Hero by director Zhang Yimou tells the myth of Nameless, a skilled martial art warrior who attempted to assassinate the King of Quin. He is a hero archetype who sacrifices himself in experiencing the Hero’s Journey for the benefit of all people.
In the Ordinary World which is revealed at 58:18 of the film, Nameless is a man from Zhao. With his unique skills of sword fighting, he wanted to assassinate the King of Quin to revenge for his family that was killed by Quin soldiers. He created a plan in which he would kill the King's enemies including The Sky, The Flying Snow, and The Broken Sword so that he could get the reward of approaching the King to carry out his assassination. As requested by the King, Nameless recounted how he defeated those
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Facing the struggle between individualism and nationalism, he had a quest to undertake. He discovered his inner deep and in accepting that with his courage and determination, he was reborn into a new person. When he reached the comprehension and appreciation of the King’s motive of war, uniting all countries to bring peace to all people, he did not kill the King but chose to be killed by the King’s soldiers. The time when he made his decision is also when he successfully completed the Hero’s Journey. During his journey, the viewers can see the growth of Nameless from a swordsman full of hatred to a hero of his own myth. He is not the same person he was when he first appeared. Even though the journey ended with his death, he returned with the Elixir benefiting his Ordinary World. Recognizing the wisdom through the quest he undertook, he accepted personal sacrifice and bloodshed for the greater social good, the country’s peace. The last stage of his journey is not merely a Return but a kind of Resurrection: die to be reborn. Along the way of the Hero’s Journey, Nameless never tried to be heroic, however, he ended up with becoming a source of inspiration to the King who granted him a magnificent funeral to show his respect to a hero in the end of the