Jin Yong's Evaluation of Zhang Wuji
Zhang has a more complicated personality as compared to Guo Jing and Yang Guo. He possesses less heroic traits than them and has an equal balance of strengths and weaknesses. The presence of these humanly traits in him makes him more realistic than the other two protagonists in the Condor Trilogy. Zhang's personality is strongly influenced by social factors and the people around him. He is often placed in situations in which he has no other choice but to adapt to. He has no chance of escaping from harsh reality.
His relationships with his four love interests (Zhao Min, Zhou Zhiruo, Xiaozhao and Yin Li) are extremely complicated. Zhang is very hesitant and indecisive on who his true love is. Apparently, he loves Zhao the most and he states clearly that he loves Zhao to Zhou at the end of the novel. However, one can really speculate whether deep inside his heart Zhang really does know who his true love is,.
Although Zhang is a formidable pugilist and probably the best of his age, he is not a suitable candidate to be a leader. Undeniably, Zhang maintains a morally upright character and adopts an altruistic approach to his fellows. However, he lacks the qualities and prerequisites of becoming a great leader. On a personal level, he is reluctant to become a leader and only obliges to take up the Ming Cult's leadership position to please his subordinates. He lacks strong power hungry ambitions that a typical leader must have in order for him / her to remain in power. The absence of this important trait in Zhang clearly indicates that he will not become a strong leader and may eventually fail as a leader.
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