‘The Untamed’: Everything you need to know about Mo Xuanyu
Those just starting out with The Untamed may find themselves in a state of equal parts enamored and equal parts confused. For those that don’t know what we’re talking about, The Untamed is a Chinese fantasy and drama series adapted from the novel entitled Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi) written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu.
One’s instant captivation comes from the show’s beauty. The actors, the set, the costumes – it’s all just simply stunning to watch. For some though, at least initially, there are moments of head scratching confusion. For those unfamiliar with Chinese culture, or the source material might be overwhelmed by all the names, the subtitles, and the fantasy lore that exists.
However, a lot of the initial confusion in the first two episodes centers around Mo Xuanyu (Xiao Zhan) & Wei Wuxian (also played by Xiao Zhan). Here’s why: Mo Xuanyu, as himself, never actually appears in the show. Wei Wuxian is resurrected in Mo Xuanyu’s body after viewers watch Wei Wuxian die in the opening scene.
This is confusing because when Wei Wuxian is resurrected in Mo Xuanyo’s body, the actor doesn’t change. Xiao Zhan, who viewers see plunge off a cliff to his death as Wei Wuxian, wakes up as Wei Wuxian in Mo Xuanyu’s body. It could potentially take those who are totally new to the story some time to work this out, as the clues surrounding this change are subtle.
So if he never actually appears in the show as himself, why is this guy so important to grasping the plotline of the story? Come with us as we teach you everything you need to know about Mo Xuanyu.
Who is he?
Like Jin Guangyao (Zhu Zan Jin), Mo Xuanyu is one of Jin Guangshan’s (Shen Xiao Hai) illegitimate sons. While it isn’t made clear in the show, the source material states that Jin Guangshan broke off the affair with Mo Xuanyu’s mother when he was four years old.
As he grew up, he earned himself quite a reputation in the cultivation community as somewhat of a lunatic. He was known within the community to be outwardly homosexual & developed quite a fascination with demonic cultivation. His family treated him poorly over the years & he suffered much verbal & physical abuse. Eventually, Mo Xuanyu had a complete breakdown.
Elements of this are suggested in the show, but his history is never explicitly outlined in such detail. Eventually, completely tired of the abuse from his family, Mo Xuanyu summons Wei Wuxian into his own body in exchange for enacting revenge on his family. We say exchange loosely here, as Wei Wuxian, who had been dead for the last 16 years, had absolutely no say in the resurrection whatsoever.
His appearance
In the show, we never get to see Mo Xuanyu’s original face, or his body, so we’ll never really know what he looks like. However, in the source material, Wei Wuxian makes a comment in chapter two that he thinks Mo Xuanyu has a nice looking face.
There is one signature thing Mo Xuanyu did in the source material that did make it into the show, even though we never actually get to physically see it. In the source material, Mo Xuanyu would often paint his face white and rouge his cheeks with the intention of making himself appear ghostlike. This is part of the reason why people thought he was a lunatic.
While Wei Wuxian never does this after he is resurrected in Mo Xuanyu’s body, several characters mention it around him and question why his face isn’t painted. These comments clearly pay homage to this aspect of Mo Xuanyu’s character in the novel.
In the show, when Wei Wuxian wakes up in Mo Xuanyu’s body, there is a mask next to his bed. He uses the mask to disguise his true identity, and because the people around him thought he was relatively nuts, no one really questions this decision. It becomes his signature garment for most of the show.
The parallels
Although not considered to be actually crazy, like Mo Xuanyu was, Wei Wuxian is considered to be somewhat rebellious and silly. During the time he spends at Cloud Recesses as a teenager he finds himself in trouble with the Lan clan leaders on multiple occasions.
His own brother, Jiang Cheng, thinks of him as something of a clown and has a hard time taking him seriously often. Some of his peers find this endearing, such as Nie Huang (fix name), and others find it annoying, such as Lan Wangji (initially, at least).
This could be seen as a parallel between the two characters because it seems that they were both naturally out of the ‘ordinary’. Neither of them ever seemed to fit the ‘perfect’ cultivator persona, possibly foreshadowing both of their downfalls from the get-go.
