Wai Siu Bo: did he have a single chivalric bone in his body?

[Ken Cheng]

Everyone who is even vaguely familiar with wuxia knows that Wai Siu Bo (DUKE OF MT. DEER) was not your typical wuxia hero. For the most part, Wai Siu Bo was a scoundrel, but would it be true to say that he had *no* sense of chivalry? He certainly couldn't match the valor of Jin Yong's other heroes, but was he truly devoid of heroic spirit?

[Candide]

He always dreamed of becoming a hero, and tried to do heroic things throughout the whole novel, but really he just couldn't. Eventually, he faced a situation where he had to sacrifice something to be a true hero, and there was no amount of luck that could help him out of that safe and sound . He either had to be loyal to Kang Xi, his friend, or loyal to the Heaven and Earth people, also his friends, and being loyal to one side meant that he had to kill the others. That was when he realised that he could never be a true hero, hence his retirement.

[sixdays]

the thing about wai siu bo that was so loveable tho was that he could get away with everything we WANT to. however, he woudn't be a hero if there was no good in him. i think his "chivalrousness" came from his loyalty. he was always loyal to the emperor, even if it meant disobeying the tin dei wui. he was always loyal to the tin de wui, even when the emperor told him to destroy them. and he was always, ALWAYS loyal to hittin it with his wives.

[rabadi]

I thought it was mentioned somewhere that WXB was not a hero, but an anti-hero. But no, I do not think he was devoid of heroic spirit. I can't remember the details, but I think trying to save his teacher, preventing the war (although with some dishonorable means), etc. are some heroic deeds.

[la_ primavera]

could barely recount the details of the novel, although i was still being able to enumerate some of the pet phrases he used when things weren’t exactly working in his favor. so my impression on xiao bao was largely tainted by the tv adaptation portrayed by dick cheung. please be aware of the discrepancies that may arise.

from what i saw on tv, he wasn’t exactly what we call a hero. He lacked some of the important qualities that a hero possesses. for starters, he was a man without aims. and he certainly wasn’t willing to make sacrifices to achieve them. all his life, he was like a pebble getting pushed by the tides. some of the good deeds he did were either self-serving or were done without full comprehension of the consequences. there weren’t any heroic motives behind them. sometimes, he just happened to be at the right place at the right time. but he was a conscientious man, nevertheless.

[Lastel]

I would classify WSB as an accidental hero, someone who's very lucky to be at the right place at the right time. For example, his fast talk and rash decisions on the spot (call it wit), has saved him, his wives and the emperor several times. But i doubt that his actions were intended to be heroic.

[Carefree Assassin]

you could say he has honour but no scruples or "gentlemanliness"