Ne Zha 2 (; also known as ) is a 2025 Chinese animated epic fantasy action-adventure film written and directed by Jiaozi based on the titular mythic figure of Chinese legend and Xu Zhonglin's 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi). It is the direct sequel to Ne Zha (2019). The film takes up the story of Chinese mythological character Ne Zha and his friend Ao Bing. After a sacrifice, only Ne Zha's body can be recreated, although he carries Ao Bing's spirit within. Ne Zha calls on this spirit in his fight against Master Shen.
Ne Zha 2 was released in theaters across China on 29 January 2025, coinciding with the first day of the Chinese New Year. Like its predecessor, the film received highly positive reviews from critics, and achieved even greater commercial success at a gross of $2.2 billion worldwide against a production budget of US$80 million. Ne Zha 2 broke numerous box office records inside and outside China, including becoming the highest-grossing film in a single box office territory, the highest-grossing animated film, being the first adult animated film in this position, the highest-grossing non-English language film and the first animated film in history to cross the $2 billion mark, as well as being the highest-selling animated film based on ticket sales, overtaking The Jungle Book (1967). It also became the highest-grossing film of 2025 and the fifth-highest-grossing film at the time of its release. A sequel is in development.
Plot After Ne Zha and Ao Bing are struck by godly lightning together, their bodies are destroyed. To prevent their souls from dying, Master Taiyi Zhenren exhausts his Seven-Colored Sacred Lotus to regenerate their physical bodies, though they are still fragile. Ao Bing's father Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, believing his son is dead, orders Master Shen Gongbao to attack Chentang Pass with the demons imprisoned under his palace and the other three Dragon Kings of the Four Seas. Ao Bing defends Chentang Pass, but his new body disintegrates due to the effort exerted.
Ao Guang makes a ceasefire deal: Ao Bing and Ne Zha will share Ne Zha's body for seven days, complete three trials to become a xian (immortal) and win a potion that can restore the Sacred Lotus and create a new body for Ao Bing, upon which Ao Guang's forces will retreat. The trials are set by Immortal Wuliang, leader of the heavenly Chan sect. During the trials, candidates complete missions, which were normally performed by the sect's demon hunters, while supervised by Wuliang's disciples Deero and Crana.
Ne Zha takes sleeping pills to hide his demon nature during the trials, allowing Ao Bing to fully control his body temporarily. Together, Ne Zha and Ao Bing complete the first two trials: defeating a village of marmot demons and a master who trains demons to prepare for the xian trials, respectively.
In the meantime, Ao Guang tasks Shen Gongbao with guarding the Chentang Pass. Gongbao is temporarily reunited with his younger brother Shen Xiaobao. Xiaobao then witnesses Ne Zha's second trial where the master Shen Zhengdao, the Shen family's patriarch, is violently captured by the sect's forces. He returns to tell Gongbao of the sect's siege and plunder of their family's village, but is fatally wounded by Deero, dying from his injuries.
Before Ne Zha sets off on his third trial, he is informed that Chentang Pass was destroyed. Enraged, Ne Zha completes the third trial without Ao Bing's help, defeating the stone spirit Shi Ji, becoming xian and obtaining the potion. While Taiyi restores the Sacred Lotus with the potion and regenerates Ao Bing's body, Ne Zha joins Wuliang's forces to trap the dragons in Wuliang's giant cauldron, planning to forge the dragons and demons into Pills of Immortality. However, the other three dragon kings turn against Ao Guang by collaborating with Wuliang to escape the cauldron.
However, Li Jing and Lady Yin arrive at the cauldron unharmed with Ao Bing and Taiyi to explain the truth: Wuliang ordered the destruction of Chentang Pass and framed the dragons for it; he even convinced the other dragon kings to betray Ao Guang and frame him for the attack, all part of Wuliang's true plot to ensure the heavenly sect's domination. Nezha's parents escaped the destruction while Shen, who knew the truth of the attack, took a last stand to defend the city.
Exposed, Wuliang casts Ne Zha's group into the cauldron. As the heat of the cauldron rises, the prisoners are transformed into Pills of Immortality, including Lady Yin. A grieving Ne Zha absorbs the cauldron's samadhi fire, solidifying his new body, and thus is reborn. Alongside the dragons and demons, Ne Zha and Ao Bing break the cauldron and force Wuliang and his cohorts to retreat. In the aftermath, Ao Guang leads the remaining dragons and demons into hiding in the seas while allowing Ao Bing to stay behind and help Ne Zha expose Wuliang's nature.
Wuliang, Deero, and Crana head to a secret prison where Wuliang negotiates with the captive Shen Gongbao and Shen Zhengdao, hoping to recruit them, only to be trapped after Wuliang cursed a warden to sleep for 10 years for mocking his injuries, and that his registered injuries have healed. Ne Zha's older xian brothers Jinzha and Muzha are summoned to meet with Wuliang, but cannot find him when they arrive. Deero and Crana work to get Wuliang's injuries back to match the registered picture.
