Mo Dao Zu Shi () is a Chinese donghua series based on the novel of the same name written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (). It is produced by Tencent Penguin Pictures and B.C May Pictures. The series depicts a fictional xianxia world where humans attempt to cultivate to a state of immortality, known as xian (). The protagonist of the series, Wei Wuxian, due to certain circumstances, deviated from the conventional cultivation path to xian and eventually created Guidao (the Ghost Path).
The first season, titled Qian Chen Pian (), aired from July 9 to October 6, 2018, on Tencent Video for 15 episodes. The second season, titled Xian Yun Pian (), aired from August 3 to 31, 2019, for 8 episodes. A chibi series, titled Mo Dao Zu Shi Q, aired from July 31, 2020, to January 29, 2021, and ran for 30 episodes. The third and final season, titled Wán Jié Piān (), aired from August 7 to October 16, 2021, for 12 episodes. The first two seasons were released on Crunchyroll on December 11, 2024.
Synopsis Despite his efforts during the Sunshot Campaign to bring down the tyrannical Wen Clan, Wei Wuxian () was feared by the world for the unorthodox cultivation path he created. Thirteen years after he was killed, he is summoned into the body of a man called Mo Xuanyu (), who was rejected by his clan and despised by his family, therefore sacrificing his own body to Wei Wuxian so he would be avenged. It is in the Mo house where Wei Wuxian comes across a dismembered left arm causing death and havoc. His attempts to uncover the mystery of the left arm will guide him to a familiar face from the past with whom he will embark on a journey that will lead them to unravel what lies behind the tragic events that caused the deaths of so many, including Wei Wuxian himself.
Episodes
Characters
Main characters Wei Ying (), courtesy name Wuxian () Voiced by: Lu Zhixing (Chinese drama cd), Zhang Jie (Chinese dub), Shim Gyu-hyuk (Korean dub), Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Japanese drama cd), Ryohei Kimura (Japanese dub)
Wei Wuxian is the title protagonist of the series. He is the founder of the Demonic Path (), earning him the title Yiling Laozu (). He is intelligent, optimistic, mischievous but good-hearted. Talented and infamous, his unorthodox methods and unrestrained nature put him at odds with the rest of the cultivation world. Orphaned at a young age and taken in by his parents’ friend Jiang Fengmian, Wei Wuxian is raised in the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, where he becomes head disciple and grows up with Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli. During his education as a teenager, he travels to Gusu to study at Cloud Recesses and meets Lan Wangji, with whom he develops a tentative friendship, and later misunderstandings. After the Qishan Wen Clan launches an aggressive campaign to subjugate all other cultivation clans, Wei Wuxian becomes a war hero through his use of demonic methods. Other clans covet and distrust his novel power; he further antagonizes them by protecting the survivors of the Wen Clan and dies an enemy of the cultivation world. Thirteen years later, he is reborn in the body of Mo Xuanyu and must unravel a murder mystery alongside his oldest friend, Lan Wangji.
Lan Zhan (), courtesy name Wangji (). Voiced by: Wei Chao (Chinese drama cd), Bian Jiang (Chinese dub), Ryu Seung-gon (Korean dub), Satoshi Hino (Japanese drama cd), Shinnosuke Tachibana (Japanese dub) Lan Wangji, titled Hanguang-Jun (), is the second young master and one of the Twin Jades of the Gusu Lan Clan. Despite having an exquisite bearing and incomparable beauty, his strict and aloof nature makes him appear nonchalant and distant. He is renowned for his skill in battle and for his strong moral compass, known to be "where the chaos is" for aiding citizens without caring for fame or glory of Night Hunts. During his youth, he has various encounters with Wei Wuxian wherein they appear to have very little similarities in personalities and interests.
At the beginning of the story, Lan Wangji is a teacher of Lan Clan disciples; he first appears at Mo Village when they are attacked by a mysterious demonic arm, and reunites with the resurrected Wei Wuxian whom he protects and grows closer to as they unravel the mystery.
