- This article is about the Earth Kingdom monarch. For the woman who worked as a fortuneteller in Makapu Village, see Wu (fortuneteller).
| "Don't let my reputation intimidate you. I'm still human just like everyone else. Only more human, like, extra human, or, hmm, superhuman." |
| — Prince Wu to Asami.[1] |
Wu of the Hou-Ting Dynasty is the de jure 54th sovereign of the Earth Kingdom, a great-nephew of the late Earth Queen Hou-Ting, and great-grandson of Earth King Kuei. He was forced to leave the kingdom due to its instability and sought refuge in Republic City, where he was set to be crowned the new Earth King.[1] During his coronation in 174 AG, Kuvira asserted that his rule was illegitimate and declared herself the leader of her newly established "Earth Empire".[2]
History
Life in Republic City
Following the assassination of his great-aunt, Prince Wu was set to be crowned as the next king of the Earth Kingdom, though had to temporarily be relocated to Republic City to ensure his safety during the time of anarchy in the Earth Kingdom. While residing in the city, he was kept under constant surveillance by Mako, who was assigned his personal bodyguard.
Much to his annoyance, Wu's flirting with Asami was interrupted by Mako, who told him President Raiko wished to speak to him.
In 174 AG, the prince attended the grand reopening of Republic City's Central City Station, where he listened to President Raiko's speech and posed for a picture when the president mentioned him. He proceeded to watch Asami Sato, who had been a driving force behind the modernization of the station, cut the ribbon. After the ceremony, the prince approached the Sato heiress and complimented her on the station, requesting to be given a personal tour someday. Although Asami dismissed his advances by quipping that she liked the idea of sending him away on a train, Wu laughed her comment away and proceeded to introduce himself as the future king of the Earth Kingdom and considered himself to be some sort of "super human" due to that status. He asked her out on a night in town, though before Asami could answer him, he was interrupted by Mako, who told him that President Raiko needed to talk to him in regards to his future position. Sighing about having to deal with politics, he waved a kiss in Asami's direction and asked her to think about his offer while he retreated toward the president.
When Wu heard from Tenzin that the United Forces would escort him back to the Earth Kingdom after his coronation, the prince asked the airbending master, President Raiko, and Chief Lin Beifong whether the Earth Kingdom was really safe enough for him to return, recalling the fate that befell his great-aunt, Queen Hou-Ting. Although the trio tried to reassure him, he was not convinced by their statements in regards to a "nearly" stabilized kingdom, "mostly" dispersed bandits, and an "almost" zero chance of him being assassinated.
As the heir to the Earth Kingdom throne, Prince Wu often dressed in high-class attire.
Wu retreated to his hotel, where he changed clothes before leaving his suite to pamper himself with a spa treatment that would last a minimum of four hours. He excitedly gushed about the treatment to Mako when his bodyguard asked incredulously what the prince could be having done that took that amount of time. As they neared the exit of the hotel, Wu noticed a gathered group of people and assumed them to be his fans in town for his coronation. He proudly strutted out onto the red carpet and posed for the people, even letting his picture be taken with two female fans. Mako quickly snatched him up and shoved them into the waiting Satomobile when Kuvira supporters began hurling a barrage of pies at the prince.
After dramatically proclaiming he was suffocating due to an allergic reaction to ingesting strawberries, Wu was pleased to have been told that he was only allergic to bee stings.
In the car, Wu saw that his abdomen was covered in a red substance and assumed that he had been severely wounded. Mako informed him, however, that it was merely strawberry pie, which the prince confirmed by tasting it. Wu continued to sing Mako's praise for having saved him, stating that he would be lost without his bodyguard. He interrupted himself, however, when he realized that he had just tasted some strawberry, to which he claimed to be allergic. He dramatically fell to the floor of the Satomobile while clutching his throat, crying that he was having trouble breathing. When an annoyed Mako commented that Wu was allergic to bee stings and not strawberries, the prince stopped his antics and merrily sat down, resting on Mako's knees, and commented that he always got the two mixed up.
At some point during his stay in the city, Wu approached Raiko and asked him to assign Mako over to him as his permanent bodyguard who would accompany him to Ba Sing Se after his coronation, as Wu had claimed that he would not know what to do without him.
