the DespairEventHorizon after Jiang Yanli's death]], and there are hints that [[spoiler:he intentionally triggered his backlash]] because he ''wanted'' to die. [[spoiler:While he mainly wanted to destroy the Yin Tiger Tally to make sure it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands]], there was the possibility that he also knew it would cost his life and thus decided to kill two birds with one stone. Additionally, he never turned into a vengeful ghost during the 13-year TimeSkip, indicating that he at least fully accepted his death.

* {{Demonization}}: After he started gaining controversy as the Yiling Patriarch, [[spoiler:no matter what he did or said, more often than not he was treated as -- if not a demon -- then someone who didn't deserve any rights to think, choose, or speak for himself. The moment he did, he was immediately branded as an evil rebel]]. Thus the majority either trembled in fear at his name or were itching to strike him down with an attitude of hunters being eager to capture and kill powerful and rare prey. In the present day people speak of him with disdain, [[spoiler:although it dies down a little after Jin Guangyao's schemes come to light and make him the next victim of gossip]].

* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: While the novel implies he died from backlash, the ''donghua'' strongly hints that he died from trying to destroy the Yin Tiger Tally. [[spoiler:When he attempts to destroy it again in the final episode, Lan Wangji makes a surprise appearance and lends him a hand so that he doesn't have to suffer by himself anymore.]]

* DrivenToSuicide: Hinted at best, as the novel and most of its adaptations are completely vague about the exact circumstances behind Wei Wuxian's death. While most people InUniverse believe it was Jiang Cheng who ended his life, Wei Wuxian verifies to Wen Ning that he died via backlash, meaning he died at no one's hands but his own. While [[spoiler:he did die trying to destroy the Yin Tiger Tally, it's ambiguous whether he knew that it would kill him or not]], but there are hints that either way, he welcomed his death with open arms.

* EvilIsNotAToy: While Wei Wuxian does use it for good, demonic cultivation is still considered InUniverse as TheDarkArts that is often suspected to have a negative effect on the soul when overused. It's also very volatile and an art that's only recently discovered, leading to disaster when Wei Wuxian invents a weapon he can't fully control (the Yin Tiger Tally) or when a loss of control ends in tragedy [[spoiler:like the death of Jin Zixuan]].

* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: He can be incredibly brutal if he feels that the other party deserves it. There's how he dealt with the Wen Clan in the past, and there's also his inner thoughts that sum up his reaction after hearing about the things Xue Yang has done.
-->''If he were Chang Ping, it wouldn't matter whether the Jin Clan of Lanling was a prominent clan who abused their power and could deceive the world as they willed. It wouldn't matter who promised him a future of glory and luxury--he would never give in. On the contrary, he would personally visit the dungeons at night and cut Xue Yang into pieces alive, then summon his spirit back to do it again, over and over, until the boy wished he'd never been born into this world.''

* FateWorseThanDeath: According to Creator/MoXiangTongXiu, Wei Wuxian didn't find peace even after his death. During the 13 years he was dead, his soul was said to be trapped in a painful and unending nightmare, although the author hasn't elaborated further on that.
* FauxYay: Initially, at least. He has no qualms about flirting with Lan Wangji, in the misconception that doing so would disgust the latter enough that he'd eventually send him on his way. [[spoiler:The problem is that Lan Wangji has been holding a torch for him the entire time, and thought that Wei Wuxian was making fun of his feelings. He only keeps up with it because he's ''that'' selfless and in love.]]

* FirstEpisodeResurrection: Near the start of the story, he gets brought back to life by Mo Xuanyu.

** Between him and Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian was primarily the sillier one whereas Jiang Cheng was more level-headed. In times of duress, both assumed the latter role even with their different approaches due to [[RedOniBlueOni contrasting temperaments]]. But in situations where morality is involved, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng tended to be seen InUniverse as the Foolish and the Responsible Sibling, respectively, although the narrative shows that it's the other way around.

* GreenThumb: Used to humorous effect in the chibi spinoff, where an episode features Wei Wuxian using demonic cultivation to grow plants during his first life. This resulted in him creating sentient plants that wrecked havoc in the Burial Mounds.

* TheHeroDies: The first thing the audience learns about Wei Wuxian at the beginning of the story is the fact that he died. However, he's brought back to life soon afterwards.
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:He underwent a dramatic breakdown after the events of the Nightless Immortal Capital bloodbath, to the point where Lan Wangji's confessions and pleas all went unheard as [[MadnessMantra Wei Wuxian kept on repeating, "Get lost!"]]]]

* IChooseToStay: He made it clear to Jiang Cheng that he would not leave [[spoiler:the Wen survivors until he knew they'd be completely safe even when he's not around]], indicating that he was unwilling to return to Lotus Pier until the matter was resolved.

* MistakenForPedophile: PlayedForLaughs when Jin Ling wakes up and finds himself shirtless... with Wei Wuxian holding his clothes. The latter doesn't help the situation at first by Wei Wuxian joking along, although the misunderstanding is cleared up pretty quickly.
-->'''Jin Ling:''' ''[panicking]'' I am not a cut-sleeve!!!\\
'''Wei Wuxian:''' ''[beaming]'' What a coincidence-- I am!

* NeverGetsDrunk: Downplayed. Wei Wuxian drinks so well that he's able to down at least half a dozen jars in one sitting and still remain sober. [[spoiler:The only liquor that's able to get him drunk is the fruit wine brewed by Uncle Four.]] Creator/MoXiangTongXiu states he does get drunk but hardly acts any different -- not that his usual self isn't already bizarre to begin with.
* NiceGuy: Even as a prankster, his defining traits are his kindness and compassion to people and the need to always help everyone.

* NoBodyLeftBehind: No flesh, bone, or even a speck of his soul could be found anywhere in the Burial Mounds after his death. It's implied he died from backlash of demonic cultivation, and an unconfirmed theory InUniverse is that he was ''ripped apart into nothing'' by his corpses.

* ObliviousToLove: Downplayed. The juniors, Lan Xichen, Wen Ning, ''even the story's antagonists'' are quick to catch on to Lan Wangji's feelings, yet Wei Wuxian is shocked by the revelation [[spoiler:when Lan Xichen explains what happened to them after the Nightless Immortal Capital incident]]. He also doesn't realize the implications of picking out houses and planning a family him, amongst other things. However, it's hinted multiple times in the novel that deep down he's actually subconsciously aware of both his and Lan Wangji's feelings, and [[spoiler:what's holding him back from confessing is his fear of destroying their relationship as well as the assumption forced upon him that Lan Wangji hated him when they were younger]].

** Although mildly short-lived until his resurrection, the mischievous Wei Wuxian befriended the timid Wen Ning at the archery competition when watching him practise and giving him encouragement. Even after the Wen Clan [[spoiler:attacked Lotus Pier]], he still had a soft spot for him since the latter treated him a lot nicer than the other members of the Wen Clan ever did. After resurrecting Wen Ning into a fierce corpse, the two became closer, and in the present Wei Wuxian tries to have the other treat him as a friend and not a master. While he regrets getting Wen Ning involved in his current affairs, Wei Wuxian clearly cares for him and hopes to give him a happier ending.

* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Downplayed. His signature colors are black and red, which seems befitting of his villainous reputation. While demonic cultivation is indeed risky and looked down upon, in truth he's a HeroWithBadPublicity.

* SamaritanSyndrome: Ever since his first life, he's been accused by Jiang Cheng, amongst others, of having the need to play hero. While Wei Wuxian does has the habit of saving people in need, he doesn't have a hero complex and doesn't help people to make himself feel better; he does it because it's the right thing to do. [[spoiler:However, this gets deconstructed in the moments where Wei Wuxian's acts of kindness get used against him in the long run.]]

* SexyShirtSwitch: The "Intrusion" extra shows that Wei Wuxian has gained a habit of accidentally wearing Lan Wangji's inner robes whenever he wakes up. Given their respective sleeping schedules, this is likely invoked on purpose by Lan Wangji.

* SignificantWardrobeShift: In the ''donghua'' and ''manhua'' he discarded his Jiang Clan disciple attire with a set of black robes after [[spoiler:his ColdBloodedTorture in the Burial Mounds]]. After coming BackFromTheDead, he wears a different set of robes, which is a combination of the clothes he wore when he was still a member of the Jiang Clan and when he became the Yiling Patriarch. This symbolizes that while he embraces his past as a part of him, he's also moved on from it and now simply sees himself as Wei Wuxian of neither the Jiang Clan nor the Burial Mounds.

* SoProudOfYou: In the "Iron Hook" extra, Wei Wuxian happily remarks on how much Jin Ling has grown as a person.

* StrongFamilyResemblance: While many remark on how he takes a lot after his mother, in the ''donghua'', the finale reveals that he is nearly a spitting image of his father.

* WouldHitAGirl: He's generally kind and respectful towards women... unless that woman did something to deserve otherwise. Such an example was [[spoiler:Wang Lingjiao, who Wei Wuxian subjected to a CruelAndUnusualDeath]].
* YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious: Wei Wuxian never calls Lan Wangji or Jiang Cheng by their courtesy names... unless they're talking about a deathly serious matter or either of them did or said something that pissed him off.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Lotus Pier had been his home since his childhood, but Wei Wuxian knows he can never go back there, especially after everything that happened between him and the Jiang family. When Jiang Cheng threatens to bring him back there, Wei Wuxian mentally remarks that he ''doesn't'' wish to return to Lotus Pier. [[spoiler:The one time he does get to visit his old home, he sadly notes that there's nothing left of the Lotus Pier he once knew, not just in infrastructure but also in spirit. Then he's driven away by Jiang Cheng, who chooses to rub salt in the wound by mocking him and telling him to get out.]]

* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler:His final fate. After the issues with Nie Mingjue's spirit and Jin Guangyao are dealt with]], Wei Wuxian [[WanderingTheEarth decides to travel the world]].
-->'''Lan Wangji:''' Have you decided where you're going to go?\\
'''Wei Wuxian:''' This world is wide. To a faraway place on a horse ride and wine. All the four corners of this world are our home.

* CoolMask: He wears a masquerade mask to prevent others from finding out that he's Wei Wuxian, since his appearance is assimilated into Mo Xuanyu's body after the summoning ritual.

* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: Wei Wuxian's death involved him falling down a cliff, whereas the novel implied [[spoiler:he died from backlash]].
* FaceDeathWithDignity: While falling to his death in his first life, Wei Wuxian only smiled and closed his eyes.

* IChooseToStay: He had to once again reject Jiang Cheng's (implicit) request to [[spoiler:leave the Wens]] after the first time around, making it clear that he would rather stick around with his new family and help them out than return to the Jiang Clan.
-->'''Jiang Cheng''': If you go back this time, you might not be able to see all of us, the people you're familiar with, for a long time.\\
'''Wei Wuxian:''' [[ArmorPiercingResponse But I'm going back to see people I'm also familiar with.]]

* PaperThinDisguise: Downplayed. Wei Wuxian wears a CoolMask like Mo Xuanyu did, since the summoning ritual caused the latter's body to inhabit both his soul and appearance, and Wei Wuxian has no plans of being found out any time soon. While this works against unsuspecting strangers and those who never personally knew him, it's a different story with those who do. However, it's his powers that give him away first before anyone even starts thinking of asking him to take off his mask.

* BrilliantButLazy: Downplayed, as he's less lazy and more unorthodox (and would rather play and have fun than do tedious classroom activities). As a teen, Wei Wuxian was the top disciple of the Jiang Clan despite his reputation as a slacker goofball. This is best shown during his stay at Gusu where he spent most of his time sneaking out and drinking but was still able to make cheat sheets for his friends.

** While it's rare, he can be sharp-tongued with the people he's close with if provoked enough. For example, he tells Jiang Cheng to his face that he didn't change at all in the years that passed since he died, and his tone makes it obvious that it wasn't meant as a compliment.
* BullyingADragon: In this case, Wei Wuxian is the dragon. In the past people were well aware that he earned his title as the Yiling Patriarch for a reason, but many cultivators felt that it was easy to take him on as long as they have numbers. It turned out to not be that simple, and [[spoiler:the only reason they even had something close to an upper hand in the past was that Wei Wuxian was not in the best mental and emotional state, and other special outside factors had greatly tipped the scales against his favor]]. Take those out, however, and they would have already been corpse fodder in seconds had that been Wei Wuxian's intention. Lucky for them, Wei Wuxian is above that.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: He is an intelligent cultivator who created demonic cultivation and invented many things, some that the cultivation world still uses today (such as a compass to detect malevolent energy, a flag to attract spirits as bait). He's also quite the oddball and isn't above 1) burrying a toddler into the ground until only his head stuck out while claiming it would help him grow taller, and 2) force-feeding spicy congee to a group of junior disciples to cure their corpse poisoning.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: He and Nie Huaisang were close during their teenage years at the Cloud Recesses, but after Wei Wuxian is resurrected and he figures out [[spoiler:the latter was the reason he's alive again, as well as the one behind Jin Guangyao's demise]], he expresses his gratitutde but also warns him of the one of the Lan Clan's rules that "one mustn't associate with evil". Nie Huaisang understands that they've both changed too much to ever return to their friendship during their youthful years, but they do part on more respectable terms.

* StrongFamilyResemblance: While many remark on how he takes a lot after his mother, the ''donghua'' reveals that he is nearly a spitting image of his father.

