A list of characters that appear in You Yao.
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Best Tower
Lou Zhu
The Boss of Best Tower whose job it is to investigate any Traveller cases to make sure that person is actually a Traveler and assign them a job at Best Tower.
- Benevolent Boss: So far, he's shown to treat his employees well. Xiao Xue even reports to the Emperor that Lou Zhu is nothing but kind to her and suggested she could make a dictionary from the terms she's learned from the Travellers. When Xiao Xue goes missing, he doesn't hesitate to send out all the forces he can to search for her, claiming he doesn't care how much money they spend to find her as long as she returns to Best Tower safe. Both Travelers and citizens alike are on friendly terms with Lou Zhu and have nothing but kind words about him.
- Big Brother Instinct: He arguably gains one for Zuo Yun Qi and has a soft spot for Xiao Xue.
- Birds of a Feather: He's good friends with Lin Kai, even though he gets annoyed at the other's flippant attitude at times.
- Break His Heart to Save Him: At the season 1 penultimate episode, he cruelly tells Zuo Yun Qi he was aware of what the Emperor was doing and didn't care so long as he got to live comfortably, breaking the boy's trust in him. Too bad that that didn't entirely work and Zuo Yun Qi ends up trying to go after the Emperor anyway, leading him to get caught.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: He's very cunning, good at reading others, and is good at his job. But he would rather spend his days in luxury and lazing about if he's given the chance.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: He apparently died by being hit by an Audi that ran a red light.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": His real name is never actually revealed and everyone just refers to him as "boss".
- Everyone Has Standards: As much as he tries not to tangle himself in other sect's businesses and focus on Best Tower's needs, he can't stand aside as Zuo Yun Qi gets beat up for his father's crimes and he claims that the boy is a Traveller to keep him safe. After destroying the Extreme Fragrance and being given a smaller one by Zuo Yun Qi, he helps disguise the boy so his father wouldn't recognize him... and to keep him so he can pay off the debts he accumulated by indirectly destroying best tower.
- Fish out of Water: Since he's from modern day, he unfortunately can't read a lot of traditional characters so he has to ask Xiao Xue to translate or transcribe a paper into simplified characters.
- Hidden Depths: He was apparently the champion of the 50m sprint. Although Lin Kai teasingly reminds him that was before he died, leading him to hiss at the other.
- Iconic Item: His fan which he carries on his person everywhere he goes.
- In Touch with His Feminine Side: He's always eager for a massage, cares about his looks and enjoys shopping.
- In Vino Veritas: According to Lin Kai, he's very chatty when he's drunk and talks a lot about his life before transmigrating. This is why Zuo Yun Qi's story is so familiar to Lou Zhu's, it's because that's exactly how Luo Zhu died.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He would prefer keeping his business only to Best Tower and not meddle with others affairs. However, he does show a kinder side to Travelers and the normal citizens alike. When confronting two of the Emperor's guards who he was familiar with having visited Best Tower often, he slyly tries to warn them not to follow him into the Tuo Huang abandoned base knowing it was full of explosives and runs in himself.
- Not So Above It All: He can act a bit like a brat on and off the job when he's feeling particularly moody.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Xiao Xue and Zuo Yun Qi go missing, he doesn't even bother going to get a massage from master Wang and does whatever he can to look for them.
- Proud Beauty: He's proud of his looks and constantly bemoans how stressed and tired he is.
- Running Gag: He's always just about to get a massage from Master Wang, only to be dragged away due to outside forces.
- Sherlock Scan: He's very perceptive of others, likely due to his job and this is how he is able to tell whether or not someone is actually a Traveller or just posing as one for the benefits.
- Uncertain Doom: At the end of season 1, he is seemingly crushed under the rubble of the Tuo Huang base, but the others have not recovered his body.
Zuo Yun Qi
The young master of Pangmen who specializes in poisons and flees to Best Tower after stealing Extreme Fragrance from the government and attempts to pose as a traveller.
- Albinos Are Freaks: He has white hair and red eyes, and his father has pretty much disowned him after he helps destroy the Extreme Fragrance.
- Broken Tears: Happens the most often around Lou Zhu. The first time after Lou Zhu cruelly tells Zou Yun Qi he knew about the Emperor torturing Travellers and was fine with it as long as he got to live a comfortable life so Zou Yun Qi would leave the area. The second time occurs when Lou Zhu runs into the abandoned Tuo Huang cavern and appears to have been crushed under the rubble of the explosives. Zou Yun Qi can be seen frantically tearing off any rock he can grasp, crying and hating that Lou Zhu shouldered so many burdens just to keep everyone else safe.
