Zhen

Zhen is a long-time Triple Threat Triad member, who was in the triad through the leaderships of Lightning Bolt Zolt, Viper, and Tokuga. He enjoyed poker and was suspicious of Tokuga's ability as a leader of the Triple Threats until Tokuga forced him into loyalty.
== History ==
=== Confrontation with Tokuga ===
Zhen is a long time member of the Triple Threat Triads, and some members of the triad refer to him as "old-timer". He was in the triad through the leaderships of Lightning Bolt Zolt and Viper. At some point in or before 171 AG, he was arrested by the Republic City Police, but later got free again.The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book Two: Spirits, page 70. He was critical about Viper's decision to allow a young nonbender, Tokuga, to become a triad member. Zhen suspected that Tokuga was hiding something, and his misgivings were strengthened when the young men betrayed and overthrew Viper in 174 AG, leading the Triple Threats into a series of mostly unsuccessful turf wars.
One night a few months after Tokuga's rise to power, Zhen, Shady Shin, and other members of the triad were playing a game of poker in the hideout of the Triple Threat Triad. While doing so, they discussed Tokuga's recent disfigurement by a spirit. Zhen commented that Tokuga had got what he deserved, as he had promised that his leadership would let the triad rule Republic City, but they had merely lost fights repeatedly and lost ground to the Creeping Crystal Triad. Shin interrupted him, saying that their leader was working on something big, and he was sure that Tokuga would come through. Zhen disagreed, admitting while critical of the methods in Zolt and Viper's leadership, he did not doubt either's loyalty to the triad. Tokuga, on the contrary, had not done anything to free their arrested comrades Mushi and Two Toed Ping. Shin attempted to defend Tokuga, saying that Viper had vouched for him. Zhen bitterly pointed out that Viper had been murdered.
Unbeknownst to Zhen, Tokuga had quietly entered the room and asked Zhen if he would like to be his next victim. Before he could react, Zhen was grabbed by Tokuga's tentacle arm and slammed into the table the group was playing poker on. Tokuga continued to hold Zhen in a choke hold, demanding all around him get used to his new appearance, and that he had become stronger because of his disfigurement. Tokuga now had a new plan, to conquer all of Republic City, but that he would need loyalty from the rest of the triad in his operation. The other triad members in the room quickly agreed, leaving Zhen struggling in Tokuga's hold. The triad leader then demanded Zhen's cooperation, threatening to kill him if he continued to disobey. Zhen quickly agreed, whereupon Tokuga demanded that he proved his loyalty by fulfilling an "important job".
=== Kidnapping Asami Sato and attack on Republic City ===
This important job involved the kidnapping of Asami Sato who had been forcefully taken from her office at the building site of the homes for evacuees. Later that evening, Zhen and Asami entered an airship at the storage facility for Kuvira's weapons leftover from the invasion. The airship flew above the facility, as the rest of the Triad fought Team Avatar, and at Tokuga's call, Zhen brought Asami to an opening to the ship, holding her and threatening her with a fire dagger. This discouraged Avatar Korra from intervening, allowing the triad to enter Republic City with their new weaponry. By the next day, Zhen had relocated to Tokuga's secret hanger, where he forced Asami to outfit the airship with poison gas dispersion pump. When the rest of Team Avatar and the Creeping Crystal Triad broke into the hanger, Zhen took hold of Asami and brought her as well as Wonyong Keum into the airship.
They then took off, leaving Team Avatar and the Creeping Crystal Triad behind. As the airship approached central Republic City, Zhen stood guard along with another mobster inside the cockpit. When they reached Republic City's spirit portal, however, Asami sabotaged the dispersion pump, whereupon the cockpit was flooded with poison gas. Zhen gasped for air as his comrade attacked Asami to stop the sabotage, but she instead quickly overwhelmed her attacker and threw him onto Zhen, knocking both out. The airship eventually crashed in the Spirit World, where Avatar Korra told a barely conscious Zhen that she would heal him and that he would go to prison for his involvement in Tokuga's schemes.
== Appearances ==
=== The Legend of Korra ===
==== Book Two: Spirits (神靈) ====
 (photograph only)
=== Graphic novels ===
== Trivia ==
* Zhen was first shown on a mugshot in a photobook that was used by the Republic City Police in the episode "Peacekeepers". Along with the other criminals shown in the book, he was designed by Christie Tseng.
== References ==
de:Zhen
es:Zhen
Category:A to Z
Category:Characters
Category:Firebenders
Category:Graphic novel characters
Category:Minor graphic novel characters (Legend of Korra)
Category:Triad members
Category:Triple Threat Triad
Category:Turf Wars characters
Category:United Republic characters