Hou Ju

Hou Ju
Hometown	Tonfon
Relatives	Hinechou (mother) Unan (uncle) Ryu Kou (brother) Lord Kuan (father)
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Dark Brown
Japanese name	ホウジュ

Hou Ju (ホウジュ) is a Sanan royal and a non-player character in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. She is the younger sister of the hot-headed prince of Sana, Ryu Kou. Her Encyclopedia entry reads as follows:

This young girl is Ryu Kou's sister. She was held prisoner in Belinsk in the aftermath of Morgal's revolution. She seems to inspire a fierce devotion in all who know her, as evidenced by her brother and the villagers of Te Rya.

Spoiler warning: The following section(s) contain plot details that some people may not wish to learn before reaching this point in the game on their own.

Story

Hou Ju has been held captive in Belinsk Castle by King Volechek for both political and personal reasons.

Hou Ju was born to Lord Kuan and Lady Hinechou. After Sana conquered the neighboring country of Morgal, Hou Ju's father was installed as the colony's new governor. At some point, Hou Ju would travel with her mother and brother to Morgal to live with their father. The family would make their home in the city of Belinsk, which served as the capital of the colony. At some point, Sana would undergo a civil war, resulting in Hou Ju's uncle Unan, becoming emperor. Appropriately, Hou Ju was considered Sanan royalty. Shortly after this, the native Beastmen of Morgal would use the confusion associated with the civil war to execute a successful uprising, which became known as the Morgal Revolution. During the events of the Revolution, most of the family was forced to flee for their lives. While Lady Hinechou had escaped due to taking a chance visit to Tonfon before the uprising, Lord Kuan was killed by the Beastmen. Hou Ju would come to reside in the Khiren Highlands, with her brother and Hou Zan.

When Hou Ju went to the beastman capital of Belinsk in Morgal, the Morgal king, Volechek, had her captured and held prisoner in his castle, where she was scheduled for execution by boiling. Ryu Kou and Hou Zan attempted to infiltrate Belinsk Castle with some mercenaries but were unsuccessful. Despite the failure, they were surprisingly allowed to escape with ease. Later, they return to Belinsk with Matthew's party of Adepts in an attempt to save Hou Ju, but while in Belinsk Ruins, Alex uses her doomed status to convince Ryu Kou to fulfill the Tuaparang's goal, which was the activation of Eclipse Tower. It is later suggested that Hou Ju's capture was used as a method to ensure that the tower would be activated. Later on, Hou Ju was freed by Volechek personally, in gratitude for the awakening of the tower, which Volechek believed to be a weapon.

After Matthew reunites Hou Ju with her mother, she slyly forces her family to take the honorable course of giving him a material reward.

Immediately after, Hou Ju is forced to flee Belinsk alongside Ryu Kou and Hou Zan. The three Sanans are able to escape the Grave Eclipse, which resulted from the awakening of Eclipse Tower, thanks to a Sanan ship that had been sent by Unan after he learned of their fate. The three Sanans would end up at Iceberg Outpost, where their ship sank and most of the crew perished. The three would set up a makeshift camp there, while Hou Zan fought off any monsters that attacked.

Meanwhile, Matthew's party would travel to Tonfon and learn that the three never arrived at Sana. After learning that Ryu Kou carried a map essential to their quest to reverse the Grave Eclipse. They would undertake a search for the Sanans, made easier by an Echo Gem "borrowed" from Lady Hinechou. Hou Ju carried an identical gem. The two gems were capable of responding to each other as long as the holder's were alive. The signal from Hou Ju's Echo Gem allowed the Adepts to track Hou Ju, Ryu Kou, and Hou Zan down. Once they arrived, however, Hou Zan would succumb to injuries sustained from his fights with the monsters. Hou Ju chose to leave her Echo Gem on Hou Zan's grave to serve as a marker. Matthew then returns Hou Ju and Ryu Kou to their mother and uncle, Lady Hinechou and Emperor Unan, in Tonfon. After a joyous reunion, Hou Ju promises to pray alongside her mother for the Adept's safety.

Quotes

• In Iceberg Outpost:

Ryu Kou: "Hou Zan, no! You can't die in this forsaken place! I-I won't let you!"

Hou Ju: "Yes, hold on long enough for Matthew to take us all back home to Sana, Hou Zan..."

Hou Zan: "Ah, that would be a dream... But, alas, one that cannot be..."

Ryu Kou: "Hou Zan, no!"

Hou Ju: "Don't leave us!"

Hou Zan: "Take care of them... Matthew." (Hou Zan passes away.)

Ryu Kou: "Hou Zan..."

Hou Ju: "No..."

• In Tonfon:

Hou Ju: (After being returned to her family in Tonfon) "My uncle is a generous man. I'm sure he'll give you a reward!"

Hinechou: "Hou Ju, that was improper..."

Ryu Kou: "What are you thinking of, dear sister?"

Hou Ju: "Matthew has saved me twice now. It hardly seems real that I'm safely back home in Sana."

Hou Ju: (Thinking) "Matthew, I know if anyone can stop the Grave Eclipse, it's you. Blessings go with you on your journey."