Two Toed Ping

"Two Toed" Ping is a firebending mobster of the Triple Threat Triad, who ran a "protection" racket in the downtown area of Republic City along with Viper and Mushi. He remained Viper's close confidant after the latter's rise to triad leader. After Tokuga became the head of the Triple Threat Triad in 174 AG, the Triple Threats engaged the Creeping Crystal Triad in a turf war, which eventually led to Two Toed Ping being arrested when the Republic City police interrupted the battle.
== History ==
=== Early life ===
Two Toed Ping was already a triad member for some time when he met Mako and Bolin, two young orphans who had joined the Triple Threats to survive. He befriended Bolin, and although his relationship with Mako remained somewhat cooler, Ping later stated that the two brothers were his "favorite" co-triad members. He held no grudge for Mako and Bolin leaving the Triple Threat Triad.
=== 170 AG ===
One day in late 170 AG, Ping and two of his triad friends, Viper and Mushi, rode up to one of their protected clients, Mr. Chung, looking for the money he owed them. When the store owner explained that he was unable to pay the requested money, he offered one of his phonographs instead. Two Toed Ping destroyed the object with a fire kick, a move on which Viper humorously commented, saying that Two Toed Ping "[was not] a music lover". Right when the three gangsters threatened to destroy down the phonograph shop, Avatar Korra arrived at the scene and challenged the gangsters. Oblivious to her identity, Korra's statement was met with laughter by Ping and the other two members. Viper told Korra that she was in Triple Threat Triad territory, and that they were about to "put [her] in the hospital". The young Avatar quickly retaliated, telling them that they were the ones that would need a hospital. Enraged by her attitude, Viper attacked.
However, in the following moments, Two Toed Ping witnessed at how first Viper and subsequently Mushi were easily defeated by the Avatar. For a second, Ping was shocked by her power, but his anger against Korra for hurting his fellow Triple Threats and disrespecting his triad gained the upper hand. He attacked her with a fire stream, but she met the blast head on, threw his fire aside and grabbed his wrists. Unable to free himself and knowing what would happen next, Ping cried in fear before Korra threw him through a nearby shop's window.
The triumphant Avatar mocked the drowsy Two Toed Ping by asking whether he and his friends finally got an idea about who she was. Viper and Mushi, who had taken advantage of the situation to sneak to their Satomobile, signaled Ping to get into the car. As the vehicle was driving by the shop, Mushi launched Ping into the Satomobile by bending the earth beneath the firebender's feet. The three gangsters subsequently attempted to flee from the Avatar, but were thwarted by Korra again. Her earthbending caused the waterbending member to lose control over the vehicle and the three gangsters crashed into another shop. Soon after, the Metalbending Police Force arrived and arrested Two Toed Ping and his friends, as well as Avatar Korra.
=== 171 AG ===
==== Double-crossing Mako and Asami ====
Six months after the conclusion of the Anti-bending Revolution, Two Toed Ping was present when the Triple Threats' new leader, Viper, was approached by Mako and Asami Sato, wanting to hire their services to guard a decoy shipment bound for the south to catch whoever was intercepting Future Industries products. Although the mobsters accepted, soon after the duo left, a man approached the triad, offering them a better deal for keeping Mako and Asami busy for a couple of hours.
While waiting for the ship to get ambushed, Ping prodded Mako regarding his relationship with Avatar Korra, to which the firebender admitted that he recently broke up with her. After hearing this, Ping laughed at Mako, not believing that he was the one who had dumped Korra as opposed to be dumped by her. As time passed by uneventful, Ping showed Mako and Asami his twelve toes, telling them how he received his nickname. As Mako went to the ship's deck, Ping was still with Asami picking his own toes, much to her disgust.
After Mako and Asami escaped the ship upon learning of the triad's betrayal, Ping pursued the duo on a speedboat back to Republic City. However, when Asami steered her boat between two large steamboats, Ping's boat followed, though the driver was unable to copy the Sato heiress' maneuver, resulting in their boat's capsize.