* SwordAndSorcerer: While both are proficient in both combat and cultivation, in the present time Wei Wuxian serves mainly as the Sorceror due to his use of demonic cultivation while Lan Wangji acts as the Sword and primarily fights as a swordsman if not as a guqin player.
* SympathyForTheDevil: Downplayed. While he understands Xue Yang and [[spoiler:Jin Guangyao]]'s motives and why they became the people they are now, [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse he doesn't condone their actions in any way]].
* TallPoppySyndrome: It's heavily implied that [[spoiler:several cultivators had it out for Wei Wuxian in the past]] not just because he was a DefectorFromDecadence, but also because they resented/envied his prowess and how he managed to create and advance an entirely new path of cultivation at such a young age. Normally, the clans wouldn't find this to be that big an issue... except that they don't like being surpassed by someone they essentially see to be of commoner blood. [[spoiler:As such, this fueled their desire to take him down so they could brag about taking down a supposed EvilGenius.]]

* TeenGenius: Wei Wuxian was the head disciple of the Jiang Clan as a young teen and already considered a prodigy. To say that discovering and rapidly developing demonic cultivation at 18 years old minimum is no small feat is a major understatement. It says something that despite the many bad things others say about Wei Wuxian, no one ever calls him unintelligent.

** His second life is this in a nutshell. [[spoiler:Because he chose to follow his morals, Wei Wuxian lost almost everything, including his own life, as a result of the injustice of others and circumstances he was unable to control in spite of his best efforts.]] After his reincarnation, he doesn't go through the same sufferings once again and after the finale, he now gets to live a pleasant and fulfilled life free of the troubles of the cultivation world's politics and the toxicity of his past.
** When it comes to his cultivation, he turned to using resentful energy in the past because [[spoiler:it gave him -- and the other clans -- an edge against the Wen Clan]]. But one other main reason was that [[spoiler:he could no longer cultivate normally, since he had his golden core transplanted into Jiang Cheng's body after the latter's golden core was melted off by Wen Zhuliu]] -- although he told no one about this. This is also the reason why [[spoiler:he never brought his sword with him again, no matter how much criticism he would get from others]]. However, when Wei Wuxian's resurrected in Mo Xuanyu's body, he's given the chance to cultivate normally again while still being able to use demonic cultivation when necessary, and the audio drama's final extra strongly hints that [[spoiler:he's cultivated a golden core that's powerful enough to let him use Suibian once more]].

* TranquilFury: He can display his anger in a frighteningly calm manner, depending on the target and the reason for his anger.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Even if some things were inevitable, it's easy to wonder how much would have changed had Wei Wuxian never told Jiang Cheng that they would become the Twin Prides of Yunmeng. While it did lift up the latter's spirits at the time, it also aggravated both his pride and his abandonment issues in the long run, which -- alongside several outside circumstances, part of which are caused by Jiang Cheng's aforementioned issues -- ended up straining their relationship past the breaking point.
* WeakButSkilled: At present, Wei Wuxian lacks the power he once had and thus easily gets tired and rarely directly fights anything. He contributes either in a support role (intelligence gathering, protecting the juniors) or through fierce corpses (which doesn't require cultivation power). Mo Xuanyu wasn't particularly powerful when Wei Wuxian took over his body so it makes sense. [[spoiler:This also serves as a foreshadowing: Wei Wuxian is used to fighting without cultivation because he spent years without a golden core.]]

* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: The flute became Wei Wuxian's weapon of choice after becoming the Yiling Patriarch. While he normally uses it to control corpses, in the ''donghua'' and the live-action drama, he also uses it as a weapon to knock enemies off or block melee attacks.

* WillingChanneler: Lots of the plot is uncovered through Wei Wuxian channeling the memories of ghosts [[spoiler:and one severed head]].

* ZombieAdvocate: Before he even founded TheDarkArts, Wei Wuxian had already expressed interest in the potential benefits that resentful energy could provide when it comes to hunting or analyzing corpses and spirits.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: He and Jiang Cheng were once close as martial brothers, but various events, decisions, and circumstances worsened their relationship to the point that the latter now hates him. While he is shown to be emotionally affected about what happened between them, Wei Wuxian understands why their friendship deteriorated and is resigned to the fact that it can't be repaired. [[spoiler:He even tells Jiang Cheng that too much had already happened between them and that it's better if they move on.]]

* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: The flute became Wei Wuxian's weapon of choice after becoming the Yiling Patriarch. While he normally uses it to control corpses, in the ''donghua'' and live-action drama, he also uses it as a weapon to knock enemies off or block melee attacks.

* WillingChanneler: Lots of the plot is uncovered through Wei Wuxian channeling the life experiences of ghosts [[spoiler:and one severed head]].

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Lotus Pier had been his home since his childhood, but Wei Wuxian knows he can never go back there, especially after everything that happened between him and the Jiang family. When Jiang Cheng threatens to bring him back there, Wei Wuxian mentally remarks that he ''doesn't'' wish to return to Lotus Pier. [[spoiler:The one time he does get to visit his old home, he sadly notes that nothing's left of the Lotus Pier he once knew, not just in infrastructure but also in spirit. Then he's driven away by Jiang Cheng, who chooses to rub salt in the wound by mocking him and telling him to get out.]]

* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: During his first lesson with Lan Qiren, after suggesting the use of demonic cultivation instead of wasting the resentful energy that could be used to their advantage instead, the timid and cowardly Nie Huaisang later spoke to him about his theories and quickly agreed at how useful such a skill would be for the cultivation world. They also both are on the same wavelength when wanting to goof off or play around, where Nie Huaisang actually helped Wei Wuxian in pranking Lan Wangji with porn just so he could later report how the latter reacted.

* TallPoppySyndrome: It's heavily implied that [[spoiler:several cultivators had it out for Wei Wuxian in the past]] not just because he was a DefectorFromDecadence, but also because they resented/envied his prowess and how he managed to create and advance an entirely new path of cultivation at such a young age. Normally, the clans wouldn't find this to be that big an issue... except that they don't like being surpassed by someone who's essentially of commoner blood. [[spoiler:As such, this fueled their desire to take him down so they could brag about taking down a supposed EvilGenius.]]

* TeenGenius: Wei Wuxian was the head disciple of the Jiang Clan as a young teen and already considered a prodigy. To say that discovering and rapidly developing demonic cultivation at 18 years old maximum is no small feat is a major understatement. It says something that despite the many bad things others say about Wei Wuxian, no one ever calls him unintelligent.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: As a result of [[spoiler:the events at Qiongqi Path]], Wei Wuxian started rapidly losing his grip on his sanity. When he [[spoiler:arrived at the Nightless Immortal Capital and is confronted with the injustice, cruelty, and hypocrisy of the other clans -- which was worsened by the thought that there's no one left who cares for him and that his own family and friends now see him as a monster]] -- he decided to become what they had always feared him to be.

* UnresolvedSexualTension: Even when their feelings become painfully clear, to the point that even the story's ''[[EveryoneCanSeeIt antagonists]]'' can see it, various misunderstandings and circumstances prevent Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji from realizing their mutual love and getting together until the end.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Even if some things were inevitable, it's easy to wonder how much would have changed had Wei Wuxian never told Jiang Cheng that they would become the Twin Prides of Yunmeng. While it did lift up the latter's spirits at the time, it also aggravated his abandonment issues in the long run, which -- alongside several outside circumstances, part of which are caused by Jiang Cheng's aforementioned issues -- ended up straining their relationship past the breaking point.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: He and Jiang Cheng were once close as martial brothers, but various events, decisions, and circumstances worsened their relationship to the point that the latter now hates him. While part of him still cares for Jiang Cheng and is saddened about what happened between them, Wei Wuxian understands why their friendship deteriorated and is completely resigned to the fact that it can't be repaired. [[spoiler:He even tells Jiang Cheng that too much had already happened between them and that it's better if they move on.]]
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Even though it would be extremely disadvantageous for him, Wei Wuxian always chooses to help others. The most shining example is when [[spoiler:he sacrificed his own golden core with the help of the Wen siblings so that Jiang Cheng could cultivate again after the latter's core was destroyed -- and he resolved to never let anyone, let alone Jiang Cheng, find out the truth]].
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: The flute became Wei Wuxian's weapon of choice after becoming the Yiling Patriarch. While he normally uses it to control corpses, in the ''donghua'' and live-action drama, he also uses it as a weapon to knock enemies off or block sword attacks.

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/RyoheiKimura (animation - adult, live-action), Misaki Watada (animation - child), Creator/TatsuhisaSuzuki (audio drama)\\

* GuiltComplex: Thanks to the influence he grew up with, he feels responsible for many people's hurt and losses. He was present or involved in a lot of tragedies, such as the loss of his biological family, his martial family, ''and then'' his surrogate family. Given the reasons or circumstances that influenced those events, it's no surprise that Wei Wuxian's spirit is crippled with guilt and shame. It doesn't help that a lot of the people around him tend to blame him whenever something bad happens, even when it has nothing to do with him.

* FatalFlaw: While Wei Wuxian's selflessness is a noble trait, his experiences with the Jiang family essentially resulted in him believing that he deserved ''less'' than them or anyone else, and thus he takes his altruistic and magnanimous nature to unhealthy levels since he is willing to bring extreme harm to himself if it meant being given even the smallest opportunity to protect the innocents or the people he cherishes. It doesn't help that he almost never confides in anyone about his problems nor does he ask for their help even once, which causes both sides plenty of stress, grief, and misunderstandings.

The son of the servant Wei Changze and the rogue cultivator Cangse-sanren who grew up to become a notorious terror of the cultivation world. on the list of top five cultivator gentlemen in his generation, he was originally ChildhoodFriends with the Jiang siblings until tragedy befell their Clan. A series of events led him to be tossed into the Burial Mounds, a mass grave teeming with resentful energy, where he walked out after inventing the ability to control corpses and other arts of the {{Necromancer}}, thus founding a dark path to cultivation. He proceeded to distinguish himself in the Sunshot Campaign against the tyranny of the Wen Clan of Qishan, but the post-war political atmosphere did not exactly work in his favor.

The son of Wei Changze and the rogue cultivator Cangse-sanren, Wei Wuxian grew up to become a notorious terror of the cultivation world. Fourth on the list of top five cultivator gentlemen in his generation, he was originally ChildhoodFriends with the Jiang siblings until tragedy befell the Jiang Clan.

A series of events led him to be tossed into the Burial Mounds, a mass grave teeming with resentful energy, where he walked out after inventing the ability to control corpses and other arts of the {{Necromancer}}, thus founding a dark path to cultivation. He then distinguished himself in the Sunshot Campaign against the tyranny of the Wen Clan of Qishan, but the post-war political atmosphere did not exactly work in his favor.

Subsequent events led to the plummeting of his reputation, the besieging of his lair, and he [[NeverFoundTheBody died without leaving a trace]]. 13 years later, the oppressed homosexual Mo Xuanyu sacrifices himself in a dark rite to summon Wei Wuxian to take revenge on the Mo family who abused him until he went insane. Stuck in a new mortal body, Wei Wuxian is then dragged into events not of his own choosing, and followed by an acquaintance of his past -- Lan Wangji.

* BullyingADragon: In this case, Wei Wuxian is the dragon. In the past people were well aware that he earned his title as the Yiling Patriarch for a reason, but many cultivators felt that it wa easy to take him on as long as they have numbers. It turned out to not be that simple, and [[spoiler:the only reason they even had something close to an upper hand in the past was that Wei Wuxian was not in the best mental and emotional state, and other special outside factors had greatly tipped the scales against his favor]]. Take those out, however, and they would have already been corpse fodder in seconds had that been Wei Wuxian's intention. [[spoiler:Lucky for them, Wei Wuxian is above that.]]

* CantTakeCriticism: Implied to be sensitive when people taste his cooking, at least when his (unnecessarily) spicy congee is involved. When Xiao Xingchen [[spoiler:(actually Xue Yang)]] expresses his gratitude after being given the congee, the latter scolds the junior disciples for only complaining after eating their portions. He's then annoyed when Xiao Xingchen still admits that he'd rather die from corpse poisoning than eat the congee, which gets a laugh from the disciples.

* CordonBleughChef: Downplayed. Although there's hints that he otherwise has common sense with cooking, he insists on cooking his food ''insanely'' spicy, much to the disgust of others. In the past, [[spoiler:the Wen survivors were horrified by his cooking which even made Wen Yuan cry]]; and the juniors have to use up every inch of their willpower to eat the spicy congee he prepares them -- when the aforementioned congee comes up again in a cooking competition held in an audio drama extra, Lan Jingyi is quick to score it one point.

* DanceBattler: Played up more in the ''donghua''. He can weave around his opponents almost like he's dancing with incredible ease, mainly to outmaneuver his opponents instead of actually fighting them since Mo Xuanyu's body isn't like his original one. Demonstrated the best when he avoids Jin Ling's strikes and evades a drunk Lan Wangji's while they playfully chase one another.

* DefectorFromDecadence: He worked with the Four Great Clans to defeat the Wens during the Sunshot Campaign, but [[spoiler:could not tolerate their mistreatment of the innocent surviving members and decided to switch sides to protect them]]. By doing this, he officially defected from the Jiang Clan and declared himself the enemy of the other clans.

