Yin Nezha

by Angelika Nidua Buergo

**Yin Nezha** is the second son of the Dragon Warlord and the House of Yin. During their time together at Sinegard Academy, Nezha had an ongoing rivalry with Fang Runin which continued throughout the series, while at the same time harboring romantic feelings for her which she returned.

## Biography

### Early Life

Nezha is the second son of the Dragon Warlord. He was groomed to enter Sinegard Academy from an early age. He received tutelage from the same teacher as Sring Venka and Chen Kitay, and the three grew up together in the Jade District of Sinegard. An interview with R.F. Kuang mentioned that it was destined for Nezha to marry Sring Venka if The Third Poppy War never happened.

When Nezha was twelve years old, he and his little brother Yin Mingzha ventured into a river near their home, rumored to be littered with treasure. They were attacked by a residing dragon, who killed and ate Mingzha, and claimed Nezha for his own. This sears a tattoo on Nezha's back and gives him shamanic abilities. However, Nezha, along with his family, denies his shamanic abilities, even though the strain of being away from the dragon causes him chronic pain.

### Sinegard Academy

At his time in the Academy, Nezha was consistently one of the best students in his class. He was favored by Master Jun, and pledged Combat. By the end of his first year, he was the best Combat student and the school favorite. He also excelled at his other studies in History, Strategy, and Linguistics.

Nezha appeared to be the leader among his classmates, likely due to his nobility as a Warlord's son. His influence directed the class to ostracize and bully Rin when their rivalry intensified. This culminated in Rin and Nezha facing off in the final round of the end-of-year Combat Tournament, in which they engage in a brutal and bloody fight. Both nearly murder each other, before Nezha loses because of Rin's shamanic power awakening.

From their second year onward, the two pointedly ignore each other. Nezha becomes the best fighter in the ring fights after Altan Trengsin graduates, and remains undefeated.

### The Third Poppy War

During the battle of Sinegard, Nezha is mortally wounded by General Seiryu, but miraculously survives. It is later revealed that the dragon keeps Nezha alive and heals him.

He joins the Seventh Division and is posted at Khurdalain. In a skirmish with the Mugenese in which they release chemical gas, he is lost and captured. After the decimation of Mugen, he escapes with the help of his father.

## Personality

During his early years at Sinegard Academy Nezha maintains an arrogant and conceited air along with a competitive nature which puts him in constant conflict with his classmate, Rin (Fang Runin)

## Physical Description

Nezha has been described on numerous occasion as beautiful. He initially had a slender build, fair skin, and long hair, but packed on an absurd amount of muscle during his first year at Sinegard Academy. Around the same time, he cropped his hair short.

When captured by the Mugenese with the use of a chemical gas, the gas left scars that his powers could not heal. It is a network of criss-crossing lines on one side of his face. In some lighting it is almost invisible, in others they appear an angry red.

## Powers & Abilities

* **Martial Arts:** Nezha is a skilled martial artist, trained from youth in his family's style. He displays his martial art skills greatly throughout his time at Sinegard.

* **Shamanism:**
	+ Hydrokinesis: Nezha is also revealed to be a shaman in the second book, forced to be one by the dragon that killed his youngest brother. His shamanic abilities grant him the ability to control water, yet it grants him extreme pain, and he has little control over it. He gains control over it later in the series and becomes capable of using rain to shield himself from bullets.
	+ Healing Factor: Because the Dragon wants him as a part of his collection, he refuses to let him die, so Nezha possess the power of regeneration. He can quickly recover from any mortal wound, even poisons or wounds that would cripple a regular person. At first, he hates it, as it makes it impossible for him to commit suicide, but overtime he uses it to his advantage with his healing accelerating overtime.

## Gallery

by bia-treesby colouranomalyby ycnyangsby NanFe1789

## Trivia

* Nezha is named for one of China's most recognisable deity. His character also appears in *Fengshen Yanyi* and *Journey to the West.*
* The Nezha in Chinese mythology committed suicide due to pressures from the East Dragon King. In the book, Nezha was mortally wounded by a **general Seiryu**, whose name means Azure Dragon.
* The Nezha in Chinese mythology had powers over fire and was the nemesis of a dragon with water powers. In the book, Nezha has water powers from a dragon and is the nemesis of a shaman with fire powers.