Pat Morita plays the Emperor of China in Disney’s 1998 animated Mulan.
Morita voices the emperor who refuses to surrender to the invading Huns and later recognizes Mulan’s service. His calm, authoritative performance gives the ruler dignity while allowing the character to deliver the film’s closing public acknowledgment of Mulan’s bravery.
Morita was an American actor of Japanese descent best known internationally for playing Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid and its sequels. His casting in Mulan connected a major animated role with an actor already associated with an iconic mentor figure.
The Emperor should not be confused with Chi-Fu, the imperial councilor, or General Li, Shang’s father. Those are separate characters with different functions in the story. The historical and legendary traditions behind Mulan also do not identify the emperor in exactly the same way as Disney’s fictional adaptation.