History Characters / TheTaleOfFood

* StrongFamilyResemblance: He and Zhi Geng both have (a part of) white hair with pink gradient, and feathered wings of the same color. {{Downplayed}} in that this maybe a result of their creators being BloodBrothers, as Food Spirits have [[FamilyOfChoice no actual blood relation]],

* UndyingLoyalty: He’s incredibly loyal to Yizhi and his child, to the point he has [[spoiler:attacked his own brother twice to protect the young master regardless of [[BloodBrothers their relationship]].]]

* BalefulPolymorph: They get turned into a cat in the [[NewYearHasCome New Year event]] courtesy of [[spoiler:Sū Qīng]].

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:They get killed once. The next arc sees a group of food spirits travel to the afterlife to retrieve their soul in order to revive them.]]
* BadassBookworm: They have a lot of knowledge about culinary arts along with related fields and are considerably well-versed in Confucianism to the point of impressing Eight Immortals, while also physically trained enough to fight on their own should there be a need to.
* BalefulPolymorph: Gets turned into a cat in the [[NewYearHasCome New Year event]] courtesy of [[spoiler:Sū Qīng]].

* BenevolentBoss: They treat the Food Spirits like a second family, always cater to their best interests, and are very protective of them to the point of getting violent sometimes. Their trust in the Food Spirits is so great that they felt angry when the Envoys of Five Flavors accused [[spoiler:Hu-Geng]] of betraying Kongsang and rebuke Ku Wu about how the contract itself isn’t the thing that binds the Food Spirits to Kongsang, but rather the bond they share as "cuisines" and "a place that preserves and respects cuisines".

* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Su Qing expresses surprise when she sees the young master since according to the rumors she heard, they’re [[ExaggeratedTrope a burly, eight-feet-tall individual with three heads, six arms, sharps fangs, and ferocious face]] who is capable of "devouring a thousand bowls of rice a day" and "crushing a dragon with a single punch". Though it’s unclear how much of the above description is just joking, she does mention that the young master looks cuter than she expected from someone who has resolved countless crises across the Three Realms.

* RunningGag: It’s very common for them to be in jail or at least held captive in the event story, to the point they get used to it. The ''Loulan Inception'' event even ''starts'' with them being put in prison.

The Food Deity and Master of Kongsang. He’s the father of the young master.

* HappilyMarried

[[folder:Ji]]

Wife of the Food Deity Yizhi and the young master’s mother.

* HappilyMarried

* BuxomBeautyStandard: Lu Wu certainly thinks so when his first interaction with her is smacking her chests.

Su Qing’s guardian.

!!Underworld Office

[[folder:Lady Mèng]]
[[/folder]]

!!The Four Seas

[[folder:Dragon King of the Eastern Seas]]
!!Ao Guang

ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, he was the ruler of the Eastern Seas before being succeeded and godfather of Shunde Raw Fish.

* AbdicateTheThrone: He willingly steps down and crowns Shunde Raw Fish as the next Dragon King to allow the latter to go all out in his fight with Tiangou.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: He is usually referred to as just the Dragon King, or "Father" in Shunde Raw Fish‘s case. Only Vermillion Bird calls him by his real name "Ao Guang".
* GoodParents: He’s quite caring and supportive to his godson, and gives Shunde Raw Fish a rallying speech about how there’s no one more deserving to be the next Dragon King than him when he displays HeroicSelfDeprecation.

!!Cirrus Ether

[[folder:Vermillion Bird]]

The current leader of the Azureans, and in a sense the adoptive father of Hazel Grouse Soup.
----
* BloodKnight: He’s described as a combative warrior and almost caused a war to break out between the Oceanids and the Azureans. As such, to him, the pacific Oceanids are "softies who don’t have the guts to step foot into unknown areas".
* BrainwashedAndCrazy
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He’s a BloodKnight who looks down on the Oceanids, but is cordial to the young master and a ParentalSubstitute for Hazel Grouse Soup even if he hides it beneath a strict facade. After the event of Tiangou, his combativeness is toned down and his niceness becomes more apparent.
* ParentalSubstitute: Although he doesn’t officially adopt Hazel Grouse Soup, he still sees the latter as his son. While he may seem strict and harsh towards Hazel Grouse Soup, one part because of Hazel Grouse Soup’s attitude, he actually expresses care and asks Hazel Grouse Soup to tell him if he’s in trouble when he sees him [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness acting out of character]] (because of the FreakyFridayFlip). The conversations he has with the Dragon King and his Azurean Warrior in the Kongsang Restaurant shows that he trusts his son greatly and wants him to learn to be independent and mature during his stay in Kongsang.
* SuperEmpowering: He uses sixty percent of his divine power to fuse "Dragon and Phoenix's Will" for Hazel Grouse Soup to prepare him for the fight with Tiangou.
[[/folder]]

!!Others

[[folder:Zheng Chufa]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8b57551f_c9ee_4244_a676_3f98d325244f.png]]

The creator of Buddha’s Temptation and Gold Chicken Shred. He’s the head chef at the famous Fuzhou restaurant "Ju Chun Court".

