Biao Ren

Hired fighters called Escorts protect targets, criminals for whom the government has issued an arrest warrant. On the eve of civil unrest in the last years of the Sui dynasty, a government of fear and terror is gaining power in China, and feelings of hatred and enmity are emerging among some people. A bounty hunter named Dao Ma travels throughout ancient China with his three-year-old son Xiao Qi and lives with the power of his sword.^[9] One day Dao Ma accepts a mission for which he is guided to the city of Changan. He plans to pay off his debt to a therapist named Mo, and when he travels in the western desert, he accepts a simple mission that turns into a critical, dangerous issue.

Xianzhe Xu wanted to tell a story of the late Sui dynasty by combining martial arts with western genre elements.^[5] Xianzhe Xu had no art training so he began to practice and hone his drawing skills for four years, and researched the weapons, historical items and history of Sui and Tang dynasties.^[11][12] The art style of Biao Ren has been compared to that of three Japanese manga series: Vagabond, Blade of the Immortal, and Sōten Kōro. The author paid attention to details to present a story that is about emotions and destruction in a dark, historical era of ancient China.^[4]

In July 2023, it was announced that a film and television drama adaptation of the Biao Ren manhua was in development.^[39] In December 2023, it was revealed that Yuen Woo-ping would direct the live-action film.^[40] In June 2024, Wu Jing was reported to be the film's producer along with being selected to play the lead role of Dao Ma, with Nicholas Tse joining the cast.^[41][42][43] Filming officially began on July 26 of the same year in Xinjiang.^[44] In the following months Yu Shi and Jet Li joined the cast.^[8][45]

Biao Ren received highly positive reviews for its artwork and storyline.^[4][46] The manhua has garnered widespread acclaim domestically, and currently has a rating of 9.9 out of 10 on Tencent Animation and Comics.^[14] It was featured three times on the Japanese public broadcaster NHK, where it was praised as "a world-class masterpiece of Chinese comics".^[47][48] The series has been praised by some popular Japanese manga artists, including Rumiko Takahashi and Tōru Fujisawa.^[6][49]

Volume one of the manhua sold over 100,000 copies in China within a month of its launch.^[50][51] By 2021, sales of the first ten volumes exceeded one million copies.^[52] The twelfth volume was ranked the fifth-top-selling comic title of the week in Douban.^[53][32] Since its first publication in 2015, the Biao Ren manhua had been viewed on 30 online platforms over a billion times by September 2018,^[12] and over two billion times on more than 50 domestic online platforms by June 2023.^[54]

The donghua adaptation was also well-received by domestic audiences, garnering an 8.4 out of 10 rating on Douban.^[55][56] Outside China, it was regarded as one of the 15 best donghua series by Legit.ng writer Night Mongina.^[57] Margarida Bastos of Collider commented on the unique animation style and "stunning imagery" showcased in the trailer for the animated adaptation.^[58]