Ne Zha 2: Only by understanding the many details of Shen Xiaobao's first appearance can we understand why he couldn't survive

In "Ne Zha: The Demon Boy Making Havoc in the Sea", the deaths of several characters not only made the relatives in the film extremely grieved, but also made us, the audience, burst into tears.

If the death of Lady Yin contributed to the growth of the protagonist Ne Zha and pushed the whole movie to a climax. Then, the death of Shen Xiaobao was undoubtedly a turning point in the whole story, and it also foreshadowed the coming of a greater disaster.
However, the death of Lady Yin was predictable. After all, among the five members of Li Jing's family, not all of them could become immortals in their physical bodies. Coupled with the publicity of the heart-wrenching separation between mother and child in other versions and before the movie's release, it's not that it wasn't touching, but we already had expectations. However, the original character Shen Xiaobao only appeared for a few minutes, but he left a deep impression. What was even more touching was his death.
So, why did he die, and was there any possibility for him to survive?

I.
Before Shen Xiaobao's appearance, his elder brother Shen Gongbao had always been positioned as a villain in the two Ne Zha movies.
In the first part "Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child", as soon as Shen Gongbao appeared, he was labeled as a villain. First, he stole the Spirit Pearl and deliberately let the Demon Pill be reincarnated in Lady Yin's belly.
Later, he instigated Ao Bing to kill Ne Zha, Li Jing and his wife, and Taiyi Zhenren, and helped himself become one of the Twelve Golden Immortals. When the matter of stealing the Spirit Pearl was exposed, he sneered and mocked Ao Bing:
"Look at this mess. Originally, this could have been solved by letting four people die. But now, everyone knows about it."
It was precisely because all the people in Chentang Pass knew that the Dragon Clan stole the Spirit Pearl, and they were worried that if they reported it to the Heavenly Court, it would bring destruction to the Dragon Clan. That's why Ao Bing went crazy and tried to slaughter the whole Chentang Pass. Fortunately, in the end, with Ne Zha's desperate resistance and patient persuasion, Ao Bing changed his mind and stood side by side with Ne Zha to resist the Heavenly Thunder, resulting in the destruction of his physical body.
From the moment Ao Bing ran towards Ne Zha, Shen Gongbao realized that his hope of becoming one of the Twelve Golden Immortals had completely vanished. But worse things were yet to come. Because all the people in Chentang Pass were saved, once they reported the matter, he still couldn't escape punishment.
So, at the beginning of "Ne Zha: The Demon Boy Making Havoc in the Sea", the Dragon King of the East Sea was persuaded by Shen Gongbao and sent three evil dragons to lead countless sea monsters out of the Underwater Purgatory to slaughter Chentang Pass. On the one hand, it was to avenge the "dead" Ao Bing, and on the other hand, it was to eliminate the witnesses who knew about the theft of the Spirit Pearl and prevent the Dragon Clan from being liquidated by the Heavenly Court.

II.
Although later it was known that Ao Bing was not dead and could still be resurrected, Chentang Pass was surrounded by the monsters led by Shen Gongbao.
In Shen Gongbao's view, if Ne Zha (Ao Bing) could pass the cultivation assessment of Yuxu Palace, it meant that Ao Bing had also passed the assessment. Although at this time Ne Zha carried the title of the reincarnation of the Spirit Pearl, the position of the Twelve Golden Immortals was most likely to be given to Taiyi Zhenren. But at least the matter of his stealing the Spirit Pearl could be smoothed over, and moreover, his disciple would also become an immortal, which would bring honor to him as a master.
However, before Ne Zha passed the cultivation assessment, the matter of Chentang Pass still had to be kept secret and not be known by the Heavenly Court.
So, when Li Jing came to ask for help, saying that during the last attack on Chentang Pass by the Dragon Clan and the sea monsters, many injured soldiers and civilians needed treatment, and he hoped that Shen Gongbao would let him send people to buy some medicinal materials. As a result, Shen Gongbao grabbed the Sea Yasha and asked Li Jing to take it back. Even though the Sea Yasha tilted his head and told Shen Gongbao:
"It's a misunderstanding, Taoist Shen. I'm also a demon! "
Later, he emphasized that he was a supporting role, a small supporting role, and moved beside Shen Gongbao and emphasized again:
"Have mercy, Taoist. I'm also a demon. We're all villains!"
As a result, Shen Gongbao kicked him aside and said:
"Who... who's a villain like you? Those who know the secret of the Spirit Pearl won't be allowed to leave!"
Here, let's say a few more words. I wonder if you've noticed a detail. When the Sea Yasha first appeared in the first part and when he appeared here, there were barnacles on his shoulders instead of a collar. Later, when he followed Li Jing back to Chentang Pass to be a servant, the barnacles on his body were removed, and he changed into clean clothes.