* FatalFlaw: His insecurity causes him to be very emotionally dependent on Buddha’s Temptation and unable to let the latter leave him in fear of losing whom he believes is the reason behind Ju Chun Court’s success, even though Buddha’s Temptation has stated many times that Ju Chun Court succeeds majorly because of Zheng Chufa‘s own hard works, while his fame only assisted in spreading the restaurant’s name. This makes it easy for Yi Ya to manipulate him.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Although he has great culinary talents, he has little confidence in his abilities and contributes most of his restaurant’s success to Buddha’s Temptation.
* JerkassBall

[[folder:Madam Song]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/92697865_aaa9_449e_a77b_70d18dfe1d08.png]]

The creator of the West Lake Fish. A fisherwoman who remained quite beautiful even at her age, but her life has been in shambles because of it.

* DamselInDistress: She was kidnapped by Yi Ya to force West Lake Fish to join the Realm of Melany. Fortunately, the young master sees through it and saves her under Yi Ya’s nose.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After losing her husband and going through an oppressed, lonely life under the constant threat of being violated by the man who killed the husband, she finally gets to be free and happy once the nobleman’s crimes are exposed with the help of the young master, the Food Spirits and her own brother-in-law - who survived and managed to become an official after fleeing from their hometown and now returning to seek justice for his brother.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: She’s beautiful for her age and status, but it caused a local nobleman to be so smitten with her that he killed her husband to have a chance with her, and his connections with the government meant that she couldn’t get justice for her husband. Her brother-in-law, who had been protecting her, also had to leave the hometown in fear of the nobleman’s revenge, and without West Lake Fish’s protection she may have suffered even more.

[[folder:Constable Wang]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baa89cff_18dc_45ff_a1b6_98bd1d3239a3.png]]

The creator of Stinky Perch, a constable oppressed by a ruthless governor.

* NiceGuy: He’s very friendly and pleasant to the young master even though they just met, and never blames Stinky Perch for making him lost. It’s stated in his profile that his natural kindness and amiability will also bring him good luck.

[[folder:Lady Yu]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/6ea15a45_707a_4e04_840f_c47c159f5f5c.png]]

The recorded creator of the Yipin Pot, the wife of the Ming Dynasty Shitai Province minister Bi Qiang.
----
* BigBrotherWorship: She's very close to her elder brother Guo Yipin, and her dependence on him is compared to a "brother complex".
* FeminineWomenCanCook: The emperor certainly thinks so when he wants to try her cooking. The truth is that [[{{Subverted}} Lady Yu has never cook in all her life]], being a sheltered noble lady and all, so she’s very panicked as she can’t go against the emperor’s order or have the servants make a dish for her since that would count as deception against the emperor, but she can’t bring shame to the household by admitting her inability or bringing up a terrible dish either. Thankfully, Chef Lu steps in to guide her to make Yipin Pot - a dish of his creation, and allows her to take the full credit.
* FlowersOfFemininity: Her outfit and hair are adorned with flowers, showing her status as a ProperLady.
* NiceGirl: Even though the young master and Stinky Perch are two strangers who were literally dropped into her home from the sky, she still treats them like honorable guests and allows them to stay until they can find a way to contact their associates.
* ProperLady: She’s a gentle, polite, and educated lady from a distinguished family.

[[folder:Yama?]]

!Enemies

[[folder:Taotie]]

* HopelessBossFight

!!Apex of Phantom

A mysterious museum of treasure at the outskirts of Kongsang, full of precious Utensils that can help Food Spirits get stronger. In order to earn the Utensils, the player will have to defeat the powerful illusion guardians of this place.

* FriendlyEnemy: It is established that the guardians don’t see the young master as enemy, since they are friends with their father Yizhi. The fighting only happens to [[OnlyTheWorthyMayPass test the young master’s worthiness]].

[[folder:Prince of Dreams]]

[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3f18b3d6_1a64_40ab_ae47_7611425481e2.png]]

The guardian of the Water Pavilion in the Apex of Phantom.

