Li Shang

Template:InfoCharacter Li Shang is a character from Kingdom Hearts II. He is the captain of the Chinese Imperial Army of the Land of Dragons sent out to defeat Shan Yu, as well as the love interest of Mulan.

Journal entries

Kingdom Hearts II

Mulan (1998)

A talented young officer whose father is a distinguished general in the Imperial Army.

Captain Shang has to train a disorganized group of recruits who've been drafted to help fight the Huns. He sure is a stickler for discipline, so he must have his hands full getting his inexperienced troops into shape.

Story

Kingdom Hearts II

Li Shang is the captain of the Chinese army, assigned to protect China from falling into the hands of Shan Yu.

He is initially cold towards Ping (who is Mulan in disguise) because of "his" vast shortcomings in terms of fighting, but learns to trust "him" after "he" causes a mountain of snow to fall down on Shan Yu and his army. However, Mushu accidentally lets the truth slip and Shang realizes that Ping is actually Fa Mulan. Though she is supposed to be sentenced to death, he spares her life.

When it turns out that Shan Yu is alive and heading for the Imperial City, Mulan tries to warn him, but he refuses to listen until he sees the truth for himself. He then rescues The Emperor and thanks Mulan, Sora, Donald and Goofy for their help in protecting their country and ultimately defeating Shan Yu. It is at this time when Shang discovers his romantic feelings for Mulan, but is still unable to express them properly, much to the Emperor's amusement.

Upon Sora's second visit, a black hooded man (who is actually Riku) visits the Emperor and easily defeats Shang. After Mulan, Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeat the Storm Rider Heartless, Mulan becomes Shang's partner in protecting their world and their Emperor, much to their pleasure. Sora also learns from the Emperor's description that the hooded man may have been his friend Riku, which puts Shang somewhat at ease.

During the end credits, Shang is seen sharing a romantic moment with Mulan, until the three soldiers, Chien Po, Yao, and Ling reveal that they are spying on them and ruin it.

Appearance

Li Shang has a muscular build and is protected by Chinese armor. The armor is predominantly black, as are his shoes, legs guards, and gauntlets. Shang wears a white shirt and grey pants under the armor, the former of which reaches his knees. His armor seems to leave his elbows and most of his thighs exposed. His jet-black hair is tied back into a topknot with red cloth and he wears a billowing red cape. Shang's sword sheath is tied to the left side of what seems to be another, grey piece of armor that covers his abdomen.

Personality

Li Shang is the highly capable captain of the Chinese army. Being a captain he tends to have an "all work no play" demeanor, followed by being very adamant and dedicated to his cause. He is often found putting duty before his feelings. Despite his harsh exterior, Shang is relatively kind, as seen in kicking Mulan out of the army instead of killing her.

Origin

Li Shang made his first apperance in Disney's 1998 animated feature Mulan. He is chosen by the General to train the new recruits, while the General himself takes the veteran warriors to the front lines to battle Shan Yu. Shang's first job as Captain is to break up a fight between "Ping", Yao, and Ling. He is shown to take his job very seriously as he wants to prove to the Emperor's adviser that he can handle the position of Captain. When he finds out "Ping" is a woman he kicks her out of the army instead of killing her, because he still has some respect for her and she saved his life during Shan Yu's attack at the mountain. Although he seemed very angry when he was dealing with Mulan being a woman, Shang was later shown helping Mulan with her plan to defeat Shan Yu at the Imperial Palace. Together they killed Shan Yu and after revealed their love to each other.