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Is Ne Zha 2, A Thinly-Veiled Attack on Children and Cultural Values?

Ne Zha 2' is the highest-grossing animated film in history . (Photo: MUBI)

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By Akerele Christabel

February 20, 2025
3:22 pm
Los Angeles, CA

Ne Zha 2, a Beijing-made animated film, has reportedly become the first movie to cross $1 billion. It has also become the first Asian movie to get into the global box office top 30. The animation premiered on the 29th of January. Ne Zha 2 is a fantasy animation adapted from the mythical hero Ne Zha from famous Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods. It is a sequel to the 2019 Ne Zha; The Devil’s Son is Coming. The first part of the movie showed Ne Zha, who was infected by the Demon Pill and destined to be the Dark Lord struggling against societal prejudice and fate. In Ne Zha 2, he tries to rebuild his physical form after an heavenly calamity tore his body apart with only his

Ne Zha 2 is a fantasy animation adapted from the mythical hero Ne Zha from famous Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods. It is a sequel to the 2019 Ne Zha; The Devil’s Son is Coming. The first part of the movie showed Ne Zha, who was infected by the Demon Pill and destined to be the Dark Lord struggling against societal prejudice and fate. In Ne Zha 2, he tries to rebuild his physical form after an heavenly calamity tore his body apart with only his soul surviving.

In history, Ne Zha was a beloved character by Chinese children, but this tech-powered film depicts a Ne Zha who is hardly recognized.

Why Say “Nay” to Ne Zha?

Ne Zha was produced under the aegis of the Chinese Communist Party. The political themes of resistance and atheism are heavily infused into the movie, shutting out the facts of the traditional myth of Ne Zha, who is regarded as the totem of filial piety and a righteous child. However, the Ne Zha depicted in both installations of the movie is a far cry from filial.

In the original legend, Ne Zha was a prodigy who had gain wisdom from his Dao master, but at the same time, he must go through great trials to purify himself and reduce the Karma he accrued through bad deeds in his previous lives. Only then would he be able to fulfill the mission he was born for and achieve his cultivation status. However, Ne Zha 2 paints another picture: Ne Zha was depicted as a “demon child” who revels in mischief, from stepping on a fairy’s skirt in the sacred Jade Palace of the Kunlun Mountains to urinating into a container of nectar, and drinking his own vomit. In another scene, a demonized Nezha roars slogans such as, “My destiny is mine but not heaven’s” and “If heaven and earth are not to be tolerated, I will turn the world upside down”.

Students of history should feel a sense of deja vu at this point. These lines reflect the Communist Party’s “Internationale” which reads: “There has never been any savior, nor do we rely on gods or emperors”, and that “the old world will be beaten to death”. Those exact same slogans shouting throughout China during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution during 60s. What we are seeing today is an enculturation campaign, with the Chinese Communist Party at the helm, cloaked in entertainment.

Furthermore, cleverly crafted symbolism reveal the US-targeted animosity the Communist Party holds and active encourages through Ne Zha 2. The Jade Void Palace was depicted as a replica of the Pentagon, the United States Department of Defense headquarters. Symbols in the shape of the dollar sign ($) are portrayed throughout. The green card of the Hierophant, which is coveted by worldly immoralists, is a mapping of the U.S. Worker’s ID. Another example is highlighting the U.S eagle symbol on the jade medallions received by those who have attained immortality. There is no doubt: The film is pointing the sword at its western adversary, albeit subtly.

The character settings also highlight China’s view of the United States. Wu Liang Xian Weng, monarch of the celestial realm is depicted as a character who wields absolute power, using it to create problems. Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, criticizes Wu Liang Xian Weng for claiming “to be the beacon of the world but harms all living beings.” If nothing else, this is a cheap shot at the United States.

Furthermore, the Ne Zha movie transpose the notions of good to bad. In Ne Zha 1, the noble Ao Bing was framed as less desirable than the pugnacious Ne Zha. In Ne Zha, humanity is used to suppress the truth and goodness of cultivators/immortals, values that are upheld in traditional Chinese culture. In the virtual scenery of the theater, immortals are shown to be sinister and capricious during conflicts with one another.

The battles of World Wars I and II were about gaining enemy grounds. Ideological warfare and weaponization of literature and art have emerged as one of the tactics of extreme warfare. If the United States remains lethargic about the ideological missiles coming from Beijing, it will be shoveling money into enemy coffers since Americans will pay to watch those movies. In return, it will receive a salvo of attacks on American cultural values founded on God, Truth and Liberty.

America was founded on faith in God, but it is now exposed to a movie that gives the audience a macho sense of superiority from denying and defying God. This strategy is even more insidious based on the fact that Ne Zha 2 is targeting at children and teens in China and elsewhere. Hatred for truth and goodness, contempt for society, and denigration of societal values, will all become schemas formed in the heads of America’s young population. Children and teenagers will grow up to only understand hate, defiance, and violence. Once that happens, the future is bleak, very bleak.