Yang Jian

Yang Jian is introduced as a mystic from Kunlun who is taught by Yuding Zhenren and is a prominent support character in the series. He is well known for his incredible shape-shifting, enabling him to mimic anyone he desires perfectly. In Mystic Heroes, he is known as Captain Dax. In the English version of Saiyuki: Journey West, his given name is Jiro Shingun and he is the Cavalier Guardian.

Role in Games
Like Taigong Wang, Yang Jian is ordered by his master to inspect the human world in Fengshen Yanyi. He infiltrated King Zhou's domain, Morning Song, under the disguise of a common servant maiden. When the hero is thrown into prison, Yang Jian -still under his disguise- frees him and Huang Feihu and returns their stolen possessions. He guides them to the Huang home and reveals his true form to defend himself from one of Hu Ximei's minions. After his formal introduction, he agrees to aid the group's escape before leaving to report to his master. During his time away from Taigong Wang's party, he infiltrates Morning Song once more and learns that they are receiving assistance from the Nine Emperor Gods lead by Tongtian Jiaozhu. Once he hears that Wen Zhong has left the capital, Yang Jian departs from his position to rejoin Taigong Wang.

By this time, the group was fighting Yu Hua. Disguised as a common soldier, Yang Jian interrupts the battle to deliver a false report about the enemy position. He taunts the enemy commander before attacking him and reports his findings to Taigong Wang after the battle. Yu Hua, who escaped death, never forgot the humiliation Yang Jian caused him and confronts the party a second time during their march back to Morning Song. Unlike their first encounter, Yu Hua perfected a new destructive weapon and wounds Yang Jian. He is seemingly taken by his master back to Kunlun to recover. However, when Taigong Wang's party confronts Yu Hua shortly after, Yang Jian descends from the heavens under the guise of Yu Hua's master, Yu Yuan, and slays him. The real Yu Yuan enters the scene to avenge his pupil but he is also defeated. Yang Jian continues to fight with Taigong Wang and returns to his training when peace is restored.

Yang Jian returns as a supporting character in the rest of the series. In Fengshen Yanyi 2, he appears to rescue Ziya and his party as the team's sixth party member. After his brief assistance, he returns to Kunlun. He returns later in the game as a permanent member. He is one of the characters who start with Ziya in Mystic Heroes.

In Magical Fengshen, he is one of the four legendary heroes who is accredited to sealing Da Ji's soul. His whereabouts are unknown by the common people and Ne Zha only presumes that he is at Animal Forest, a place where the spirits of animals reside. Sora and his friends find him impersonating a tiger ghost. As a reward, he gives them two treasures, one of which can allow them to shift into any form. Since the kids are still inexperienced, he informs them that they can only transform into fish for now. He gives them a clue to find Taigong Wang, saying that he has been spotted sitting near a river.

He also appears as one of Sanzo's Guardians in Saiyuki: Journey West. Sanzo finds him resting on the highest peak at Dragon Cliff. He calmly explains that the people hounding the monk are devils who are the mortal enemies of Heaven. Before he can elaborate, Nagini appears so he hastily pardons himself into Sanzo's staff. When he is summoned, he increases the move of Sanzo's party and gives Sanzo the power to float. He attacks with his trademark spear in a short radius near Sanzo.

Personality
A calm and collected man, Yang Jian is one of the voice of reasons in the group. He is proud of his versatility, especially his shape shifting abilities. Sometimes, however, he loses track of when he is in disguise and may slip into them as a subtle reflex. In the first game, he only broke his composure when dealing with his self-proclaimed fiancée, Long Ji Gongzhu.

Fighting Style
Yang Jian is a character who has overall balanced stats. He is a good fighter and his high magic stat makes him a solid spell caster. He can easily adjust to any role that the player wants him to take in the party. In Fengshen Yanyi, he can also summon his divine dog to attack opponents. In Fengshen Yanyi 2 and Mystic Heroes, his attacks have an ice motif to them.

The following lists his starting weapon and magic proficiencies in Fengshen Yanyi.
 * Sword - 1/7
 * Spear - 3/8
 * Club - n/a
 * Bow - n/a
 * Earth - 2/7
 * Healing - n/a
 * Illusion - n/a
 * Chi - 3/8

The following lists his stats in Mystic Heroes.
 * Magic Type:Ice
 * Power:3/4
 * Magic:3/4
 * Jump/Speed:2/4

Fengshen Yanyi
Yang Jian was an extraordinary taoist master and a disciple of Jade Tripod. He mastered the art of seventy-two different transformations and was a man with a third eye on his forehead. He was known to have used a Three Point Double Edge Blade and his divine hound in battle.

He first introduces himself in chapter 40 and volunteers to deal with the troublesome teamwork of Jiang Ziya's current opposition from Zhou, the Diablo Brothers -Mo Lihong, Mo Liqing, Mo Lihai, and Mo Lishou. Before his arrival, West Qi City barricaded itself from their attacks and forced a ceasefire for three months. When Yang Jian left the city gates, he saved the supply troop by flinging himself into the mouth of Mo Lishou's elephant. Still living inside the belly of the beast, he broke free from its flesh and reported his actions to the Prime Minister. Using the mink's appearance, he slips back to the Diablo Brothers' camp. He steals Lihong's legendary umbrella during the night and hands it to Jiang Ziya. He continues to act as Lishou's pet until the next day when the Diablo Brothers faced Huang Tianhua. Lishou ordered his elephant to trample the youth and the master was met with surprise when his so-called pet stamped its feet on him instead. Thanks to their efforts, the Diablo Brothers were defeated and their heads were hung over West Qi's walls.

He continues to serve Jiang Ziya by offering sage advice and warnings to many of the following conflicts. His versatility with his morphing abilities allows him to escape capture several times and his hound wounded several of the his enemies. His quick thinking and deceptive tricks were major contributors to strengthening and defending the West Qi forces.

He helped recruited Earth Traveler Sun by finding the trick behind his taoism and personally informed the dwarf's master, Krakucchanda. When West Qi City was infested by a plague caused by the enemy, Yang Jian stalled for time by erecting straw and clay soldiers to momentarily scare the opposition. As his master replaced his position for maintaining the spell, he visits the Three Holy Masters and received the cure from the Emperor of Heaven, Fu Xi. He then was one of the four main defenders for the weakened city. Knowing that his foe had an appetite for hearts, he replaced his heart with an internally damaging mass of magic to greatly weaken Ma Yuan. Later, when facing the reputed Yu Hua, he allowed himself to get poisoned in the arm by his enemy's dagger just so he could analyze the toxin. To gain the antidote, he disguised himself as Yu Hua and went to the man's master, Yu Yuan, with the pretext that he stabbed himself with his dagger and needed a cure immediately. Yu Yuan granted this request and realized too late that he had been tricked. With Thunderbolt, Yang Jian was able to deal a mortal blow to the general who "never suffered defeat".

Yang Jian was one of the six taoists who survived to see the end of the Shang Dynasty. At the end of the war, he executed one of Da Ji's sisters, Hu Ximei. Like the other five taoists, he decides to retreat into hermitage rather than stay in the newly found empire.