Cover Some supporting C-drama characters were so compelling they practically walked off with the entire drama (Photo: IMDB)
Some supporting C-drama characters were so compelling they practically walked off with the entire drama (Photo: IMDB)
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From demon generals and overlooked princes to palace guards who quietly stole our hearts, these supporting C-drama characters left us wanting another 40 episodes devoted entirely to their stories
If there’s one thing C-dramas excel at besides sweeping romances and jaw-dropping plot twists, it’s creating supporting characters who refuse to stay in the background. Sometimes they only appear for a handful of scenes before completely hijacking the audience’s attention. Other times, they spend an entire series quietly building a life so fascinating that, by the finale, you’re less concerned about the main couple than what happens to them next.
The mark of a truly unforgettable supporting character isn’t just popularity—it’s potential. You can practically see the spin-off unfolding in your head: the adventures before the main story, the untold years in between, or the life that begins after everyone else gets their happily ever after.
These are the C-drama characters who deserve to headline a series of their own.
In case you missed it: 12 C-dramas with the most satisfying endings
1. Xiang Liu (Tan Jianci), ‘Lost You Forever’ (2023)
Above A mysterious nine-headed demon military adviser finds his fate forever intertwined with Xiao Yao, a princess living under a hidden identity, as love, loyalty and centuries-old political rivalries collide
Why he deserves a spin-off: Before he became one of C-drama’s most unforgettable second male leads, Xiang Liu had already lived an extraordinary life. As a feared military commander serving the Chenrong Army, he had already spent more than a century navigating warfare, political alliances and the loneliness of being one of the most formidable figures in Dahuang. Yet Lost You Forever only offers glimpses of that history.
A prequel could explore his rise as a general, his relationship with Hong Jiang and the countless battles that shaped his unwavering loyalty to the remnants of a defeated Chenrong. Alternatively, a character study told entirely from Xiang Liu’s perspective would reveal the internal conflict hidden beneath his calm exterior—a man constantly choosing duty over personal happiness until the two become impossible to separate.
One of the most underrated C-drama characters ever, his story proves that sometimes the most tragic love story begins long before the heroine ever arrives.
2. Runyu (Luo Yunxi), ‘Ashes of Love’ (2018)
Above The gentle Night Deity finds himself caught in a heartbreaking love triangle with the carefree flower fairy Jin Mi and his younger half-brother Xu Feng, setting him on a path from quiet prince to tragic antagonist
Why he deserves a spin-off: Few C-drama characters have a backstory as heartbreaking—or as underexplored—as Runyu’s. Long before he became the Heavenly Emperor, he endured a childhood marked by isolation, abuse and the knowledge that his younger half-brother Xu Feng was favoured in the Heavenly Realm
A dedicated series could follow his early years in the Heavenly Realm, his relationship with his birth mother and the events that transformed an endlessly patient prince into someone capable of challenging the heavens themselves. Instead of retelling Ashes of Love, it would examine how trauma slowly shapes ambition—and how a man who wanted nothing more than love eventually convinced himself that only power could protect him.
He wasn’t born a villain. That’s exactly why his story deserves another chapter.
See more: 12 C-drama antiheroes more compelling than the heroes
3. Li Tongguang (Chang Huasen), ‘A Journey to Love’ (2023)
Above A gifted young commander whose fierce devotion to his former master makes him one of the most complicated supporting characters in ‘A Journey to Love’
Why he deserves a spin-off: Li Tongguang has the makings of a compelling military drama all on his own. A Journey to Love introduces him as Marquis Changqing, a gifted young commander who has already carved out a formidable position for himself, but his rise is only hinted at in the main series. A spin-off could go back to his years as Ren Xin’s disciple, following his training, his early military career and the experiences that shaped the ambitious young man we eventually meet.
Ren Ruyi, formerly known as Ren Xin, was Li Tongguang’s master before she disappeared and was presumed dead. When he discovers that she is alive, his carefully maintained composure begins to crack. He is desperate for her attention and approval, repeatedly seeking acknowledgement that he is still her disciple even as she tries to maintain her distance. His attachment is intense enough to become possessive, giving their relationship an unsettling edge that goes beyond a straightforward mentor-student bond.
That makes Li Tongguang’s backstory particularly rich territory. The series shows the young commander who emerges from Ren Xin’s tutelage, but a prequel could explore how he became Marquis Changqing in the first place.
4. Chang Heng (Zhang Linghe), ‘Love Between Fairy and Devil’ (2022)
Above The noble God of War of Shuiyuntian watches the woman he quietly loves fall for the feared Moon Supreme, forcing him to balance duty, heartbreak and the expectations of the immortal realm
Why he deserves a spin-off: Most second male leads disappear once the heroine chooses someone else. Chang Heng deserves better than that.
Beyond his quiet devotion to Xiao Lanhua lies an entire story waiting to be told: his responsibilities as Shuiyuntian’s God of War and prince and the emotional journey of rebuilding a life after losing the woman he thought he would marry.
Rather than another love triangle, his spin-off could become a mature coming-of-age story about discovering purpose beyond first love—a rare perspective that C-dramas don’t explore nearly enough.
Sometimes moving on is just as compelling as falling in love.
5. Hao Du (Liu Yuning), ‘The Long Ballad’ (2021)
Above A feared imperial assassin with a ruthless reputation gradually softens after meeting the sheltered Princess Le Yan, discovering compassion in the midst of war and political upheaval
Why he deserves a spin-off: Hao Du enters The Long Ballad as a cold-blooded assassin whose loyalty belongs entirely to imperial orders. By the finale, his understated romance with Le Yan has become one of the drama’s most prominent supporting love stories.
