Mythology, Religion & Legend — Power Ranking TOP 100
I wrote a book ranking the most powerful gods, monsters, and heroes from world mythology, religion, and legend! The ranking is heavily influenced by my own perspective, but every placement is grounded in the actual lore and episodes from each mythology, so I think it makes for a satisfying read.
In this post, I’d like to introduce some of the characters featured in the ranking. There are many more beyond the ones mentioned here, so if you’re interested in mythology, religion, or legend, I think you’ll enjoy it!
Rank 76: Yi (Chinese Mythology)
Overview
Yi is a legendary archer appearing in Chinese mythology, whose deeds are recorded in many classical texts including the Liezi and Huainanzi. Having accomplished countless extraordinary feats, he is called the greatest hero of Chinese mythology.
His most celebrated achievement is the extraordinary legend known as “Yi Shoots the Nine Suns” — the shooting down of nine of ten suns.
Note: because there was a later ruler of the same name, Yi the archer is referred to as “Da Yi” (Great Yi) to distinguish him. In Chinese mythology, Yi is generally treated as a human hero, though in later traditions he is sometimes said to have been an immortal divine being.
For this ranking, I will treat Yi as a mortal human hero following the mythological standard.
Long ago, the ten children of the Heavenly Emperor (Di Jun) all became suns and began shining on the earth simultaneously, turning the world into a blazing inferno.
Di Jun gave Yi a red bow and white-feathered arrows and sent him to solve the problem. Yi first tried to persuade Di Jun’s children, but when that failed, he used his bow to shoot down nine of the ten suns.
This left the earth with just one sun, restoring a stable world.
Yi continued to perform great deeds, slaying numerous powerful monsters from Chinese mythology including Yayu, Zuochi, Jiuying, and Dafeng.
However, he was ultimately killed from behind by his own disciple Feng Meng, who had learned all of Yi’s archery techniques. Despite leaving behind extraordinary legends, Yi met a tragic end.
Why This Ranking
The greatest point in Yi’s evaluation is the feat of “shooting down nine suns.” An achievement of this magnitude unquestionably places him beyond the realm of ordinary human heroes, and considering his subsequent track record of slaying numerous powerful monsters, his power clearly surpasses that of ordinary war gods.
On the other hand, in terms of immortality — even if it was a surprise attack — he was killed by his own disciple, making it clear he was no more durable than an ordinary human.
If the same surprise attack had landed on Hercules or Bhima, one can scarcely imagine them dying so easily, which makes Yi’s lack of physical resilience very conspicuous.
His offensive capability is extremely high, but his defensive capability is far too weak by comparison. Taking all of this into account, I judged this position in the ranking to be appropriate.
