Boun

**Boun** is the tritagonist of the 2021 film Raya and the Last Dragon.

## Background

Boun is a 10-year old boy from the deserts of Kumandra’s Tail Land, where he grew up alongside his family. When the Druun were unleashed upon Kumandra, Boun’s family were among the victims of the spirits’ plague. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Boun became the sole proprietor of the Shrimporium boat restaurant. As the Druun were vulnerable to water, Boun rarely left his boat to remain safe from the plague.

### Personality

Boun is a fast-talking, hyperactive salesman frequently on the hunt for potential customers. He enjoys cooking and food, hence his career choice. Confident and self-assured, Boun shows great pride in his craft; he promises that his meals are good enough to create happiness. All the same, Boun doesn’t take kindly to criticism regarding his cooking, taking offense to Tong’s intolerance for Boun’s spices.

Nearly as much as cooking, Boun enjoys money. Though he initially appears devoted to strict company policies (such as not offering rides on the Shrimporium), he can be convinced with enough jade currency. He is nevertheless an honest businessman, and never attempts to swindle his customers for their valuables (despite Raya’s initial suspicions that he would).

Boun is knowledgeable for his age, particularly in terms of business-related practices. He is also fairly well-versed in Kumandra’s history; he resented the Fang land for their treacherous attempt to steal the Dragon Gem, which ultimately led to the Druun’s invasion.

## Film Appearances

### Raya and the Last Dragon

After Raya, Sisu, and Tuk Tuk escape from Namaari in the land of Tail, Boun introduces himself to the three as he explains that his restaurant has shrimp, congee to which Boun describes himself as Captain Boun of the World Famous Shrimporium. Raya asks him to know that the three need to get to Talon to which Boun explains that his boat is not fast enough to which upon noticing Namaari and her mercenaries after Raya, Sisu manages to help Boun's boat go faster on order to evade the Fang soldiers just as Namaari and her mercenaries retreat.

During lunch time on the boat, Boun prepares congee for Raya and Sisu to which Boun tells them to try the house special congee just as Boun's boat continues sailing towards Talon. As the Shrimporium arrives at a swamp, Boun explains to Raya about the Druun's mysterious lurking just as Sisu describes the Druun's behavior to Boun. Boun and Sisu share each other's condolences about their relatives lost during the Druun incident just before the Shrimporium is close to arriving on Talon.

Arriving on Talon, Boun stays near his boat next to Sisu as Raya and Tuk Tuk plan to look for another piece of the Gem to which upon hearing Raya in danger, Boun explains to Sisu to give Raya credit to which she goes to the marketplace in a plan to help Raya. After retrieving another Gem piece from Dang Hu, Raya, Tuk Tuk, and Sisu board the Shrimporium again to set sail for Spine just as she notices Noi and the three Ongis on the boat, to which he explains hat he is stuck with unusual costumers on the boat, explaining to him that Ongis have nine stomachs.

On their way to Spine, Boun tells Noi and the Ongis to stop eating the shrimp in his kitchen just as he tries to calm them down. Raya manages to help Boun by giving them a plan to play hide and seek on the boat much to Boun giving a compliment to Raya. Boun manages to enter Tong's shelter at Spine as he manages to rescue Raya and Sisu tied up to warn them that a group of Fang soldiers led by Namaari to hunt down Raya by sending in a group of Spine soldiers to help capture Raya only to find out that the Spine soldiers have been petrified by the Druun.

Later as Raya devises a plan to Tong to protect Raya's friends, Boun escapes with Tong across the forest along with the rest of Raya's companions as they escape into the Shrimporium. Back on the Shrimporium, Sisu then devises a plan to Raya to help her fight against the Druun just as Boun and the rest of Raya's friends agree to help her defeat the Druun just as the boat is on their way to Fang just as Boun devises a plan to find the last piece of the Dragon Gem.

Upon arriving at Fang, Boun argues with Tong about the ingredients placed on the soup Raya's father made to which Raya tells her friends about the soup her father made for her before his petrification to which it is interrupted upon seeing a flare on the sky. The next day, Boun and the rest of Raya's friends confront Namaari before she fires her arrow at Sisu. With Sisu gone, Boun and the rest of Raya's friends react to what happened to what Namaari did to her just before the Druun arrive at Kumandra again. As the Druun continue plaguing Kumandra, Boun is petrified along with everyone at Kumandra, as the gem's magic fades away.

With all the pieces of the Dragon Gem reunited, the Druun is wiped away, just as Boun is revived alongside everyone at Kumandra. Boun then reunites with his missing family at Tail in joy. Later, Boun then visits the kingdom of Heart with everyone else in rejoice.

**Films:** Raya and the Last Dragon
**Music:** Soundtrack
**Books:** The Art of Raya and the Last Dragon
**Songs:** Lead the Way | Trust Again