- "Get up, I'll allow you to die like a warrior!"
- ―Lan Di before delivering the death blow to Iwao
Longsun Zhao (Hànzì: 趙龍孫, Pinyin: Zhào Lóngsūn, On'yomi: Chō Ryūson), most commonly known by the name Lan Di (Hànzì: 蓝帝, Pinyin: Lándì, On'yomi: Rantei; lit. "Indigo/Blue Emperor"), is a high ranking member of a Chinese cartel known as the Chi You Men, and the lead antagonist in the Shenmue series. He is one of the leaders of the Chi You Men.
Appearance[]
Lan Di can be considered on the large side at a height of 185 cm (about 6'1"). His dark hair is tied into a queue at the back. He bears a vicious looking scar on his left cheek. He has a tattoo on his wrist of the insignia of the Chi You Men. His countenance is mysterious, serious, imposing, intimidating, humorless and lacking of expressed empathy.
Lan Di is constantly seen wearing a green ceremonial robe with a dragon print.
Chi You Men[]
Lan Di is a known figure among the four leading rank members of the Chi You Men, alongside Niao Sun (Yan Di), Hao Di (White Tiger) and Xuan Di (Black Tortoise). Based in China, they tend to shy away from appearing in public, as to not draw attention to themselves.
Although their true intentions are unknown, the Chi You Men are searching for the Phoenix Mirror which Ryo Hazuki has in his possession. This mirror is said to, when combined with the Dragon Mirror, create a map, which should lead to secrets unknown, possibly leading to some king of resurrection of the old Qing dynasty East of India into China.
Despite being a secretive organization to the general public, their presence is known in the right circles. Both the Yellow Heads and the Mad Angels knew of and were working for Lan Di. Yuanda Zhu had hidden himself from the Chi You Men as he had become a target of them.
Shenmue[]
Lan Di was in search of a mysterious stone mirror known as the Dragon Mirror. His search led him to the home of Iwao Hazuki, whom he had some connection with in the past. Iwao's son, Ryo, had just returned home, and arrived at the dojo in time to see the two older men arguing. Iwao refused to divulge the information of the mirror's whereabouts, and the two martial artists engaged in a short fight. Lan Di ultimately won, and knocked Iwao to the ground. Angered, Ryo charged at the man but was easily beaten in a single blow. Lan Di approached Ryo, picking him up and holding him in the air by his neck. Lan Di then told Iwao to give him the location of the mirror, or his son would die. Just as Lan Di was about to deliver a fatal blow to Ryo's side, Iwao relented, revealing to Lan Di that the mirror was buried beneath the cherry tree in the Hazuki garden. Lan Di's henchmen walked outside to retrieve the mirror, leaving the others alone. Lan Di then asked Iwao if he remembered a "Sunming Zhao", which he revealed to be the name of a man Iwao had supposedly murdered in a rural Chinese village called Mengcun. Iwao expressed fear and surprise as he suddenly recognized Lan Di, and the two engaged in combat.
Lan Di dodged Iwao's attacks easily, and mortally wounded him with a deadly blow of the Tiger Swallow Style, a move described in a mysterious scroll Ryo later finds in the dojo. Lan Di allowed Iwao to stand so that he could die like a warrior. Iwao got to his feet, and Ryo was forced to watch as his father was mortally wounded with a savage blow. The suits then returned, having retrieved the mirror, and Lan Di left Ryo alone with his dying father.
After the murder of Iwao Hazuki, Lan Di left the town quickly, driving away in a black, luxurious-looking car, killing a neighborhood cat on his way out. The driver of the car also got into a heated argument with Tom Johnson, the American hotdog stand owner and a friend of Ryo's. It was from him that Ryo was able to learn about Lan Di's existence, as Tom had gotten a brief glimpse at Lan Di's withering stare.
Lan Di remained in Japan for a short time afterward, presumably seeking more information regarding his own quest. He then headed to New Yokosuka Harbor before moving on to Hong Kong.
Shenmue II[]
Lan Di's whereabouts for the duration of Ryo Hazuki's stay in Hong Kong is relatively unknown, though is seen briefly in Kowloon, arriving via a helicopter to the roof of the Yellow Head Building to pick up Yuanda Zhu who Dou Niu had captured for him. Before he can leave with his prisoner, however, Zhu is saved by Ryo and Wuying Ren, and he leaves empty handed. As he heads towards Guilin, he seems to acknowledge Ryo, perhaps impressed with the young man's persistence and undeniable skill.
It is revealed by Yuanda Zhu that Lan Di's real name is Longsun Zhao, and that he is the son of Sunming Zhao, the man that Iwao Hazuki killed in Mengcun. Lan Di believes that Iwao was the man who murdered his father, and this was his reason for killing him. Zhu also reveals that Lan Di has left for Bailu Village, a small hamlet deep in the mountains of Guilin, where the two mirrors were created out of Phantom River Stone. Ryo again vows to follow Lan Di and travels to Guilin to continue his quest.