- Clark Kenting: After being disowned, Xiao Xue and Lou Zhu dye his hair and give him different clothes. He even wears blush stickers which apparently tricked even Lin Kai.
- Dreadful Musician: When Lou Zhu asks him why he didn't sing the alphabet, he claims he's tone deaf.
- Master Poisoner: Since this is what his sect practiced, he's knoweldge of the kinds of poisons his father would use and how to cure them.
- Mystical White Hair: This is one of his defining traits, which is why Luo Zhu and Xiao Xue have to dye his hair later so he wouldn't be recognizable.
- Work Off the Debt: After he unintentionally wrecks most of Best Tower, Lou Zhu and Xiao Xue tell him he has to stay and work off the damages he made.
Xiao Xue
Lou Zhu's assistant and scribe, who's also the younger sister of Concubine Xian.
- Adaptation Expansion: In the original novel, she only really appears in one scene, while in the donghua adaptation, she's given more on screen time.
- Big Sister Worship: Despite her sister being taken over by a Traveler, she still treats her with love and respect.
- Humble Goal: Her scene with the Emperor shows that she at first couldn't accept that her sister had become a Traveller, but after going to Best Tower, she's become more open and interested in Traveller's. She even has enough notes on Traveller terms that she hopes to one day turn it into a dictionary so the citizens and Traveller's could understand each other better.
- Genki Girl: She's bubbly and bright, and never seems worried about anything.
- Killed Offscreen: This is hinted at and then seemingly confirmed in the season 1 finale.
- Muscles Are Meaningless: She looks like an average girl but is surprisingly strong as she carries around a scroll that's nearly her height and during her shopping trip with Lou Zhu carried tons of shopping bags on her back with no apparent stress on herself.
- Number Two: When Lou Zhu is forcibly dragged out of Best Tower, she cheerfully tells him she'll take over while he's gone.
- Pink Means Feminine: She wears all pink and seems to be the epitome of girly.
- You Can't Go Home Again: The Emperor holds her at the palace against her will.
Martial Alliance
Lin Kai
The Leader of the Martial Alliance who is good friends with Lou Zhu.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: He so far has not been shown wielding a sword, but he's good at hand-to-hand combat.
- Benevolent Boss: He seems to treat his members well as they are loyal to him and worry for his safety when he suddenly goes missing.
- Birds of a Feather: He and Lou Zhu are both incredibly perceptive of their surroundings, and they get along well.
- Drowning My Sorrows: After trying to court Tao Zhong Ci but getting quietly ignored, he's later seen at the bar drinking something and stirring his glass sorrowfully.
- Perpetual Smiler: He rarely drops his smile.
- Rescue Romance: He falls for Tao Zhong Ci after she saves him from Zuo Dao's poison... three days after meeting her.
- Trademark Favorite Food: He seems to enjoy boba and milk tea drinks at Best Tower.
Lin Kai's group
Zhong, Gan, Da Yi, Da Dan who serve under Lin Kai and follow him wherever he goes.
- Creepy Shadowed Undereyes: Gan has this.
- Crush Blush: Da Dan gets one around Cocubine Xian when he rescues her.
- Undying Loyalty: They all deeply care and look up to Lin Kai, so much that when he suddenly goes missing, they all report back to Lou Zhu and beg him for help searching for their master.
- Yes-Man: Da Dan tends to agree with whatever his group says, while giving no further input of his own.
Hero Long
A renowned hero of the world who everyone looks up to, and is extremely powerful in his own right.
- Aloof Dark Haired Guy: He is certainly aloof and doesn't seem to emote much.
- BFS: He carries around a large sword on his back that's easily his height.
- Even the Guys Want Him: Master Tao is visibly blushing alongside his female disciples when Hero Long appears at the conference.
- The Stoic: He rarely emotes and the one time he even grins was when he was talking with Fan Ai Guo.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Easily checks off all of these tropes.
Elegant Villa
Xie Liang
A young master under the Elegant Villa who is framed for the murder of another master.
- Frame-Up: He was framed for the death of Master Ye when Fan Ai Guo accidentally slammed his spirit back into his body, causing him to come back to life with his original memory intact.