Additionally, in the source material, Mo Xuanyu developed quite a fascination with demonic cultivation. In the show, Wei Wuxian ends up on the same path. Although their intentions surrounding demonic cultivation could be argued as different, the fact remains that they both dabbled in it.
It could be argued that Mo Xuanyu actually chose Wei Wuxian for the task of enacting revenge on his family because of these two glaringly obvious parallels between both their characters.
The source material also reveals that both characters are of the gay persuasion. Wei Wuxian is clearly into Lan Wangji, while Mo Xuanyu, unfortunately, developed feelings for his brother. It is unclear if this played a factor in Mo Xuanyu’s choice for resurrecting Wei Wuxian, or not.
Understanding the connections between these two characters is crucial to making it out of the first couple of episodes confusion-free. Did you watch and feel like you were missing something? We challenge you to go back now that you’re armed with this information and try again. Drop a comment and let us know if it makes a difference to your viewing experience!
In The Untamed, few characters are as crucial—and as misunderstood—as Mo Xuanyu. Though he appears briefly, Mo Xuanyu is the narrative hinge on which the entire series turns. Without him, there is no resurrection, no reckoning, and no second life for Wei Wuxian.
Mo Xuanyu is introduced as a disgraced cultivator living in isolation within the Jin Clan’s territory. Publicly, he is dismissed as unstable, weak, and shameful—a figure others prefer to forget. Privately, he is a deeply traumatized young man whose life has been shaped by rejection, abuse, and erasure. His marginalization is not incidental; it is the reason the story can begin again.
The defining act of Mo Xuanyu’s life is the forbidden sacrificial ritual he performs. This ritual allows a resentful spirit to take over his body in exchange for vengeance against those who wronged him. The spirit he summons is Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch, long presumed dead. Mo Xuanyu willingly gives up his body and his future, effectively erasing himself so that his grievances can be avenged through another.
This choice is not framed as madness. It is framed as desperation. Mo Xuanyu has no remaining social power, no protection, and no path to justice within the cultivation world. The ritual is his final assertion of agency in a system that has already decided he is disposable.
Importantly, Mo Xuanyu is not simply a vessel. The series makes clear that his suffering matters, even if it is overshadowed by Wei Wuxian’s return. His resentment fuels the ritual; his pain authorizes it. The demonic cultivation that follows is only possible because Mo Xuanyu’s grievances are legitimate under the show’s moral logic. This is a recurring theme in The Untamed: corruption comes not from resentment itself, but from societies that create it and then refuse to acknowledge it.
Mo Xuanyu’s backstory is revealed in fragments. He is a relative of Jin Guangyao, brought into the Jin Clan only to be humiliated and cast out. Accusations, rumors, and abuse follow him until his reputation is irreparably destroyed. Whether every claim against him is true is ultimately irrelevant. What matters is that no one is interested in protecting him or clarifying the truth. The cultivation world values order and reputation over individual justice.
In 2026, Mo Xuanyu reads as an especially modern figure. He represents the people erased by institutions that prioritize image over harm reduction. His story anticipates contemporary conversations about scapegoating, mental health, and what happens when abuse is dismissed as personal failure. He is not powerful, talented, or charismatic in the way most fantasy protagonists are. That is precisely why his sacrifice lands so hard.
Once Wei Wuxian inhabits Mo Xuanyu’s body, the character largely disappears from the narrative. This absence is deliberate. Mo Xuanyu is not rewarded, redeemed, or remembered by the world within the story. His role is complete the moment justice is set in motion. The audience is left to carry his memory, even as the characters move on.
There is also a symbolic dimension to Mo Xuanyu’s function. He represents the cost of resurrection. Wei Wuxian’s second life is not a miracle; it is a debt paid by someone else. This complicates any reading of the series as simple wish fulfillment. Every second chance in The Untamed is purchased with loss, often by those least able to afford it.
Fans often debate whether Mo Xuanyu’s fate is tragic or empowering. The answer is both. His final act is one of agency, but it exists within a framework of systemic cruelty. He chooses the only option left to him. The show does not pretend that this is fair.