* {{Demonization}}: After he started gaining controversy as the Yiling Patriarch, [[spoiler:no matter what he did or said, more often than not he was treated as -- if not a demon -- then someone who didn't deserve any rights to think, choose, or speak for himself. The moment he did, he was immediately branded as an evil rebel]]. Thus the majority either trembled in fear at his name or were itching to strike him down with an attitude of hunters being eager to capture and kill powerful and rare prey. In the present day people speak of him with disdain, [[spoiler:although it dies down a little after Jin Guangyao's schemes come to light and makes him the next victim of gossip]].

* DrivenToSuicide: Hinted at best, as the novel and most of its adaptations are completely vague about the exact circumstances behind Wei Wuxian's death. While most people InUniverse believe it was Jiang Cheng who ended hi life, Wei Wuxian verifies to Wen Ning that he died via backlash, meaning he died at no one's hands but his own. While [[spoiler:he did die trying to destroy the Yin Tiger Tally, it's ambiguous whether he knew that it would kill him or not]], but there are hints that either way, he welcomed his death with open arms.

* FormerTeenRebel: Downplayed. While good-natured and well-behaved at home, he played a lot of pranks elsewhere and was prone to breaking numerous Cloud Recess rules as a teenager. As an adult, he still has a mischievous streak but is less of a headache to deal with.

* GrewASpine: Wei Wuxian is not a coward or a doormat. However, his lack of self-worth in his first life caused him to always put his needs and wants last in almost every situation. He comes back OlderAndWiser after his resurrection, and after looking back on everything that happened to him, he decides to start living for himself for once, not for others.

* GuiltComplex: Thanks to the influence he grew up with, he feels responsible for many people's hurt and losses, which is also intrinsically tied to his HeroicSelfDeprecation. He was present or involved in a lot of tragedies, such as the loss of his biological family, his martial family, ''and then'' his surrogate family. Given the reasons or circumstances that influenced those events, it's no surprise that Wei Wuxian's spirit is crippled with guilt and shame. It doesn't help that a lot of the people around him tend to blame him whenever something bad happens, even when it has nothing to do with him.

* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Whenever Wei Wuxian ever shows signs of being attracted to Lan Wangji, he plays it off with the justification that no one of any gender or rank would be able to resist the latter's charm and that even heterosexual men wouldn't mind being chummy with him. Unlike most examples, Wei Wuxian doesn't fear being MistakenForGay or anything of the sort -- he's just ''that'' oblivious to his own feelings.

* TheHeroDies: The first thing the audience learns about Wei Wuxian at the beginning of the story is the fact that he died. However he's brought back to life soon afterwards.

* HonorBeforeReason: He insists on doing the right thing regardless of the consequences, like helping Mianmian (and Lan Wangji and Jin Zixuan) against Wen Chao or [[spoiler:helping Wen Ning and his family post-Sunshot Campaign when the Wens are all pariahs, going as far as attempting to bring his friend BackFromTheDead]]. However, it doesn't always work out for the better, [[spoiler:since the cultivation clans don't truly care much about justice and have also taken the habit of making him TheScapegoat]].

* {{Hypocrite}}: The instances where he encourages Lan Wangji to be more honest about whether he's in pain or needs help contrasts with how he himself never does the same thing no matter what crisis he's in. This gets reconstructed -- his self-contradiction about helping and being helped is connected to his selfless nature and his low sense of self-worth, and growing out of this is part of his CharacterDevelopment.

** After he started [[spoiler:living with the Wen survivors]], Wei Wuxian developed a squabbling but caring and sibling-like relationship with Wen Qing, whom he otherwise never shows romantic interest in.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Reconstructed. After living a lonely and strict upbringing that was tainted by tragedy such as his parents' deaths, Lan Wangji began to see Wei Wuxian as a source of strange comfort life to the point of becoming anguished when the latter took up demonic cultivation and defected from the cultivation world. [[spoiler:He was despaired when Wei Wuxian died, but after a few grief-stricken incidents he became able to move on with his life and bring good to others while honouring his companion's memory.]] After finding out Wei Wuxian has resurrected, Lan Wangji once again becomes attached to him and gets agitated whenever his life is endangered (which [[spoiler:Jin Guangyao]] take advantage of in the climactic arc), but he's otherwise fine with being by himself and trusts Wei Wuxian to go off on his own to investigate things.

* MistakenForPedophile: PlayedForLaughs when Jin Ling wakes up and finds himself shirtless... with Wei Wuxian holding his clothes. The latter doesn't help the situation at first by joking along, although the misunderstanding is cleared up pretty quickly.

* NeverGetsDrunk: Downplayed. Wei Wuxian drinks so well that he's able to down at least half a dozen jars in one sitting and still remain sober. [[spoiler:The only liquor that's able to get him drunk is the fruit wine brewed by Uncle Four.]] Creator/MoXiangTongXiu states he does get drunk but hardly acts any different -- not that his usual self isn't already bizarre to begin.

* ObliviousToLove: Downplayed. The juniors, Lan Xichen, Wen Ning, ''even the story's antagonists'' are quick to catch on to Lan Wangji's feelings, yet Wei Wuxian is shocked by the revelation [[spoiler:when Lan Xichen explains what happened to them after the Nightless Immortal Capital incident]]. He also doesn't realize the implications of picking out houses and planning a family him, amongst other things. However, it's hinted multiple times in the novel that deep down he's actually subconsciously aware of both his and Lan Wangji's feelings -- [[spoiler:what's holding him back from confessing is his fear of destroying their relationship as well as the assumption forced upon him that Lan Wangji hated him when they were younger]].

** Implied after Jin Zixuan married Jiang Yanli. On his way to Jin Ling's one-month celebration, he teasingly promised Wen Ning he wouldn't badmouth the father for a year to show his gratitude for the invite, hinting that he still thought ill of him despite otherwise being happy for his former martial sister's happiness.
** While he makes an effort to act more polite and considerate towards [[spoiler:Lan Qiren]], Wei Wuxian still seems to enjoy messing with the old man. It's just in newer ways that now involve [[spoiler:the man's beloved nephew after marrying him, like going through a couple of rounds of arguably rather loud sex with Lan Wangji, ''fully aware'' that Lan Qiren sleeps near their house.]]

* OneManArmy: During the Sunshot Campaign, he was rumored to have taken on 5000 Wen soldiers by himself and massacred them with barely any survivors. Then during [[spoiler:the Nightless Immortal Capital attack]], he's held accountable for the deaths of at least 3000 cultivators. While he was powerful enough to take on many men thanks to his demonic cultivation, he clarifies in the present that the rumours are exaggerated.

* PennyAmongDiamonds: Wei Wuxian was street urchin until he was taken into the prestigious Jiang Clan. Despite becoming the head disciple, his poor background and less prestigious parentage was constantly gossiped about.

* RagsToRiches: Has a humble background that included living on the streets for a couple of years after his parents' deaths. [[spoiler:His marriage to Lan Wangji from the noble Lan Clan ''greatly'' improves his financial situation by the end of the novel.]]

** In the more casual moments as teens, he acted as the energetic and wild Red Oni to Jiang Cheng's dutiful no-nonsense Blue Oni. However, when a situation becomes dire, he becomes the more rational Blue Oni to Jiang Cheng's fiery Red Oni. While this complimented each other fairly well in his first life, the clash in personalities contributed to their friendship falling apart.

* SamaritanSyndrome: Ever since his first life, he's been accused by Jiang Cheng, amongst others, of having the need to play hero. While Wei Wuxian does has the habit of saving people in need, he doesn't have a hero complex and doesn't help people to make himself feel better -- he does it because it's the right thing to do. [[spoiler:However, this gets deconstructed in the moments where Wei Wuxian's acts of kindness get used against him in the long run.]]

* SeenItAll: After his reincarnation he is hardly fazed by any of the horror he witnesses. It's justified, given the many horrible experiences he had in his first life.

* TheSmartGuy: Wei Wuxian's greatest strength lies in his strategic abilities, quick thinking and observation skills, as well as his vast knowledge of cultivation. While is new body after his resurrection is physically lacking compared to his fellow cultivators, he more than makes up for it with his wits. He's also the one who figured out that [[spoiler:the Jin Clan helped influence the events that would eventually lead to the First Siege, and theorizes that Nie Huaisang orchestrated the events surrounding his revival and Nie Mingjue's dismembered corpse -- a theory that others do not find implausible]].

* TraumaCongaLine: His parents died when he was still young, leaving him to spend some of his childhood years living in the streets before being found by Jiang Fengmian. He was taken into the Jiang Clan and found happiness and family, despite Yu Ziyuan's hostility towards him. However, it was during his teenage years that his suffering began: because of a series of events [[spoiler:prompted by the greed and ambition of the Wen Clan, he lost his family, his home, his friends, almost everything, and in his desperation to avenge those he lost and protect those that remained he went against everything he was taught, becoming a feared and hated figure]].

* UnaffectedBySpice: He loves food so spicy that he forgets that his spice preferences are way too extreme for anyone else that eats it, especially [[PlainPalate Lan Wangji]].

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Even if some things were inevitable, it's easy to wonder how much would have changed had Wei Wuxian never made his promise to Jiang Cheng that they would become the Twin Prides of Yunmeng. While it did lift up the latter's spirits at the time, it also aggravated his abandonment issues in the long run, which -- alongside several outside circumstances, part of which are caused by Jiang Cheng's aforementioned issues -- ended up straining their relationship past the breaking point.
* WeakButSkilled: At present, Wei Wuxian lacks the power he once had and thus easily gets tired and rarely directly fights anything. He contributes either in a support role (intelligence gathering, protecting the juniors) or through fierce corpses (which doesn't require cultivation power). Mo Xuanyu wasn't particularly powerful when Wei Wuxian took over his body so it makes sense. [[spoiler:This also serves as a foreshadowing. Wei Wuxian is used to fighting without cultivation because he spent years without a golden core.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: He and Jiang Cheng were once close as martial brothers, but various events, decisions, and circumstances worsened their relationship to the point that the latter now hates him. While he still cares for Jiang Cheng and is saddened about what happened between them, Wei Wuxian understands why their friendship deteriorated and is completely resigned to the fact that it can't be repaired. [[spoiler:He even tells Jiang Cheng that too much had already happened between them and that it's better if they move on.]]

* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: The flute became Wei Wuxian's weapon of choice after becoming the Yiling Patriarch. While he normally uses it to control corpses, in the ''donghua'' and live-action he also uses it as a weapon which includes blocking sword attacks.

* ForgotAboutHisPowers: Wei Wuxian exhibits the ability to stop time or other people's perception of time. However he only uses this ability in one other instance while in Yi City and never again for the rest of the series.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Although he and Lan Wangji are no longer love interests in ''Series/TheUntamed'' due to Chinese censorship, much of their original dynamic remains intact and they are so close to one another that they consider each other soulmates. [[note]]The original term is ''zhiji'', [[https://pumpkinpaix.tumblr.com/post/659166311995310080/on-%E7%9F%A5%E5%B7%B1-soulmates-danmei-and-translation which can mean soulmate but has less romantic/intimate connotations than the English word and leans more towards "kindred spirits"]][[/note]]

* IChooseToStay: He had to once again reject Jiang Cheng's request to [[spoiler:leave the Wens]] after the first time around, making it clear that he would rather stick around with his new family and hep them out than return to the Jiang Clan.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: During the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, he was blindfolded and yet managed to shoot ''five'' arrows at once, which hit all of their targets.

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Lu Zhixing increases the pitch of his screams in the scenes where Wei Wuxian gets scared by a dog, to the point of not sounding much different from a screaming girl.
* SecretKeeper: Wei Wuxian figures out that [[spoiler:Nie Huaisang was behind everything that lead up to Jin Guangyao's downfall and lets him off with a warning. The Nie leader takes the veiled threat with a small nod, and the two part ways for good]].

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Lotus Pier had been his home since his childhood, but Wei Wuxian knows he can never go back there, especially after everything that happened between him and the Jiang family. When Jiang Cheng threatens to bring him back there, Wei Wuxian mentally remarks that he ''doesn't'' wish to return to Lotus Pier. [[spoiler:The one time he does get to visit his old home, he sadly notes that nothing's remain of the Lotus Pier he once knew, not just in infrastructure but also in spirit. Then he's driven away by Jiang Cheng, who chooses to rub salt in the wound by mocking him and telling him to get out.]]

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Lotus Pier had been his home since his childhood, although Wei Wuxian knows he can never go back there, especially after everything that happened between him and the Jiang family. Not to mention, when Jiang Cheng threatens to bring him back there, Wei Wuxian mentally remarks that he ''doesn't'' wish to return to Lotus Pier. [[spoiler:The one time he does get to visit his old home, he sadly notes that nothing's remain of the Lotus Pier he once knew, not just in infrastructure but also in spirit. Then he's driven away by Jiang Cheng, who chooses to rub salt in the wound by mocking him and telling him to get out.]]

* IgnoredExpert: During the Second Siege, when everyone is [[spoiler:cornered by the fierce corpses in the Burial Mounds]], many are reluctant to listen to Wei Wuxian's advice, despite him being the most knowledgeable on the location and topic and being their best chance at escaping the place alive. They grudingly agree they have no choice but to follow his lead, but are hesitant to hear him out until it becomes clear who the real culprint is.

