Fa Hai (法海) is the villainous Buddhist monk from the Chinese legend Madame White Snake.
He seeks to stop spirits from causing harm in the mortal realm. However, he goes to any lengths to do this even harming innocents or destroying spirits that are relatively harmless. He is driven by a fanatical zeal to bring order over spirits harmful or otherwise. Fa Hai believes that what doing is absolutely right. Being what he sees as the will of heaven and Buddha. According to his interpretation of Buddhist scriptures. The extent of Fa Hai's actions and behaviour vary on the adaptation. However, the adaptations of the tales of the white snake Fa Hai tries to break up the relationship between the white shake demon Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian. He views the fact that Bai Suzhen is a snake demon makes her untrustworthy and evil, despite the fact that she was attempting to reach enlightenment through Buddhist teachings. First tries to split them by trying to convince that Xian is married to a demon. When this fails, he attempts to subdue her as he would any other spirt. In most versions tricks comes up with a plan to either tricks Bai Suzhen or her sister Xiaoqing into drinking Realgar wine. A wine that is harmful to sprits and demons. Thus, reviling their true forms in some cases this causes Xu Xian to die from shock bringing about a quest for some herbs to cure him. Also, in most versions Fahai imprisons Bai Suzhen in Leifeng Pagoda so the two snakes have to go rescue them. In some versions of the tale the snakes succeed in rescuing the scholar but with a great loss of civilian life. In others Fahai is successful in imprisoning Bai Suzhen but is later defeated by her son and Xiaoqing. Also, in some versions Fahai is even more motivated in destroying Bai Suzhen when she is revealed to be pregnant with Xu Xian’s child. As a demon and a human having a child together would be monstrous violation of divine law in his eyes.
Fa Hai in the 2006 adaptation of Madame White Snake
In some versions Fa Hai is portrayed as a hero and Bai Suzhen as the villain.