Later that night, Wu attended dinner at Air Temple Island, where he had an entertaining conversation about spa treatments with President Raiko and his wife, Buttercup Raiko. When an Air Acolyte announced the arrival of a ship from the Southern Water Tribe, Wu, Mako, Lin, the presidential couple, and Tenzin's family all went to the docks to greet Korra, as she had been scheduled to arrive that day. However, when it became apparent that Korra was not on the ship and had left the South six months prior, Wu and his companions looked at each other in surprise.[1]
Wu was devastated when Kuvira dethroned him at his own coronation and established herself as the ruler of the Earth Empire.
Coronation
Wu's coronation day did not go according to plan. When Kuvira and her officers entered the hotel, he approached her and tried to chat to her. Expecting something completely different, Wu was shocked when Kuvira coldly told him that she took his suite, and that he was forced to stay in a junior suite. The day went from bad to worse when Gun arrived, with almost no entourage and explained to the future king that almost all of the ceremonial objects were stolen during the riots in Ba Sing Se, and that the only thing not stolen was an earring, which Wu was forced to wear as a brooch. During the coronation, Kuvira proclaimed his rule illegitimate and made herself the leader of her newly established "Earth Empire" with Wu calling it "worst coronation ever".
Later, Wu and Mako were staying in Wu's new, smaller suite when Bolin knocked on the door, asking Mako to come out and talk to him. Things did not go well as the siblings had a fight, during which Bolin accused Wu of being a rich brat and not the strong monarch Wu thought he was, which upset the latter.
Wu and Mako barely managed to escape an angry mob that was chasing them.
Following his self-proclaimed disastrous coronation, Wu stated that it would cheer him up if he and Mako could visit the Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall, to which Mako reluctantly agreed. The two first went for a drink in the lower ring of the mall, planning to go to the shops to buy suits in the Middle Ring then go to the boutiques in the Upper Ring of the establishment. Suddenly, Wu noticed two other patrons wearing t-shirts bearing Kuvira's face and emblem. Furious, he asked the two where had they bought the clothes. Learning that the clothes were bought at a nearby boutique, Wu began ranting to the shop's owner. The customers did not agree with his views and began booing him. They moved to attack Wu after the King threw his juice at them, though were prevented due to Mako's intervention.
The two ran into the uppermost ring of the mall to a Royal Palace-inspired restaurant. Wu entered the palace, running toward the "throne" and grabbed the fake ceremonial items from a child who was sitting on the throne. Wu lamented to Mako that this was the worst day of his life, at which point, Mako told him the hard truth of his actions in the past few years. Wu thanked Mako for being honest, but was forced to run away again when the customers that he attacked before found him and Mako.[2]
Personality
Being used to a life of luxury, Wu was extremely annoyed that he had to move into a less luxurious suite.
Wu is spoiled and somewhat naïve, though he often tries to be friendly and engaging toward those around him. His position and naïvety give him the impression that people like him more than they do, being oblivious that he acts more dashing than he actually is as exemplified when he flirted with Asami. Wu is very talkative, often having conversations about his luxurious lifestyles or telling stories that fascinate President Raiko, but annoy Mako to no end. Wu also overreacts at the simplest of attacks, seemingly writhing in pain when a Kuvira supporter threw pies at him.
Much like his great-aunt Hou-Ting, Wu is very demanding and often fixated in having what he wants and is upset easily when things do not go his way, such as the prospect of having a simple coronation lacking many of the Earth Monarch's traditional symbols of office; unlike his great-aunt, however, he is willing to accept his mistakes. When his actions and said consequences were pointed out to him, he revealed his doubts over his ability to lead his nation. Wu also differs from his great-aunt in that he takes a far less absolutist stance to governing, remarking before his coronation that he was perfectly happy to leave day-to-day affairs in the hands of ministers, rather than taking a direct role himself.
Relatives
- 46th Earth King (ancestor)
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Appearances
The Legend of Korra
Book Four: Balance (平衡)
- 401. "After All These Years"
- 403. "The Coronation"
Trivia
- Wu is allergic to bee stings.
| Preceded by Hou-Ting |
Earth King 174 AG - Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hamilton, Joshua (writer) & Heck, Colin (director). (October 3, 2014). "After All These Years". The Legend of Korra. Book Four: Balance. Episode 1. Nick.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hedrick, Tim (writer) & Zwyer, Melchior (director). (October 17, 2014). "The Coronation". The Legend of Korra. Book Four: Balance. Episode 3. Nick.com.