List of Disney's Mulan characters
The following is a list of characters from Disney's 1998 film Mulan, its 2004 sequel Mulan II, and its 2020 remake Mulan.
Fa/Hua family
In the 2020 film, the Fa family name is changed to Hua in English. Hua is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the same word as Fa, which was based on Cantonese romanization.Mulan
Fa Mulan is a young woman who, in place of her father Fa Zhou, enlists in the army as a man named Fa 'Ping. Despite the doubts of others, she defeats Shan Yu and his army and saves China, with the Emperor of China rewarding her for her efforts and China celebrating her return.In the 2020 film, due to her surname being changed, Mulan assumes the pseudonym Hua Jun' while in the army.
Fa Zhou
Fa Zhou is a war veteran who is Mulan's father and Li's husband and, though strict, values his family and their honor. Before Mulan leaves for war, he prays to their ancestors while she sees the matchmaker. When Chi-Fu calls him from the Fa family for military duty, he accepts despite his age and health. Fearing that Zhou is risking his life after having seen him collapse during sword practices, Mulan decides to enlist in his stead and he consoles Li after she leaves. When she returns home after defeating Shan Yu, she gives him Shan Yu's sword and the crest of the emperor, two gifts that honor the Fa family. However, he confesses that he only wanted her to be happy and safe, and that his greatest honor is having her as a daughter.Fa Li
Fa Li is Fa Zhou's wife and Mulan's mother. After Mulan gets hay in her hair, she sends her inside so the dressers can bathe and dress her in time for her meeting with the matchmaker, later consoling her when the matchmaker rejects her. Along with Grandmother Fa, she is shocked at Li Shang's arrival, as they believed she would bring a man home. Mulan II reveals that the only other child she likes is Sha-Ron.Grandmother Fa
Grandmother Fa is Mulan's grandmother, who encourages her to find a husband and gives her an apple, pendant, jade necklace and Cri-Kee to make her look perfect. After Mulan leaves, she picks up a lantern and prays to the ancestors, awakening First Ancestor Fa. Along with Fa Li, she is shocked at Li Shang's arrival, as they believed she would bring a man home. Despite this, she lets him stay for dinner. In Mulan II, she plays a game in the house of Fa and brings food for Mulan and Shang. The character is absent in the live-action adaptation, being replaced by Hua Xiu.First Ancestor Fa
First Ancestor Fa is the eldest member of the Fa family and leader of the ancestors, who brings Mushu to life. When Mushu returns with Mulan, he restores his guardian position.Other ancestors
Other ancestors include a farmer and his wife, who are a parody of American Gothic; a counter who fiddles with his abacus; Fa Deng, whose head is cut off due to Mushu's misguidance to him when he was a guardian; and a woman whose great-granddaughter was a cross-dresser like Mulan.Hua Xiu
In Mulan, Hua Xiu is Mulan's sister and Hua Zhou and Hua Li's daughter. She is based on Mulan's younger brother from The Ballad of Mulan and Mulan's younger sister in the Ming dynasty play Mulan Joins the Army.Chinese military
Li Shang
Captain/General Li Shang is a captain of the Imperial Chinese army and captain of the Royal Guards of China. Though a capable leader dedicated to his cause, he can be too "by-the-book" and puts his duty above his feelings, in contrast to Mulan. He is also reserved and thoughtful, in contrast to Mulan's adventurous personality. In Mulan, Shang is appointed as an army captain by his father, a general, and befriends Ping after she saves his life. Though he learns she is actually a woman, which is forbidden by the empire's law and punishable by death, he spares her and helps her save the empire. Having fallen in love with her, he joins her family for dinner after she returns home.In Mulan II, Shang proposes to Mulan, which she accepts, and is promoted from captain to general by the emperor, who orders him and Mulan to escort his three daughters to a conflicting kingdom in hopes that an arranged marriage between them will bring peace. Throughout the film, Mushu's meddling causes conflict in their relationship, and he seemingly dies after falling into a canyon. However, he is revealed to have survived, and Mushu and Cri-Kee pretend to be the Golden Dragon of Unity and free the princesses from their vows. Mulan and Shang later marry and combine their families' temples so that Mushu can remain Mulan's guardian.
