Who Rules The World (2022) Review: Wuxia Lovers in Disguise

Is Who Rules The World worth watching?

Yes, for viewers who enjoy costume romance: Who Rules The World is a good-looking, often charming wuxia drama whose two leads spar and flirt with real appeal. Its best episodes combine martial-arts adventure, secret identities and a bickering partnership in a way that feels light on its feet. The reservation is scale: at 40 episodes, the story leans more and more on court intrigue and war politics, and the momentum of the playful early stretch is hard to sustain.

What is Who Rules The World about?

In a world of rival kingdoms and a restless martial-arts underworld, two legendary wanderers are known by near-identical names: Hei Fengxi, the “black” Fengxi, played by Yang Yang, and Bai Fengxi, the “white” Fengxi, played by Zhao Lusi. Their fame is matched by their rivalry. When their paths cross, suspicion and banter turn into a wary alliance, and the series follows their adventures and their slowly developing romance.

Neither of them is quite who they appear to be. Both carry identities and loyalties tied to the powers competing for the realm, and the drama gradually widens from jianghu escapades into a story about thrones, alliances and war.

Who Rules The World is a Chinese series in Mandarin, adapted from a novel by Qing Ling Yue. It premiered on Tencent Video in 2022 and has also streamed internationally on Netflix. This review covers the complete story: one season of 40 episodes.

A bickering partnership that sets the tone

The drama’s early episodes are its most enjoyable. The two Fengxis trade barbs, test each other’s skills and try to outmanoeuvre each other, and the rivalry gives the romance a spark that many slower-burning costume dramas lack. The show enjoys the comic possibilities of two proud people who each think they are the cleverest in the room.

Zhao Lusi brings brightness and physical confidence to a heroine who is more than capable of holding her own, while Yang Yang plays his character with a cool, knowing smile that keeps his intentions hard to read. Their chemistry is the main reason to stay with the series, and the show gives them plenty of shared adventures before the story’s larger machinery takes over.

Handsome production, familiar martial-arts spectacle

Visually, it is a polished production. Costumes, sets and landscapes are lavish, and the fight sequences, built heavily on wirework and effects, are staged with energy even if they rarely surprise. Genre fans will recognise many of the ingredients: masked identities, rival sects, loyal retainers and scheming rulers. The drama handles them competently, and at its best it captures the romantic swagger that makes wuxia appealing.

Where the politics slow it down

The trouble is structural. As the plot turns towards statecraft and warfare, the series spends long stretches on councils, alliances and troop movements that feel less vivid than the two leads’ personal story. Supporting characters multiply, subplots stretch, and some episodes seem designed mainly to fill out the order. Viewers who come for the playful rivalry may find the heavier middle and later stretches a test of patience. The shift in tone is intended, but the writing does not always make the politics as gripping as the romance.

Who should watch Who Rules The World?

It suits fans of Chinese costume dramas, wuxia romance and either lead actor, and anyone who enjoys a rivals-to-lovers dynamic with hidden identities. It is a big commitment at 40 episodes, so it works best as a long-running evening companion rather than a binge. Violence consists mostly of stylised sword fights and battle scenes, with little that is graphic.

If it works for you:

• Nirvana in Fire for Chinese historical drama with far sharper political plotting and a hero with a hidden identity.
• Hidden Love for Zhao Lusi in a sweet, contemporary romance.
• More long-form series in our drama section.

The verdict

Who Rules The World is an attractive, entertaining wuxia romance that is at its best when its two leads are sparring and adventuring together. The political plotting sprawls and the 40 episodes test commitment, but fans of Chinese costume drama will find enough charm and spectacle to make it worthwhile.

Rating: 4/5