RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 4 sourceson Google Preferred Source Google News Link copied to clipboard By Marloes Valentina Stella Published Aug 20, 2026, 7:26 AM EDT News But is the protagonist Zhong Kui, or someone else?
10 dark fantasy books to read if you love The Witcher or Game of Thrones 5 games stuck in development hell for 10-plus years Elden Ring's Switch 2 version looks better than ever in new official gameplay Black Myth Zhong Kui protagonist revealed in new gameplay trailer Black Myth: Zhong Kui Sign in to your Polygon.com account The first Black Myth Zhong Kui gameplay trailer follows a surprisingly happy-go-lucky fellow with a top knot as he's off to make music, put on makeup, go camping, build a raft, fish for demons, ride demons, bury demons, and — of course — battle demons. He is, no doubt, Black Myth Zhong Kui 's protagonist… But is he Zhong Kui?
Black Myth Zhong Kui is the second game in Game Science's Black Myth series. Their first action RPG, Black Myth Wukong , was highly praised for its beautiful graphics and combat animations upon its release in August 2024. Black Myth Zhong Kui was revealed a year later, in a two-minute teaser trailer at Gamescom 2025. Although this trailer made it clear that the next Black Myth game would stick with the Chinese folklore theme, we've had to wait for the new gameplay trailer to get a good look at the new protagonist and combat system (they weren't featured in Game Science's demonic cooking show from earlier this year, either).
While this Black Myth Zhong Kui trailer reveals many things regarding the weapon type, enemy types, and setting, it also raises a big question: Who is the main character, and if he's not Zhong Kui, what's his relationship with the Taoist deity who lends his name to the game's title? Clearly, the young and handsome protagonist doesn't match Zhong Kui's traditionally scary appearance, as the latter is usually described as a very large fellow with a big beard and frightening eyes. We already got a look at him in Black Myth Zhong Kui 's reveal trailer, where he wore a dark cloak and rode a tiger.
The first part of the gameplay trailer shows no hints of Zhong Kui. The protagonist appears to be stranded in a remote, mountainous region, where he meets an elderly man. Together they explore the island, escape falling trees, slurp a giant barnacle, and build a raft. It's not long before they run into demons, whom the protagonist defeats with a one-handed blade. Take note of the gourd hanging from his belt; just like in Black Myth Wukong , it seems we'll get to fill this organic flask with attack-boosting and HP-restoring potions again.
After the elderly man seemingly dies and turns into a swarm of tiny snippets, things get more interesting; the protagonist throws a firebomb, then draws fire from the burning trees to enhance his sword. Later, after he takes a swim and is promptly attacked by a clam-winged, barnacled lake monster, he spawns a dark-cloaked companion into the fight — a cloak that appears similar to the one worn by Zhong Kui in the reveal trailer. After a while, the protagonist merges with the cloaked companion, and they continue to fight as one person. Is this cloaked fellow Zhong Kui? An alter ego? An ability granted by Zhong Kui? The first option may seem unlikely at first, as the cloaked companion appears too short and human-like compared to the tiger-riding deity from the reveal trailer, but Zhong Kui was once a mortal man… Perhaps he's young Zhong Kui?
The gameplay trailer ends with a series of sneak peeks wherein the protagonist once again appears alongside the cloaked companion. In the final scene, Zhong Kui is seen riding his tiger on a cliff, revealing a green sword sheath on his back. It looks very similar to the one carried by the protagonist… But it's not quite the same.
The cloaked companion is wielding an arched sabre, so there's no match there, either. It appears we'll have to wait for the next Black Myth Zhong Kui trailer to get more insight into the protagonist's identity, and find out if he's really Zhong Kui split in two.
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