Gusu Lan Clan Lan Clan of Gusu () is a cultivation clan based in the Cloud Recesses (), a residence on a remote mountain outside the city of Gusu. All disciples wear a white band across their foreheads. Additional embroidery of the clan emblem adorns the headbands of inner disciples, who are from the inner family.
Clan Motto: Upright; Righteous ()
Clan Emblem: Rolling Clouds ()
Lan Huan (), courtesy name Xichen (). Voiced by: Wang Kai (Chinese drama cd), Jin Xian (Chinese dub), Kim Young-sun (Korean dub), Morikawa Toshiyuki (Japanese dub, drama cd)
Lan Xichen is the leader of the Lan Clan. Titled Zewu-Jun (), he is one of the Three Zun () alongside his sworn brothers Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao, the latter of with whom he shares an especially close relationship. He has a warm and trusting personality.
Lan Qiren () Voiced by: Song Ming (Chinese drama cd), Liu Cong (Chinese dub), Lee Chang-min (Korean dub), Shingaki Tarusuke (Japanese drama cd), Sakamaki Mitsuhiro (Japanese dub)
Lan Qiren is an elder of the Lan Clan, a strict teacher known for producing outstanding students. After his brother Qingheng Jun () went into seclusion, he acted as de facto leader of the clan. He also raised his nephews Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji whom he taught to tirelessly learn and obey the rules of the clan.
Lan Yuan (), courtesy name Sizhui () Voiced by: Qian Wenqing (Chinese drama cd), Chengzhang Taikang (Chinese dub), Nam Doh-hyeong (Korean dub), Yūsuke Kobayashi (Japanese drama cd), Shimba Tsuchiya (Japanese dub)
Lan Sizhui is a teenage inner disciple of the Lan Clan. He is intelligent and even-tempered. He admires Lan Wangji whom he sees as a big brother or father figure and quickly takes a liking to “Mo Xuanyu” as Wei Wuxian. He is close friends with Lan Jingyi and later with Jin Ling.
Lan Jingyi () Voiced by: (Chinese drama cd), Wang Chenguang (Chinese dub), Jeong Joo-won (Korean dub), Hiro Shimono (Japanese drama cd), Soma Saito (Japanese dub)
Lan Jingyi is a disciple of the Lan Clan. He is short-tempered and dislikes rule breakers. He is close friends with Lan Sizhui and later with Jin Ling.
Lanling Jin Clan Jin Clan of Lanling () is a cultivation clan based in Golden Carp Tower, Lanling.
Meng Yao (), legitimized as Jin Guangyao () Voiced by: Jiang Guangtao (Chinese drama cd), Yang Tianxiang (Chinese dub), Lee Ho-san (Korean dub), Akira Ishida (Japanese dub, drama cd)
Titled Lianfang-Zun (), Jin Guangyao is the leader of the Jin Clan and the first Chief Cultivator (), the leader of all cultivation clans. Initially illegitimate, he was formally recognized by his father Jin Guangshan and accepted into the Jin family due to his wartime accomplishments. He is Jin Ling’s paternal uncle and also one of Three Zun alongside his sworn brothers Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue. He is an intelligent and competent ruler, but many look down on him due to his status as the son of a prostitute. He shares an especially close relationship with Lan Xichen due to the latter’s nonjudgmental nature.
Jin Ling (), courtesy name Rulan () Voiced by: Li Lanling (Chinese drama cd), Su Shangqing (Chinese dub), Lee Kyung-tae (Korean dub), Ayumu Murase (Japanese drama cd), Yuki Kaji (Japanese dub)
Jin Ling is a disciple of the Jin Clan and the heir to the Jin clan. He is the son of Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan and the nephew of both Jin Guangyao and Jiang Cheng. He has a spiritual dog named Fairy, given to him by Jin Guangyao. He is prideful and short-tempered and initially has troublegetting along with his peers and he doesn't have many friends his age. He takes a liking to Wei Wuxian when he returns as "Mo Xuanyu." He also becomes close friends with Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi.