III.
It was precisely when Shen Gongbao refuted the Sea Yasha and didn't admit that he was a villain that Shen Xiaobao's appearance was introduced.
When Shen Xiaobao made his appearance, he was in human form. He was caught by the monsters besieged Chentang Pass and brought in front of Shen Gongbao. According to the little demon who came to report, this person came from outside the city and injured several of their brothers.

As soon as Shen Gongbao heard this, he thought that this person either escaped from Chentang Pass or came from another city to contact Li Jing. So, he impatiently ordered to lock him in the city to prevent the news from leaking out.
As a result, as soon as Shen Xiaobao saw Shen Gongbao, he called out "Brother"!
At first, Shen Gongbao was very confused. When did he have a human brother? It was not until Shen Xiaobao transformed into a little leopard that his expression suddenly changed from impatience to tenderness. This was also a rare moment in the two movies when Shen Gongbao showed a smile, although he soon fell into an awkward situation.
Why couldn't Shen Gongbao recognize Shen Xiaobao at first?

It's very simple. Shen Gongbao never expected that Shen Xiaobao could cultivate into a human form in such a short time. Moreover, judging from the fact that Shen Xiaobao injured several monsters, he also recognized his identity as a human in his heart. Even though he was caught and didn't know where he would be taken, he still showed himself in human form in front of the demons.
Even he thought that it was because these sea monsters were besieged Chentang Pass that his elder brother Shen Gongbao appeared nearby to subdue the demons. Of course, he couldn't side with these monsters. He would rather be caught than reveal his original identity as a demon. This is why, when he saw the monsters who caught him reporting to his elder brother, he couldn't believe it at first:
"Brother, brother, is that you?"

IV.
After confirming that it was Shen Xiaobao standing in front of him, Shen Gongbao was first surprised and then astonished:
"Why are you here?"
So, Shen Xiaobao told Shen Gongbao two pieces of information. First, he came to find his elder brother on his father's order. Second, the reason why he could find Chentang Pass was that his elder brother gave him a compass that could guide him in his elder brother's direction.
At first, Shen Gongbao thought that something had happened to his father. Otherwise, why would his father send Shen Xiaobao to find him?
As a result, Shen Xiaobao told him that since his elder brother became an immortal of the Chan Sect, his father was like taking a powerful tonic and was in great health. You know, among the seven mountains and five ridges, only his elder brother became an immortal, and all the demon races in the surrounding areas were eager to worship his father as their master.
After confirming that nothing had happened at home, Shen Gongbao smiled awkwardly. Then, he asked why Shen Xiaobao came to him.

At this time, Shen Xiaobao scratched his head and reminded his elder brother with a bit of embarrassment:
"Didn't you say before that when I cultivated into a human form, you would recommend me to Yuxu Palace? I can transform into a human now!"
Especially at the end, he recited a poem:
"The noble Yuxu Palace helps the world, and upholds justice everywhere!"
At this time, let's observe the expressions of the people present. Li Jing was obviously taken aback, as if he thought of something, while Shen Gongbao fell into deep thought. You know, during this conversation with Shen Xiaobao, Shen Gongbao didn't stutter at all and spoke fluently. However, when Shen Xiaobao asked him what he was doing, he started stuttering again and couldn't speak.
This also shows that the reason why Shen Gongbao stutters is not innate but a manifestation of his inferiority complex and lack of confidence. Only in front of his family who takes pride in him can he be high-spirited and stop stuttering.