- Near-Death Clairvoyance: He describes this to Hero Long when he questions how he saw the Master Ye's death if he was already killed. He describes it as him floating into the sky while observing what's happening below.
- Quirky Curls: He has natural wavy hair, and given his situation with Fan Ai Guo, he is this.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: While he and Fan Ai Guo bicker a lot in episode 6 he's devastated as he sees Fan Ai Guo's spirit is being forcefully ejected from his body and he quickly finds him a new body to inhabit before he floats too far away.
Fan Ai Guo
A Traveler who is stuck in the body of Xie Liang, and the two constantly fight over control for his body.
- Ahoge: When he's in control of Xie Liang's body, the hair strand that falls in front of Xie Liang's face becomes this. This also appears when Xie Liang kills a nearby mosquito and Fan Ai Guo inhabits its body.
- I Don't Want to Die: As he's forcefully ejected from Xie Liang's body, he tries to grab for the other and screams for help as he's pulled towards the light. He even begs Xie Liang to find him a new body quick before he's gone for good.
- Talking with Signs: When not talking to others or in mortal peril, Fan Ai Guo communicates with Xie Liang by writing.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: While he and Xie Liang bicker a lot and fight for control, episode 6 shows they do care for one another as Xie Liang desperately tries to bring him back to his body and Fan Ai Guo begs Xie Liang to find him a new body quick before he's pulled towards the light.
Liang Palace
Emperor Zhou Jing Yi
The Emperor of the Liang kingdom, and older brother to Prince Yu.
- Big Bad: Serves as one for the story, especially once he starts overtly seeing the Travelers as a threat to his power.
- Big Brother Bully: He tells Prince Yu to dip his salmon into the condiment for it to taste better, not telling him about the large amount of wasabi he put on it and laughs at the Prince when he coughs at the spiciness.
- Implied Death Threat: He casually tells the Prince as they prepare for the world expo to make sure he won't disappoint him, with his brother merely bowing in response.
- Laughing Mad: In the season 1 finale, he lets out a lot of these.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: He makes this argument towards Lou Zhu and the other Travelers as he claims Tuo Huang's movement is in order to usurp his throne and put themselves in power.
Prince Yu, Zhou Rongqi i
The Prince of the Liang kingdom who is the younger brother to the Emperor and is noted to dislike having people close to him and doesn't seem to emote much.
- Accidental Murder: In the final episode of season 1, Jiao Jiao Ran gifts him a gun which he uses to try and kill his brother. It instead kills his eunuch, but he's nonetheless impressed by the power of the firearm and tells Jiao Jiao Ran he will join her cause.
- Adaptational Personality Change: In the novel he's a bit more talkative and show a more laid-back side around Li Ke. Whereas in the donghua presents him as more stoic and closed off but still lets his mask slip around Li Ke.
- Benevolent Boss: This only seems to extend to his personal staff, but he seems to treat them well enough as they are all incredibly loyal to him that they aren't fazed or bothered when he reveals his plans to kill the Emperor to Li Ke.
- Big Brother Instinct: He loved his little brother and his death is one of the reason he wants to get revenge on the emperor.
- Cosmic Plaything: His life as a prince only seemed to set him up for tragedy as he loses everyone he's ever cared for and it's implied by the ending song that he was abused as a child by the current emperor.
- Dark Is Evil: He's willing to go down a very dark road in order to get revenge on the emperor even, killing every patron in a restaurant he and Li Ke were at because Li Ke drunkenly yelled out Prince Yu's plans to kill the emperor. In the season 1 finale, he even ignores all of Li Ke's pleas not to shoot at the emperor and is encouraged by Jiao Jiao Ran.
- Dark and Troubled Past: He lived throughout his childhood and until his adulthood losing everyone he ever cared for to tragic events. His little brother was drowned, his mother was poisoned and his best friend was murdered. It's also implied that he was abused by the current emperor.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He is currently going down a dark path that doesn't care for anyone else's safety if it means he can kill the Emperor. Yet the one person he seems to show genuine care and emotion towards is Li Ke.
- Foreshadow: The ending song for the donghua foreshadows, Prince Yu's death by Li Ke and how his soul would be put inside the knife.
- Non-Action Guy: Subverted. Jiao Jiao Ran notes he doesn't know any martial arts unlike his brother, but then she gifts him a gun which he gladly fires at the Emperor.
