01
No single complete biography
Dream accounts, court painting traditions and later scholar legends accumulated across time. They should be compared, not compressed into one unquestioned life story.
02
Protection, expulsion and good fortune
Zhong Kui may guard thresholds, confront dangerous forces, appear in seasonal observances or accompany auspicious imagery. Function changes with place, object and occasion.
03
A fierce face can still carry blessing
Official dress, a sword, spirit attendants and bats can frame authority, controlled disorder and fortune. Paintings also show travel, drinking and family stories, giving the figure a more human range.
04
What this means for the game
Cultural fluency helps us notice references in official footage. It cannot confirm the game's unannounced story. This article therefore ends where official evidence ends.