Yan Qing

Overview

Yan Qing is an Assassin-class Servant featured in Fate/Grand Order, first introduced as the Assassin of Shinjuku in Sub-Singularity I: Malignant Consecrated Realm Shinjuku. Originating from the classic Chinese novel Water Margin as one of the outlaws of Liangshan Marsh, he is summoned as a hybrid Servant fused with the Phantom Spirit Doppelganger. Revered as the legendary founder of the Yan Qing Quan martial art style, he is a handsome outlaw who combines a cheerful, lighthearted demeanor with deep chivalric pride and fierce loyalty.

Appearance

Yan Qing is a handsome young man with green eyes and long black hair tied into a ponytail, with strands falling between his eyes. His upper body and arms are covered in intricate tattoos depicting peonies and a dragon, centered around the kanji character for righteousness tattooed on his back. As his ascension progresses, the fabric covering his shoulders and arms is stripped away to fully reveal his tattoos. He fights topless, wearing martial arts pants and gauntlets.

Personality

Yan Qing is a bright, easygoing, and lighthearted outlaw who thoroughly enjoys worldly pleasures such as good food, fine alcohol, music, sumo, and fist fighting. Conversely, he harbors an intense hatred for oppression and for masters who refuse to listen to counsel. Because his advice was ignored by his former master, Lu Junyi, he initially vowed never to serve a master again; however, once he acknowledges a Master, he pledges unwavering, hard-hitting loyalty. Under the influence of the Phantom in Shinjuku, he occasionally exhibited a volatile, murderous side that could erupt without warning.

Abilities

Yan Qing possesses Class skills such as Presence Concealment for stealth, Espionage for hostile infiltration, and Outlaw, which combines riding and independent movement with social adaptability. Bound to the Tenkousei star, he exhibits exceptional dexterity. Through his mastery of Chinese Martial Arts and his Phantom skill Doppelganger, he can suppress his identity and transform to mimic others' appearances and non-Noble Phantasm skills. His Noble Phantasm, Jumen Maifuku - Muei no Gotoku, utilizes the blinding speed of Yan Qing Quan footwork to create shadowless clone attacks, pummeling the target with invisible multi-hit strikes.

Background

In Water Margin, Yan Qing was a chivalrous outlaw who joined Liangshan Marsh alongside his master, Lu Junyi. Though a fictional figure, he came to be honored as the legendary founder of the real-world martial art Yan Qing Quan. In life, he felt deep resentment and frustration when his master ignored his desperate warnings, leading to their downfall. In Fate/Grand Order, being unable to manifest as a standalone Heroic Spirit, he was fused with the Phantom Spirit Doppelganger to be summoned in Shinjuku. After his initial confrontation as part of the Phantom Demon Alliance, he is summoned to Chaldea, serving as a dependable ally across multiple events.

Relationships

Yan Qing harbors deep remorse and lingering anger toward his former master, Lu Junyi, for failing to stop him from taking fatal missteps. Toward the Master of Chaldea, Fujimaru Ritsuka, he eventually develops profound trust, pledging his complete loyalty to ensure he protects them at all costs. During the Shinjuku singularity, he maintained a casual, easygoing dynamic with his temporary boss, James Moriarty (the Assassin of Shinjuku's ringleader). He also interacts lightheartedly with fellow Chinese Servants like Jing Ke.

Trivia

Before his true name was revealed in Fate/Grand Order, Yan Qing was widely known among players by the temporary alias Assassin of Shinjuku. During later seasonal events, fans affectionately nicknamed him Shin-Shin. In the 2017 Summer event, he utilized his shapeshifting capabilities under the persona Phantom ∞ Face, and in the 2017 Halloween event, he served as the sole male companion and straight man amidst a cast of eccentric female Servants. Despite his rough outlaw image, he harbors a boyish enthusiasm for mecha and giant robots.