Culture

Zeroes to Heroes

Through its unconventional retelling of Journey to the West, the acclaimed 2D animated feature Nobody captured millions of hearts with its distinctive ink-wash aesthetic while spotlighting modern society’s underdogs

By Yi Ziyi , Li Jing Updated Jan.1

The cover of Nobody (Photo by VCG)

Few could have predicted 2D animated feature Nobody would become quite the somebody by dominating the summer box office and earning a place in the history of Chinese animation.

Directed and written by Yu Shui of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, Nobody is adapted from the 2023 animated anthology Yao - Chinese Folktales. Released on August 2, the film follows a little pig monster who gathers three other creatures to form a motley crew of pilgrims that sets off on their own “journey to the west.” 　

Without dazzling 3D effects or complex modeling, Nobody grossed 1.65 billion yuan (US$231m) by August 15, becoming the highest-grossing 2D animated Chinese film in history. It had reached 1.71 billion yuan (US$240.7m) by November 10 in China. 　

Instead of spotlighting legendary figures such as Ne Zha or the Monkey King, Nobody turns the focus to the anonymous side characters who usually lurk in the background of mythological tales. Focusing on their dreams and disillusionments, the film brings a team of would-be sidekicks into the spotlight.

A visitor takes photos of merchandise for the film Nobody at the 2025 International Film & TV Market held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai, June 24, 2025 (Photo by VCG)

A Luckin Coffee outlet in Dongguan, Guangdong Province uses Nobody-themed cups and paper bags in a promo deal to promote merch for the film, August 11, 2025 (Photo by VCG)

About Us

Nobody is a playful reimagining of Journey to the West, the 16th-century Ming Dynasty classic written by novelist Wu Cheng’en. The original novel is a fantastical retelling of the real-life Buddhist monk Xuanzang’s 7th-century pilgrimage to India to retrieve sacred scriptures. In the story, Xuanzang travels with three supernatural disciples: the Monkey King (Sun Wukong), pig demon Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) and river ogre Sandy (Sha Wujing), who protect him from countless monsters along the way. 　

Founded in 1957, Shanghai Animation Film Studio is China’s oldest. It has produced numerous works inspired by Journey to the West, such as Havoc in Heaven (1961), The Monkey King and the Fruit of Immortality (1981) and The Monkey King Conquers the Demon (1985). The films all center on mythic heroes, especially the mischievous Monkey King. 　

Nobody tells a different kind of story. It follows four nameless monsters living in obscurity on fictitious Langlang Mountain: a pig demon, a toad spirit, a weasel spirit and a gorilla monster. After offending the mountain’s king, they are forced to flee. Disguised as Xuanzang and his three disciples, they embark on their own westward journey. 　

The four little demons embody the struggles and ambitions of modern-day Chinese youth. The toad spirit dreams of a stable, predictable job serving the mountain king, much like young people who pursue security in government or State-owned enterprises, no matter how dull the work. The pig monster, unable to land a job on Langlang for years, seeks out other opportunities beyond the mountain, only to be repeatedly humbled by reality, a reflection of those chasing uncertain opportunities outside the system. 　

The gorilla, large and strong but socially awkward, finds it difficult to communicate or fit in. The weasel, an aimless chatterbox, gradually gains deep understanding about justice and the meaning of life. 　

“Through portraying these minor demon characters, I wanted to show the stories, struggles and predicaments of ordinary young people,” Yu Shui, the film’s director and screenwriter, told NewsChina. “They are grassroots underdogs on Langlang Mountain, and most people in the world are ‘nobodies.’ Naturally, their stories resonate with wider audiences.” 　

Executive producer and art director Chen Liaoyu agrees: “We’ve read and watched so many tales about big heroes in the past. But in reality, most of us are nameless and unknown. Isn’t it just as worthy to tell a story about us?” 　

The film earned a high score of 8.5/10 on Douban, China’s leading media review platform, with viewers praising its empathy and down-to-earth spirit. “They may be marginalized in society, but they’re the pride of their parents,” wrote netizen “Xiao Jin.” “They may be imposters on the road west, but they’re the true protagonists of their own lives.” 　

Another user, “Duduxiong,” shared: “The film is more moving than most live-action dramas. Beneath its humor lies a quiet sadness. These underdogs don’t even know what they’re fighting against. There are no lighthouses guiding their way, yet they still struggle to change their fate, even if nothing really changes. It’s an allegory of ordinary life.”