* InsecureProtagonistArrogantAntagonist: Zigzagged. Protagonist Wei Wuxian is actually confident in his abilities, but his selflessness goes to IneffectualLoner levels and he suffers from a complete lack of self-regard. On the other hand, ArchEnemy Jiang Cheng may suffer from an InferioritySuperiorityComplex, but he is haughty, competitive, and quick to show his disdain towards anything or anyone he doesn't like.

** After he started [[spoiler:living with the Wen survivors]], Wei Wuxian developed a squabbling but caring sibling-like relationship with Wen Qing, whom he otherwise never shows romantic interest in.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Reconstructed. After living a lonely and strict upbringing that was tainted by tragedy such as his parent' deaths, Lan Wangji began to see Wei Wuxian as a source of strange comfort life to the point of becoming anguished when the latter took up demonic cultivation and defected from the cultivation world. [[spoiler:He was despaired when Wei Wuxian died, but after a few grief-stricken incidents he became able to move on with his life and bring good to others while honouring his companion's memory.]] After finding out Wei Wuxian has resurrected, Lan Wangji once again becomes attached to him and gets agitated whenever his life is endangered (which [[spoiler:Jin Guangyao]] take advantage of in the climactic arc), but he's otherwise fine with being by himself and trusts Wei Wuxian to go off on his own to investigate things.

* SweetTooth: It's not as pronounced as his love for spicy foods, but Wei Wuxian is also fond of eating desserts. A chapter has him eating candied haws, and the ''donghua'' features him eating ice cream as a result of ProducePlacement.

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Lotus Pier had been his home since his childhood, although Wei Wuxian knows he can never go back there, especially after everything that happened between him and the Jiang family. [[spoiler:The one time he does get to visit his old home, he sadly notes that nothing's remain of the Lotus Pier he once knew, not just in infrastructure but also in spirit. Then he's driven away by Jiang Cheng, who chooses to rub salt in the wound by mocking him and telling him to get out.]]

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: In the ''donghua'', while Wei Wuxian still played a direct (albeit inadvertent role) in [[spoiler:Jin Zixuan's death]], there are heavy implications that [[spoiler:his loss of control over the corpses in the Nightless Immortal Capital bloodbath was not a result of only PowerIncontinence but also from a few of Jin Guangshan's cronies who could tamper with or exacerbate the negative effects of Wei Wuxian's demonic cultivation]].

* AdaptationalBadass: Wei Wuxian was already powerful in the novel as either a spiritual or demonic cultivator, but in the ''donghua'' he's able to make a hundred more uses of resentful energy and lives up and beyond to his title as the Yiling Patriarch. Besides inflicting MindRape and raising the dead, he can also levitate, manipulate the resentful energy, and extract golden cores -- all of which are just the beginning entries of a long list of all the things he can do. Even being dead for 13 years hasn't made him lose his touch in the slightest. One particular example that shows how he's far more powerful in the ''donghua'' is how he uses the Summoning of Painted Eyes. The novel has him paint his own blood on the eyes of a few funerary puppets so as to be able to animate and command them. In the ''donghua'', he only needs a few drops of his blood to create a seal that spreads throughout ''all of Yi City'' and control the ''hundreds'' of funerary puppets scattered across the area.

* AloofBigBrother: Downplayed. Wei Wuxian was a close martial brother to Jiang Cheng, but he left the Jiang Clan a long time ago and [[spoiler:the latter also announced to the entire cultivation world that he was essentially disowned after "turning traitor" to them]]. But after Wei Wuxian comes back to the mortal world, any interaction he has with his former martial brother has him speak as little words to him as possible, and his mood around the man is mostly a resigned one. However, he wasn't always impersonal towards Jiang Cheng in the past, just as how the latter wasn't always so hateful towards him back then. While Wei Wuxian holds no ill will towards his old friend, he doesn't make any effort to reach out to him because he knows that he may as well be talking to a giant impenetrable wall, and he feels that the past should stay in the past.

* TheArchmage: As the founder -- and therefore the most proficient practitioner -- of demonic cultivation, he may as well be one of the most powerful characters in the story among the other cultivators. Case in point, [[spoiler:the Jin Clan saw him as an immediate political threat even though he himself wanted nothing to do with politics, and during the attack at the Nightless Immortal Capital, it was only him against an army of more than ‘’3000 cultivators’’]].

* BadBadActing: He frequently turns to cringeworthy LargeHam antics when he needs to convince people that he isn't actually the Yiling Patriarch nor anyone else suspicious. Fortunately for him, his new body Mo Xuanyu being an infamous lunatic allows him to get away with it as most people shrug it off as him just going insane.

* BattleCouple: Whether they're solving a mystery or fighting someone, he and love interest Lan Wangji work well together as they're almost completely in sync with how the other thinks and acts. Comes into full force in the climactic arc [[spoiler:after they confess to each other and have to deal with Jin Guangyao and Nie Mingjue]].

* BigBrotherInstinct: Downplayed with the Jiang children who were his martial siblings and close enough to see him as family. As the middle child of the trio, he was protective of both of them and did not take it well if one were to harm or talk badly about them. It was [[spoiler:Jiang Yanli's death which was the final straw that finally broke Wei Wuxian's sanity]].

* BigSisterWorship: He adored Jiang Yanli, always looked up to her and felt that she deserved only the best, which was why he was so adamantly against her engagement with Jin Zixuan, who treated her poorly. At the Phoenix Mountain hunt when Wei Wuxian was losing his temper, Jiang Yanli was the only one who could get him to listen and calm down.

* BrilliantButLazy: Downplayed, as he's less lazy and more unorthodox (and would rather than play than do tedious classroom activities). As a teen, Wei Wuxian was the top disciple of the Jiang Clan despite his reputation as a slacker goofball. This is best shown during his stay at Gusu where he spent most of his time sneaking out and drinking but was still able to make cheat sheets for his friends.

-->''If he were Chang Ping, he wouldn't have cared how prominent or powerful the Lanling Jin Clan was, or how much glory the road ahead offered him, and he wouldn't have let the matter go. Instead, he would've went to the dungeons on his own, cut Xue Yang up so that he was nothing more than a puddle of flesh on the ground, and summoned his soul back to repeat the process to the point that he regretted ever being born in this world.''

''Five Great Clans'': [[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiLanClanOfGusu Lan Clan of Gusu]] | [[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiJiangClanOfYunmeng Jiang Clan of Yunmeng]] ([[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiJiangCheng Jiang Cheng]] | [[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiJinClanOfLanling Jin Clan of Lanling]] ([[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiJinGuangyao Jin Guangyao]]) | [[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiNieClanOfQinghe Nie Clan of Qinghe]] | [[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiWenClanOfQishan Wen Clan of Qishan]]\\

[- ''[[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiMainCharacters Main Characters]]'': '''Wei Wuxian''' | [[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiLanWangji Lan Wangji]]\\
''Five Great Clans'': [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiGusuLanClan Lan Clan of Gusu]] | [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiYunmengJiangClan Jiang Clan of Yunmeng]] ([[Characters/MoDaoZuShiYunmengJiangClanJiangCheng Jiang Cheng]]) | [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiLanlingJinClan Jin Clan of Lanling]] ([[Characters/MoDaoZuShiLanlingJinClanJinGuangyao Jin Guangyao]]) | [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiQingheNieClan Nie Clan of Qinghe]] | [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiQishanWenClan Wen Clan of Qishan]]\\
''Other Characters'': [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiOtherClans Other Clans]] | [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiYiCity Yi City Group]] | [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiMiscellaneousCharacters Miscellaneous Characters]] -]]]]]

!! Wei Ying (魏婴) - Wuxian (无羡) - Yiling Patriarch (夷陵老祖)

!!! '''Voiced by (Mandarin)''': Zhang Jie [[note]] Credited as A-Jie [[/note]] (animation - adult), Zhao Shuang (animation - child), Lu Zhixing (audio drama - adult, web series, mobile game), Ye Zhiqiu (audio drama - child)\\
'''Voiced by (Japanese)''': Creator/RyoheiKimura (animation - adult, live-action), Misaki Watada (animation - child), Creator/TatsuhisaSuzuki (audio drama)\\
'''Voiced by (Korean)''': Shim Gyu-hyuk (animation)\\
'''Played by''': Xiao Zhan (web series - adult), Su Yaxin (web series - child)

!!! '''Height''': 186 cm (in original body); 180 cm (in Mo Xuanyu's body)\\
'''Weapons''': Suibian | 随便 (''jian''), Chenqing | 陈情 (''dizi'')

A series of events led him to be tossed into [[HellOnEarth the Burial Mounds, a mass grave teeming with resentful energy]], where he walked out after inventing the ability to control corpses and other arts of the {{Necromancer}}, thus founding a dark path to cultivation. He then distinguished himself in the Sunshot Campaign against the tyranny of the Wen Clan of Qishan, but the post-war political atmosphere did not exactly work in his favor.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: A few months after the Sunshot Campaign ended, Wei Wuxian's reputation gradually plummeted for a multitude of reasons, and by the time [[spoiler:of the Nightless City bloodbath]], it's easy to count the people who still have any good will towards him with one hand. While Wei Wuxian's standing still hasn't improved by the time he came back to life, for the most part he's an outlier that's left alone, especially since [[spoiler:the cultivation world's second attempt to lead a siege on him failed spectacularlu and the clans have found someone else to mock and gossip about]].
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: In the ''donghua'', Wei Wuxian still played a direct (albeit inadvertent role) in [[spoiler:Jin Zixuan's death]], there are heavy implications that [[spoiler:his loss of control over the corpses in the Nightless City bloodbath was not a result of only PowerIncontinence but also from a few of Jin Guangshan's cronies who could tamper with or exacerbate the negative effects of Wei Wuxian's demonic cultivation]]. However, the ''donghua's'' incarnation of Wei Wuxian still has more blood on his hands than his live-action counterpart, since [[spoiler:he still killed countless cultivators with the Yin Tiger Tally]].
* AdaptationalBadass: Wei Wuxian was already powerful in the novel as either a spiritual or demonic cultivator, but in the ''donghua'' he's able to make a hundred more uses of resentful energy and lives up and beyond to his title as the Yiling Patriarch. Besides inflicting MindRape and raising the dead, he can also levitate, manipulate the resentful energy, and extract golden cores -- all of which are just the beginning entries of a long list of all the things he can do. Even being dead for 13 years hasn't made him lose his touch in the slightest. One particular example that shows how he's far more powerful in the ''donghua'' is how he uses the Summoning of Painted Eyes. The novel and the ''manhua'' has him paint his own blood on the eyes of a few funerary puppets so as to be able to animate and command them. In the ''donghua'', he only needs a few drops of his blood to create a seal that spreads throughout ''all of Yi City'' and control the ''hundreds'' of funerary puppets scattered across the area.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the ''donghua'', he still disliked Jin Zixuan but he was a lot less violent in how he expressed it. When Jin Zixuan first insulted Jiang Yanli in the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian initially approached him in a casual manner before responding with silent instead of explosive fury when Jin Zixuan continued to talk about both Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng with a dismissive tone. Then when Jin Zixuan humiliated Jiang Yanli in Langya, Wei Wuxian opted only to punch him once rather than beat him senseless like he did in the novel, and merely told Jin Zixuan to get out of his sight instead of screaming that he'll kill him one day.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange:
** The ''donghua'' has Wei Wuxian possess more maturity in his choice to take up demonic cultivation and the way he reacts to others confronting him about it.
** When Wei Wuxian realizes that Wen Ning [[spoiler:told Jiang Cheng about the golden core transplant]], Wei Wuxian isn't angered. While surprised, he calmly acknowledges that even if [[spoiler:they keep silent about it, it was only a matter of time until Jiang Cheng would find out the truth]].
* AdoptedIntoRoyalty:
** The Jiang Clan are one of the Four (then five) Great Clans which are considered the elite royal families of the cultivation world. While Wei Wuxian was taken in by the Jiang Clan, he was never formally adopted into the Jiang family even though he was very close with some of its members. [[spoiler:Eventually, he ended up leaving, with the one surviving member of the Jiang family renouncing him in every way.]]
** In the epilogue, [[spoiler:he marries one of the two heirs of the Lan family and thus becomes the member of yet another prestigious clan]].

* AggressiveSubmissive: Wei Wuxian isn't exactly aggressive, but he's definitely more outspoken and candid than Lan Wangji. [[spoiler:When it comes to their bedroom activities, however, Wei Wuxian is more than happy to let Lan Wangji take charge, and even enjoys the idea of being pinned down or tied up and left at his beloved's mercy.]]
* AintTooProudToBeg: Wei Wuxian prefers to avoid this trope... unless a dog is involved. Whenever he's confronted with one, he's not ashamed to scream, cry, call for help, or get clingy with the person nearest to him.

* AlmightyJanitor: Wei Wuxian is counted among one of the most powerful characters of his generation despite being known as the son of a servant. Then again, people tend to forget that his "servant" father was also a cultivator and that his mother was a disciple of the legendary Baoshan-sanren.
* AloofBigBrother: Downplayed. Wei Wuxian was a close martial brother to Jiang Cheng, but he left the Jiang Clan a long time ago and [[spoiler:Jiang Cheng also announced to the entire cultivation world that he was essentially disowned after "turning traitor" to them]]. But after Wei Wuxian comes back to the mortal world, any interaction he has with his former martial brother has him speak as little words to him as possible, and his mood around the man is mostly a resigned one. However, Wei Wuxian wasn't always impersonal towards Jiang Cheng in the past just as how Jiang Cheng wasn't always so hateful towards him back then. While Wei Wuxian holds no ill will towards his old friend, he doesn't make any effort to reach out to him because he knows that he may as well be talking to a giant impenetrable wall, and he feels that the past should stay in the past.