Understanding Mo Xuanyu is essential to understanding The Untamed itself. He is the proof that the story is not just about heroes and villains, but about whose suffering is acknowledged and whose is erased. His silence after the ritual is not a narrative oversight. It is the point.
Everything you need to know about Mo Xuanyu
In The Untamed, Mo Xuanyu is one of the most pivotal characters despite having the least on-screen presence. His life, suffering, and final choice are the structural trigger for the entire story. Without Mo Xuanyu, Wei Wuxian does not return, the truth remains buried, and the moral reckoning at the heart of the series never happens.
Mo Xuanyu is introduced as a disgraced and ostracized cultivator associated with the Jin Clan. From the moment he appears, he is framed as expendable. He lives in isolation, mocked, feared, and dismissed as unstable. The cultivation world has already decided his value: none. This judgment is not based on proven wrongdoing so much as rumor, discomfort, and institutional convenience.
His marginalization is essential to understanding his role. Mo Xuanyu exists outside protection. He has no sect willing to defend him, no elders advocating on his behalf, and no social standing to counter accusations. In a world governed by reputation and hierarchy, this is a death sentence long before the sacrificial ritual ever occurs.
The defining act of Mo Xuanyu’s life is the forbidden sacrifice ritual he performs to summon Wei Wuxian. The terms are explicit and irreversible. He offers his body and soul in exchange for vengeance against those who wronged him. This is not possession by force; it is a contract. Mo Xuanyu consents fully, knowing he will cease to exist as an individual once the ritual is complete.
Crucially, the series does not frame this decision as insanity. It frames it as despair mixed with agency. Mo Xuanyu does not choose death because he wants to disappear. He chooses it because the world has already erased him. The ritual is the only mechanism left to assert that his suffering mattered.
His grievances fuel the demonic cultivation that follows. Wei Wuxian can only return because Mo Xuanyu’s resentment is legitimate. This is a consistent moral rule in The Untamed: resentment is not evil by default. It becomes dangerous when ignored, suppressed, or exploited. Mo Xuanyu’s pain authorizes the supernatural act. Without it, resurrection would be impossible.
Mo Xuanyu’s backstory is revealed gradually. He is connected to Jin Guangyao and brought into the Jin Clan under ambiguous circumstances. Rather than protection, this proximity exposes him to humiliation, abuse, and rumor. Accusations against him circulate freely, but the show deliberately withholds full confirmation. The ambiguity is the point. Whether every accusation is true matters less than the fact that no one bothers to investigate or intervene.
This treatment reflects the cultivation world’s core flaw: order is valued over justice. Removing Mo Xuanyu is easier than protecting him. Casting him out preserves appearances. His life becomes collateral damage in service of institutional stability.
Once Wei Wuxian inhabits Mo Xuanyu’s body, Mo Xuanyu effectively vanishes from the narrative. He is not remembered publicly. He receives no posthumous honor. His name is not rehabilitated. This absence is not accidental. It reinforces one of the series’ most unsettling truths: systems built on reputation rarely correct themselves, even after benefiting from someone’s sacrifice.
Symbolically, Mo Xuanyu represents the cost of second chances. Wei Wuxian’s resurrection is not a miracle; it is a transaction paid for by someone with no alternatives. This prevents the story from indulging in pure fantasy wish fulfillment. Every act of restoration is grounded in loss.
In a 2026 context, Mo Xuanyu reads as painfully contemporary. He embodies the people discarded by institutions that prioritize image, hierarchy, and silence over care. He is scapegoated, pathologized, and isolated until self-erasure feels like the only remaining form of control. His story anticipates modern conversations about abuse, mental health, and how easily marginalized individuals are labeled “difficult” rather than protected.
There is ongoing debate among fans about whether Mo Xuanyu’s final act is empowering or tragic. The answer is deliberately unresolved. He exercises agency, but only within a system that has stripped him of every other option. The show does not romanticize this. It presents it as a moral failure of the world around him, not a noble destiny.
Understanding Mo Xuanyu is essential to understanding The Untamed. He is the quiet foundation beneath the epic narrative. His suffering makes the story possible, even as the world he leaves behind refuses to acknowledge him. His disappearance is not a plot hole. It is the point.
