The 32-year-old Chen Long was equally impressive in his 21-11, 21-10 win over Pablo Abian of Spain in 45 minutes in Group N.
At the 2016 Rio Games, Chen Long won the gold medal after beating national badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei in the final, leaving 32 million Malaysians in tears.
Zii Jia, who is making his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games, can take heart from a stunning first-game performance despite missing out on making the quarter-finals.