Zhang Lei Hui Guo Rou

Zhang Lei Hui Guo Rou (チョウライ=ホイコーロ, Chōrai Hoikōro) is the Third Prince of the Kakin Empire and the son of his father's third wife, Tang Zhao Li. He is currently in alliance with the Xi-Yu Family, one of the three great Mafia families in Kakin's underworld.

Appearance


Zhang Lei is a short, bald man with squarish slanted eyes and bags under them. His appearance resembles that of a Chinese monk. He appears to have no eyebrows, with lines departing from the bridge of his nose arching over his eyes. Above each of them are three dark dots in a column, with the biggest at the base. He has a dark pencil mustache, a very square chin, and elongated earlobes.

Personality
In Tubeppa's opinion, he takes pleasure in luxury and excess. According to Shimano he is tolerant and generous enough to start a negotiation, implying that he is a diplomatic man. He seems to be a pacifist at some degree as he avoid in killing but not hesitate in the slightest if it comes down to it. He can also be kind and cruel at the same time.

Given a Guardian Spirit Beast's appearance and abilities are influenced by its host's character, it is likely that Zhang Lei is a devout Buddhist, given his guardian beast resembles the dharmachakra (☸), a representation of the Buddhist dharma, Gautama Buddha's teaching of the path to nirvana and is connected to the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Furthermore, the beast seemingly in a deep meditation, not to mention that it is the least threatening and obscene-looking Guardian Spirit Beast.

Despite his religious attitude, he has no qualm allying himself with the Mafia to gain more muscles for the Succession War.

Succession Contest arc


Zhang Lei participates to the ceremony on the eve of the beginning of the expedition and boards the ship, thinking he will win the Succession War while saluting the cheering crowd. He also takes part to some formal event. Like the rest of his family, he resides in the 1st deck of the Black Whale 1. During the party, his Guardian Spirit Beast is revealed.

Sometime during the ceremony, Zhang Lei asks his father about the conditions for becoming king. Nasubi answer his question by simply saying that the one sole survivor will be the official successor of the throne. He finds out about what happened to Prince Woble's bodyguards and that only two of them are still alive. Zhang Lei finds it absurd that someone would go after the baby first of all princes. He concludes that whoever wiped them out would've killed their own as well in order to avoid any suspicion since the bodyguards that were assigned to the 14th Prince all belonged to other queens. After that, one of his men informs him about the Guardian Spirit Beasts.

He later surmises that Prince Benjamin has sent the bodyguards to spy on all the other princes after Kurapika's announcement regarding the beasts. Zhang Lei thinks that is the best time to learn about the Guardian Spirit Beasts. Zhang Lei is one of three Princes to try and get in contact with Kurapika and is the one that Kurapika talks with first due to Shimano's tampering. Zhang Lei compliments Kurapika for choosing him over Benjamin, after a brief discussion Zhang Lei gets to the point about wanting information about Nen and gives him permission to enter his room. Kurapika accepts the invitation on the condition that Oito and Woble can come along as well to which Zhang Lei accepts.

When Shimano is asked why Zhang Lei was connected first instead of Benjamin, Shimano answers that she wanted to ensure her own safety because of her fear of Benjamin and because she views Zhang Lei as kind yet cruel, but they could use that to their advantage if they're careful.



Arriving in Zhang Lei's room, he welcomes Kurapika and Queen Oito and offers them a bottled water. Jumping into things Kurapika explains a little information about Nen and Zhang Lei surmises that's what the emergency announcement earlier was about. Kurapika then states that the information he has may affect the outcome of the Succession War, Zhang Lei inquires if where they are now is an appropriate place. As Coventoba a soldier for Benjamin and Slakka a spy for Queen Duazul each stand on either side of him. Although Prince Zhang Lei doesn't mind continuing the conversation, he realizes that Kurapika has also been contacted by Prince Benjamin and Prince Tubeppa and an appointment as well afterwards. So the meeting is cut short and since Prince Woble lacks man power due to a Spirit Beast attack, Prince Zhang Lei offers his bodyguards Sakata and Hashito to help guard them until the time of the next dinner banquet.

Zhang Lei agrees to send his bodyguards to learn Nen under Kurapika. He sends his bodyguard Tenftory who is under orders by the Prince to take note who makes contact with Kurapika.

The following day, while Zhang Lei is having dinner, a coin drops to the floor. He initially believes it to belong to one of his bodyguards, but they tell him it just appeared out of thin air. Coventoba picks it up and hands it to the prince, who examines it, without telling him it was the work of his Guardian Spirit Beast, which had also produced a coin, currently in the soldier's pocket, the day before.

Abilities & Powers
Being one of the eldest princes, Zhang Lei possesses significant political influences and assets to help him winning the throne.

Nen


Like the rest of his siblings, Zhang Lei received an egg from which a Guardian Spirit Beast, a type of Nen beast, hatched to protect him. Since it is a parasitic-type ability, he has no control over it. The Guardian Spirit Beast is subjected to two rule-like instincts: it is unable to fight other Guardian Spirit Beasts as well as to directly attack the host of one. It appears to have the ability to conjure a coin from its mouth every day. Its effects are currently unknown.

Trivia

 * The flowering plant motif/image present in the coins conjured and spit by Zhang Lei's Guardian Spirit Beast is of the Houttuynia cordata, a plant native to Japan, Korea, southern China, and Southeast Asia, that grows in moist, shady places, and is known by many names; e.g. in Chinese it is called yúxīng cǎo (鱼腥草; 魚腥草, "fishy-smell herb") and in Japanese dokudami (蕺草, "poison blocking plant"). This plant has some culinary uses and is even used in traditional Chinese medicine for pneumonia. Notoriously, it's also an extremely alien and highly invasive weed species in many places, very difficult or nearly impossible to eradicate, spreading quickly and making it difficult to plant anything of value near it.