Jin Guangshan () Voiced by: Xiao Tan (Chinese drama cd), Li Longbin (Chinese dub), Park Sang-hoon (Korean dub), Sho Hayami (Japanese dub, drama cd)
Jin Guangshan was the former leader of the Jin Clan whose ambitions rivaled Wen Ruohan's. He viciously punished the remainder of the Wen Clan after the war and clashed with Wei Wuxian over their treatment. A womanizer, he had three known children from affairs: Meng Yao, Mo Xuanyu, and Qin Su. Jin Zixuan was his only legitimate son until he legitimized Meng Yao.
Jin Zixuan () Voiced by: Liu Mingyue (Chinese drama cd), Gu Jiangshan (Chinese du ), Kim Hyun-wook (Korean dub), Hiroki Takahashi (Japanese drama cd), Kenji Akabane (Japanese dub)
Jin Zixuan was Jin Guangshan's son and heir to the Jin Clan, as well as Jiang Yanli's husband and the father of Jin Ling. He initially clashed with Wei Wuxian due to his brash personality. An outstanding talent, Jin Zixuan initially disdained the betrothal he had to Jiang Yanli, whom he viewed as unremarkable, but he gradually grew to love her after understanding her true character. He died when Jin Ling was still a toddler.
Qin Su () Qin Su is the wife of Jin Guangyao and the daughter of Qin Cangye, the leader of the Laoling Qin Clan, a subsidiary of the Jin Clan. They married after Jin Guangyao saved her life during the war.
Mo Xuanyu () Voiced by: Tong Xin (Chinese drama cd), Zhang Jie (Chinese dub), Shim Gyu-hyuk (Korean dub), Nakayama Kazuhisa (Japanese drama cd), Ryohei Kimura (Japanese dub)
Mo Xuanyu was one of Jin Guangshan's illegitimate sons and a former disciple of the Jin Clan. He sacrificed his soul to summon Wei Wuxian to exact revenge on the Mo family for abusing him. In his living days, he was seen as a lunatic and a "cut-sleeve."
Qinghe Nie Clan Nie Clan of Qinghe () is a cultivation clan that resides in the Unclean Realm.
Nie Huaisang () Voiced by: Qi Sijia (Chinese drama cd), Liu Sanmu (Chinese dub), Kim Myung-jun (Korean dub), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese drama cd), Natsuki Hanae (Japanese dub)
Nie Huaisang is the current leader of the Nie Clan and the younger half-brother of Nie Mingjue, as well as an old school friend of Wei Wuxian with whom he often slacked off. Known for his incompetence, he is widely called Head Shaker (, ).
Nie Mingjue () Voiced by: Feng Sheng (Chinese drama cd), Guan Shu'ai (Chinese dub), Lee Hyeon (Korean dub), Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese drama cd), Hiroshi Shirokuma (Japanese dub)
Titled Chifeng-Zun (), Nie Mingjue was the former leader of the Nie Clan and the older half-brother of Nie Huaisang. He is one of the Three Zun alongside his sworn brothers Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen. He was strict with a bad temper and an intolerance for anything deviating from his definition of morality. He publicly experienced a qi deviation, common in his clan, and disappeared soon thereafter. He is presumed dead at the beginning of the novel.
Qishan Wen Clan Wen Clan of Qishan () is a cultivation clan based in the Nightless City (). The clan was destroyed during the Sunshot Campaign, where some survivors, specifically Wen Ning and Wen Qing's family branch, were taken under the wing of Wuxian.
Clan Emblem: the Sun, meaning to compete with the sun and to live as long as the sun (，)
Wen Ning (), courtesy name Qionglin (). Voiced by: Teng Xin (Chinese drama cd), Shao Tong (Chinese dub), Kim Ji-yul (Korean dub), Soichiro Hoshi (Japanese drama cd), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese dub)
Wen Ning is a branch family member of the Wen Clan and Wen Qing's younger brother. When he was alive, he was a stutterer and shy around people. In his youth, he met Wei Wuxian during an archery tournament, and later protected both him and Jiang Cheng during the Siege of Lotus Pier. After the downfall of the Wen clan, he was sent to one of the Jin Clan’s forced labor camps and murdered. Wei Wuxian later resurrected him as a fierce corpse, and he became known as the Ghost General ().
Wen Qing ()