What kind of character is Huang Yaoshi?

[PJ]

Huang Yaoshi is sometimes considered the most interesting, well-written character to ever come out JY's pen. And yet, is he merely a "supporting character"? He is not a hero, hero's love interest, villain, or ELOC. So, is there another name for characters like him?

[galvatron]

I think he is a cross between good and evil ,he is grey,he is serious version of Wai Siu Poh ,he is a ancient version of Laughing Gor.

[Ian Liew]

He is the Wolverine to Hong Qigong's Captain America.

[wkeej]

I will term him as weird.

[IronPalmQiu]

Huang Yaoshi is one of the few people who is actually chummy with Ouyang Feng. They are mutually wary of each other, but does hang out together or at least be willing to be seen together in public, like in Niu Village scene. The author hints at Huang Yaoshi is not totally bad, as shown by Huang Yaoshi paying respects to a dead teacher who championed for patriotism and fillal piety, and also by taking care of Hong Qigong's security when the latter needed to recover from his injuries.

Notice their nicknames actually go together as a pair, 东邪西毒. Both in LOCH are not people of good character. Huang respects loyalty and fillal piety but is also known for his willingness to use violence on others as an outlet for his own mistakes - breaking of his own disciples' legs, multilating and enslaving people, attempting to slaughter the 7 freaks and their entire families.
Both also use the same style of sinister and vicious way of striking acupuncture, as mentioned by the author when Huang Rong could identify the method Ouyang Feng used to hit Hong Qigong's acupoints.

Interestingly, 南帝北丐, whose nicknames go as another pair, are both good guys in LOCH. Perhaps this was the author's intent in the way he grouped them? I suspect it is, especially what Zhou Botong said when he identified Hong Qigong based solely on the lack of urine on his clothes, and LOL-ed over his piss drenching only "东邪西毒".

In LOCH, Huang seems to straddle comfortably between good and evil. In ROCH, he is depicted as a much more mellowed, dignified elder.

[tape]

As weird as it is, Huang Yaoshi's personality might actually be the most realistic amongst all of them. He has temper tantrums, and considering how powerful he is, it is not a surprise he destroys people at a whim. He punishes people for the slightest offense to him, but how many of us wouldn't in his shoes? Think of all the times someone has done something fairly minor to you and you wishing something much more terrible upon him. That's basically what HYS does, except he actually has the power to execute the wish, and he knows there are no consequences for him.

His arrogance is completely natural, as is his disdain for people in general. A Nobel winning physicist cannot help but feel arrogant when guest lecturing at a random community college. A self-made billionaire can't help but scoff at millionaires who think they're brilliant. A world record holding weight lifter can't help but feel superior when going to the local gym. HYS is all those things and more. The other 3 Greats are the same which leads me to think that they are a bit too unrealistic and unrelatable to me. For their amount of power, (able to accrue incredible wealth, assassinate/save anybody they want, carve out a small dominion over local government, etc) one is a lazy, gluttonous beggar, another is a monk over an affair where he was wronged, and one guy just practices kungfu all day. I just can't relate to that, and the only reasonable choice is seclusion, traveling, and interfering in things whenever it pleases me.

I realize with this post I'm essentially saying superheroes can't really exist....but that is usually why there has to be some sort of villain that murdered his family or is threatening to destroy the world before they are able to actually become superheroes.

[IronPalmQiu]

As weird as it is, Huang Yaoshi's personality might actually be the most realistic amongst all of them. He has temper tantrums, and considering how powerful he is, it is not a surprise he destroys people at a whim. He punishes people for the slightest offense to him, but how many of us wouldn't in his shoes? Think of all the times someone has done something fairly minor to you and you wishing something much more terrible upon him. That's basically what HYS does, except he actually has the power to execute the wish, and he knows there are no consequences for him.

His arrogance is completely natural, as is his disdain for people in general. A Nobel winning physicist cannot help but feel arrogant when guest lecturing at a random community college. A self-made billionaire can't help but scoff at millionaires who think they're brilliant. A world record holding weight lifter can't help but feel superior when going to the local gym. HYS is all those things and more. The other 3 Greats are the same which leads me to think that they are a bit too unrealistic and unrelatable to me. For their amount of power, (able to accrue incredible wealth, assassinate/save anybody they want, carve out a small dominion over local government, etc) one is a lazy, gluttonous beggar, another is a monk over an affair where he was wronged, and one guy just practices kungfu all day. I just can't relate to that, and the only reasonable choice is seclusion, traveling, and interfering in things whenever it pleases me.

I realize with this post I'm essentially saying superheroes can't really exist....but that is usually why there has to be some sort of villain that murdered his family or is threatening to destroy the world before they are able to actually become superheroes.

I can actually relate to the 4 Greats. And I think the author's description of them is to make them seem more human, rather than out-of-the-world. They all have serious, unresolved personal problems that cannot be resolved by gongfu alone. It is just like a billionaire still feeling lonely and sad despite possessing great wealth.

Your description of Huang Yaoshi is accurate. We can relate to Huang Yaoshi through his many flaws as described above.

Ouyang Feng, despite his great gongfu, cannot publicly acknowledge Ouyang Ke as his son. And despite being at the top of the wuxia food chain, he shows a massive level of desperation in wanting more, to the extent when he gets tricked by Huang Rong in forcing his own acupoints to switch places and walking around upside down. I mean, he should have realized it was all a prank since Guo Jing never once walked upon upside down while practising Jiuyin Zhenjin. But maybe Ouyang Feng was simply too desperate for success, and his desperation got the better of him.

Duan Zhixing might appear as the weakest of the 4 Greats, even though he has Yiyang Finger and learnt Wang Chongyang's best skills. This is because he lost interest in everything after losing Yingu and letting her son die. Basically, Duan Zhixing spent most of the story living in obscurity, not practising martial arts but focusing on religion and to ease his guilty conscience, while the other 3 Greats kept up their practice for the 2nd Hua Shan Meet. He's kinda like the successful guy who gets all caught up and unable to forgive himself for his own failings.

Hong Qigong is depicted as an upright, happy, go-lucky sort, and he comes across as the happiest of the 4 Greats, despite cutting off a finger for bungling an important mission. Again, we all probably know of gifted people, who both are successful and happy-go-lucky sort. Of course, you have to be incredibly gifted to do all that. Even Hong Qigong wondered at one point if Ouyang Feng was better than him, solely because Ouyang Feng was more diligent while Hong Qigong preferred to stuff his face with food.

[Dirt]

Were Huang Yaoshi a real person, he'd look upon the current Gong Chan Dang and the Kuomingtang prior to the 1990's and smile and nod in approval. He's an Authoritarian who respects the principles of filial piety and loyalty as a way to maintain order and power (i.e. His power). Conversely, he's a rebel, willing to turn his nose up at other's authority. He's a hypocrite and in many ways represents the worse in Chinese thinking and culture.