Xiang An

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Xiang An (项安)
Alias(es)	Xiang Nuo; Type One; King of Northern Chu; Yama of Northern Chu; King Yama 805 1025 1037
Species/Race	Artificial being created as a “Savior Machine”; later summoned as a Heroic Spirit Servant 966 1037
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Xiang Family; Western Chu (formerly); Northern Chu; Fujimaru Ritsuka as Servant Master 811 997 1011 1037
Occupation/Role	Military commander, King of Northern Chu, strategist, statesman, calligrapher 897 1011 1025
Status	Died in 202 BCE; later exists as a summoned Servant 1025 1037
First Appearance	Chapter 805 805

Background / History

Xiang An was created jointly by Qin Shi Huang and Xiang Chao as a weapon to secure the Central Plains against threats beyond its borders. Originally designated Type One, he was recognized as Xiang Chao’s second son, given the Xiang clan name, the given name Nuo, and the courtesy name An. His elder brother, Type Zero, became Xiang Yu. 805 966

Alongside Xiang Yu, Xiang Chao, and Wen Ju, Xiang An participated in the extermination of foreign tribes beyond the frontier. Their campaign through the southwestern rainforest killed an enormous number of nonhuman enemies and culminated in their struggle against Taotie’s remains. 807 2367

After Xiang Chao’s disappearance, Xiang Yu and Xiang An were accepted by Xiang Liang as his nephews and raised within the Xiang Family. Xiang Liang tested and trained them in martial arts, literacy, and military strategy. 811 815 843

The postscript records him publicly as a Ji-clan member of the Xiang lineage, younger brother of Xiang Yu, grandson of Xiang Yan, and a native of Xiaxiang. It dates his life to 232–202 BCE, though Zi Juan later estimated that his actual creation was around 227 BCE. 1025 1006

Appearance

Xiang An is a tall, burly man whose face resembles Xiang Yu’s, though he lacks his brother’s natural fierceness. He later grows a beard and begins showing gray-white roots in his hair under the strain of war. 850 979 1006

• Carries an exceptionally large, modular Great Pi as his favored weapon. 840 867
• Often fights mounted on Surging Wave Gallop. 866 958
• Uses a ferocious foreign-tribe mask in battle to project a more intimidating presence. 985
• As the King Yama Servant, appears with the Great Majesty King Yama Mask, Yama’s Great Pi, Thousand-Pace Bow, and Life-Slaughter Bronze Sword. 1069

Personality

Xiang An is notably sensitive, empathetic, and emotionally driven compared with Xiang Yu. Xiang Chao deliberately gave him greater mobility and emotions inclined toward sensitivity, while Xiang Yu was designed around rationality and future calculation. 2290

He is playful with family, frequently teasing Xiang Yu and Yu Meiren, worrying over Zi Juan’s future, and taking responsibility for his younger siblings. He does not seek succession within the Xiang Family and initially resists the idea of ruling the realm himself. 837 868 873

As a commander, he is practical and humble rather than arrogant. He considers terrain, troop numbers, supply lines, enemy defenses, and civilian suffering; he also gives his own winter clothes to soldiers in need. 919 943 988

His compassion does not prevent brutality. When protecting Northern Chu or retaliating against threats, he can execute captives, massacre surrendering troops, and rule through fear. His fury at Peng Yue’s slander and the deaths of his soldiers exposes the depth of his resentment toward those who profited from the suffering of his frontier campaign. 984 992 1003

Abilities & Skills

Savior Machine Physiology

Xiang An was built as a weapon of salvation rather than born as an ordinary human.

• Possesses extraordinary physical strength, speed, endurance, and recovery. 850 996
• Can wield weapons too heavy for veteran generals, including a 444-jin Great Pi. 866
• Can expend magical power in battle, though pushing it to its limit causes severe backlash and life-threatening injury. 948 1012
• Unlike Xiang Yu, he was designed with emotional sensitivity and greater operational mobility. 2290

Great Pi Mastery

Xiang An’s primary weapon is an immense three-zhang Great Pi, built to his specifications and separable into three shaft sections and a pi head. 840 843 867

• Uses the weapon for sweeping anti-infantry attacks, mounted charges, duels, and siege warfare. 840 906 1018
• His coordination with Surging Wave Gallop took nearly two years to develop. 866
• He can bend the weapon’s shaft through brute force and wield it faster than Xiang Yu can respond with the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd. 996
• The weapon broke during his battle against Xiang Yu at the Yellow River. 996

