Zhu Miao

Zhu Miao (), also known as the Wraith of Xiangling City () by citizens and formerly known as Master Zhu Miao (), is a melanistic Mongolian wolf and was the former prized pupil and adoptive son of Wei Xiang. He later became an assassin, and earned the title of Wolf Immortal () of the Five Immortals before killing his father and forming plans of eliminating all kung fu Masters as he could to overthrow the status quo and prevent the spread of the art due to believing all of them to be selfish and vindictive, until he encountered Zhen and the Furious Five, all of whom he intended to kill until a final encounter with the former led him to change. 
==History==
===Past===
Zhu Miao was found by Wei Xiang on his doorstep as an infant while wrapped in a blue swaddling cloth at the School of Power and Virtue, his parents having abandoned him due to the color of his fur being ebony, which led him to be considered "cursed" and rejected by many people until they eventually left him on Wei's doorstep and left. Wei Xiang took him in regardless, and named him "Zhu Miao" for two reasons: the first of which was to celebrate that he was still alive after such treatment, as Wei considered it a miracle, and the second was after the Sky-Reflecting Mirror and the rainfall on the night he was found. As Zhu Miao grew up, Wei raised him as both his student and son, and educated him on a wide variety of topics, including the philosophies and other teachings of Grand Master Oogway and traditions from the Valley of Peace, and so the two formed an incredibly close bond. When not studying, they would often play games together, walk in Xiangling City and dine at a small restaurant, read books, or other similar activities. Zhu Miao treasured this bond deeply, and swore to himself to do anything within his power to protect that bond, wanting nothing more then to just spend time practicing kung fu and talk about whatever topic they could with Wei Xiang, who was more than happy to oblige.
Later in his studies, Zhu Miao invented his own style of kung fu which he named Wolf Claw, after his Wei Xiang's own Eagle Claw style, leading to Wei Xiang granting Zhu Miao the title of Master. It was also around this time where he started training with various different weapons, including his two butterfly swords which he would later take as his signature weapons. Around this time, and partially due to Xin Miao's new prowess, word spread throughout Xiangling City about Zhu Miao's skill, and others soon joined the school. This lead to the spread of kung fu in Xiangling City, as well as its "golden age" within the city, during which even members of the royal family were intrigued and kept observation over the art while condoning its practice. As the popularity of the art spread within Xiangling City, Wei Xiang became irrationally paranoid and worried that others were planning to steal the success he had brought Xiangling City, and his demeanor shifted sharply. 
This shift did not go unnoticed by Zhu Miao, who immediately asked his father what had happened and tried consoling him after hearing his father's worries for many months, only to be snapped at repeatedly and eventually told that he planned on making his top five students, whom he had previously dubbed the Five Immortals, into assassins to eliminate his "enemies." Zhu Miao was immediately appalled by his father's plan and tried to back out of it as quickly as he could, but was stopped when Wei Xiang said that if he did this, he would no longer consider Xin Miao his son, since "any son of his, fake or real, would want to protect his father at all costs." These words hurt Zhu Miao incredibly, and he was shocked into silence, so he complied with his father's wish and trained alongside the other Five Immortals in secret lessons, eventually going out and murdering kung fu masters in the dead of night. It was during this time he earned his title as "Wraith of Xiangling City," as the nature of his killings and the fact that he would frequently get away without leaving any evidence he had been there were unlike anything the city had ever seen.
Eventually, Zhu Miao could take the senseless killings no longer, and confronted his father once again. This confrontation was the last conversation him and his father ever had with one another, as it was in this conversation that Zhu Miao killed his father in a fit of rage caused by Wei Xiang formally renounced his position as Xin Miao's father. After burying his father, Xin Miao fled into the city and swore revenge on all kung fu masters, planning to murder each of them and overthrow them for being corrupt. The rest of the Five Immortals were distraught after finding Wei Xiang's body buried beneath the sand on the shore of the Sky-Reflecting Mirror, and reported the body to Feng Lin while confessing their crimes and other misdeeds that occurred, promising to tell her the location of Wei Xiang's body and the name of who they believed killed him in exchange for their eventual release from prison. This, and in combination with a revolt from the lower class, led Feng Lin to agree and place a ban on kung fu, as well as place a bounty on anyone who could find Xin Miao and bring him in for questioning. Some time after this, he was given an assignment to track down a master, Master Macaque, and his lone student, and found out about Zhen, Po, Master Shifu, the Furious Five, and the fact that Zhen would be accompanied by the Furious Five on a trip to Xiangling City to help solve the divide between the poor and the rich through overhearing their conversation shortly before killing them and reporting back to the person who hired him for his money. After that, he decided to train for the day they would arrive, planning to kill the six of them and truly overthrow kung fu masters once and for all.
==Personality==
When he was younger, Zhu Miao was curious, energetic, extroverted, and even adorkable. This was often conveyed through his body language, as his tail and ears would react depending on which emotions he felt at the time, and his tail would even wrap around people who he was emotionally close to as a display of affection and trust. He used to be talkative and enjoyed playing games and practicing alongside his father, who he cared for deeply due to him being the first person to ever treat him "as more than dirt." When training, Zhu Miao was disciplined and resolute, and showed great potential to rival and even surpass his master, which he did. 
