Chou family

The Chou family was the ruling family of a city built on the back of a fire-bestowing lion turtle. Consisting of Chou the Elder and his three sons, the family lived in a fortified palace at the top of the city and ruled the settlement with an iron fist, hoarding food supplies and keeping the rest of the citizens impoverished.

History


After discovering that Wan had stolen a bag of rolls from them, the three Chou brothers chased him down through the streets of their city. Although Wan initially evaded them, they managed to catch up with him when he stopped to enjoy the food he had taken. Big Chou, the largest, was hit in the face by a roll when Wan tried to escape them again, but the middle bother tripped him, ensuring that he would not get very far. The littlest brother reclaimed their food, gloating over being once again able to say that no one stole from the Chous. Big Chou lifted Wan off the ground and tossed him off an escarpment in retribution for his theft and assault.



Some time later, a gathering of peasants assembled before the Chou's gates at night to demand some of their food. The Chou brothers volunteered to their father to take care of the mob. Although they were outnumbered, they were confident that they could overpower the peasants, considering they were the only ones who were armed. However, as they charged at the group of peasants, a disguised Wan stepped forward and used his newly acquired firebending ability to knock them aside. The three brothers recovered and, having called for backup, again charged at the intruders. They were confronted by the masked firebender who had stayed behind to secure the escape of his companions. Wan's fire forced the two taller brothers to jump aside, but Little Chou used this opportunity to jump on Wan's back. After a brief struggle, he was thrown free and pleaded for mercy from his attacker as the firebender loomed over him, ready to strike. When he looked up, however, he was surprised to find that the mysterious firebender, whom he had unmasked, was Wan. Wan's hesitation to shoot at the unarmed brother enabled the guards to capture him. With Wan tightly secured, Little Chou straightened himself and mocked Wan for being too cowardly to even use his new power.



The Chou brothers brought Wan before their father, and together they took him to the fire lion turtle, the guardian of their city. Chou the Elder demanded Wan to identify his co-conspirators, but when the young man refused Chou the Elder concluded that he had no other choice than to banish Wan to the Spirit Wilds for his crimes. Little Chou requested Wan's firebending to be taken away as well, but the lion turtle allowed him to keep it on Wan's request.

Trivia

 * Chou the Elder is voiced by Paul Nakauchi, Big Chou by Andrew Kishino, and Little Chou by Marcus Toji. The middle brother never spoke.
 * The Chou family shares its name with the Zhou Dynasty, romanized "Chou Dynasty". Notably, the architecture, clothing and weapons of the Chou family's realm strongly resembled those of the Zhou Dynasty.