Says one Zhang ally: "Putting ideology aside for the moment, if you take a look at the evolution of thematic material in martial arts novels you'll see that Hero in fact takes its cue from the tradition. In one of the novels of renowned martial arts writer Louis Cha, Yuan Chengzhi seeks to avenge his father's death by taking the life of the Ming emperor Chongzhen.
也有網友聲援張藝謀表示，「不論意識型態的問題，若從武俠小說創作主題意識的演變來看，《英雄》故事的走向也有軌跡可循。