Mastery of Weapons

Xiang An is proficient with spears, dagger-axes, pi, halberds, axes, swords, lances, bows, and other arms. 854

• Is an accomplished archer, only somewhat below Xiang Jing’s level. 944
• Can effectively wield improvised weapons; he once wounded a controlled Mountain Lord with a hoe. 944
• As a Servant, his Noble Phantasm Military Formation: Mastery of a Hundred Weapons lets him wield any object classified as a weapon as naturally as his own limbs. 1070

Mounted Combat

Xiang An is an exceptional cavalry fighter and has a close bond with Surging Wave Gallop.

• Tamed the fierce black steed by force after it injured Xiang Bo. 849 850
• Uses the horse’s speed and intelligence to coordinate devastating mounted attacks. 866 867
• Personally tends to the injuries of Surging Wave Gallop and Wu Zhui after battle. 958

Military Command and Strategy

Xiang An combines aggressive frontline leadership with strategic adaptability.

• Was promoted to assistant general after the Xutai Ferry Crossing operation and placed in command of two divisions, while Zi Juan commanded a third. 897
• Led surprise assaults on Dantu, Xutai Ferry Crossing, Zhan County, Jia County, White Horse City, Jibei, Yan, and other targets. 888 895 903 943 1006
• Frequently incorporated Han Xin’s strategy while remaining capable of independently altering plans when battlefield conditions changed. 895 941 943
• Preferred swift raids and psychological pressure during heavy snowfall rather than costly direct assaults. 988 990
• Led from the front in nearly every battle, strengthening his army’s morale but exposing himself to repeated injury. 942 1018

King Yama’s Death Judgment

As a Servant, Xiang An can manifest the authority associated with his later identity as the King Yama of Northern Chu.

• Summons three thousand yin soldiers and the Four Ghost Generals. 1069
• Surrounds the battlefield with dense yin energy capable of killing approaching Celtic soldiers through cold. 1069 1091
• The Noble Phantasm is tied to the painful losses of the four generals and three thousand soldiers from his life. 1054
• Can deploy his forces across a broad area while personally leaving the battlefield to pursue another objective. 1091

Noble Phantasms

Xiang An possesses eight Noble Phantasms, an unusually high number for a Servant, though he states that only two or three are of genuinely high quality and several cannot be released. 1037

• Yama’s Great Pi — his principal weapon Noble Phantasm. 1037 1069
• Military Formation: Mastery of a Hundred Weapons — universal weapon mastery. 1070
• King Yama’s Death Judgment — summons yin soldiers and Ghost Generals. 1069
• His other life-used weapons became supplementary Noble Phantasms. 1037

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Great Pi / Yama’s Great Pi — a four-section, three-zhang polearm weighing 444 jin in life. 866 867 1037
• Surging Wave Gallop — Xiang An’s intelligent thousand-li steed and closest mount. 866 958
• Eight-Faced Life-Slaughter Bronze Sword — ceremonial sword and symbol of his kingship. 1037 1091
• Thousand-Pace Bow — Servant armament carried alongside his sword and Great Pi. 1054 1069
• Great Majesty King Yama Mask — battle mask used to invoke King Yama’s Death Judgment. 1069
• Underworld Military Tally — an authority-bearing tally Xiang An can grant to Liao Ye. 1231
• Foreign-tribe mask — made by Liao Ye and Wei Hao to make Xiang An appear more fearsome in battle. 985