The next day, Ping was confronted by an angry Mako, who roughly shoved him against the wall and forced him to relay all he knew about who bought off the triad to double-cross him and Asami. Threatened with the loss of all his toes, Ping confessed to being hired by a middleman, but he knew not who this man was or who he worked for. He was subsequently released by Mako and told to get out of there, something he rapidly did.
==== Opposing the Avatar ====
Shortly after Korra vanquished UnaVaatu, Two Toed Ping, along with his fellow Triple Threat Triad members and the Equalists, were hired by Hundun to take out Korra. He encountered her on Air Temple Island, in Republic City, at the Southern Water Tribe, and finally, in the Spirit World. Each time, however, he was defeated by the Avatar.
=== 174 AG ===
In the chaotic aftermath of the failed invasion of the United Republic of Nations, Two Toed Ping followed Tokuga, the new leader of the Triple Threat Triad, in a turf war with the Creeping Crystal Triad. Outnumbered and being pressed back, Ping suggested they retreat, though Tokuga refused and managed to single-handedly turn the tide in their favor. Before they could conclusively win the battle, the Republic City police intervened, forcing all the triad members to retreat. Two Toed Ping ran into an alley, though before he could make a clean escape, he was caught by Bolin, who tripped him up by bending a rock against his back, and subsequently arrested.
During the ride back to the temporary police headquarters, Two Toed Ping greeted Mushi, a fellow arrested triad member, before turning to Bolin and Mako, asking how they had been, noting that it had been a while since they last saw each other. When Mako told him to be quiet, Ping casually stated that he merely wanted to greet his two favorite former Triple Threat Triad members and expressed how impressed he was of their achievements. Turning to Mushi, he revealed that he and the two brothers had a history together and that he was proud of them for becoming police officers.
Once at the station, Two Toed Ping was placed in an interrogation room and questioned by Lin Beifong, who wanted to know everything Ping could tell her about the Triple Threat Triads' new leader. Ping adamantly refused any cooperation, but when Lin lied and told him that Mushi had outed him as the mastermind behind the attack on the Creeping Crystals, Ping heatedly defended himself, stating that it had all been Tokuga's plan. Realizing his mistake, Ping feared he was a dead man walking. When Mako asked to elaborate, Ping explained that Tokuga took advantage of the chaos following the destruction of Downtown Republic City by taking over as leader of the Triple Threats and eliminating everyone who did not fall in line.
Ping was subsequently sent to prison, while Tokuga did nothing to free him or other captured triad members. Later on, he was visited at his cell by Mako and Bolin who wanted to know where the new Triple Threat Triad hideout was located. Though affirmining that he wanted to help, Ping argued that Tokuga regularly moved the hideout, and he could not be informed as his connections with the free triad members had been cut off. Believing that Ping had not told them all he knew, Mako pressured him, only prompting the mobster to tell the policeman to relax. When Bolin had the idea that Tokuga might use children as messengers just as Lighting Bolt Zolt had done in the past, Ping became unsure how to react, confirming Mako's suspection that Bolin's theory was correct.
== Appearances ==
=== The Legend of Korra ===
==== Book One: Air (气) ====
==== Book Two: Spirits (神靈) ====
=== Graphic novels ===
=== Avatar games ===
* The Legend of Korra (video game)
== Trivia ==
* Two Toed Ping has a scar on his face similar to the scar Jeong Jeong has.
* Two Toed Ping owes his nickname to his polydactyly, which gives him one extra toe on each foot; that particular name was adopted because "there was already a Twelve Toed Ping on the south side" of Republic City.
== References ==
de:Zwei-Zehen-Ping
es:Ping Dos Dedos
fr:Ping Deux-Orteils
he:פינג דו בוהן
ru:Два носка Пинг
Category:A to Z
Category:Characters
Category:Firebenders
Category:Graphic novel characters
Category:Legend of Korra characters
Category:Minor characters (Legend of Korra)
Category:Minor graphic novel characters (Legend of Korra)
Category:Triad members
Category:Triple Threat Triad
Category:Turf Wars characters
Category:United Republic characters