* BerserkButton: His profile mentions that if disturbed while sleeping, he may trap the troublemakers in a dream of his own making in a fit of rage.
* CuteOversizedSleeves: He takes the appearance of an adorable young boy with sleeves past his fingers. All he does with his hands is hugging his pillow anyway.
* MagicalFloatingShawl
* ScratchDamage: Even though by theory, he shouldn’t be able to receive damage once he reaches ten Jade Shields as that would mean he has a 100% DMG Reduction, he will still lose 1 HP for each attack.
* {{Sleepyhead}}: He looks sleepy and holds onto his pillow even in battle.
* StoneWall: He generates a Jade Shield that reduces DMG taken by 10% every time he does a normal attack, making him even tougher as time goes on. When he manages to have ten Jade Shields, he’s pretty much immortal.
* UnblockableAttack: His "Cold Snow" skill attacks all enemies as soon as they enter the battle with a 100% chance to stun them, completely incapacitating the player in the first round while he himself can receive buffs from his mooks - who may be swept by the player’s team otherwise. Only a few characters whose skillset instantly gives them debuff-negating effects are immune to this. Thankfully this can only be used once at the start of battle.
* VictoryByEndurance: His main strategy if his Jade Shields aren’t dispelled: he will steadily deal damage while building up his shields, slowly reducing the damage taken until he all he can receive is ScratchDamage, and then it’s only a matter of time before he sweeps the player’s team which has been weakened enough.
* WaterIsBlue: He guards the Water Pavilion and his color palette is mainly blue.

[[folder:Windrider]]

[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/98e847c4_42b0_437c_8fe1_c091724d3681.png]]

The guardian of the Wind Pavilion in the Apex of Phantom.

* AxCrazy: Said to often loses his sanity as he sees intruders and would attack anyone, including his allies, if it means he can take the enemy down. He’s also extremely obsessed with violence and murder, and loves to watch as the trespassers struggle in the poisonous marsh.
* DamageOverTime: He’s all about stacking Poison on the player’s team.
* DeadlyGas: It’s mentioned that his winds contain poison, making them a version of this.
* KeystoneArmy: When he is defeated, he drags both of his {{mooks}} with him regardless of how much HP they still have left.
* OddNameOut: His name doesn’t follow the "Prince(ss) of -" theme. [[DubNameChange This is only applicable for the English translation though]], because in the original Chinese he shares the same theme naming with other guardians.

[[folder:Prince of Fire]]

[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2075b41a_06cb_4dd4_92bc_435dc38111b1.png]]

The guardian of the Fire Pavilion in the Apex of Phantom.

* BossOnlyLevel: His Pavilion is the only battle without {{mooks}} to assist him.
* ExtraTurn: His skill 1 and 3 both allow him to attack one more time after defeating any target.
* FieryStoic: He looks pretty calm and stoic for a {{Pyromaniac}}.
* PlayingWithFire: Befitting his title.
* {{Pyromaniac}}: It is said that the sight and sound of everything being consumed by flames excites him.
* TechnicolorFire: His fire is blue, just like his hair.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Princess of Soil]]

[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/270db75e_78cb_472a_a0d7_f17ccd0cc291.png]]

The guardian of the Gaia Pavilion in the Apex of Phantom.

* CastFromHitPoints: When there are no Earth Spirit on the battlefield, she will use 30% of her HP to summon four of them.
* DishingOutDirt: She causes an earthquake to stun the whole team at the start of the battle and creates a wall of mud to defend herself.
* FlowersOfNature: Wears flower in her hair to show that she’s MotherNature.
* LiterallyShatteredLives: When defeated, she turns into stone and shattered into pieces.
* LivingStatue: Said to be made of clay as seen through her unusual coloration, and there’s moss on her hair and skin. As she’s defeated, she becomes a ([[LiterallyShatteredLives broken]]) stone statue.

* MotherNature: She represents the earth among the guardians, and is appropriately the only girl of the five. It’s also mentioned that all the earth spirits that live in the Gaia Pavilion see her as their "mother".
* ScratchDamage: All attacks dealt on her directly will only cause 1 point of damage each. The only way to defeat her is to defeat the {{mooks}} she [[CastFromHitPoints summons using her own HP]] enough times.
* SheIsTheKing: She still has the title "Prince" despite being TheSmurfettePrinciple. {{Averted}} as of the ''Snow of Fortune'' update, where her title is changed to "Princess".
* SkintoneSclerae: Her eyes, scleras and skin are all of the same color. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] because she’s a LivingStatue.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: She’s the only female guardian.

!!Grove of Harvest
A magical forest with various groves, commanded by Dish of Prosperity. The player can farm Nuts used to Star Up their Food Spirits once they defeated the guardians of the groves.