V.
However, when he felt that his actions could no longer make him the pride of his family, he immediately became discouraged and started stuttering again.
From the moment Shen Xiaobao saw Shen Gongbao, he was already confused about why his elder brother was besieged Chentang Pass with the demon race. So, after the pleasantries, he still asked whether these monsters were his elder brother's subordinates and why they were besieged Chentang Pass.
It was at this critical moment that Li Jing stepped forward to cover for Shen Gongbao, saying that Taoist Shen led the sea monsters to help defend Chentang Pass, and he was now expressing gratitude to Taoist Shen on behalf of all the people.
Everyone, pay attention! As soon as Li Jing finished speaking, Shen Gongbao immediately stopped stuttering:
"No problem, no problem!"
At the same time, Shen Xiaobao's admiration for his elder brother was further enhanced, and he even directed his anger towards the small supporting role, the Sea Yasha. Fortunately, the Sea Yasha didn't say a word and didn't expose Li Jing's lie.
So, why did Li Jing speak for Shen Gongbao?

On the one hand, Li Jing was a wise man. He immediately saw Shen Gongbao's embarrassment and also understood Shen Gongbao's status and symbol within the family. Helping him was also helping himself. Praising him as a good person gave the people of Chentang Pass a glimmer of hope. Exposing him as a bad person would only make Shen Gongbao angry and take a step further towards being a bad person.
On the other hand, Li Jing also knew how powerful the power of a role model was. Ne Zha admired his two elder brothers very much. Sometimes, when he did something wrong, he would feel self-blame and guilt and try to correct it. Similarly, he didn't want to break Shen Xiaobao's impression of his elder brother as a positive role model, which was very important for Shen Xiaobao's growth.

VI.
From the moment Shen Gongbao refused to recommend Shen Xiaobao to cultivate immortality in Yuxu Palace, many audiences already realized that there might be something wrong with Yuxu Palace.
But Shen Xiaobao didn't know!
So, from having shining eyes at the beginning to being dejected when he heard his elder brother say that he was promoting to be one of the Twelve Golden Immortals and it was inconvenient to recommend him. But soon he encouraged himself, saying that he was not yet proficient in transforming into a human, and his elder brother's promotion to be one of the Twelve Golden Immortals was very important, so he could wait.
Unfortunately, this wait was for a lifetime...
Because when Shen Xiaobao went back, he saw a group of people dressed like Taoists besieging his clan. What made him lose his self-control even more was that his father was actually cut off an arm, and the cut-off arm was in Ne Zha's hand.
It was then that Shen Xiaobao went crazy and wanted to deal with the Taoist who tied up his father. And the Deer Boy, seeing Shen Xiaobao hurting people, directly used a powerful move. In this way, the situation got out of control. In the end, both Shen Xiaobao and Shen Zhengdao were injured. The former used his last bit of strength to run to Chentang Pass and tell Shen Gongbao the situation. The latter was seriously injured and imprisoned in a prison where he couldn't use his magic power by the Innumerable Celestial Lord and became a tool person to threaten Shen Gongbao later.

So, what was the role of Shen Xiaobao in the movie? Was he just a messenger?
Was it just to make the audience think that when Shen Xiaobao said before his death that it was Ne Zha who cut off his father's arm, Shen Gongbao was in great pain and thought that the massacre of Chentang Pass was done by Shen Gongbao in a fit of anger, just to prove that the prejudice in people's hearts, as Shen Gongbao said, was like a huge mountain that could not be moved no matter how hard you try?

VII.
In fact, Shen Xiaobao's appearance was not to depict how hardworking, innocent, and miserable he was, but to depict Shen Gongbao from the side.
Because everyone expressed sympathy for Shen Gongbao in the first part and thought that because he was from the demon race, people had always had prejudice against him.
Because of the prejudice against him, he desperately wanted to show himself and even resorted to unscrupulous means to compete for the position of the Twelve Golden Immortals. The addition of Shen Xiaobao made his purpose of competing for the Twelve Golden Immortals even stronger. After all, if he wanted to continue to be the pride of his father and younger brother, he had to get rid of the Innumerable Celestial Lord and cover up his dark history:
"You've always regarded me... regarded me as a tool. Between you and me, there is only resentment and no kindness!"
And to get rid of the Innumerable Celestial Lord, with his current strength, it was definitely not possible. Only by becoming one of the Twelve Golden Immortals and being on the same level as the Innumerable Celestial Lord could he achieve this goal.
Unfortunately, it was precisely because he wanted to bid farewell to the past and no longer be at the mercy of the Innumerable Celestial Lord that he indirectly caused Shen Xiaobao's death.

