King Wo

King Wo (ウオウ, Uō) is the military-minded ruler of Kaocho. He appears as an NPC in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.

Story
King Wo was once the intended successor to the war-like Emperor Ko, leader of Sana. While Ko was still alive, Wo travelled to the west and founded Kaocho, building Kaocho Palace atop the Ouroboros labyrinth. Shortly after the palace was finished, Emperor Ko passed away, plunging Sana into a civil war between Wo and Unan, a peaceful scholar. The resulting confusion led to the loss of many of Sana's colonies. In particular, the beastmen, the conquered citizens of Sana's colony of Morgal, took advantage of the situation and successfully revolted. Once Unan ascended the Sanan throne, Wo retreated to Kaocho, where he was crowned king and began plotting to reclaim Sana.

King Wo heavily adheres to the example set by Emperor Ko, who was aggressively expansionist and sought the secrets to eternal life. Before Dark Dawn begins, the Tuaparang commander Chalis found her way into Wo's court, which was previously comprised of just his two most trusted advisers, Kan-Shuku and Meisa. From there, Chalis advised him to attack both Passaj and Ayuthay, kingdoms that each contained an Alchemy Machine, ancient Psynergy-powered devices that would grant Wo's army a decisive edge over his enemies. Wo first assaults Passaj, which is located high in the mountains. Unfortunately for Wo, Passaj's height gave them an advantage and they successfully repelled Kaocho's soldiers. Wo would later send his army to Ayuthay, unaware of the vast complex of tunnels underneath the city. When Kaocho's army arrived at Ayuthay, the kingdom was apparently deserted, and the soldiers are ordered to keep the castle under siege. At some point, Wo also learns of the Sol Mask held in the Ouroboros, which is vital in operating Passaj's Alchemy Forge. Although Wo sent many of his soldiers into the Ouroboros, none ever return.

Some time later, Chalis' partner Blados - whom King Wo somehow knows of - trapped a group of young Adepts, led by Matthew, in the continent's southern Ei-Jei region. Chalis knows of this, and that the Alchemy Machines must be activated if Matthew's group wishes to continue their own quest, so she convinces Wo to enlist the aid of the Adepts in claiming the Alchemy Machines. Wo therefore anticipates Matthew's group, who come to Kaocho when the soldiers won't let them into Ayuthay, and allow them to enter his palace, where he is torn between sending them to retrieve the Sol Mask or aid his army in Ayuthay. After consulting his court, Wo has Meisa write a letter to his generals in Ayuthay, Ku-Tsung and Ku-Embra, ordering them to let Matthew's group aid in the siege. The Adepts' discontent with helping an obviously evil man angers Wo, who has them dropped through a trap door into the Ouroboros below. However, Chalis assures him they will prove their use to him regardless; she predicts that Matthew will find the Ouroboros impossible to truly explore until he has gone to Ayuthay to hone his Psynergy and returns.

Matthew does travel to Ayuthay and return to acquire the Sol Mask; however, rather than handing the Sol Mask over to King Wo, the young Adepts return to Passaj and use the mask to restore the Alchemy Forge, turning Passaj into a well-defended fortress city that will not fear Kaochan attacks any longer. Wo, however, does not appear to be the type to simply sit around and wait: While Matthew's team was busy in Ayuthay, Chalis encouraged Wo to find hostages he could use against Unan when the time finally came to retake Sana. Specifically, Wo sought to capture Unan's niece and nephew, who were stranded in Morgal during the beastmen's revolution. By the time Matthew and co. return to Kaocho, Wo had already left with Chalis to search for the two young Sanans.

Wo's whereabouts and fate beyond this point are unknown, leaving many questions unanswered. Blados and Chalis are seen later in the Morgal region, but no mention of Wo is ever made. While the two Tuaparang commanders had their own reasons for seeing the Alchemy Machines started, it is unclear if Wo ever realizes that he was manipulated into doing their hard work. Later in Dark Dawn, when the Grave Eclipse covers much of Angara and brings dangerous shadow monsters to the surface, many Kaochan citizens are killed while the survivors take refuge in Wo's palace, although it cannot be said whether or not Wo has even returned to Kaocho.

Trivia
The Japanese name of King Wo, ウオウ Uō, is a Japanese transliteration of King Yu (禹王), a legendary Chinese ruler said to have ruled in the late 2000s BCE. According to tradition, King Yu set up Xia Dynasty. The Xia Dynasty is written in Mandarin Chinese as 夏王朝 which, when transliterated to Japanese Kanji, is read as Kaōchō, the home of King Wo in this game.