[[folder:Jieshou Cashew]]

[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/70c89eb5_1755_4b81_849a_b4b6dfcfd676.png]]

The guardian of the Cashew Grove in the Grove of Harvest.

* AchillesHeel: The [[AntiRegeneration Anti-Heal]] debuff will make fighting him drastically easier, since it directly incapacitates his schtick as a HealingBoss.
* DudeLooksLikeALady: He has long hair and eyelashes, and his robe makes him look even more androgynous.
* EyesAlwaysShut: He never opens his eyes, befitting his ethereal demeanor.
* HealingBoss: He can restore 25% of his own HP every 2 turns, and if his normal attack defeat an enemy, he will be healed too.
* HealingLoop: He’s a boss that specializes on healing, but can also deal great [=AoE=] damage to force the player’s team into healing constantly just like him and neglecting attacking, which will give him the time to outheal your damage ouput and even return to full health.
* PlayingWithFire: He summons fire using KiManipulation to attack. His hand fan itself is constantly on fire too.
* PointyEars: His ears show that even though he may look more human compared to his fellow guardians, he’s just as far away from being mortal as them.
* WiseOldTurtle: He rides a tortoise and is said to be a scholarly man who achieved immortality and knows the secret to everlasting youth.

[[folder:Turkic Hazelnut]]

[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d6c2c16b_9007_4958_b98c_a8c8f13bcd1d.png]]

The guardian of the Hazelnut Grove in the Grove of Harvest.

* UnusualEyebrows: His eyebrows are absurdly long, and may even be longer than his hair.

[[folder:Bozhou Walnut]]

[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4578633d_29a3_404d_ab78_162fa155e8de.png]]

The guardian of the Walnut Grove in the Grove of Harvest.

* PerpetualFrowner: He always looks grumpy, and his profile also calls him "unapproachable".
* PlantPerson: His lower body is a tree stump, while his horns and claws resemble tree branches. There’re even walnuts growing on his horns!
* WalkingShirtlessScene

[[folder:Kid of Sliver]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cc5aacb1_fc02_4d60_9f91_decdecf31616.png]]

The guardian of the Almond Grove in the Grove of Harvest.

* HeroWorshipper: He’s a passionate fan of Dish of Prosperity and went out of his way to mimic the way his idol dresses and acts, and even changed his name to Kid of Sliver so that their names sound similar. According to his profile, praising Dish of Prosperity in front of him may yield unexpected results.
* PaletteSwap: He’s just a white version of Dish of Prosperity. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] as he intentionally imitates the latter.
* StoneWall: He has disgustingly high HP and it takes many rounds for regular DPS characters to take him down. The ATK Down debuff from his third skill makes the process even longer.
[[/folder]]

!!Events

[[folder:Sweet Psycho]]

* PsychoPink

[[folder:Robo Bunny '''(Spoilers unmarked)''']]
!!TG Alpha I
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/891c9ad2_3d45_46a4_8225_e4f4c7a20c6e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:]]
[[caption-width-right:300: [[labelnote:Ultima Robo-Bunny]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/06e4cb9d_cbc9_47f5_8965_52cd46a83da7.png[[/labelnote]]]]

A strange Robo-Bunny that is a creation of the Micians, with connections to Crab in Orange. An ally to the young master until the repair of Guanghan Palace is completed, then it steals the core and reveals its true identity: '''TG Alpha I''' - creator and master of Crab in Orange in the Micians, the first Mician mechanism with sentience who was eventually abandoned in space after a mission to destroy the Guanghan Palace. As a result, it harbors hatred towards human and wishes to build a paradise for robots on the moon.

It appears in the ''Moonlit Confession'' event and serves as the boss for a special Joint Server Stage called "Guanghan Summit". It’s also an occasional guest of Kongsang Restaurant under the name "Mysterious Robo-Bunny".