In Chinese naming convention, personal names in Chinese, unlike Western names, present the family/clan name first. This convention was followed in Mulan, but not in Mulan II.
In video games, Shang appears in Kingdom Hearts II in the world Land of Dragons, reprising his role from Mulan. He also appears in Disney Magic Kingdoms, Disney Speedstorm, and the mobile game Disney Heroes: Battle Mode.
In the 2020 film, the character of Li Shang was dropped in response to the MeToo movement, due to the nature of a military conscript having a relationship with a commanding officer. Instead, Li's role was fulfilled by two newly separate characters: Commander Tung, a mentor and teacher to Mulan who leads the Imperial Regiment; and Chen Honghui, a recruit in Tung's unit and Mulan's ally and love interest.
Yao, Ling and Chien-Po
Yao, Ling and Chien-Po are recruits in the army who train alongside Mulan and, after learning that she is a woman, aid her in stopping the surviving Huns by disguising themselves as concubines.In Mulan II, after visiting the matchmaker, who fails to get a match for them, Mulan and Li Shang recruit them to escort the emperor's daughters to the Qui Gong princes they are engaged to. Along the way, they develop feelings for the princesses: Yao with Mei, Ling with Ting-Ting, and Chien-Po with Su, and take them to a carnival. After the princesses admit that their feelings are mutual and that they do not want to marry the princes, despite their duty, Mulan decides to offer herself to the royal family instead. After Mushu pretends to be the Great Golden Dragon of Unity, he commands that they are allowed to marry whoever they want, allowing them to be with Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po.
Yao, Ling, and Chien Po appear in Kingdom Hearts II as supporting characters in the world The Land of Dragons, reprising their roles from Mulan.
Yao
Yao is the self-appointed leader of the trio, who is arrogant and short-tempered. His signature color is red in Mulan and purple in Mulan II. Though he initially picks on Mulan, he befriends her and helps her battle the Huns despite his clumsiness.In Mulan II, he wants to marry a woman who would be impressed with his looks and his fighting ability. He falls in love with Princess Mei, the emperor's middle daughter, who accepts the idea that "my duty is to my heart". In his encounter, he puts the slipper back onto her foot and sets the table for her with oranges, baozi, and tea. He later gives her a stuffed panda bear after winning it at the carnival, and marries her after Mushu grants them permissions.
In the 2020 live-action remake, he is portrayed by Chen Tang. His gruff characteristics are kept, but he is portrayed as more jovial than his animated counterpart.
Ling
Ling is the group's middleman. His signature color is yellow in Mulan and blue in Mulan II. He is friendly and fun-loving and, despite initially picking on Mulan, befriends her and helps her battle the Huns. Despite he and Yao's disagreements, he grows to accept him as their leader. He was the one who coined the phrase "a girl worth fighting for."In Mulan II, he wants to marry a woman who would laugh at his jokes. After falling in love with Princess Ting-Ting, the eldest princess, she is one of the few people who laughs at his jokes. At the carnival, when fireflies accidentally set off firecrackers that hit Ling, she laughs at his misfortune, but he thinks it is cute. At the end, they are able to marry because of Mushu.
In the 2020 live-action remake, he is portrayed by Jimmy Wong. He is depicted as being much friendlier and adept at quoting poetry.
Chien-Po
Chien-Po, also known as Po, is a member of the trio. His signature color is blue in Mulan and green in Mulan II. Though calm, spiritual, and, good-natured, he is naïve and loves food. He also possesses great physical strength, being able to lift multiple people and a massive stone statue with ease.In Mulan II, he wants to marry a woman who is good at cooking and preparing food. He later falls in love with Princess Su, with the two bonding based on their love of food.
In the 2020 live-action remake, he is portrayed by Doua Moua.