Though it brought to life an entire universe of DC Comics characters on the small screen, Arrow also changed several things from the source material to tell its own story. This was especially the case in Oliver Queen's days on the stranded island, where he encountered tons of other DC characters, many of whom he had no real relationship with in the comics. One of these was Yao Fei, an incredibly minor DC hero who was reimagined as the man who helped forge Oliver into the Arrowverse's premiere archer.
In fact, the Arrowverse Yao Fei is actually more similar to an entirely different comics character. Here's a break down of the two different versions of Yao Fei, as well as the character Natas.
Yao Fei in the Arrowverse
Yao Fei Gulong is played by Byron Mann and is a fellow "prisoner" who is stuck on Lian Yu with Oliver. Framed for the murder of an entire Chinese village, he was sent to the island as penance.
Upon finding Oliver Queen, Yao Fei takes pity on him and takes him under his wing. He trains him in archery and teaches him how to survive on the island, as well as teaching him several of the show's trademark tricks. These include faking death and weaponizing pit viper venom.
Yao Fei is forced to take down a commercial airliner flown by British mercenary Eddie Fyers. He does this after being blackmailed for the life of his daughter, Shado, who is captured by Fyers. Fyers later kills Yao Fei, but his presence is still felt throughout the series. His green-hooded garb is the prototype of the one Green Arrow wears, while the character himself appears in various states in Season 5 and Season 8.
Yao Fei in Comics
The original version of Yao Fei first appeared in 52 #6. He was created by Grant Morrison, JG Jones and Joe Bennett. This character pretty much had only his name and nationality adapted in the screen version, admittedly due to his obscure nature.
Yao Fei is a former soldier for the Chinese army who was shot and seemingly killed when he grew to disdain his homicidal function. He woke up in the home of the father of a soldier who he had killed and was informed that he was next in line to become the Accomplished Perfect Physician.
After going through a mystical process that gives him the power and memories of his predecessors, Yao Fei becomes the 17th Perfect Physician. He has a variety of mystical powers, including telekinesis, interdimensional summoning and the ability to produce a protective aura, as well as heal others of almost any wound. Though he's despised by the Chinese state, he eventually chooses to join the government-backed superhero team, the Great Ten. He clashes with their leader, August General in Iron.
Natas in Green Arrow
Though the Arrowverse version of Yao Fei was based very little off of his comic book counterpart, he does bear some similarities to DC Comics character Natas. This martial arts master trained numerous accomplished DC fighters in the DC universe, including Deathstroke.
In the comics, Oliver has Natas and several other masters train him and Team Arrow after he suffers a near-death defeat from his greatest foes.
Natas hones Oliver's middling martial arts abilities and turns him into a human weapon, though only after months of grueling training. This ends once Oliver is determined to return to Star City, which is under siege from worse corruption than ever. Natas leaves the island where they train, but as a parting lesson, he also hires a group of assassins to kill Oliver, Mia Dearden and Connor Hawke.