A spin-off could work in two directions. A prequel could explore the missions that forged him into the empire’s deadliest operative, revealing the sacrifices that shaped his unwavering discipline. Or, even better, a sequel could follow Hao Du and Le Yan as they navigate palace life together, balancing politics, family expectations and a marriage between two people who learned to love against all odds.
Considering how many viewers ended up just as invested in Hao Du and Le Yan as the main couple, it feels like the easiest spin-off pitch on this list.
6. Qi Heng (Zhu Yilong), ‘The Story of Minglan’ (2018)
Above A gentle young nobleman falls deeply in love with Minglan, but family expectations, politics and rigid social conventions slowly pull them onto separate paths
Why he deserves a spin-off: Qi Heng’s appeal lies in the parts of his life that The Story of Minglan has little time to explore. His romance with Minglan is only the beginning of his story, while his later marriage to Shen Hezhen offers a completely different chapter: one shaped by grief, maturity and learning to build a relationship on his terms. A spin-off could move beyond the familiar second-lead heartbreak and follow Qi Heng as he navigates marriage, family expectations and his responsibilities as a member of one of the capital’s most powerful families.
Qi Heng is the privileged young nobleman who falls for Sheng Minglan long before either of them has the freedom to choose their own lives. As the only son of the Duke of Qi and Princess Pingning, he has wealth and status on his side, but his mother’s ambitions and the rigid hierarchy of their world make a marriage to Minglan increasingly difficult. Their romance ultimately collapses under family pressure, leaving Qi Heng to marry Princess Jiacheng instead.
That marriage ends in tragedy when Princess Jiacheng’s family is implicated in a failed rebellion and executed, forcing Qi Heng to rebuild his life after losing both his first love and his wife. Unlike many second male leads whose stories effectively stop once the heroine chooses someone else, The Story of Minglan gives Qi Heng a future beyond Minglan: he eventually marries Shen Hezhen, a woman who becomes a supportive partner and with whom he finds a quieter form of happiness.
7. Di Feisheng (Xiao Shunyao), ‘Mysterious Lotus Casebook’ (2023)
Above Once the fearsome leader of the Jinyuan Alliance and the martial world’s greatest rival to Li Xiangyi, Di Feisheng spends years searching for the one opponent worthy of crossing swords with again
Why he deserves a spin-off: Before Mysterious Lotus Casebook begins, Di Feisheng is already a living legend. His rivalry with Li Xiangyi has become martial arts folklore, yet the audience only catches fragments of the life that made him one of the jianghu’s most feared figures.
A prequel could explore his brutal childhood in Di Family Fort, his escape from its system of forced violence and the battles that eventually made him leader of the Jinyuan Alliance. More importantly, it could examine why someone obsessed with becoming the strongest ultimately found his greatest equal—and eventually found an unlikely friend in the very man he once wanted to defeat.
Doesn’t every legendary swordsman deserve his own legend?
8. Fan Sizhe (Guo Qilin), ‘Joy of Life’ (2019)
Above Fan Xian’s quick-witted younger half-brother dreams not of political power but of becoming the greatest businessman in the empire, usually with hilarious results
Why he deserves a spin-off: While everyone else in Joy of Life is plotting assassinations and navigating palace conspiracies, Fan Sizhe is busy trying to make money. His entrepreneurial obsession provides some of the series’ funniest moments, but his instinct for business is genuine.
Imagine a historical business comedy following Fan Sizhe as he stumbles from one wildly ambitious venture to another, accidentally reshaping the empire’s economy while avoiding the political chaos his older brother constantly attracts. It would be equal parts commerce, comedy and family drama—and probably the funniest series in the Joy of Life universe.
Who says palace dramas can’t have a start-up founder?
9. Shangque (Charles Lin), ‘Love Between Fairy and Devil’ (2022)
Above The fiercely loyal Black Dragon serves Dongfang Qingcang without hesitation, balancing battlefield ferocity with surprising warmth and comic timing
Why he deserves a spin-off: every great ruler needs someone he can trust completely, and for Dongfang Qingcang, that’s Shangque. While Dongfang Qingcang and Xiao Lanhua dominate the romance, Shangque quietly becomes the emotional glue holding the court together.
A spin-off told from his perspective could explore life inside the Moon Tribe before the events of the main series, giving viewers a richer look at its politics, military structure and everyday culture. Add in his own romance with Jieli, and you’d have a refreshingly grounded story set inside one of xianxia’s most fascinating worlds.
Sometimes the most reliable character is also the most underrated.
10. Wen Qing (Meng Ziyi), ‘The Untamed’ (2019)
Above A brilliant physician from the Wen Clan risks everything to protect her family while navigating the devastating consequences of a war that reshapes the cultivation world
Why she deserves a spin-off: Among all the unforgettable characters in The Untamed, Wen Qing may have the richest untold story. Long before the Sunshot Campaign, she had already established herself as one of the cultivation world’s most respected healers, balancing extraordinary medical skill with unwavering compassion despite belonging to the series’ most feared clan.
A spin-off could explore her life before the war, her relationship with her younger brother Wen Ning and the impossible choices she faced as someone trying to do good while trapped inside a powerful clan whose leadership has committed atrocities. It would offer a rare perspective on one of the drama’s most tragic conflicts—not from the battlefield, but from the people desperately trying to save lives in its shadow.
Some heroes never carried a sword. They carried everyone else.
Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila and currently a marketing content specialist, she still dabbles in entertainment, beauty and dining coverage. She was the former managing editor of Esquire Philippines and was the food editor at SPOT.ph. She also edited several best-selling books about food.
She now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