- Reluctant Ruler: Subverted. Li Ke asks Prince Yu if the reason he wants to kill the Emperor is because he's mad at the Emperor took the throne that was rightfully his. Prince Yu immediately shoots this down and doesn't seem to really care who sits on the throne.
- Revenge: His entire plot revolves around him getting revenge on the Emperor for killing all of the people he ever loved.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The manly to Li Ke's sensitive. He's all around stoic and hardly emotes, which contrasts against Li Ke who is more open with his emotions.
- Slasher Smile: When Jiao Jiao Ran gifts him a gun and allows him to test fire on the emperor. His smile is absolutely murderous as he prepares to aim and fire.
- The Stoic: Most of the time he doesn't emote. This seems to change a bit when he's around Li Ke.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He is notably cold to everyone around him. Yet he does display a warmer side towards Li Ke which shocks even his close guards.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: One of his most defining features besides his purple hair are his golden eyes.
- Terse Talker: He doesn't mince words, and prefers not wasting his time when talking to others.
- Tragic Keepsake: He kept his childhood friend's flute after the other was murdered, but he seems to have let Li Ke keep it. He also appears to wear his little brother's white jade accessory.
- Trauma Conga Line: Losing his little brother, mother and best friend to the emperor has lead him to become the current cold, distant and vengeful prince he is today.
- We Used to Be Friends: He was once very close to owner of Li Ke's original body whom he even considered to be his best friend. Likely due to the Emperor killing off every person he's loved, he started pushing his friend away. Yet in one of the prince's flashbacks, they still seemed to be on decent terms as his friend would come to his estate every now and then to play him music with his flute. It's also due to his friends death that seemed to have finally pushed the Prince over the edge as he swears revenge on the Emperor no matter the cost.
- When He Smiles: The palace maids note that he would be very handsome if he smiled more. He does let a rare grin slip when he watches Li Ke attempt to play the flute, and the ending song shows him smile a little more.
Concubine Xian
The concubine to the Emperor and elder sister of Xiao Xue who's actually a modern day woman transmigrated into the concubines body.
- Big Sister Instinct: Even though she took over the body of Xiao Xue's original sister, she still treats the girl as if they were actually sisters. When Xiao Xue goes missing, and is only given vague information through her new handmaids, Cocubine Xian suspects something's wrong and tries to flee. However, she only ends up in a jail cell housing tortured Traveler's the emperor keeps hidden and when she asks the man there if he'd seen a girl like Xiao Xue, she becomes horrified when he implies she's already been killed. She then spends the next few episodes downcast and depressed.
- Genre Savvy: She knows that concubines don't have it easy in courtroom politics, and even attempts to make her escape through a tunnel she had been digging for years. Unfortunately this just leads her to a jail cell where other Travelers are kept and tortured by the emperor.
- Loose Lips: When she feels comfortable around someone, she says whatever's on her mind, which ends up getting her into a bit of trouble given where she's stationed.
- Motor Mouth: When she feels comfortable she tends to talk without little regard to how some of her words can come across to others. Xiao Xue even notes this when reporting to Lou Zhu how her sister tends to say whatever's on her mind, "you know how she is".
- Saying Too Much: Being a bit too loose lipped on what the modern day was like can lead people like the Emperor to kidnap her little sister and then imprison her in her room until she finishes her astrology book.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When she notices how suspicious her new maids were acting, she attempts to escape, but ends up in a cell. Later on when Da Dan asks if she's the concubine they were supposed to save she angrily tells him it doesn't matter and to get her out of there.
- The Social Expert: She keeps herself in the Emperor's good graces by flattering him, and quickly picks up on the two brother's hidden hatred for another as she notes they seemed like they wanted to tear the other's head off. When looking at the newspaper of their world, she immediately believes Xie Liang was not the one who murdered Master Ye and saw Elder Xu as the suspicious one. Lou Zhu himself even tells Xiao Xue her sister's "flags" were usually on the mark. She's also very good at selling the products she's created to the palace servants.
Li Ke
An illustration student who transmigrates into the body of Prince Yu's best friend and is tasked to find a poisonous mushroom to cook and feed to the emperor.
- Big Brother Bully: In the donghua he mentions pulling a prank on his brother by mixing two ingredients together and giving him diarrhea which he found to be hilarious.
- Childhood Friend: His original body was childhood friends with Prince Yu, although he doesn't know this.
