Paopao

* Attire
* Training
* Among humans
* Plain
* Attire
* Kambal-Diwa

**Paopao** (real name: **Paolo**) is a young boy from the human world who had been abducted by the bandidos of Encantadia. He is revealed to be the first keeper of the Soul Gem, which was a shard of the Mother Gem.

After many years, the Soul Gem once again chose Paopao as its master. Paopao was one of the three keepers to survive the Last War against Hagorn, and the only one never to have died.

## Appearance

### Young

Paopao wore a plain tan shirt with brown covers.

### Kambal-Diwa

The Kambal-Diwa (twin guardian) of Paopao wears an armor in his chest, in his arms and in his legs. The armor has a gray look. Its collar features the Air Gem symbol, Water Gem symbol, Soul Gem symbol, Earth Gem symbol and Fire Gem symbol.

## Personality

Paopao has playful and cheerful personality since he was a child. He treats the Soul Gem as his "friend". Upon saving Amihan, he became close to her. Paopao considers his allies in Encantadia, such as Amihan, Ybarro, Danaya, Lira, Mira, Aquil and others as his closer family rather than his biological family. Paopao's parents are always protective to him. Since his return to his home in the human world, Paopao made his family and others believe that Encantadia really exists, in which they find it ridiculous.

Upon his growing up, Paopao often gets into fistfight against his bullies when they're making fun of him.

Since his meeting with Deshna and Gilas, he seemingly sees Gilas as his rival. Also Paopao comically becomes a "rival" to Wahid when he seemingly links to his "ate" Lira, though he considers him as one of his friends.

It seems Paopao has a crush on Lira, much to the jealousy of Wahid.

## History

### Abduction and Soul Gem

When Paopao and his friends are playing hide and seek, a group of bandits suddenly kidnapped him and his friends and they were brought into the world of Encantadia through the lost portal. The bandidos force Paopao and his fellow humans to eat black rice, which prevents them from aging.

At some point, Paopao picked up the Soul Gem and became its keeper.

During the Hathor invasion of Lireo, Mario gives Paopao a dagger in order to protect himself from harm. After Amihan is badly injured at the hands of Pirena, Hagorn and the Hathors, Paopao comes to wake the dying Amihan up. However, he uses the Soul Gem, a shard of the Mother Gem, to teleport him and Amihan into an unknown location. Cassiopea had predicted that Amihan would be saved, but did not know about the Soul Gem before Paopao used it on Amihan.

When Paopao is about to get some fruits for Amihan, Agane and her Hathor company appears before him and she interrogates him, however Paopao claims he "didn't know where she is" (as this is the way not to know the whereabouts of Amihan), and later Agane and her company leaves. As he goes back to Amihan to give her food, Agane and the Hathors arrive. But Paopao uses the Soul Gem to fire energy blast at them before Paopao and Amihan teleport.

Paopao uses the Soul Gem to summon its *gabay diwa*, who uses Paopao as its temporary host, as it's like transforming into his "adult" self. Since the keeper of the fifth gem is an innocent child who is still physically unable for combat, the soul guardian of the gem is compelled to manifest itself into a tangible being using the keeper as a temporary vessel as he engages in lethal combat.

### Loss of the Soul Gem

Paopao was kidnapped by Pirena after discovering that the Soul Gem is in his hands. She brought him to Hagorn to held him hostage. Hagorn orders Paopao to surrender his "friend", the Soul Gem, to him in order to spare his life, in which is successful. Hagorn hurts Paopao in fear and he left him before Danaya and Aquil along with Pirena and Gurna, came to rescue Paopao.

Imaw narrates to Muyak, Wantuk and Paopao about the short history of Etheria.

After celebrating Christmas in Lireo, Paopao really misses his parents in human world. Amihan takes Paopao to his homeworld and he finally reunites with his parents. Before they separated for good, Amihan assures Paopao that Encantadia is always open for him.

### Adulthood

After many years, Paopao became an adult who still remembers his experiences in Encantadia. While in the human world, both of his parents were killed by assailants who stole their possessions. From then on, he lived with his oppresive aunt who found his stories about Encantadia ridiculous. He sees the the water tank, which is the lost portal to Encantadia, and he fought off two guys who made fun of him at the same time the symbol of Soul Gem follows his back. It followed Paopao who is unaware of it. When going back home, his aunt continues to hurt Paopao until the symbol of Soul Gem appears in which Paopao awefully smiles. By the powers of the symbol of the Soul Gem, it hit Paopao's oppressive aunt and made him return to Encantadia.

