List of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber characters

Main characters

• Zhang Wuji
• Zhao Min
• Zhou Zhiruo

  Ming Cult

• The Bright Left and Right Messengers serve as the cult leader's deputies.
• * Yang Xiao is the Bright Left Messenger and Yang Buhui's father. During the period of internal conflict in the cult, he served as the cult's acting leader and attempted to master part of the "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" to secure his legitimacy as there were others who disapproved of his leadership. After Zhang Wuji becomes the cult leader, Yang Xiao serves as his adviser and becomes his close friend and confidant.
• * Fan Yao is the Bright Right Messenger. Subsequent to Yang Dingtian's disappearance, he disfigured himself and disguised himself as a mute monk called Kutoutuo so that he could infiltrate Chaghan Temür's army and serve as a spy for the Ming Cult. His cover is blown when he helps the six major orthodox schools escape from Wan'an Monastery after they are drugged and held captive there by Zhao Min.
• The Four Guardian Kings assist the leader in overseeing the cult's activities. They are ranked in order:
• * Daiqisi, nicknamed "Purple Dress Dragon King", is one of the three Sacred Maidens of the Persian Ming Cult and leader of the four Guardian Kings in the Chinese Ming Cult. Born in Persia, she is of Persian-Chinese heritage, with a Chinese father who was a high priest in the Persian Ming Cult and a Persian mother. She was originally sent to China on a secret mandate to steal the lost manual of the "Heaven and Earth Great Shift." On the Bright Peak, she was known as "the most beautiful woman in the wulin," attracting attentions of countless men including Fan Yao. However, she fell for Han Qianye, who came to seek revenge against Yang Dingtian for injuring his father many years ago, after defeating Han in the Icy Lake on behalf of Yang. She was thus adopted as Yang's goddaughter and promoted to be the Guardian King, but her union with Han was disapproved of by the cult members. The couple left the cult after Fan Yao caught Daiqisi emerging from the sanctum in violation of its rules; thereafter, they concealed their identities in the wulin under the titles "Golden Flower Granny" and “Silver Leaf Gentleman”. She also disguised herself as an old woman to avoid persecution by the Persian Ming Cult for breaking her vow of celibacy. She has a daughter, Xiaozhao, whom she sent back to the Bright Peak to steal the "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" manual in the hope of atoning for her sin in the eyes of the Persians. She eventually returns to Persia with Xiaozhao after convincing her daughter to take her place as a Sacred Maiden.
• * Yin Tianzheng, nicknamed "White Brows Eagle King", is Yin Yewang and Yin Susu's father and Zhang Wuji's maternal grandfather. He left the Ming Cult during its internal conflict and founded the Heavenly Eagle Cult in his home region of Jiangnan. After Zhang Wuji becomes the Ming Cult's leader, the Heavenly Eagle Cult merged into the Ming Cult and Yin Tianzheng continued serving as a guardian king. Yin Tianzheng eventually dies of exhaustion while fighting the three Shaolin elders to save Xie Xun.
• * Xie Xun, nicknamed "Golden Haired Lion King", is Zhang Wuji's godfather. His most powerful skill is the Lion's Roar, which allows him to project his inner energy through sound waves and cause internal injuries to everyone in the vicinity. His family was murdered by his former mentor Cheng Kun, who disappeared after committing the atrocity. Guided by fury, he went on a rampage to kill many people and push the blame to Cheng Kun, in the hope of forcing Cheng Kun to come out of hiding, but to no avail. After he kidnapped Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, Yin blinded him with her darts in self-defence when he was in a violent fit of insanity. His insanity was cured when he heard the cries of their newborn son, which reminded him of his own deceased son. He accepted their offer to be the godfather of their son, whom he named "Wuji" in memory of his son. The families and associates of Xie Xun's victims forgive him after his final confrontation with Cheng Kun. Xie Xun ultimately becomes a Buddhist monk for the rest of his life to seek peace and redemption for his past sins.
• * Wei Yixiao, nicknamed "Green Winged Bat King", is unmatched in his qinggong prowess in the jianghu. He once accidentally infected himself with an icy venom while practising the skill Icy Palm. Since then, he has to routinely consume the warm blood of living creatures to keep himself warm. Zhang Wuji cures him later by using the Nine Yang Divine Skill to purge the venom from his body.
• Yang Buhui is Yang Xiao and Ji Xiaofu's daughter. Her name literally means "no regrets" to reflect her mother's love for Yang Xiao. Zhang Wuji helps her escape from Miejue after her mother's death and leads her on a perilous journey to bring her safely to her father. She regards Zhang Wuji as a surrogate elder brother for his care and concern towards her. The trauma of witnessing her mother's death makes her become paranoid of anyone who could be a potential enemy and this intensifies her hatred towards Miejue. This is evident in her treatment towards Xiaozhao, when she and her father suspect Xiaozhao of being a spy from the Emei School. It also made her extremely protective towards her father and Zhang Wuji, whom she sees as what is left of her family and trust only them. She falls in love with Yin Liting, her mother's original fiancé and marries him despite the large age gap between them. They are expecting a child near the end of the novel.
• Zhu Yuanzhang is an ambitious minor leader of the cult who eventually unites the rebel forces under his control and leads them to overthrow the Yuan dynasty. He betrays the cult later and becomes the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty.
• Chang Yuchun is a cult member who travels with Zhang Wuji to Butterfly Valley to seek treatment from Hu Qingniu. He is eventually saved by Zhang but loses forty years of his life.
• Xu Da is a minor leader of the cult. Zhang Wuji presents him with Yue Fei's military text Book of Wumu. Xu Da, who is already a skilled military tactician, studies the book that refined his tactical skills and uses his knowledge to lead the rebels to victory in the battles against the Yuan forces and ultimately captures the Yuan capital Khanbaliq.
• Five Wanderers :
• * Leng Qian, nicknamed "Cold Faced Gentleman".
• * Shuobude, nicknamed "Monk with the Sack".
• * Zhang Zhong, nicknamed "Iron Crowned Taoist".
• * Peng Yingyu, nicknamed "Peng the Monk".
• * Zhou Dian, nicknamed "Lunatic".
• Hu Qingniu is a physician residing in Butterfly Valley. He is nicknamed "Jiansi Bujiu" for his practice of treating the cult's members free of charge but not others regardless of whatever they are willing to pay. When Zhang Wuji visits him, he indirectly imparts his medical knowledge to the boy and helps him slow down the effects of his injury inflicted by the Xuanming Elders. Hu was eventually killed by Daiqisi, who had brought her husband Han Qianye to seek treatment years ago when they had been poisoned. Han died of poisoning after Hu had refused to treat him because Han was not part of the Ming Cult.
• Wang Nangu is Hu Qingniu's wife. In contrast with her husband, she uses her mastery of toxicology to kill people. The couple become rivals in a contest, in which Wang will poison someone while Hu will try to save the person's life. Sharing her husband's liking of Zhang Wuji, she imparts her knowledge to Zhang by leaving behind a book on toxicology she wrote. She is killed along with her husband by Daiqisi when the two attempt to flee Butterfly Valley.
• Yang Dingtian, who is only mentioned by name in the novel, was the former leader of the Ming Cult and one of the most powerful figures in the jianghu in his time. One day, while he was practising the Heaven and Earth Great Shift, he discovered his wife's secret affair with Cheng Kun. He was so infuriated and distracted that the inner energy flow in his body was disrupted, causing him to suffer grievous internal injuries and eventually die.
• Chiefs of the Five Elements factions:
• * Zhuang Zheng is the chief of the Gold Banner Faction who is killed in battle by Miejue.
• * Wu Jingcao is the former deputy chief of the Gold Banner Faction. Zhang Wuji promotes him to chief after Zhuang Zheng's death and tasks him with repairing the damaged Dragon-Slaying Saber.
• * Yan Yuan is the chief of the Earth Banner Faction.
• * Tang Yang is the chief of the Water Banner Faction.
• * Wen Cangsong is the chief of the Wood Banner Faction.
• * Xin Ran is the chief of the Fire Banner Faction.