Posters and promo materials for the film Nobody are displayed at Yongle Plaza in Shanghai, August 9, 2025 (Photo by VCG)

A Nobody-themed exhibition is held in the newly opened Eye of the Bay Area bookstore, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, September 27, 2025 (Photo by VCG)

Ink-washed Up

Over the past decade, China’s animation industry has been dominated by 3D films that dazzled audiences with technical breakthroughs and box office success, from Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015) to Ne Zha 2 (2025). Amid this wave, 2D animation like Nobody has been rare.

For Chen Liaoyu, an animated work’s success does not depend on its form, but on how well that form serves the story. “Each creative team has its own DNA,” Chen said. “Some are technology-driven, others are art-driven. The Nobody team belongs to the latter.”　

Nobody stands out for its artistic excellence and the lyrical beauty of traditional Chinese ink-wash painting. Created by more than 600 artists, the film involved over 1,800 storyboards and 2,000 hand-drawn scenes. 　

Its landscapes of stones, trees, mountains, rivers and villages are rendered in delicate, poetic brushwork, while the characters are drawn with fine-lined precision. 　

“Look at these four little demons. They look casual, vague and insignificant. That’s who they are,” Chen told NewsChina. “If we used 3D modeling, they’d appear too sleek and smooth. They’re not glamorous heroes but nameless nobodies. 2D drawing gives them a sense of clumsiness, which fits them perfectly.” 　

“The lines of the little pig monster’s two tusks, for instance, give a touch of freehand sketching. That’s the unique advantage of 2D animation. It creates a sense of human warmth and intimacy,” Chen added. 　

Nobody dethroned Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume (2022) to become the highest-grossing 2D animated film in Chinese box office history. Tao Ye, deputy dean of the School of Art at Jinan University in Shandong Province, hailed it as “a milestone in Chinese animation.” 　

In his essay “The Reawakening of Chinese 2D Animation: The Meaning of Nobody in Cultural History,” Tao wrote that while Chinese 3D animation has gained global recognition, 2D animation has long been sidelined by investors and audiences as a “sunset art form,” seen as neither advanced nor profitable. 　

“When Nobody broke the 2D box office record for China, the achievement didn’t belong to this film alone,” Tao wrote. “It more honored the 65-year legacy of ink-wash animation dating back to the 1960 classic short Little Tadpoles Search for Mama, produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio.” 　

“Nobody’s success has restored cultural pride in 2D animation. It’s no longer a ‘pre-modern’ form abandoned by the market, but has been reawakened in the digital era. This film not only achieved commercial success, but, more importantly, has once again weaved ink-wash aesthetics into the emotional fabric of contemporary audiences,” he wrote.

Blank Space

For director Yu Shui, presenting “Chinese aesthetics” means far more than piling up traditional motifs like red lanterns, stone lions or misty mountains. He likens these visible elements to “the tip of an iceberg,” while the deeper spirit of Chinese art lies beneath, unseen but essential.

“It’s totally fine for animators to display Chinese-style elements like mountains and rivers drawn in traditional ink-wash painting style,” Yu told NewsChina. “But beneath these elements, we have a much broader, invisible mountain of aesthetics and culture. That is the most significant part of a work. Only when we have explored the deeper facets of this invisible mountain will the authentic Chinese art and culture be revealed in a natural way.” 　

One key concept, Yu explained, is liubai, or “leaving blank space.” In Chinese painting, the untouched areas of a canvas hold as much meaning as the inked ones, inviting imagination and reflection. 　

Yu applied this philosophy narratively in Nobody: the film never reveals the names of its four little demons. 　

Many viewers found the film’s ending particularly moving. A Douban user, “Ku Te,” wrote: “After defeating the main antagonist, the four little demons lose their powers and revert to their animal forms. They never even learn each other’s names. They remain nameless nobodies, their fates unchanged. The sun rises again, as if nothing ever happened.” 　

Yu said he wanted to challenge the tendency to stereotype and judge, especially toward marginalized groups. In traditional myths, demons and spirits are typically cast as villains, but Nobody asks viewers to reconsider. 　

“When it comes to demons, we often think of stereotypes like ‘bad’ and ‘evil.’ Perhaps that’s not true,” Yu said. “Many of those nameless, little demons perhaps just want to make a living. They have their own life, their own frustrations and their own families.” 　

He added that such vilifying of regular people happens online. “Nowadays, individuals are so easily labeled,” Yu continued. “Particularly on the internet, it’s possible to sully or even completely ruin someone’s reputation just because of some minor mistake they happened to make. But people are complex and layered just like the little demons in our story.” 　

“I hope audiences can change their perspectives and view the world with more empathy,” Yu added.

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Zeroes to Heroes