Relationships

• Xiang Yu — Elder brother, fellow Savior Machine, and the person to whom Xiang An was most devoted. Their opposing priorities—Xiang An’s sensitivity and Xiang Yu’s rationality—eventually split Western Chu and led them to a devastating duel. 805 997 1015 2290
• Xiang Chao — Creator and adoptive father who named Xiang An, entered him into the Xiang ancestral hall, and designed him as a defender of the Central Plains. 805 966 2368
• Qin Shi Huang — Xiang An’s co-creator and, by Xiang An’s own reasoning, another father figure. 966 1007
• Xiang Liang — Uncle and mentor who accepted him into the Xiang Family, trained him, and recognized his potential as an unmatched general. 811 815 866
• Zi Juan — Adoptive younger sister and trusted general. Xiang An protects her, supports her adjustment to family life, and later relies on her as Northern Chu’s foremost commander. 837 1003 1010
• Xiang Jing — Younger brother whose transformation through war worries Xiang An, even as the two fight together. 895 964
• Xiang Lu — Fourth uncle and confidant. Xiang An is especially comfortable speaking openly with him, and Xiang Lu remains at his side through Northern Chu’s final campaign. 837 1024
• Han Xin — Adviser and strategist who deeply admired Xiang An’s potential but abandoned him after Xiang An repeatedly refused to leave Xiang Yu. They later became opposing commanders. 897 964 971 999
• Liao Ye — Loyal retainer, military steward, and later one of Xiang An’s Four Ghost Generals. 894 985 1231
• Yu Meiren — Sister-in-law. Xiang An teases her relationship with Xiang Yu but later discusses Xiang Yu’s humanity and regrets with her after two thousand years. 868 2290
• Ziying — Former Qin emperor whom Xiang An treated with respect, revealed his origins to, and later personally saw into seclusion. 966 972
• Fujimaru Ritsuka — Master who summons Xiang An as a Servant. 1037

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early Life and Xiang Family Adoption

• Receives the name Xiang An from Xiang Chao after living as Type One. 805
• Fights foreign races in the southwest beside Xiang Yu and Xiang Chao. 807
• Is accepted into the Xiang Family with Xiang Yu and trained by Xiang Liang. 811 815

Rise as a Chu Commander

• Demonstrates his Great Pi technique, mounted combat, and capacity to serve as a battlefield general. 840 866
• Helps the Xiang Family seize Kuaiji at the beginning of its rebellion. 881
• Commands surprise attacks during the campaigns against Qin forces and rises to assistant general. 888 895 897
• Works closely with Han Xin while winning successive engagements through direct leadership and tactical planning. 895 919 942

Conflict with Xiang Yu

• Becomes increasingly disturbed by Xiang Yu’s decisions after the latter’s memories and rational tendencies reawaken. 938 964
• Opposes Xiang Yu’s division of the realm into eighteen fiefs, arguing that the Central Plains needs peace rather than further war. 969
• Refuses Han Xin’s repeated pleas to abandon Xiang Yu, hoping instead to restore his brother’s humanity. 971
• Finally duels Xiang Yu at the Yellow River; both brothers are grievously injured, and Xiang An leaves Western Chu afterward. 996 997

King of Northern Chu

• Establishes Northern Chu to pursue stability in the Central Plains after concluding that Xiang Yu will not become its ruler. 972 1011
• Defeats Jibei, executes Tian An, and buries 20,000 Changshan soldiers as a warning against intervention. 992
• Conquers territory in Yan and receives the submission of Liaodong. 1006
• Wins popular support in Qi through disaster relief despite Peng Yue’s campaign to ruin his reputation. 1005
• Performs the Feng and Shan rites on Mount Tai to pray for peace and favorable conditions for the realm. 1007 1577

Fall and Legacy

• Continues fighting despite severe old wounds and the collapse of Western Chu. 1012 1022
• Leads Northern Chu’s final charge against the Han Army on July 15, 202 BCE. 1024
• Later tradition connects his Mount Tai rites, death on the Ghost Festival, and popular veneration to his transformation into the King Yama of Northern Chu. 1025
• Is later summoned as a Rider-class Servant with eight Noble Phantasms. 1037

Notable Quotes

“There are things in this world that you can't see.”
— Xiang An to Xiang Yu 997

“The realm has already suffered enough devastation! You bastard, you could have proclaimed yourself emperor, you could have brought peace to the realm—!”
— Xiang An confronting Xiang Yu 969

“Even as a king, I am still a king of men.”
— Xiang An 1054

Trivia

• Xiang An dislikes homework and was known for avoiding it during his upbringing in the Xiang residence. 837
• He likes horses, especially thousand-li steeds, and once used his Great Pi to stun fish while fishing. 845 873
• He is one of the few performers of the Mount Tai Feng and Shan rites who was not an emperor. 1025
• Later folklore called him a ghost emperor rather than a human emperor, associating him with Mount Tai, the Eastern Peak, and King Yama. 1025 1577
• Although famed as a terrifying warrior and king, Xiang An’s followers believed he lacked the naturally fierce appearance needed to intimidate enemies, prompting them to make him a battle mask. 985