Shenmue III[]
Ryo finally tracks Lan Di at the top of Niaowu's old castle. Lan Di has been working alongside fellow Chi You Men leader Niao Sun, although Niao tries to betray him and kill him via burning, with intents of ruling the Chi You Men by herself.
Lan Di is seen sitting on a sofa with three men whom Ryo and Ren easily defeat. Lan Di comments that Ryo's abilities have improved. Ryo challenges Lan Di, but Lan Di is not even phased by Ryo's attacks. As the fire engulfs the building, Lan Di grapples Ryo, dismissing Ryo's path to vengeance as a death wish and promising to reunite him with his father. Ren distracts Lan Di by throwing a fake Phoenix Mirror out a window. Lan Di is last seen in the burning building, although his calmness implies he will not die.
Yunshen Yuan reaffirms Ryo's knowledge that Lan Di is the son of Sunming Zhao, an acquaintance of Ryo's father who was entrusted with the mirrors. Yuan reveals Lan Di was raised by the Chi You Men, and that Lan Di is probably at a cliff temple that Sunming visited.
Shenmue the Animation[]
Lan Di appears as the main antagonist in the anime of the Shenmue series, Shenmue the Animation.
In Episode 1, he murders Iwao and steals the dragon mirror from him like how he does in the game. The major difference in this scene is that Lan Di was the one who gave Ryo the scar on his cheek. In the games, Ryo had the scar and bandage on his cheek from the start of the series.
In Episode 2, he appears in a nightmare Ryo has at the beginning of the episode. Ryo asks why did he kill his father, and he tells him that he really doesn't know his father like he thinks he does. He also is briefly shown at his hideout.
Killed Victims[]
- Iwao Hazuki: Lan Di killed Iwao on November 29th, 1986 and stole the dragon mirror. According to Yuanda Zhu, Lan Di murdered Iwao because he killed his father Sunming Zhao and it was a act of revenge.
- Ryo Hazuki (Non-canon): If Ryo stays in Yokosuka until April 15th, 1987 a bad ending will occur. Lan Di demands the phoenix mirror; Ryo refuses so he kills him using the same move he used to kill his father. In Shenmue III, Ryo can also be killed in the Bad Ending.
- Shenhua Ling (possible, non-canon): If Ryo doesn't do the main quest in Shenmue II, Lan Di is seen approaching Shenhua, ominously saying he will take her power.
Quotes[]
- "Do you remember Sunming Zhao?"
- "I heard there's another mirror. ... Give it to me now! ... If that's the way you want it, I'll just take it from you!" (Lan Di about to kill Ryo for the Phoenix Mirror in the bad ending of the first Shenmue.)
- "I shall take your power, for the Chiyoumen." (Lan Di approaching Shenhua in the bad ending of Shenmue II.)
- "Hmph. It seems you've improved a bit." (Lan Di after seeing Ryo easily defeat his men in Shenmue III.)
- "You really have a death wish, don't you? ... Then allow me to reunite you with your father." (Lan Di after easily overpowering Ryo during their fight in Shenmue III.)
Trivia[]
- Lan Di's zodiac sign is Leo and he has a A blood type.
- The Shenmue team initially called and often referred him as Cang Long (蒼龍, On'yomi: Sōryū, lit. "Pale Dragon") but then changed his name to make it more unique.
- In the beginning of development, Lan Di had a lion-like hair style, but then they tied his hair up because of the large amount of polygons involved and the subsequent difficulty with controlling his hair movement.
- Niao Sun and Lan Di may be hiding in a Shenmue III trailer.[1]
- Yu Suzuki said in an interview that by the end of the Shenmue saga, Ryo does eventually overcome and lets go of his desire to get revenge on Lan Di. However, this does not necessarily mean Lan Di never dies, as there is a possibility of Lan Di accidentally dying somehow. Another possibility is that Lan Di winds up in a situation where he takes his own life, or Lan Di is killed by someone else (such as Ziming Hong).
- Lan Di's Japanese voice actor Takahiro Sakurai voices him in the Japanese version of all of the games and in the anime, and is one of the two original voice actors to reprise their role in all forms of Shenmue media, with the other being Masaya Matsukaze as Ryo.
- Sakurai is also the Japanese voice actor for Goro Mihashi, Shiro Kurita and Kouji Hase in Shenmue and Zongquan Bai and the original male version of Yuan in Shenmue II, although those roles are unccredited.
- Lan Di's original English voice actor for the first two games Paul Lucas did not reprise his role in Shenmue III, and was replaced by Kyle McCarley.
- Fans have made a mod for the PC version of the game to replace Lan Di's voice with Lucas' voice. They were able to get Lucas to re-record the lines, as well as Eric Kelso to reprise his roles as Wuying Ren, Guizhang Chen and Fuku-san since he did not return as well. [2]
Gallery[]
Shenmue Wiki has a gallery for Longsun Zhao. |