全职高手
The King's Avatar
Glory's best player, kicked out of his club, starts over behind the counter of an internet café
Synopsis
Ye Xiu is a legend of Glory, the most popular online game in the country. People call him the "textbook player", the one whose style everyone studies. Yet his club, Excellent Era, pushes him out and takes away his character, One Autumn Leaf.
With no team and no account, Ye Xiu takes a job as the night-shift manager of Happy Internet Café, run by Chen Guo. On Glory's brand-new tenth server, he creates a classless character, Lord Grim, armed with an unfinished weapon, the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella. His goal: climb all the way back to the top of the pro league.
Adapted from Hu Dielan's novel, the donghua premiered on 7 April 2017 on Tencent Video and Bilibili, produced by B.CMAY Pictures and later taken over by Colored Pencil Animation. Three seasons, a film and a special have been released; a fourth season has been announced.
World
The story takes place in present-day China, where Glory rules the esports scene. Players move between the real world (internet cafés, training rooms, stadium finals) and the game, with its servers, guilds, dungeons and pro league, where clubs such as Excellent Era, Tiny Herb and Blue Rain clash every season.
Power system
In Glory, every character belongs to a class: Battle Mage, Launcher, Knight, Assassin… Ye Xiu makes a rare choice: he stays "Unspecialized" so he can combine the skills of every other class. His weapon, the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella, changes shape to suit the situation. Above all, the game rewards hand speed, game sense and experience.
Reception & popularity
The first season was one of 2017's big hits on Tencent Video and Bilibili, carried by an already huge readership. Its formula, real-life scenes in 2D and battles in 3D, was widely praised. The change of studio and the long gaps between seasons have divided fans.
My take
The King's Avatar is the best esports donghua, and one of the most accessible. No cultivation, no immortals: just a gaming genius, an internet café and a ragtag team. Ye Xiu, laid-back and sarcastic, is a hero you love to follow.
The first season is excellent. Later seasons suffer from the studio change and an uneven pace, and the gaming jargon may lose non-gamers. But the team matches keep the real thrill of a sports film.
Who is it for?Watch it if you like sports stories, online games, or anime such as Haikyu!! and Log Horizon.
Main characters
More character profiles are coming.
Adaptations
This franchise also exists in other formats — each with its own pacing and audience.
Trivia
- The novel was written by Hu Dielan, who had already written another online-game novel, Near-Combat Mage (网游之近战法师).
- Every 29 May, fans celebrate Ye Xiu's birthday, a ritual that has become an event on Chinese social media.
If you liked…
More donghua to discover after The King's Avatar: same author or same genres.