After the trauma he endured, his personality shifted entirely, with his former self being buried deeply within him. He became standoffish and straightforward, harboring a deep disdain for kung fu practitioners and kung fu masters alike, but an even deeper disdain for his father, who he has renounced as his father due to the betrayal he suffered. Despite this, he is actually surprisingly composed, does not get emotional easily. As an assassin, Xin Miao shows no mercy in fights and tries to end them as quickly as possible with ruthless efficiency, only drawing them out if it is absolutely necessary. Xin Miao is also standoffish and quiet, and seeks only to do his job quickly and efficiently, as well as analytical, sophisticated, and logical.
After his final fight with Zhen, his personality becomes a mix of who he was before and who he is now. While taciturn and reluctant to trust people, his more vulnerable side occasionally shows through with people who have earned his respect, and to these people, he is very loyal. He has also developed a sharp wit he uses in conversation, and his former confidence occasionally peaks through when talking. Zhu Miao is also more calm now than he was before, and is optimistic as well. 
==Appearance==
Zhu Miao is a tall wolf who has ebony fur, blaze orange eyes, a bushy tail, and has an athletic build due to his training. He is also around the same height as Tai Lung and wears a hooded, ash gray robe with midnight blue lining, as well as ash gray pants, a brown belt, and brown leg wraps. He also has a scabbard and keeps both weapons in the same scabbard to give the appearance of a single weapon from the side.
His butterfly swords are the size of his forearm, and the handle features small edges on the cross guard pointing outward to allow them to be used as brass knuckles, as well as a small ledge that can allow it to be used to block or hook the opponent’s weapon. Unlike most butterfly swords, where only the length from the middle of the edge of the blade is sharpened so that the other half can be used to deliver non-lethal strikes and block, the entire blades of his swords are sharpened since he has no need to deliver non-lethal strikes.
==Fighting Style==
The fittingly named “Wolf Claw” style invented and used solely by assassin Zhu Miao, assuming he doesn’t take a student, is a lethal style designed of counter any opponent and bring fights to a swift and effective end. It’s an aggressive and powerful style, and although its kicks, punches, and sweeps are all impressive, it truly shines with its weapons and grappling techniques, including deadly joint locks and takedowns. A true master of this style is one who is capable of knowing when to attack, when to defend, when to run, and when to kill, as well as knowing when their opponent will and how both of them will.Zhu Miao is a fierce opponent infamous for his high kill count and effective methods, there even being rumors that Zhu Miao has never missed a kill, although, this is an exaggeration, as explained by Zhu Miao himself. This is due both to his intellect and to his style of fighting, which he made and based on Wei Xiang’s own Eagle Claw style as well as kung fu in general. Wolf Claw is best knowing for its weapon techniques, most notably those involving Xin Miao’s butterfly swords, as well as grappling techniques. It also features nerve strikes designed to paralyze opponents and incapacitate opponents by attacking nerve endings, and more uniquely, joint locks that focus on bending the opponent’s arm further than it is supposed to so that pressure can be applied while also restraining the opponent’s joints and arm. This martial art has three signature techniques, all belonging to Xin Miao: Wolf Reversal, a W-shaped cutting technique, Moonglade Phantasm, a takedown, and Wave Hell Mountain, a nerve barrage.
==Trivia==
*Zhu Miao is the most intricate character the creator of this character has made yet. This is due to the large amount of research and thought that went into his backstory, as well as picking his name and other similar details, especially in combination with the other characters that support him.
*Zhu Miao was originally inspired by two things: a red fox villain-turned-hero named “Yi” ().
**Other inspirations including Hēixiān from Chinese mythology, who is sometimes replaced by the wolf god known as “Lángshén,” Tai Lung and Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda, Death from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and a backstory for a proposed lemur villain by Anuj Chatterjee.
**His design was also influenced by Tai Lung and Mr. Ping from the same series, and more notably, the video essay titled “The Color Theory of Kung Fu Panda” by Lucky.
***It is also for this reason his eye color was changed from crimson to blaze orange, which is a combination of the symbolism of red and yellow within the series.
**At one point, Zhu Miao was nearly named “Chan” (), meaning “the sound/appearance of flowing water,” but this was changed after realizing that the kanji was not used in names.
*The first character of Zhu Miao’s name means “to pray for happiness” and the second means “a vast expanse of water.”
*Zhu Miao’s favorite food is lo mein, but he refuses to eat it even if offered, as doing so reminds him of sharing the food with his father.
*According to Zhu Miao himself, his father was the one who gifted him his butterfly swords. 
**Speaking of, originally, he was not going to have butterfly swords, but was originally going to have a jian.
**His butterfly swords were also going to be named “Twin Mist Phantoms,” () but the name was later revoked to avoid sounding “edgy.”
*After his fight with Zhen when he has changed for the better, it is revealed that he secretly enjoys cuddles, but will vehemently deny it if anyone tells about it or asks him for one. Despite this, no one has ever offered him one due to his reputation as a former assassin.
*Originally, Zhu Miao was going to hold the same title as Master Wolf, but this was changed to avoid confusion between the two characters.
Category:Wolf
Category:Male
Category:Characters
Category:Characters from Xiangling City
Category:Student
Category:Kung fu masters
Category:Former Villains
Category:Pages by Corviknight27
Category:Mammals