Max and his buddies intervene when a Chinese demon tries to take over the planet for rats.
Tropes:
- Bond Villain Stupidity: As some attempt at irony for human scientists putting rats in mazes, Lao Chu puts Max's party in one. Also in there with them is the only thing that can kill Lao Chu. Which they find. Guess what they do with it.
- Demonic Possession: Lao Chu possesses and reshapes the body of the human who discovered the jewel containing his soul.
- Eastern Zodiac: This episode's named after, and aired very close to a real Year of the Rat (which was 1996).
- The End... Or Is It?: Rats are shown gathering up the pieces of the jade heart as the episode ends.
- Fantasy Pantheon: Usually when the show incorporates legends into its narrative, they're based on ones from the real world. Lao Chu on the other hand seems to have been invented for this script alone.
- The Maze: Lao Chu puts Max and his buddies into one, complete with a bull-headed demon.
- No Ontological Inertia: When Lao Chu's defeated, the guy whose body he took over is turned back to normal.
- Soul Jar: Lao Chu's jade heart.
- When the Planets Align: A specific series of dates heralded the discovery of Lao Chu's jade heart and his return to the mortal world.
- You Dirty Rat!: The villain's a rat demon, who wants to make the world a paradise for his kind.