The Innumerable Celestial Lord chose to attack Shen Gongbao's family. In addition to eliminating the potential local demon race forces, there was also the element of warning and threatening Shen Gongbao. Since you don't want to be used by me anymore and don't want to be a black glove, then what's the use of keeping your family alive?
It was not until Shen Xiaobao's death that Shen Gongbao suddenly realized that it was ridiculous to cooperate with the tiger. Even the Dragon Clan, his helper for turning the situation around, was also in the plan of the Innumerable Celestial Lord and suffered a devastating disaster.
So, the path that Shen Gongbao once instilled in his family, that is, joining Yuxu Palace could make them superior and subdue demons, was completely blocked.

VIII.
The death of Lady Yin made Ne Zha understand that regardless of whether he was an immortal or a demon, he would always be his mother's son, and the bond of family affection would not change because of who he was.
It was precisely the death of Lady Yin that completed the softest love in Ne Zha's heart, and it also made him quickly grow into a young man, breaking free from the shackles of the Heart-piercing Curse and successfully saving himself. However, this change was irreversible. That is to say, a child without a mother could never return to his childhood form.
The death of Shen Xiaobao also made Shen Gongbao understand that forcefully "involutionizing" himself could not break through the limitations of the rules. The reason why immortals became immortals and were superior was achieved by exploiting other races, and this would not change just because a member of another race joined.
To put it bluntly, the plan that he and the Dragon Clan came up with, which was to make Ao Bing an immortal and then redeem the Dragon Clan, was a failure and impossible to succeed. This is also the reason why the Dragon King of the West Sea submitted to the Innumerable Celestial Lord:
"When I was young and ignorant, after being imprisoned for thousands of years, I finally understood who set the rules of this world."
The huge mountain of prejudice in people's hearts did not crush Shen Gongbao, but the death of Shen Xiaobao crushed him, making him completely lose his goal and courage to strive, and he chose to "perish together" with the evil dragons.

In contrast, Ne Zha was different from Shen Gongbao. At first, he might have been the same as Shen Gongbao, trying every means to integrate into Yuxu Palace, wanting to become an immortal, and seeking the recognition of the Innumerable Celestial Lord. But in the end, he suddenly realized that it didn't matter whether he was an immortal or a demon. Since the rules were problematic, why not reverse them:
"If there is no way ahead, then I will step out a path! If heaven and earth don't tolerate me, then I will reverse the universe!"
From the perspective that Shen Xiaobao was a "tool leopard", it seemed that he had to die. But since he was a tool and dispensable, it also seemed that he had reasons to survive.
After all, judging from the nature of Jiaozi, the director of Ne Zha, since he created Shen Xiaobao, he probably wouldn't let him die after only appearing three times. Moreover, there were many foreshadowings on him, such as the six immortal pills given to him by his elder brother, and the compass in his hand that could guide his elder brother's direction...

Otherwise, who would look for Shen Gongbao in the third part?
After all, his father, Shen Zhengdao, was seriously injured and fell to the ground. It seemed that he was dead, but he was still alive in the post-credits scene. Although Shen Xiaobao was left in Chentang Pass by his elder brother in the end, there was no scene of him being swallowed by the magma, so there was still a glimmer of hope for his survival.
By the way, when the box office of the movie exceeded 7.2 billion, Shen Xiaobao performed together with Ne Zha for a consolation performance.
Let's tentatively consider him as Schrödinger's leopard. Before the third part of Ne Zha comes out, do you think he is alive or dead?

However, if he comes back to life and knows the truth, I wonder if he will become depressed.