  Heavenly Eagle Cult

• Yin Susu is Yin Tianzheng's daughter and Zhang Wuji's mother. She meets Zhang Cuishan by chance and both of them are kidnapped by Xie Xun and eventually all three of them end up on Ice Fire Island. She marries Zhang Cuishan and gives birth to Zhang Wuji. When the Zhang family returns to the mainland and are confronted by numerous wulin figures on the whereabouts of Xie Xun, the Zhang couple choose to commit suicide to protect Xie Xun.
• Yin Yewang is Yin Tianzheng's son and Yin Susu's elder brother. He is also Yin Li's father and Zhang Wuji's maternal uncle. His first wife practised the Thousand Spiders Venom Hand, became infertile and disfigured and fell out of her husband's favour. Yin Yewang then took a concubine who bore him two sons. Yin Li killed her stepmother because she often bullied her mother and then fled from home to evade her father's wrath.
• Yin Li is Yin Yewang's estranged daughter and Zhang Wuji's younger cousin. She practises the Thousand Spiders Venom Hand, a deadly skill which causes her face to become disfigured; she is thus known as Zhu'er. Her mother commits suicide to allow her to escape from her father and half-brothers after she killed her stepmother and she has been despised by her father ever since. She encounters Daiqisi, who protects her and accepts her as an apprentice. Later, she develops feelings for Zhang Wuji when she first meets him in her childhood. She is apparently murdered by Zhou Zhiruo at one point, but is eventually revealed to have survived.
• Leaders of the halls and altars:
• * Li Tianyuan is the leader of the Heaven Hall and Yin Tianzheng's junior.
• * Chang Jinpeng is the leader of the Vermilion Bird Altar who is slain by Xie Xun.
• * Bai Guishou is the leader of the Black Tortoise Altar who is slain by Ding Minjun.
• * Cheng Chaofeng is the leader of the Azure Dragon Altar.
• * Gao Shanwang is the leader of the White Tiger Altar
• * Feng Gongying is the leader of the Divine Snake Altar.
• Yin Wufu, Yin Wulu, Yin Wushou are three bandits from the southwest who pledged allegiance to Yin Tianzheng after he saved their lives.