Voice cast CharacterVoice actorNameDescriptionMandarin ChineseEnglishNe ZhaReincarnation of the Demon Orb, son of Li Jing and Lady Yin.Lü Yanting Joseph Cao (囧森瑟夫) Crystal Lee Griffin Puatu Ao BingReincarnation of the Spirit Pearl and the third son of Ao Guang, Dragon King of the East Sea.Han MoAleks LeLady YinNe Zha's mother and the chieftess who governs Chentang Pass with her husband.Lü QiMichelle YeohLi JingNe Zha's father who governs Chentang Pass with his wife.Chen HaoVincent Rodriguez IIITaiyi ZhenrenNe Zha's master, a Taoist xian who lives on the Kunlun. He serves as the film's comic relief.Zhang JiamingRick ZieffMaster xian WuliangThe ruthless and cunning leader of the Taoist Chan sect.Wang DeshunWilliam Utay Robert Clotworthy Ao GuangThe Dragon King of the East Sea.Li NanYu Chen Christopher SwindleAo RunThe Dragon Queen of the West Sea.Zhou Yongxi Kari WahlgrenShen GongbaoAn Indochinese leopard demon who has ascended to xian, Taiyi's martial brother, and Ao Bing's master.Yang WeiDaniel RiordanDeeroA deer demon and the leader of the Demon Hunters who is one of Wuliang's disciples.Yunqi ZhangDamien HaasCranaA crane demon and one of Wuliang's disciples.XinglinrGrace LuAo QinThe Dragon King of the South Sea.Nan YuFred TatascioreAo ShunThe Dragon King of the North Sea.Yuze HanMichael YurchakShen ZhengdaoThe father of Shen Gongbao who trains animal demons.Zhang JiRichard Epcar Shen XiaobaoA leopard demon who is Shen Gongbao's younger brother and Shen Zhendao's son.Wang ZhixingAidyn Ahn Sea YakshaA monster who can turn into water that Ne Zha and Ao Bing previously defeated.Junpeng RengFred Tatasciore Boundary BeastsTwo barrier-emitting creatures.Joseph CaoLi ZingEric Bauza Marmot BossThe leader of a gang of marmots.Liang ShenAaron LaPlante Marmot Second-in-CommandThe second-in-command of a gang of marmots.Liang ShenEric Bauza Lady Shi JiA powerful stone spirit.Xiao VCandi Milo MirrorA magic mirror owned by Lady Shi Ji.Huang TingErika Ishii Boss of KidsThe leader of the kids that used to pick on Ne Zha. align="left" Kari Wahlgren JinzhaThe older xian brother of Ne Zha.Kai CuiEric Bauza MuzhaThe older xian brother of Ne Zha.Yuze HanDavid Cui Cui
Additional English dub voices by Aidyn Ahn, Steve Allerick, Eric Bauza, Brook Chalmers, David Cui Cui, Richard Epcar, Damien Haas, Erika Ishii, Aaron LaPlante, Grace Lu, Candi Milo, Vincent Rodriguez III, Sean Rohani, Fred Tatasciore, Kari Wahlgren, Michael Yurchak, and Rick Zieff
Production Before the release of Ne Zha (2019), director Jiaozi said that the production team intended to develop a sequel if the film performed well at the box office. Ne Zha was commercially successful, and five days after it was released, the production team stated that a sequel was in development. The sequel was named "Nezha: The demon child churns the sea", or Ne Zha 2 in English. For this movie, the total cost for production reached 600 million yuan, breaking the 200 million yuan record of Deep Sea (2023) to become China's most expensive animated film. The film was also supported by Sichuan Province's funds for major cultural projects, which have an annual budget of 300 million yuan.
Ne Zha and Ne Zha 2 each took five years to produce. More than 4,000 people across 138 animation companies participated in the creation of the film, more than double the 1,600 people in the first film. Producer Liu Wenzhang said that the number of characters in this film is three times that of the previous film, which had more than 1,800 shots, while the sequel had more than 2,400 shots, including more than 1,900 special effects shots.
A documentary, Bùpò-bùlì () was released online on 10 February 2025, which describes the process of making Ne Zha 2.
Character design The character design in the film had been upgraded from the original designs. For the human characters, a layer of fine white hair was added to their faces and tweaked to make them appear more natural and realistic.
Director Jiaozi hoped that all the characters in this film would incorporate elements of Chinese aesthetics. The design of the character "Deer Child" combines elements related to deer, with the patterns on their clothing inspired by traditional folk jade carving art. For the East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang, the production team initially planned to reference the image of the fierce and brutish Prince Kang from the 1992 film Royal Tramp. However, after listening to audience feedback, they decided to change it to a more mature image. Ao Guang's costume, the Dragon Scale Armor, features traditional Chinese tattoo-style dragon patterns to convey a sense of heaviness and strength, aligning with his "lofty" image. Additionally, the design of the "Lingzhu Version Nezha" character pays homage to the image of Nezha from the 1979 Shanghai Animation Film Studio animated feature Nezha Conquers the Dragon King.
The designs of the secondary characters, the underwater demon beasts, were inspired by early Chinese depictions of mythical creatures, incorporating features such as curved tusks, typical of Eastern monsters, which differ from Western monster imagery. To make each demon beast unique, their skin blends various materials, including fish scales and the skin of elephants, crocodiles and turtles.
Differences from novel Although the films are based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods, the production team made significant changes and incorporated family and friendship elements, resulting in differences between the films and the original novel. In a sense, it is its own story featuring the mythological figure Nezha as the protagonist based on the assumption that the mythological character Nezha is the reincarnation of a demon. The Chinese original name of this series includes the word "Mo Tong"(魔童; 'Demon Child') . To distinguish it from other works featuring Nezha as the protagonist, sometimes the series are also known as "Demon Child" or "Demon Child: Ne Zha" in China.