Hou Ju is a Sanan royal and a non-playable 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.
Story[]
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 traveled with her mother and brother to Morgal to live with their father. The family moved to the city of Belinsk, which served as the capital of the colony. At some point, Sana underwent 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 used 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 her family was forced to flee. While Lady Hinechou had escaped due to visiting to Tonfon before the uprising, Lord Kuan was killed by the Beastmen. Hou Ju then lived 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 returned to Belinsk with Matthew's party in an attempt to save Hou Ju, but while in Belinsk Ruins, Arcanus 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.
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 was caused by 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 then set up a makeshift camp there, while Hou Zan fought off any monster 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 decided to search for them, which was 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 succumbs 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 in Tonfon. After a joyous reunion, Hou Ju promises to pray alongside her mother for the Adept's safety.