** A lot of his character tics, thought processes, and actions - especially in the novel where the reader sees some parts of the story directly from his point of view - suggests he has ADHD. Aside from his notoriously bad memory, he is also prone to being easily distracted, can be impulsive, has trouble coping with stress, is excessively active, occasionally suffers frequent mood swings, is not the best with long-term planning, and can hyper-focus to an unhealthy degree. This trait becomes downplayed after he came back to life.

** In some ways, Little Apple (his pet donkey) shares some characteristics with Wei Wuxian's past self. Both are stubborn, free-spirited, and don't give much thought to what others think about them, though in Wei Wuxian's case, the circumstances are much more complicated. And like his beast of burden, Wei Wuxian would keep a lot of his troubles to himself as to not be a bother to the people around him.
** PlayedForLaughs in the ''Banquet'' extra when he implicitly refers to himself as a pig by expressing his intentions to "nibble [his] cabbage". This is a reference to the Chinese saying of "the little white cabbage was dug up by a pig", which describes a parent's distress upon seeing their child marry someone the parent deems to be unworthy -- a perfect analogy to [[spoiler:what Lan Qiren thinks of his nephew's marriage to Wei Wuxian]].

--> '''Wei Wuxian''': Those that fly, those that walk, those that swim -- every single one of them turns around and flees as soon as it sees me.

* TheArchmage: As the founder -- and therefore the most proficient practitioner -- of demonic cultivation, he may as well be one of the most powerful characters in the story among the other cultivators. Case in point, [[spoiler:the Jin Clan saw him as an immediate political threat even though he himself wanted nothing to do with politics, and during the attack at the Nightless City, it was only him against an army of more than ‘’3000 cultivators’’]].
* ArrowCatch: The ''donghua'' shows him catching an arrow Wen Ning accidentally shoots at him with only mild surprise.
* AtLeastIAdmitIt: He doesn't deny that he's committed a lot of wrongdoings in his past life and he states that he's not asking to be forgiven for anything, and it's why he holds no resentment over his death. However, he makes it clear to everyone that he won't take responsibility for the things he ''didn't'' do.

* BadassBoast: Wei Wuxian does this a few times, but he does it less to boost his ego and [[IfIWantedYouDead more to warn his enemies about what he's really capable of doing]], either as an intimidation tactic or a mocking remark about how much they're underestimating him.
* BadassInDistress: While he may be a powerful BlackMage, there are a few times Wei Wuxian gets put in a position where he needs saving, either due to bad luck or emotional stress.
* BadBadActing: He frequently turns to cringeworthy ChewingTheScenery antics when he needs to convince people that he isn't actually the Yiling Patriarch nor anyone else suspicious. Fortunately for him, his new body Mo Xuanyu being an infamous lunatic allows him to get away with it as most people shrug it off as him just going insane.

* BatmanGambit: While he's more of a detective than a schemer, Wei Wuxian's capable of pulling some risky plans that relies on his enemies acting exactly as he expects them to. One example is him effortlessly getting [[spoiler:Su She]] to expose his true colors in front of hundreds of cultivators just by pressing on his buttons and bluffing him with some sheets of paper.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Zigzagged. His face never gets permanently mangled or wounded in any way, but the rest of his body is fair game when it comes to scars. In his past life, he got a brand mark on his chest then a scar across his stomach, and an extra briefly mentioned that he also had several scars on his back which were inflicted by Yu Ziyuan whenever she would punish him. In the present, excluding the ones he initially got from Mo Xuanyu (which eventually disappeared after Mo Xuanyu's revenge was fulfilled), the only scar that stays is the one he gets from [[spoiler:Jin Ling]].
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: When Wei Wuxian [[spoiler:gave Jin Zixuan another beating for making Jiang Yanli cry]], he vowed that one day [[spoiler:he would kill Jin Zixuan with his own hands]]. As the beginning of the story clearly states, [[spoiler:he was indeed responsible for his death, even if flashbacks clarify that it was unintentional]].

* BerserkButton:
** Jin Zixuan's presence was enough to irritate Wei Wuxian, and they could rarely hold a conversation without things becoming tense. Wei Wuxian even told Lan Wangji back then that he wanted to beat the guy up every time he saw him.
** Wei Wuxian doesn't like being called the son of a servant -- not because his pride is hurt, but because he takes it as an insult to his parents' honor and memory. Downplayed, since (in contrast to [[spoiler:[[SonOfAWhore Jin Guangyao]]]]) he never lashes out in response and only expresses irritation.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Downplayed with the Jiang children who were his martial siblings and were close enough to him to be family. As the middle child of the trio, he was protective of both of them and did not take it well if one were to harm or talk badly about them.
* BigLittleBrother: He was taller than Jiang Yanli despite being a few years younger than her. While Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli weren't related nor officially recognized as adoptive siblings, it's obvious that Wei Wuxian thought of Jiang Yanli as a sister, and Jiang Yanli made it clear that she viewed him as a second younger brother.
* BigSisterWorship: He adored Jiang Yanli, always looked up to her and felt that she deserved only the best, which was why he was so adamantly against her engagement with Jin Zixuan, who treated her poorly. At the Phoenix Mountain hunt when Wei Wuxian was losing his temper, Jiang Yanli was the only one who could get him to listen and calm down. It was also [[spoiler:Jiang Yanli's death which was the final straw that finally broke Wei Wuxian's sanity]].
* BlackSheep: Downplayed. Prior to [[spoiler:the Lotus Pier massacre]], Wei Wuxian was popular among the other Jiang disciples, who admired him and enjoyed playing with him. However, there were hints that Wei Wuxian was not as close with the new disciples that joined the Jiang Clan during the Sunshot Campaign. Both the audio drama and the animated chibi mini-series hint that the new disciples actually disliked Wei Wuxian, or at the very least were wary of him. And in the ''donghua'', they were shown to be just as quick to [[spoiler:attack Wei Wuxian alongside the other cultivators in the Nightless City bloodbath]].
* BreakThemByTalking: As a people person, he knows what makes someone tick and can get someone to lose their composure by pointing out the flaws in their logic and arguments or poking at their {{Berserk Button}}s. He effectively uses this against the villains a few times.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: He is an intelligent cultivator who created demonic cultivation and invented many things, some that the cultivation world still uses today (such as a compass to detect malevolent energy, a flag to attract spirits as bait). This same man also 1) liked to bury his toddler familial figure until only his head stuck out of the ground while claiming it would help him grow taller, and 2) is not above force-feeding spicy congee to a group of junior disciples to cure their corpse poisoning.

* CainAndAbel: He's the Abel to his martial brother Jiang Cheng's Cain. Jiang Cheng has long since been bitter about Wei Wuxian being better than him in everything, including (supposedly) winning Jiang Fengmian's affection and favor. Jiang Cheng also led the First Siege with the intent to kill Wei Wuxian, [[spoiler:although Wei Wuxian clarifies that Jiang Cheng was ''not'' the reason he died]]. However, their relationship -- while complicated -- wasn't always so hostile.
* CantTakeCriticism: Implied to be sensitive when people taste his cooking, at least when his (unnecessarily) spicy congee is involved. When Xiao Xingchen [[spoiler:(actually Xue Yang)]] expresses his gratitutde after being given the congee, the latter scolds the junior disciples for only complaining after eating their portions. He's then annoyed when Xiao Xingchen still admits that he'd rather die from corpse poisoning than eat the congee which gets a laugh from the disciples.

* CassandraTruth: Wei Wuxian is the first to recognize that [[spoiler:the Jin Clan is just repeating the Wen Clan's reign of oppression, even if they're more low-key about their approach]]. When he stated his thoughts out loud, his voice fell on deaf ears, because the [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter other clans were either too blind to recognize the truth]] or [[SelectiveObliviousness voluntarily chose to stay blind]]. The only one who truly heeded his words was Lan Wangji.

* CasualKink: When it comes to [[spoiler:his "nightly activities" with Lan Wangji]], Wei Wuxian is more than open to trying new things, from bondage and roleplay to [[spoiler:doing it upside down and even doing it in front of illusions of their younger selves who are also getting intimate]]. However, there's one thing that Wei Wuxian ''doesn't'' allow, and it's [[spoiler:being slapped]].

** Wei Wuxian's kind and selfless nature is inborn, but his experiences with the Jiang family often causes him to take his selflessness to unhealthy levels because he believes that his life isn't worth much when compared to the lives of the people he cares for, and thus is rarely honest with others about his innermost thoughts and desires. Combined with society labeling him as nothing more than a servant's son no matter what he does, he has to always be careful about over or under-achieving. After his death, he slowly starts changing this outlook; while his compassion remains intact, he starts to learn to be more open about what he wants without any hesitance or guilt, and he also learns to make his choices and be completely himself without having to conform to society's expectations or to the obligations anyone would try to place on him.

* CinderellaPlot: Wei Wuxian had a happy life with his parents, but he lost them to a night-hunt that went wrong. He was taken in by a friend of his parents and got along with most of the family, but the mother despised him and abused him both physically and emotionally. His relationship with the family's son was also wrought with tensions since (while they loved each other) they were always pitted against each other, and the son ended up despising him completely after one too many tragedies. Ultimately, Wei Wuxian left the family and [[spoiler:marries his FirstLove Lan Wangji, who has the "prince" position with his status and wealth and also values him]].
* ClassClown: Downplayed. He wasn't the type to outright misbehave in class, but he liked to provoke Lan Wangji and Lan Qiren with his unorthodox thinking/ideas, and the disruptions that ensued were a good source of comedy for his classmates.
* TheCloudcuckoolanderWasRight: He's considered a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} by others, but not because he's flighty and exhibits alien behavior. He's sane and intelligent, but his progressive and innovative methods and his tendency to think outside the box is seen as unorthodox -- and at times heretical -- by a society that is all around narrow-minded and opposed to the idea of anything that isn't in line with their rules or methods. However, just because he's unconventional doesn't mean he's also wrong.

** He's the first to suggest that resentful energy can be harnessed to aid in cultivation and battle, since in the end resentful energy is, by essence, still energy. He ended up being the first to practice this theory.
** Demonic cultivation aside, he's not above the tactic of catching people by surprise or attacking them when they're at their most vulnerable.
* CoolTeacher: His eccentricities and cooking aside, all the junior disciples highly look up to him and readily listen to any advice he gives them. In the ''Iron Hook'' extra, the junior trio even make sure to write down his lectures, a testament to how informative Wei Wuxian is as a mentor.

* CreepyCrows: Wei Wuxian's AnimalMotif is a crow, and in the ''donghua'''s dead serious scenes, there'd be murders of the feathered creatures flying above the sky to signal his arrival as the Yiling Patriarch.
* CrushBlush: In the ''manhua'', Wei Wuxian's face frequently turns pink whenever he's flustered by Lan Wangji, although [[ObliviousToLove he initially doesn't understand why]]. [[spoiler:Even after they get together, there are still some instances when Wei Wuxian breaks into a blushing fit due to his and his husband's mutual affection for each other.]]
* CuddleBug: As a teen he enjoyed casually draping his arm over his friend's shoulders, and liked showing or receiving physical affection from the Jiang siblings (such as affectionately nudging Jiang Cheng and getting pampered by Jiang Yanli). In his second life, he slowly becomes touchy towards Lan Wangji as well, especially after the Second Siege. [[spoiler:After he marries Lan Wangji, he gets even stickier and loves cuddling with him every chance he gets.]]

* DeathSeeker: While he had put up a hell of a fight against [[spoiler:the Four Great Clans during the Nightless City bloodbath and the First Siege, he had already crossed the DespairEventHorizon after Jiang Yanli's death]], and there are hints that [[spoiler:he intentionally triggered his backlash]] because he ''wanted'' to die. [[spoiler:While he mainly wanted to destroy the Yin Tiger Tally to make sure it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands]], there was the possibility that he also knew it would cost his life and thus decided to kill two birds with one stone. Additionally, he never turned into a vengeful ghost during the 13-year TimeSkip, indicating that he at least fully accepted his death.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Wei Wuxian's parents died when he was very young. While he doesn't have many memories of them, he treasures the few that he does hold and remembers them as kind and loving people. He also remembers his mother telling him to "always remember people's kindness towards [him] and never [his] kindness towards others", which heavily influenced the way he lives his life and, according to him, is the reason for his terrible memory.
* DefectorFromDecadence: He worked with the Four Great Clans to defeat the Wens during the Sunshot Campaign, but [[spoiler:could not tolerate their mistreatment of the innocent surviving members and decided to switch sides to protect them, thus officially defecting from the Jiang Clan and declaring himself the enemy of the other clans]].
* DefiantToTheEnd: When [[spoiler:Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao discussed how they should torture Wei Wuxian to death]], Wei Wuxian laughed and vowed that whatever they'd do to him, [[spoiler:[[TakingYouWithMe he'd come back as ferocious ghost and haunt and curse the Wen Clan until none of them are left]]]]. He kept his word in a way after he [[spoiler:came back from the Burial Mounds with the newfound ability to control resentful energy -- which he uses to give Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao {{Cruel and Unusual Death}}s]].

* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: While the novel implies he died from backlash, the ''donghua'' strongly hunts that he died from trying to destroy the Yin Tiger Tally. [[spoiler:When he attempts to destroy it again in the final episode, Lan Wangji makes a surprise appearance and lends him a hand so that he doesn't have to suffer by himself anymore.]]

* DoNotGoGentle: His actions during [[spoiler:the Nightless City bloodbath]] strongly imply that he had no intention of holding back despite his impending death. [[spoiler:He knew that after Jin Zixuan's death, it's only a matter of time until the cultivation clans conspired to kill him, even after both Wen Qing and Wen Ning sacrificed themselves in the (false) hope that the Jin Clan would be appeased. As such, he headed to the Nightless City to confront the other clans himself before they get the chance to ambush him, as he won't go down without a fight and he will always live by his principles to the bitter end.]]

* TheDreaded: When he was the Yiling Patriarch, a lot of people were afraid of him, and even after his death he was described as an immoral and reprehensible monster to scare others. After his resurrection, Wei Wuxian's name alone still strikes fear into the hearts of cultivators, but his name gets cleared a bit by the end of the story. [[spoiler:The epilogue also hints that Wei Wuxian now uses his reputation to his advantage instead of it being used against him.]]
* DreadfulMusician: Wei Wuxian is known to be skilled with the ''dizi'' which is explained with the fact that as a master of the Six Arts, Wei Wuxian would naturally be proficient in music. But after he's brought back to life, he initially has trouble playing the instrument since he had been dead for 13 years and hastily carved his new flute in the middle of battle. Afterward, he deliberately invokes this trope whenever his help is needed and he doesn't want blow his cover. He only stops it when Lan Wangji tells him he knows who he really is.
* DrivenToSuicide: Hinted at best, as the novel and most of its adaptations are completely vague about the exact circumstances behind Wei Wuxian's death. While most people InUniverse believe it was Jiang Cheng who ended Wei Wuxian's life, Wei Wuxian corrects that he died via backlash, meaning he died at no one's hands but his own. While [[spoiler:he did die trying to destroy the Yin Tiger Tally, it's ambiguous whether he knew that it would kill him or not]], but there are hints that either way, he welcomed his death with open arms.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: In his past life, almost all the cultivators conveniently forgot that Wei Wuxian was one of the few good reasons the Four Great Clans even had a chance to take on the Wen Clan once and for all; instead they preferred to focus on how he's the founder of TheDarkArts, that he's not obsequious to their whims, and that as a "son of a servant" he doesn't deserve to possess so much power and skill.

** PlayedForLaughs when Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji find the dismembered torso. Wei Wuxian is amazed at how it's in excellent physical shape that he starts to literally tap the abdomen while marveling at the hardness of the muscles.

** A lighthearted example: while he doesn't mind being reborn in the body of someone who's infamous as both a maniac and a homosexual, he's shocked when he learns that Mo Xuanyu got kicked out of the Jin Clan because [[spoiler:he made passes at Jin Guangyao, his ''half-brother'']].

* TheExile: In the past, Wei Wuxian was formerly a member of the Jiang Clan, but he left some time after the Sunshot Campaign. Jiang Cheng even declared that Wei Wuxian was now an enemy of the Jiang Clan. What further seals this in is when Wei Wuxian [[spoiler:finds himself in Lotus Pier once more after he came back to life, he's told by Jiang Cheng to leave and never come back since he's a blight to his clan and his home, and Wei Wuxian takes his words to heart. Whether or not Jiang Cheng truly meant what he said, it's already too late for him to retract his words]]. Not even the epilogue or the extra chapters hint at Wei Wuxian [[spoiler:ever visiting Lotus Pier again, whether because he can't or just doesn't want to]].

--> ''If he were Chang Ping, he wouldn't have cared how prominent or powerful the Lanling Jin Clan was, or how much glory the road ahead offered him, and he wouldn't have let the matter go. Instead, he would've went to the dungeons on his own, cut Xue Yang up so that he was nothing more than a puddle of flesh on the ground, and summoned his soul back to repeat the process to the point that he regretted ever being born in this world.''

* FacialCompositeFailure: After being brought back to life, Wei Wuxian realizes to his consternation that the portraits of him that people sell on the streets do ''not'' accurately capture any aspect of his looks. He makes sure to tell the charlatan selling said portraits to make sure to draw him better in the future.
--> '''Wei Wuxian''': Wei Wuxian was a man famous for his good looks. What is this that you've drawn?! If you haven't seen the actual person, then don't draw anything. You're gonna mislead the younger generation.
* FallingIntoHisArms: Wei Wuxian invokes this trope at one point when he jumps from a tree to see if Lan Wangji would catch him, and he does -- symbolizing how Lan Wangji 1) always stood by his side and cared for him, no matter the circumstances, and 2) is capable of protecting Wei Wuxian as much as he is of protecting himself.
* FatalFlaw: His selflessness. While it is a noble trait, his experiences with the Jiang family essentially resulted in him believing that he deserves ''less'' than them or anyone else, and thus Wei Wuxian takes his altruistic and magnanimous nature to unhealthy levels since he is willing to bring extreme harm to himself if it meant being given even the smallest opportunity to protect the innocents or the people he cherishes. It doesn't help that he almost never confides in anyone about his problems nor does he ask for their help even once, which causes both sides plenty of stress, grief, and misunderstandings.
* FateWorseThanDeath: According to the author, Wei Wuxian didn't find peace even after his death. During the 13 years he was dead, his soul was said to be trapped in a painful and unending nightmare, although the author doesn't elaborate further on that.
* FauxYay: Initially, at least. He has no qualms about flirting with Lan Wangji, in the misconception that doing so would disgust Lan Wangji enough that he'd eventually send him on his way. [[spoiler:The problem is that Lan Wangji has been holding a torch for him the entire time, and thought that Wei Wuxian was making fun of his feelings. He only keeps up with it because he's ''that'' selfless and in love.]]
* FelonyMisdemeanor: Part of what soured Wei Wuxian's standing among cultivators after the Sunshot Campaign was his refusal to bring his sword to any formal event, since doing so is a common formality. However, people act as if Wei Wuxian committed a grave crime, although he ignored their complaints.
* FightMagnet: In the past, several cultivators wanted to prove their skills and fight Wei Wuxian after he started practicing demonic cultivation. However, they were frustrated as he never brought his sword with him, thus they accused him of being mannerless.

** Jiang Yanli was the sensible older sister to Wei Wuxian's foolish little brother, although this was only during lighthearted moments where they're being playful and affectionate with each other.
* ForgetfulJones: Downplayed. A few characters InUniverse have commented on Wei Wuxian's terrible memory, and Wei Wuxian even admits to his tendency to forget things. This is justified given the emotional trauma he endured in the past, [[TraumaInducedAmnesia which likely caused him to subconsciously repress a few of his less pleasant memories]]. Wei Wuxian says that another reason for his forgetfulness is his mother's saying to remember only the kindness others show him and not the other way around.
* ForgivenButNotForgotten: Implied. Wei Wuxian has every right to hate all the cultivators that unjustly slandered and attacked him, but he chooses not to. While he'll never forget how wronged he was and still doesn't completely forgive the people in question, he sees no point in holding a grudge and would rather stay out of their business and see that they stay out of his.

* FreakOut:
** He has a glorious one shortly after the Yi City arc. After learning [[spoiler:what the Lan Clan's forehead ribbon symbolizes]], his response is to walk around a dead bush at least 50 times, his face constantly changing color all the while.
** He has a major freak out whenever a dog is nearby due to his cynophobia. It's so bad that he screams in fear and [[SecurityCling climbs the closest thing near him]], like a tree or Lan Wangji.

* GadgeteerGenius: Wei Wuxian came up with many cultivation inventions (such as the [[EncounterBait Spirit Attraction Flag]] and the [[EnemyDetectingRadar Compass of Evil]]) that others admit are highly useful, even if said inventions were created by someone who they had deemed to be dangerous and evil.

* GoodFeelsGood: In the audio drama's take on the ''Intrusion'' extra, Wei Wuxian tells Lan Wangji that he's beginning to truly understand the importance of Lan Wangji appearing "wherever the chaos is", as per his reputation, and it feels nice to accompany him in helping the common folk since that's its own reward.

* GuileHero: He's noted to be very clever and silver-tongued, and there have been a few scenes in the novel where he wins with words alone. The author even described him as, to paraphrase, "unparalleled in bullshitting".

* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Whenever Wei Wuxian ever shows signs of being attracted to Lan Wangji, he plays it off with the justification that no one of any gender or rank would be able to resist Lan Wangji's charm and that even heterosexual men wouldn't mind being chummy with him. Unlike most examples, Wei Wuxian doesn't fear being MistakenForGay or anything of the sort -- he's just ''that'' oblivious to his own feelings.
* HaveWeMet: When the [[spoiler:cultivation clans gathered once again to confront him in the Burial Mounds]], each time a cultivator asks him if he remembers them before they announce whatever grievance they claim to have with him, Wei Wuxian responds with a blunt and deadpan "no".

* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:He undergoes a dramatic breakdown after the events of the Nightless City bloodbath, to the point where Lan Wangji's confessions and pleas all go unheard as [[MadnessMantra Wei Wuxian kept on repeating, "Get lost!"]]]]

* HeroicSacrifice: Downplayed. [[spoiler:Wei Wuxian gave his golden core (which is essentially a cultivator's ''life'' as it's their power source) to Jiang Cheng so that the latter still had a career as a cultivator.]]

* HonorBeforeReason: He insists on doing the right thing regardless of the consequences, like helping Mianmian (and Lan Wangji and Jin Zixuan) against Wen Chao or [[spoiler:helping Wen Ning and his family post-Sunshot Campaign when the Wens are all pariahs, going as far as attempting to bring Wen Ning BackFromTheDead]]. However, it doesn't always work out for the better, [[spoiler:since the cultivation clans don't truly care much about justice and have also taken the habit of making him TheScapegoat]].
* HumbleGoal: He subconsciously thinks of what he and Lan Wangji will do after retiring in the future even before their RelationshipUpgrade, and his thoughts mainly consist of them building a home in the countryside and possibly even adopting a child. The ''Incense Burner'' extra expands on this, showing that he dreams of him and Lan Wangji living a peaceful life together in their own country house while they grow crops and make clothes.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The instances where he encourages Lan Wangji to be more honest about whether he's in pain or needs help contrasts with how he himself never does the same thing no matter what crisis he's in. This is deconstructed, since his self-contradiction about helping and being helped is connected to his selfless nature and his low sense of self-worth. Growing out of this is part of his CharacterDevelopment.

* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: Wei Wuxian is not a romantically insecure guy, but given his history with Lan Wangji and [[IceKing the kind of person]] he thinks Lan Wangji is, it's naturally never occurred to Wei Wuxian that the man may have fallen for him.
* IChooseToStay: It's implicit at best in the novel, where he makes it clear to Jiang Cheng that he will not leave [[spoiler:the Wen survivors until he knows they'll be completely safe even when he's not around]].
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: He has no regrets about taking up demonic cultivation and using it to annihilate the Wen Clan. However, he expresses to Lan Wangji that if he could take a different path, he would. Except that there is no such path, so he'll see things through to the end.
--> '''Wei Wuxian''': I, too, wanted to walk the bright path -- a path that allows me to protect those I care about without resorting to demonic ways or the Yin Tiger Tally. Now, I no longer can.

* IfItsYouItsOkay: Depsite assuming himself to be straight, over the course of the story Wei Wuxian finds out that he doesn't mind being more intimate with Lan Wangji and actually enjoys the idea of the other pampering him. One instance is when he falls asleep on the other after the second siege at the Burial Mounds and thinks about how nice it would be for Lan Wangji to carry him. [[spoiler:Lan Wangji ends up being the ClosetKey for Wei Wuxian and is also the only person he's ever fallen for.]]
* IgnoredExpert: During the Second Siege, when everyone is [[spoiler:cornered by the fierce corpses in the Burial Mounds]], many are reluctant to listen to Wei Wuxian's advice, despite him being the most knowledgeable on the locatio and topic and being their best chance at escaping the place alive. They grudingly agree they have no choice but to follow his lead, but are hesitant to hear him out until it becomes clear who the real culprint is.

---> ''Overlooking both good and evil, I witness the chaos of life\\

* InnocentlyInsensitive: Wei Wuxian's free-spirited nature makes him so earnest that there are times when he can hurt other people without intending to.
** Wei Wuxian always flirts with Lan Wangji either to disgust him away or to tease him, but then it turns out that [[spoiler:Lan Wangji confessed his feelings to the former in his first life and assumed he still remembers, which makes it seem like Wei Wuxian has been leading him on this whole time]].
** Wei Wuxian deeply cares for Jiang Cheng, and is aware that his actions in the aftermath of the Sunshot Campaign deeply affected his relationship with his martial brother. However, Wei Wuxian took enough precautions to ensure that Jiang Cheng wouldn't suffer the consequences of his actions, and he always wished for friend's safety and trusted that Jiang Cheng would fare well even when he's not around. Regardless, he only realizes too late the full extent of how hurt Jiang Cheng is by being left alone; although Wei Wuxian's reasons for leaving the Jiang Clan were gravely understandable and Jiang Cheng wasn't helping the situation either. In the end, both of them are only able to apologize for what happened.
* InsecureProtagonistArrogantAntagonist: Played with. Wei Wuxian is actually confident in his abilities, but his selflessness goes to IneffectualLoner levels and he suffers from a complete lack of self-regard. On the other hand, Jiang Cheng may suffer from an InferioritySuperiorityComplex, but he is haughty, competitive, and quick to show his disdain towards anything or anyone he doesn't like.