### His return to Encantadia

Upon his return to Encantadia, the symbol of Soul Gem eventually puts on Paopao's arm, wondering if Amihan could have sent it for him. Paopao saw a pashnea and he asked the creature to lead him to Lireo. Paopao follows the creature. While going to Lireo, he witnessed the abduction of the Encantados by the New Etherians, hinting that the chaos in Encantadia did not end. Paopao has managed to save Lira from Avria by using a rock and baseball bat to stone the Etherian queen, however she hypnotizes him to strangle until Ybrahim, Alena and Pirena intervenes to rescue Lira and Paopao. After Avria escaped, Paopao greets them however they initially refused to do so. Paopao tells them to remember him by showing his childhood pictures and his sketches of Encantadia, until Lira finally remembers Paopao, so as Alena, Pirena and Ybrahim as well and they send him to Lireo and there he greeted Hara Danaya. Danaya asked him how did he entered into Encantadia, and Paopao shows the symbol of the Soul Gem to everyone as a proof. Imaw explains that Paopao will become the future guardian of the Soul Gem.

Paopao asked everyone where Amihan is but they're all silenced. Ybrahim and Lira answered him that Amihan, her mother, had already died at war. Paopao didn't believed it at first, until Imaw showed him Amihan's death through Imaw's Balintataw, in which made him grieved and emotional. Lira feels sorry for him as she embraced him.

Paopao welcomed the other chosen keepers in Encantadia. Paopao developed feelings for Lira and started to court her, becoming a rival to Wahid. They were later brought to train under Cassiopea at Capade.

However, the Mashnas of the New Etheria suddenly invaded Capade in which resulted to the slaughter of Lira, Mira, Wahid and Gilas, while Paopao and Deshna are unexpectedly being spared by LilaSari and Amarro and order them to hide elsewhere within the forest. They grieved for the deaths of Lira, Mira, Wahid and Gilas.

Paopao later participates in the final war against Hagorn’s forces, with Lira’s Avatar as his weapon. During the war, Paopao witnessed Muyak’s death at the hands of an Etherian soldier, who in turn was killed by Paopao. He eventually survives the final war. He is later seen at the weddings of the Sang’gres, as well as Alena’s coronation as the new Hara of Lireo. It is implied that Paopao chooses to stay at Encantadia.

## Abilities

### Powers

Being the keeper of the Soul Gem, Paopao uses the gem to teleport, to heal, to fire energy blasts to give extra protection and also to summon its guardian (*kambal diwa*), who uses Paopao as its vessel, for combat.

### Other Skills

Paopao was very good at drawing. He drew a very fine sketch of Amihan and Lireo. He is proficient in street fighting.

### Weaponry

Paopao has given a small sword by Mario to defend himself from harm during the fall of Lireo. When Paopao's body was taken over by the Kambal-Diwa of the Soul Gem, he uses a Bō staff.

While he is not yet given any proper weapon from Encantadia, he uses his baseball bat as he is shown to wield it against Etherian soldiers.

Rama Ybrahim entrusted his daughter's weapon, the Avatar, to Paopao for the preparation of the final war.

## Relatives

Paopao refers to Mario as "Kuya Mario" (Elder Brother Mario), but this is merely a sign of respect rather than a biological relationship.

Paopao treats Amihan as his mother-figure, even though he only calls her "Ate Amihan." He considers his allies in Encantadia, such as Lira, Mira, Danaya, Ybrahim, as his family at heart.

He has a family in the human world, and was reunited with them on Christmas 2016, with the help of Amihan. Paopao's father is Carlos. However upon his growing up as a young adult, his parents were killed by two assailants. He has an abusive aunt who is the sister of his father.

## Trivia

* Most fans suggested that Yuan's character Paopao is named after the Downy commercial song *"Boom Boom Pow"*, in which Yuan appeared in the latter as a model.
* Some fans theorized that Rodjun Cruz would portray the actual adult Paopao, however he left the show as Cruz will be part of new afternoon soap *Legally Blind*, which stars Janine Gutierrez, known for portraying Water Gem's Kambal-Diwa Agua. Rodjun Cruz' final appearance as the Soul Gem's Kambal-Diwa was Episode 144.
* Adult Paopao's actor Phytos Ramirez had previously played young Anthony from the original 2005 series.
* Paopao was explicitly shown eating the black rice on Episode 43, which, according to Enuo, would prevent him from aging. There could be several possibilities why Paopao eventually grew up:
	+ Most likely, his anti-aging effect activates only upon reaching adulthood.
	+ Paopao was cured by the Soul Gem.
	+ The black rice cannot prevent aging in the human world.
* Adult Paopao might be similar to adult Anthony (played by Mark Herras) from the original series when both of them have their experiences in staying in Encantadia.

## References

1. ↑ Episode 168
2. ↑ Episode 161
3. ↑ Episode 121 and Episode 167.
4. ↑ Episode 162
5. ↑ Episode 68
6. ↑ It originally showed the Water symbol instead of the Water Gem symbol, but was corrected in later episodes.
7. ↑ Episode 171
8. ↑ Episode 161
9. ↑ Episode 161
10. ↑ Episode 161
11. ↑ Episode 53. Had they been blood relatives, Mario would have been more insistent that Paopao join him, or sacrificed his own opinion in order to join Paopao
12. ↑ Episode 59
13. ↑ Episode 121
14. ↑ Direk Mark Reyes