* AIIsACrapshoot
* BitchInSheepsClothing: It goes along with the young master on their journey to fix the Guanghan Palace and is generally helpful and affable, as much as a robot can anyway, until it turns on everyone by stealing the core and attacking them with a HumongousMecha, revealing that it’s sentient all along and has a grudge against humanity.
* DissonantLaughter: It laughs merrily even though Crab in Orange’s blade is hairs away from the conductor wiring that links it to the hub. It’s because it knows he won’t be able to kill his own creator and master, and that hasn’t even taken their SelfDestructMechanism into account.
* EatingMachine: As a guest of the Kongsang restaurant, it reveals that it’s equipped with the latest bionic systems in the world that allows it to simulate the senses of a human, taste included, and assumingly the digestion too. Hilariously, when it tries human food for the first time, it blankly updates its database that "fuel is the worst food in the world".
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Despite its aggression towards the young master and hatred against humanity, it expresses clearly that it doesn’t want to hurt Crab in Orange, has saved and protected his life not just once, and repeatedly tries to have him at its side. The voice it uses to coax him is described as "persuasive and melancholy with despair", showing that it wants him not merely because he’s convenient for its plan, but also because it still sees him as its student. When Crab in Orange pulls a BetterToDieThanBeKilled, Robo Bunny screams at him to stop, then immediately leaps in to protect his core and eventually dies with him in the process.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Even though ''Moonlit Confession'' is everything but outright states that Robo-Bunny was irreparably destroyed after its TakingTheBullet attempt, it will still appear in Kongsang restaurant as a guest. Though there are implications that it was rebuilt by Crab in Orange once he himself came back to life and joined Kongsang.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: One of its eyes visibly glows when it reveals its true nature.
* HumongousMecha: Rides one as Ultima Robo-Bunny.
* MechanicalAnimals: It is a robot rabbit. However, unlike its fellow Robo-Bunnies, this one has the full sentience of a human.
* MoonRabbit
* NoBiologicalSex: Since it is a [[MechanicalAnimals robot in animal form]], this happens naturally and everyone refers to Robo Bunny as "it". However, it actually speaks in a distinct tenor voice and in Crab in Orange’s flashback, both him and the Great Lord called it "he", suggesting that it identifies as male.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Its eyes are normally brownish, but when it shows its true color, they’re remarked to turn red.
* RoboSpeak: Normally talks like this, befitting a robot. However, it drops this act once its true color and identity is revealed, instead speaking in a way identical to human.
* RobotMaster: It was the one who created Crab in Orange’s cyborg body and taught him to become a GadgeteerGenius himself.
* SelfDestructMechanism: All robots built by the Micians have one embedded in their core that will activate when the robot attack a member of the Micians, and it is no exception. This may be the [[PragmaticVillainy practical reason]] why it doesn’t want to attack Crab in Orange and stops him from doing the same to it - it’s either they both live or die.
* TakingTheBullet: It tried to protect Crab in Orange’s core using its body when he destroyed it, but unfortunately failed and died on his chest from the explosion.
* TragicRobot: While it indeed betrayed us and wanted to destroy humanity to create a paradise of robots, its backstory, humanity and death are all quite saddening. Although it was very loyal to the Micians, they saw it as JustAMachine and unceremoniously abandoned it in space when it was destroyed after accomplishing its mission from them. It did all it could for Crab in Orange as a mentor to keep him safe even when he had forgotten their relationship, seems to have developed "humanity" out of its care for him despite its own denial, and dies because it wants to stop his [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled suicide]].
* WalkingSpoiler: In-depth discussions about this particular Robo Bunny spoil a major part of the ''Moonlit Confession'' event story.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: TG Alpha I was loyal to the Micians till the end and accepted its mission unquestionably, but treated as a disposable, mindless tool even though its mind was no different from that of a living human. When saved from its supposed eternal slumber in space after betrayal and abandonment, it decides to build an "immortal realm meant only for machines" on the rebuilt Guanghan Palace and use humans as tools like a payback.

[[folder:Tiangou]]

[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e826760e_30d4_4513_8485_face34def642.png]]

A greedy and cunning beast prophesied to devour the sun and bring with it unnatural events. It escaped Mount Buzhou where it was sealed, and now is about to make the prophecy come true.

* PlanetEater

* BadassAdorable: Looks like a fashionable and cute young woman, and is powerful enough to create an entire new "realm" in the crevice between Three Realms by herself.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:She's the actual villain of the New Year event story.]]

* AngstComa: [[spoiler:He was so devastated when he had to kill his own brother that he stayed within the "The Tale of Food" for twenty years, simply refusing to wake up, and may have kept it that way if the destruction of Kongsang hadn’t occurred. In Chapter 7, he also seems to pass out from agony and grief after stabbing his brother.]]

* UndyingLoyalty: He’s incredibly loyal to Yizhi and his child, to the point he has [[spoiler:attacked his own brother twice to protect the young master regardless of their previous relationship.]]

* AlternateSelf: This is a version of Peking Duck where he just came into existence but already had to handle great responsibility of an emperor, thus he has a more solemn personality.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He may be the ButtMonkey, but
* ManekiNeko: When Kongsang Restaurant enters "Peak Hour", Lu Wu, who usually lays at the restaurant’s door, will get up and assume this pose to signify the great fortune the player is about to earn.

* AchillesHell: The Anti-Heal debuff will make fighting him drastically easier, since it directly incapacitates his schtick as a HealingBoss.