The Legendary Nezha: From Buddhist Guardian to Rebellious Icon on the Silver Screen

During the Chinese New Year season in the Year of the Snake in 2025, the magical child Nezha caused a viewing frenzy on the big screen.

According to Maoyan Professional Edition data, as of February 8th at 2:15 PM, the film "Ne Zha" (also known as "Ne Zha 2") has cumulatively grossed over 708.9 million yuan!

This achievement not only topped the all-time box office chart in China, but also broke multiple records for Chinese animation films and Chinese New Year releases in terms of box office revenue and attendance. It has even become the global box office champion in a single market.

In this series of films, Nezha's distinctive "smoky makeup" appearance has left a deep impression on the audience. So, where does this iconic character come from?

Tracing the past and present of Nezha, we find that his character has undergone a unique evolutionary trajectory: from an Indian Buddhist protective deity to a young hero; from Buddhist and Taoist origins to a classic of Ming and Qing dynasty literature; and most recently, to becoming the "magic child" who defies destiny and challenges authority, leaping onto the modern silver screen.

In the first chapter of the book "The Nine Incense Sticks of Global History: Nezha, Dragon Agarwood, and Tambora", author Professor Yang Bin traces the origins of Nezha and explores the concept of the lotus birth/transformation that Nezha represents and its spread and evolution across Eurasia.

A Protective Deity in Buddhist Tradition

Nezha did not originate from China, but rather has foreign roots, initially being a protective deity in Buddhist tradition. Nezha (also known as "Nalakuvara") is a transliteration of the Sanskrit term, with full names including Narayana Kumaraswami, Nalakubara, and Nalakuvara.

In 420 CE, the Buddhist scripture "Buddhacarita" first recorded Nezha's origins: "Vaisravana, the King of the North, gave birth to Nalakuvara." Vaisravana is the North Heavenly King, commonly known as Tudigong (the Earth God), so later folk legends referred to Nezha as the "Third Prince of the Tudigong".

Vaisravana and Nezha from the Dunhuang murals. This image is a partial view of the "Shakyamuni Buddha and the Protective Deities" from the Musée Guimet in France.

When Buddhist protective deities were first introduced from India, they often had fierce and terrifying appearances to subdue demons and protect the Dharma. Nezha's initial image was also filled with violent elements. In Buddhist scriptures, Nezha is depicted with three heads and six arms, wrathful in appearance, holding a vajra scepter and trampling on evil dragons, with the duty of vanquishing demons and guarding the Dharma, even to the point of tearing his own flesh and bones to prove his devotion. It was later that his image evolved into a childlike form due to his princely status.

Since Nezha originated from India, the birthplace of Buddhism, it is natural to trace his roots there.

Professor Yang Bin cites the research of Israeli Sinologist Shavit Yaron, pointing out that the Chinese Nezha is a combination of two Indian mythological figures: the Yaksha Nalakuvara from the Ramayana and the god Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita. They both possess immense power and are portrayed as child deities, and both have the feat of slaying a giant serpent, which became the prototype for Nezha's dragon-subduing narrative.

Interestingly, although Nezha is a Buddhist protective deity, he is highly revered in the folk beliefs of Southeast China, which inspired the writing of this book. In the summer of 2017, after the author Yang Bin began teaching at the University of Macau, he noticed that the tiny Macau peninsula actually has two Nezha temples: the A-Ma Nezha Temple (inscribed as part of the Macau Historic Centre on the World Heritage List in 2005) and the Shek Kok Nezha Ancient Temple.

Nezha Temple in Macau. Source: Macau World Heritage website

In Macau, Nezha the Third Prince has a large following. The local people believe that Nezha manifests as a childlike figure with a topknot and big belly, protecting children. Later, people believed that Nezha could also cure diseases, so those seeking medical help flocked to his temples. Due to his responsiveness to prayers, Nezha's temples became very popular, and whenever epidemics occurred, the local people would seek help from the Nezha ancient temple.

On June 25, 2013, the "Nezha Folk Belief" stamp was issued in Macau, with the miniature sheet featuring the Nezha temple.

Nezha's influence gradually expanded, becoming the protective deity of a region, and the key factor was still his ability to dispel epidemics and diseases. The belief in Nezha's power to ward off plagues is also very prominent in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The Young Hero in Ming and Qing Novels

The widespread popularity of Nezha's image is due to two Ming dynasty novels: "Journey to the West" and "Investiture of the Gods". As Professor Yang Bin points out in the book, in "Journey to the West", Nezha is portrayed as a Buddhist deity, while in "Investiture of the Gods", Nezha transforms into a Taoist protective deity.

In "Journey to the West", Nezha is depicted as the son of Pagoda-Bearer Li Jing, who is forced to commit suicide. The book describes:

"Nezha was enraged, holding a knife in his hand, cutting his flesh to return to his mother, stripping his bones to return to his father, returning the paternal essence and maternal blood, a wisp of spirit, directly to the Western Pure Land to tell the Buddha. The Buddha was lecturing the Bodhisattvas when he heard someone calling for help. The Buddha's wise eyes looked and saw that it was Nezha's soul, so he used a lotus root as bone, a lotus leaf as clothing, and recited the true words to revive the dead."

Here, it is the Buddha who helps Nezha return to life. Nezha's lotus-like rebirth is the origin of the "lotus transformation" concept associated with him.

In "Investiture of the Gods", Nezha's story is expanded with a more complete background. Nezha is reincarnated from a divine pearl, tasked by the Primordial Lord to assist Jiang Ziya in defeating the Shang dynasty. As a child, he subdued the sea and slew the dragon, later being revived by the Taoist Immortal Tiandi, and ultimately reconciling with Li Jing. His weapons include the Wind Fire Wheels, Fire Spear, Demon-Taming Lasso, and Crescent Moon Rings.

Source: "The Legend of Nezha"

In "Investiture of the Gods", the one who helps Nezha return to life is the Taoist Immortal Tiandi, not the Buddhist Buddha. The Taoists adopted Nezha from Buddhism, and this more comprehensive Nezha image became the blueprint for many later adaptations.

While "Investiture of the Gods" provides a more complete portrayal of Nezha, it is actually largely plagiarized from the Ming dynasty book "Soushen Daquan" (A Compendium of Researches on the Supernatural). Volume 7 of "Soushen Daquan" records: "Nezha was originally a great Taoist immortal under the Jade Emperor, with a height of six zhang, wearing a golden wheel on his head, and having three heads and nine eyes with eight arms."