- Dreadful Musician: Played for laughs. He hasn't practiced playing the flute since he was in middle school, so of course he sounds terrible.
- Expository Hair Style Change: His hairstyle is different than his original body's to show the difference in two after he transmigrates.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: After he transmigrates and is brought to Prince Yu, he has no idea what is happening or what he's needed for.
- Genre Savvy: Given he's watched a lot of shows and read a lot of books he quickly figures out Prince Yu's plan to kill the Emperor and what that would entail with his own fate as the person who is tasked to serve a poisoned dish to him.
- In Vino Veritas: When Prince Yu takes him out to eat at a restaurant he gets completely wasted and gets more emotional than he usually is. Li Ke starts rambling about how he's going to die soon for killing the emperor and then asking Prince Yu where he thinks he'll go if he dies again. He then wonders if his mom realizes he's dead and cries that he misses her.
- Momma's Boy: When he's drunk, he rambles to Prince Yu about his mother and even cries that he misses her and wonders if she realizes he's dead.
- Motor Mouth: He tends to talk a lot, especially when he's nervous or drunk.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When he's contemplating his death after he kills the Emperor, he's uncharacteristically quiet which Prince Yu and his guards note to be very strange considering how chatty he normally is.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The sensitive to Prince Yu's manly. While the Prince is very stoic, Li Ke is emotional and upfront with how he feels, even tending to cry a lot when he feels overwhelmed.
- Smarter Than You Look: While he's slow on the uptake, he quickly figures out that Prince Yu wants him to poison a dish to kill the emperor, with Prince Yu himself even lamp-shading Lin Ke's perceptiveness. While he was rambling when trying to figure out Prince Yu's past and the Prince brushes off most of his claims, the ending song shows that Lin Ke may not have been too far off the mark.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Although he's aware of some of the tropes in the world he transmigrated to, he still misinterprets some things from Prince Yu like how he thinks the Prince wants to kill him after he poisons the Emperor. However, given Prince Yu's personality, it's not hard to see how Li Ke gets the wrong impression.
Liu Wenzhong
The childhood friend of Prince Yu who was noted to be an excellent flute player, but is later on murdered.
- Childhood Friend: He grew up alongside Prince Yu when they were little and he's the only person the Prince has ever called his best friend.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: In the novel, Prince Yu was by his friends side when he suddenly collapsed and died.
- Dreadful Musician: Averted. In the novel, he's well known for his skills in playing the flute and since the Prince apparently liked music, he summoned him to his estate to play.
- Flashback Echo: In the donghua when Li Ke prepares to play the flute for the Prince, he remembers a moment similar to this where his friend played for him.
- Iconic Item: His bamboo flute, which Prince Yu keeps by his side after his death.
- No Name Given: He's not named in the donghua, but he is named in the novel.
- Posthumous Character: He dies some time before the main events of the story and Li Ke transmigrates into his body.
- Riches to Rags: In the ending song for the donghua, he's seen wearing noblemen clothing, but in one of Prince Yu's flashbacks, he's shown wearing the clothes Li Ke is now wearing. So somewhere along the line, his family was cast out of the noble life style.
- The Voiceless: He has no speaking lines so far in the donghua.
- We Used to Be Friends: He and Prince Yu used to be close friends, but if the ending song is anything to go off of, the prince began to push him away and the two started to drift apart. However, in one of Prince Yu's flashbacks, his friend still would come over to his estate to play.
Tuo Huang
Jiao Jiao Ran
A person who works at Best Tower. They're also the leader of a resistance group called Tuo Huang.
- The Corrupter: Jiao Jiao Ran gifts Prince Yu a gun and teaches him how to aim and fire at his brother. While he prepares she whispers in his ear to follow her instructions while Li Ke is off to the side begging Prince Yu to stop.
- Dark Is Evil: Her outfit underneath her Tuo Huang robes.
- The Mole: She works at Best Tower under Lou Zhu and seems to be getting information on Traveller's who she can recruit to her group.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Her first introduction scene shows her glasses doing this when she readjusts it.
- Slasher Smile: She wears a terrifying one as she encourages Prince Yu to shoot the emperor with the gun she made.
- Sensible Heroes, Skimpy Villains: In the finale of season 1, Jiao Jiao Ran shows quite a revealing outfit beneath their Tuo Huang robes.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: They wear large circular glasses and is the leader of the Tuo Huang group. They also brought guns into a xianxia world.