* InterruptedDeclarationOfLove: Wei Wuxian is on the verge of confessing his feelings [[spoiler:while in a passionate moment with Lan Wangji]], only to him only to be cut off halfway [[spoiler:due to the latter misunderstanding what he's actually trying to say and break away from him]].

* JerkassToOne: If there's one person the otherwise amicable Wei Wuxian personally and openly despises, it's Jin Zixuan.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Due to his lackluster memory and his falling mental state at the end of his first life, Wei Wuxian has a habit of forgetting specific details. One such example the aftermath of the Nightless City bloodbath which included [[spoiler:Lan Wangji's implied love confession to him]], something that caused a major misunderstanding until the climax of the story.
* LaughingMad: Laughing during a breakdown or when realizing the absurdity of a situation he's gotten himself into is something Wei Wuxian often did in his first life and still does post-resurrection, especially after he became the Yiling Patriarch and was mentally falling apart.

* LethalChef: Downplayed. Although there's hints that he otherwise has common sense with cooking, he insists on cooking his food ''insanely'' spicy, much to the disgust of others. In the past, [[spoiler:the Wen survivors were horrified by his cooking which even made Wen Yuan cry]]; and the juniors have to use up every inch of their willpower to eat the spicy congee he prepares them -- when the aforementioned congee comes up again in a cooking competition held in an audio drama extra, Lan Jingyi is quick to score it one point.

** Wei Wuxian admired his martial sister Jiang Yanli and is hostile to any guy who shows the slightest amount of disrespect to her, and she dotes on him and enjoys cooking for him. It's easy to think that they're the lovey-dovey pair from those facts alone, but they see each other purely as siblings.

* TheLostLenore: Reconstructed. His death [[spoiler:didn't send Lan Wangji into a depression, although the latter mourned his death for some time. After recovering from both his wounds (which he received from defending Wei Wuxian) and his grief, Lan Wangji continued living the best he can, all the while honoring Wei Wuxian's memory]].
* LoveEpiphany: Over the course of the story, Wei Wuxian gradually becomes more and more aware that his feelings for Lan Wangji are going beyond platonic. But it takes [[spoiler:Lan Xichen telling him about what Lan Wangji did for him during the aftermath of the Nightless City attack]] to give him the final push to confess his feelings.

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction:
** [[spoiler:To avoid the Jiang Clan from facing more political scrutiny due to their association with him, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng publicly staged a fight to make the other clans think that they broke ties with the other.]] Wei Wuxian got nearly disemboweled, yet he treated it as if it's merely a superficial injury.
** When he [[spoiler:got shot in the chest with an arrow]] during the Nightless City attack, his response was to [[spoiler:calmly yank out the arrow and throw it back at the archer responsible]].
** When [[spoiler:Jin Ling stabs him after finding out who he really is]], Wei Wuxian only mentally remarks in annoyance how [[spoiler:he and Jiang Cheng are really alike since they stab in the same places]]. However, Wei Wuxian does eventually lose his consciousness from the wound.

* MiseryBuildsCharacter: Reconstructed. A good portion of Wei Wuxian's life is linked to the losses he suffered, whether it involves either his family, his friends, [[spoiler:or his powers]]. However, Wei Wuxian's character is defined by how he, in spite of all the pain and loss he had underwent, always remains true to his heart. As such, he is able to overcome his struggles. He can never forget his losses, but his inner strength allows him to accept, learn, improve, press on, and move forward in a healthy manner.
* MistakenForPedophile: PlayedForLaughs when Jin Ling wakes up and finds himself shirtless... with Wei Wuxian holding his clothes. Wei Wuxian doesn't help the situation at first by joking along, although the misunderstanding is cleared up pretty quickly.
--> '''Jin Ling''': ''[panicking]'' I am not a cut-sleeve!!!\\
'''Wei Wuxian''': ''[beaming]'' What a coincidence-- I am!

** In one of the extras, Wei Wuxian joked that if it was possible for men to get pregnant, [[spoiler:he would have given birth to a lot of children by now due to his sex life with Lan Wangji]].
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Wei Wuxian is always mortified whenever he finds out he's done something serious or shocking that's impacted Lan Wangji in some way, such as [[spoiler:the implications of having touched his head ribbon]].
* MyGreatestFailure: In the present, he regrets ever having created the Yin Tiger Tally, [[spoiler:given all the tragedies that took place because the Jin Clan coveted it]].

* NeverForgottenSkill: The author confirmed that his state after his death was far from peaceful or liberating, but neither that nor 13 years of being separated from the mortal world crippled his ability to use demonic cultivation. The ''donghua'' takes this further -- not even a week has passed since he came back, yet slaying a dangerous mutated beast and breaking an ancient powerful seal (that was said to be nearly impossible to break by just anybody) are ''still'' a cakewalk for him.
* NeverGetsDrunk: Downplayed. Wei Wuxian drinks so well that he's able to down at least ''half-a-dozen jars'' in one sitting and still remain sober. [[spoiler:The only liquor that's able to get him drunk is the fruit wine brewed by Uncle Four.]] The author states he does get drunk but hardly acts any different -- not that his usual self isn't already bizarre to begin.

* NiceMeanAndInBetween: Among Jin Ling's three currently living uncles, Wei Wuxian is the nice martial uncle. He's patient with Jin Ling but never spoils him, readily teaches him lessons about both life and cultivation and lets him learn things on his own but immediately intervenes when needed, and advises Jin Ling instead of scolding him whenever he makes mistakes.

* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: Majority of the narrative is how everyone sees Wei Wuxian as a FallenHero and an embodiment of pure evil and destruction. But the novel would eventually reveal that [[spoiler:this is not the case, and nothing about the legend of the Yiling Patriarch was as simple and black-and-white as everyone believed it to be]].
* NotMeThisTime: In the Second Siege, Wei Wuxian bluntly tells the other cultivators that while he did [[spoiler:cause the deaths of many cultivators during the Nightless City bloodbath]], he had no involvement in Nie Mingjue's death, [[spoiler:the entire mess with Xue Yang, Qin Su's suicide, or the kidnapping of the younger cultivators]].

* ObliviousToLove: Downplayed. The juniors, Lan Xichen, Wen Ning, ''even the story's antagonists'' are quick to catch on to Lan Wangji's feelings, yet Wei Wuxian is shocked by the revelation [[spoiler:when Lan Xichen explains what happened to them after the Nightless City incident]]. He also doesn't realize the implications of picking out houses and planning a family him, amongst other things. However, it's hinted multiple times in the novel that deep down he's actually subconsciously aware of both his and Lan Wangji's feelings -- [[spoiler:what's holding him back from confessing is his fear of destroying their relationship as well as the assumption forced upon him that Lan Wangji hated him when they were younger]].

** Although mildly short-lived until his resurrection, the mischievous Wei Wuxian befriended the timid Wen Ning at the archery competition when watching him practise and giving him encouragement. Even after the Wen Clan [[spoiler:attacked Lotus Pier]], he still has a soft spot for him since the latter treated him a lot nicer than the other members of the Wen Clan ever did. After resurrecting Wen Ning into a fierce corpse, Wei Wuxian tries to have the other treat him as a friend and not a master. While he regrets getting Wen Ning involved in his current affairs, Wei Wuxian clearly cares for him and hopes to give Wen Ning a happier ending.

* OneManArmy: During the Sunshot Campaign, he was rumored to have taken on 5000 Wen soldiers by himself and massacred them with barely any survivors. Then during [[spoiler:the Nightless City attack]], he's held accountable for the deaths of at least 3000 cultivators. While he was powerful enough to take on many men thanks to his demonic cultivation, he clarifies in the present that the rumours are exaggerated.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Wei Wuxian is usually cheerful and patient and one who handles situations with words rather than fists. So whenever he completely loses his temper, something ''serious'' definitely happened for him to lose it.

* PapaWolf: From the moment he realized that Jin Ling is Jiang Yanli's son, Wei Wuxian becomes a protective and caring uncle figure towards him. He doesn't hesitate to call out the youth on the poorer aspects of his personality, but he also shows worry about Jin Ling's FriendlessBackground and dreads the thought of any harm happening to him. Despite teasing him often, he treats Jin Ling with patience, understanding, and affection. [[spoiler:While Jin Ling would never admit it, he comes to accept and appreciate Wei Wuxian as his martial uncle and even lets him call him [[AffectionateNickname A-Ling]] without any complaints]].
* PastExperienceNightmare: Some adaptations imply that Wei Wuxian occasionally has guilt-ridden dreams about his past.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: His mindset during [[spoiler:the Sunshot Campaign. The Wen Clan brought chaos and pain, especially Wen Chao and Wen Ruohan, therefore they should suffer for the crimes they committed]]. However, his methods, though at the beginning celebrated, came to be questioned and even feared.

* PerpetualSmiler: Jiang Fengmian saw that when he first took Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian would always put on a smile no matter what went his way. This part of him slowly shed in his first life as he grew older and experienced more and more hardships.

* ThePowerOfHate: Demonic cultivation is already powerful even with the most basic spells, but what allowed Wei Wuxian to manipulate resentful energy to an extremely destructive scale during the Sunshot Campaign and [[spoiler:the Nightless City bloodbath]] was his hatred and anger towards anyone who wronged him and those he held dear.
* PrecisionFStrike: Wei Wuxian doesn't curse that much, unless he's ''really'' pissed or frustrated. Such is the case in the audio drama where he utters "妈的", which commonly translates to "Fuck!", in Jin Zixuan's face.

* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Played with. His signature colors are black and red, which seems befitting of his villainous reputation. [[spoiler:While demonic cultivation is indeed risky and looked down upon, in truth he's a HeroWithBadPublicity.]]
* RedBaron: Wei Wuxian is known by society as the feared and reviled Yiling Patriarch. The mention of Wei Wuxian's title alone gives shivers down almost everyone's spines. Wei Wuxian himself does not consider his title a badge of honor at all, however.

* RedOniBlueOni: In the more casual moments, he acts as the energetic and wild Red Oni to Jiang Cheng's dutiful no-nonsense Blue Oni. However, when a situation becomes dire, he becomes the more rational Blue Oni to Jiang Cheng's fiery Red Oni. While this complimented each other fairly well in his first life, the clash in personalities contributed to their friendship falling apart.

* {{Sadist}}: He showed his bloodthirsty side when he was dealing with the Wen Clan, and he held absolutely nothing back with his brutality at that time. However, this is the ''only'' instance where he ever showed delight in inflicting pain and suffering on someone else, and considering what the Wen Clan had done then, it's not hard to see why.

* SanitySlippage: Whether it was really due to practicing demonic cultivation or simply because the emotional trauma of the tragedies started to take its toll on him, Wei Wuxian became more temperamental and stubborn after becoming the Yiling Patriarch and was partly hostile to almost everyone. [[spoiler:He finally lost it after Jiang Yanli's death and unleashed hell during the Nightless City siege.]]
* SayMyName: There are many who tend to address Wei Wuxian's name, birth or courtesy, with an accusatory or derogatory undertone. Jiang Cheng takes the cake, and the only one who calls him by his full name with''out'' the hostile undertone is Lan Wangji.

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: This is one of the core aspects of Wei Wuxian's character, such as [[spoiler:when saving the Wen remnants after the Sunshot Campaig]]. If there's trouble afoot, he's the last person who you would expect to sit on his laurels and wait things out. And if the law is holding him back, he won't think twice about breaking said law and will risk landing in hot water with those who disapprove of his actions as long as he's able to help those who are suffering from the injustice of others.
---> '''Jiang Cheng''': We aren't even able to care for ourselves; how do we have the time to care about the trivialities of others?\\
'''Wei Wuxian''': First, this isn't a triviality. Second, things like this, somebody will have to care about them, sooner or later.

* SelfMadeMan: While Jiang Fengmian did take him under his care, Wei Wuxian is not officially listed as a member of the Jiang family, and society's stance on whether to regard him as a ward of the Jiang Clan or a son of a servant is fickle at best and his status is used against him more often than not. As such, any renown, infamy, or skill Wei Wuxian acquired is more notable because he earned them solely through a combination of both innate talent, keen judgment, and hard work, without once currying favor from those in power.
* SexyShirtSwitch: The ''Intrusion'' extra shows that Wei Wuxian has gained a habit of accidentally wearing Lan Wangji's inner robes whenever he wakes up. Given their respective sleeping schedules, this is likely invoked on purpose by Lan Wangji.

* SingleTargetSexuality: Downplayed. Wei Wuxian is bisexual; he has shown to be attracted to women before and isn't immune to [[EatingTheEyeCandy admiring the physique of other men]], but Lan Wangji is the only person he has ever fallen for.
* TheSmartGuy: Wei Wuxian's greatest strength lies in his strategic abilities, quick thinking and observation skills, as well as his vast knowledge of cultivation. While is new body after his resurrection is physically lacking, he more than makes up for it with his wits. He's also the one who figured out that [[spoiler:the Jin Clan helped influence the events that would eventually lead to the First Siege, and also theorized that Nie Huaisang orchestrated the events surrounding his revival and Nie Mingjue's dismembered corpse -- a theory that others do not find implausible]].

* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: What gives his identity away to Lan Wangji after his resurrection is [[spoiler:him playing the song "[=WangXian=]", which Lan Wangji composed for only Wei Wuxian to hear]].
* SoProudOfYou: In the ''Iron Hook'' extra, Wei Wuxian happily remarks on how much Jin Ling has grown as a person.
* SquishyWizard: In Wei Wuxian's second life, Mo Xuanyu's body isn't as well-built as his original one and so leaves him more vulnerable. However, Wei Wuxian retains his demonic cultivation skills and combat senses, and is still able to react quickly when he's in danger. [[spoiler:The audio drama confirmed that Wei Wuxian eventually gets to form a golden core in his new body, but he now has the additional perk of being TheArchmage due to his demonic cultivation, returning him to his LightningBruiser roots.]]

* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: During his first lesson with Lan Qiren, after suggesting the use of demonic cultivation instead of wasting the resentful energy that could be used to their advantage instead, the timid and cowardly Nie Huaisang later spoke to him about his theories and quickly agreed at how useful such a skill would be for the cultivation world. They also both are on the same wavelength when wanting to goof off or play around, where Nie Huaisang actually helped Wei Wuxian in pranking Lan Wangji with porn just so he could later report how Lan Wangji reacted.

* SurvivorsGuilt: Played with, as he had already died once and didn't anticipate being brought back to life. While he acts like the past is no longer his concern, some moments show that he still often thinks about deaths of his loved ones. He feels guilt and remorse for everything that happened, but ke acknowledges the past can't be changed and so won't spend the rest of his life holding onto grudges and regrets.
--> '''Wei Wuxian''': No matter how much regret I feel, my mistakes will never vanish. The deceased cannot return to life. My death brought an end to the old scores of my previous life. Now that I have come back, I should only look to the future.
* SweetTooth: It's not as pronounced as his love for spicy foods, but Wei Wuxian is also fond of eating desserts. The novel has a chapter where he eats candied haws, and the ''donghua'' features him eating ice cream.

* TeamMom: While he likes to cause mischief and is a bit of a prankster, he also has a caring and protective side that shows whenever he's with the junior cultivators. During his several encounters with Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling he protects them, guides them and gives them reassurance whenever there is danger.

* TeenGenius: Wei Wuxian was the head disciple of the Jiang Clan as a young teen and was already considered a prodigy. To say that discovering and rapidly developing demonic cultivation at 18 years old maximum is no small feat is a major understatement. It says something that despite the many bad things others say about Wei Wuxian, no one ever calls him unintelligent.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: As a result of [[spoiler:the events at Qiongqi Path]], Wei Wuxian started rapidly losing his grip on his sanity. When he [[spoiler:arrived at the Nightless City and is confronted with the injustice, cruelty, and hypocrisy of the other clans -- which was worsened by the thought that there's no one left who cares for him and that his own family and friends now see him as a monster]] -- he decided to become what they had always feared him to be.
--> ''He felt that everyone loathed him and he loathed everyone as well. He wouldn't be scared no matter who came at him. It wouldn't matter no matter who came at him. It was all the same anyway.''
* ThrillSeeker: According to the ''Intrusion'' extra, Wei Wuxian prefers to go on the more dangerous night-hunts as he's only after the risk and not the reward.

** When it comes to his cultivation, he turned to using resentful energy in the past because [[spoiler:it gave him -- and the other clans -- an edge against the Wen Clan]]. But one other main reason was that [[spoiler:he could no longer cultivate normally, since he had his golden core transplanted into Jiang Cheng's body after the latter's golden core was melted off by Wen Zhuliu]] -- although he told no one about this. This is also the reason why [[spoiler:he never brought his sword with him again, no matter how much criticism he would get from others]]. However, when Wei Wuxian was resurrected in Mo Xuanyu's body, he's given the chance to cultivate normally again while still being able to use demonic cultivation when necessary, and the audio drama's final extra strongly hints that [[spoiler:he's cultivated a golden core that's powerful enough to let him use Suibian once more]].
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: His signature favourite cuisines are wine, Jiang Yanli's cooking, and all things spicy.

* TraumaCongaLine: Not long after he was born, his parents died, which left him for some of his childhood years living in the streets before being found by Jiang Fengmian and introduced in the Jiang Clan, where he found happiness and family, despite Yu Ziyuan's hostility towards him. However, it is during his teenage years that his suffering began: because of a series of events [[spoiler:prompted by the greed and ambition of the Wen Clan, he lost his family, his home, his friends, almost everything, and in his desperation to avenge those he lost and protect those that remained he went against everything he was taught, becoming a feared and hated figure]].

* UncannyValleyMakeup: He wakes up wearing hanged ghost (or ''diao si gui'') makeup when he comes back in Mo Xuanyu's body, although he rolls along with it as part of his disguise. He washes it off halfway through the Mount Dafan arc, but at one point he puts it on again when he tries to disgust Lan Wangji into ditching him (to no avail).

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Even if some things were inevitable, it's easy to wonder how much would have changed had Wei Wuxian never made his promise to Jiang Cheng that they would become the Twin Prides of Yunmeng. While it did lift up Jiang Cheng's spirits at the time, it also aggravated his abandonment issues in the long run, which -- alongside several outside circumstances, part of which are caused by Jiang Cheng's aforementioned issues -- ended up straining their relationship past the breaking point.
* VocalEvolution: Both the ''donghua'' and the audio drama show the pitch in Wei Wuxian's voice changing after his time in the Burial Mounds, sounding lower and darker in tone with a sharper edge. In the ''donghua'', his voice goes through a second evolution after his resurrection, being an amalgamation of how he sounded before and after he became the Yiling Patriarch.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: He and Jiang Cheng were once close as martial brothers, but various events, decisions, and circumstances worsened their relationship to the point that Jiang Cheng now hates him. While he still cares for Jiang Cheng and is saddened about what happened between them, Wei Wuxian understands why their friendship deteriorated and is completely resigned to the fact that it can't be repaired. [[spoiler:He even tells Jiang Cheng that too much had already happened between them and that it's better if they move on.]]

* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: While Wei Wuxian primarily uses his flute to control corpses, in the ''donghua'' and live-action he also uses it as a weapon which includes blocking sword attacks.

* WorfHadTheFlu: His powers weren't exactly impaired at the time, but it's obvious that [[spoiler:the Nightless City bloodbath]] would have had a completely different outcome if Wei Wuxian's emotional and mental state weren't impaired by all the hardships he's been dealing with.

* WouldntHurtAChild: It comes with being a FriendToAllChildren. Even when Jin Ling attacks him nonstop during their first encounter, the most Wei Wuxian does to fight back is to use a talisman that pins Jin Ling down, but he doesn't actually hurt him. While he knocks him out later on, it's only to make it easier for him to extract a Curse Mark -- whose effects can turn fatal if left unchecked -- from Jin Ling's body.

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Lotus Pier had been his home since his childhood, although Wei Wuxian knows he can never go back there, especially after everything that happened between him and the Jiang family. [[spoiler:The one time he does get to visit his old home, he sadly notes that nothing remained of the Lotus Pier he once knew, not just in infrastructure but also in spirit. Then he's driven away by Jiang Cheng, who chooses to rub salt in the wound by mocking him and telling him to get out.]]

* ActingUnnatural: PlayedForLaughs; there are moments when Wei Wuxian has a hard time playing things off smoothly when he's caught red-handed.

* AdaptationalBadass: While his abilities actually get a downgrade, he never lost control like he did in the novel and the events that made it look otherwise [[spoiler:(i.e. Wen Ning going berserk and killing Jin Zixuan, and the corpses no longer heeding Wei Wuxian's commands in the Nightless City bloodbath) were instead due to Jin Guangyao and Su She's machinations]].

** The novel introduces Wei Wuxian is a prankster, something that is kept in all the adaptations. But in the novel, while some of his pranks are committed purely for fun, his other pranks are calculated and have a hidden motive behind them. In the series, however, almost all his pranks are done solely for the heck of it.
** After he became the Yiling Patriarch, his fuse was much shorter and his mental state was a lot more volatile, and he even came close to experiencing a total emotional hijack a few times.
* AdaptationalWimp: He remains a powerful cultivator in his own right and still became infamous as the Yiling Patriarch, but he's no longer the ''founder'' of demonic cultivation. He's also a lot more physically frail after he began practicing TheDarkArts, whether he's in his original body or Mo Xuanyu's body, and there has been at least a few times when he either came close to fainting or actually did pass out.

--> '''Lan Wangji''': Have you decided where you're going to go?\\
'''Wei Wuxian''': This world is wide. To a faraway place on a horse ride and wine. All the four corners of this world are our home.

* DrowningMySorrows: It's implied that after the Sunshot Campaign ended, he started drinking more to deal with the stress he's getting from both his personal losses and the effects of his newfound abilities.

* ForgotAboutHisPowers: Wei Wuxian exhibits the ability to stop time or other people's perception of time. However he only uses this ability in one other instance in the Yi City arc, but never again for the rest of the series.
* HumbleGoal: As a teen, Wei Wuxian wishes on his lantern to be able to always fight for justice and to protect the innocent. This made Lan Wangji realize that while Wei Wuxian was a troublemaker, deep down he had a noble heart, and started having second thoughts about his first impression of the man.
* IChooseToStay: When Jiang Cheng implicitly tries to ask Wei Wuxian to leave the Wens once again, Wei Wuxian refuses through the following exchange:
--> '''Jiang Cheng''': If you go back this time, you might not be able to see all of us, the people you're familiar with, for a long time.\\
'''Wei Wuxian''': [[ArmorPiercingResponse But I'm going back to see people I'm also familiar with.]]
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Wei Wuxian can shoot a target while blindfolded, and during the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, he's blindfolded and yet manages to shoot ''five'' arrows at once, which hit all of their targets.
* PaperThinDisguise: He wears a CoolMask (like Mo Xuanyu did) since the summoning ritual caused Mo Xuanyu's body to inhabit both Wei Wuxian's soul and appearance, and Wei Wuxian has no plans of being found out any time soon. While this works against unsuspecting strangers and those who never personally knew him, it's a different story with those who do. However, it's his powers that give him away first before anyone even starts thinking of asking him to take off his mask.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Lu Zhixing increases the pitch of his screams in the scenes where Wei Wuxian gets scared by a dog, giving off this effect.
* SecretKeeper: Wei Wuxian figures out that [[spoiler:Nie Huaisang was behind everything that lead up to Jin Guangyao's downfall and lets him off with a warning. Nie Huaisang takes the veiled threat with a small nod and the two part ways for good.]]
* SquishTheCheeks: He's still a FriendToAllChildren in the series, although he's more open with showing his adoration towards them. He would often pinch Wen Yuan's cheeks whenever he doted on him; and when he meets Mianmian's daughter, he does the same thing in contrast to when he held back in the novel.
* TellMeAboutMyFather: In the first few episodes, any mention of his mother immediately has him ask the person who mentioned her to tell him anything else they knew about Cangse-sanren.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Wei Wuxian has this dynamic with Nie Huaisang, which is shown more explicitly in the finale. The two were close during their teenage years at the Cloud Recesses, but after Wei Wuxian is resurrected and he figures out [[spoiler:Nie Huaisang was the reason he's alive again, as well as the one behind Jin Guangyao's demise]], he's thankful, but warns him of the one of the Lan Clan's rules that "one mustn't associate with evil". Nie Huaisang understands that they've both changed too much to ever return to their friendship during their youthful years, but they do part on more respectable terms.

!! Wei Ying (魏婴) - Wuxian (无羡) - Yiling Laozu (夷陵老祖)

The son of Wei Changze and the rogue cultivator Cangse-Sanren, Wei Wuxian grew up to become a notorious terror of the cultivation world. Fourth on the list of top five cultivator gentlemen in his generation, he was originally ChildhoodFriends with the Jiang siblings until tragedy befell the Jiang Clan.

* AlmightyJanitor: Wei Wuxian is counted among one of the most powerful characters of his generation despite being known as the son of a servant. Then again, people tend to forget that his "servant" father was also a cultivator and that his mother was a disciple of the legendary Baoshan-Sanren.

* TellMeAboutMyFather: In the first few episodes, any mention of his mother immediately has him ask the person who mentioned her to tell him anything else they knew about Cangse-Sanren.

* BlackSheep: Downplayed. Prior to [[spoiler:the Lotus Pier massacre]], Wei Wuxian was popular among the other Jiang disciples, who admired him and enjoyed playing with him. However, there were hints that Wei Wuxian was not as close with the new disciples that joined the Jiang Clan during the Sunshot Campaign. Both the audio drama and ''The Founder of Diabolism Q'' hint that the new disciples actually disliked Wei Wuxian, or at the very least were wary of him. And in the ''donghua'', they were shown to be just as quick to [[spoiler:attack Wei Wuxian alongside the other cultivators in the Nightless City bloodbath]].

!!! '''Voiced by (Mandarin)''': Zhang Jie [[note]] Credited as A-Jie [[/note]] (animation - adult), Zhao Shuang (animation - child), Lu Zhixing (audio drama - adult, live-action, mobile game), Ye Zhiqiu (audio drama - child)\\

'''Played by''': Xiao Zhan (live-action - adult), Su Yaxin (live-action - child)