Zuu Mei Chang

Character Outline
Zu Mei Chang is a metallurgist and Anti-Akuma Weapon manufacturer, as well as Head Chef of the Asian Branch of the Black Order. He is Bak Chang's great-uncle.

Appearance
Zu Mei is short and somewhat rotund. He is largely bald, mainly on the top of his head, and what hair he has left on the back of his head is long and always pulled back into a ponytail. When not dressed in his chefs attire, Zu Mei wears a loose white shirt and loose dark pants, with a sleeveless cloak over it. He has diamond-shaped tattoos on the top of his head, and he wears a monocle in his left eye.

Personality
Zu Mei is a kind old man who usually, and likely purposefully, acts a bit dense and out of it, though this could also be attributed to his old age. He knows when to act serious, though, and because of his comforting but sober attitude when he is required to be serious, he is one of the few people Yu Kanda confides in. He cares deeply for Kanda and Alma Karma, and bears an overwhelming guilt over what happened to them because he was the one who originally proposed the Second Exorcist Program. When he found out Alma was still alive, he cried and expressed his anger to his former student, Malcolm C. Lvellie, upset with him for keeping Alma alive after what they (the Black Order) had done to him.

History
Zu Mei was once the greatest sorcerer of the Chang family and worked at Central as a powerful official, where Malcolm C. Lvellie was one of his students. It was during his time at Central, when he was a darker, more power-hungry person who only cared about the status of the Chang Clan, that he proposed the basic idea of the Second Exorcist Program. He was the smith who forged Kanda's Mugen, and he also taught Jeryy how to cook.

During Kanda's childhood, Zu Mei was frequently his confidant, assuring Kanda that the lotus blooms he was seeing were only illusions. Zu Mei was also the head chef at the Asian Branch nine years ago, seen trying to decide how to cook an odd fish that has arms and a horse's head.

Third Exorcists arc
Zu Mei is first seen in the Asian Branch kitchen, chopping copious amounts of cabbage. For approaches him and tries to talk to him, but Zu Mei is completely unresponsive, even when For uses a megaphone. It is only after his hearing aid is found tucked away in his underwear, found with the help of Rohfa, Rikei and Shifu, that For is able to tell him that Kanda has come to see him. After watching Rohfa, Rikei and Shifu interact with Allen Walker and Lenalee Lee, Zu Mei remarks to For that listening to the young adults talk about the future reminds him of "their old errors", silently asking Kanda if he still sees the lotus blossoms.

Mystery of Kanda arc
When a meeting is held in North American Branch to discuss Alma Karma, Zu Mei walks in on it, demanding to see Alma, who he had known since Alma's childhood, and crying when he sees the unconscious and deformed state Alma is in. He then angrily demands to know why Lvellie kept it hidden from him, to which Lvellie answers that Zu Mei would have never let them work if he had known Alma was alive. Zu Mei then angrily insists that, after the slaughter of the personnel of the Second Exorcist Program, Kanda should have at least been told of Alma's survival.

Shortly after, the Earl of Millennium invades the complex, and Zu Mei is one of the many taken hostage.

Zu Mei realizes when he sees Kanda, who has been taken hostage by the Noah, that the Noah are after Alma, Wisely taunting him by confirming this. Kanda awakens, and immediately after Allen arrives with Tyki Mikk. A brief struggle commences, and when the Noah pull Alma from his containment unit and Kanda denies knowing him, Zu Mei insists that Kanda wouldn't have forgotten Alma.

Zu Mei cries out when Wisely submerges Kanda, Allen, Road and Alma into Kanda's memories, then begs Wisely to spare Alma, distraught when Wisely brushes him off.

After Alma awakens and begins fighting Kanda, Zu Mei is hurt several times in the ensuing struggle, and he begs Kanda and Alma several times over to stop fighting. He even uses his magic to summon his healing golem, Atuuda, which saps his own life force as he uses it, to mend Allen's injuries, begging Allen to save Kanda and Alma.

When Kanda begins exceeding his limits, Zu Mei calls out to beg him to stop before he kills himself, though Kanda doesn't heed his word. Eventually, Kanda regains his maddened senses and tries to help Alma, but when Alma begins to self-destruct in retaliation, Zu Mei can only watch the ensuing destruction in tears.

Both Alma and Kanda survive the explosion and reconcile, and Allen helps them escape.

Seeds of Destrucion
After the ordeal, when Allen is taken prisoner by the Order for his actions, Zu Mei, who has come into possession of what is left of Kanda's Mugen, insists that the odd rust that has started to cover Mugen shows that Kanda must be dead, trying to convince the cardinals who have come in to sort out the issues that hunting for Kanda isn't necessary. Zu Mei, though, is brushed off.

After Allen escapes, Zu Mei is one of the several to rush to Allen's prison, where he comes upon a gravely injured Howard Link. Lvellie, desperate, bows before Zu Mei and begs him to save him.

Searching for A.W. arc
20 days after Link's fight with Apocryphos, Link awakened in Zu's house having recovered from his injuries. While getting up from Zu telling him to put some clothes on, he notices a small x-shape scare on his chest. He touches it and sees a type of illusion pop out. Zu explains that he used his life force to save him under Lvellie's order, however, Zu used the last of his life force doing so and explains that using Atuuda now as the last life he could save means that Link now has been given the use of Atuuda now. Zu states that he's going to die and tries to tell Link about something about trying to save him but ended up turning him into the 14th, but Lvellie walks in and tells him he'll make him some tea.

Three months later, Zu Mei has returned to the Asian Branch, where his health has deteriorated and he is close to death. Kanda, who is still alive, returns to the Order and goes to Zu Mei's side to retrieve Mugen. When Zu Mei tells Kanda that he was the one who had thought up the Second Exorcist Program, Kanda tells him that he will be joining him in hell just before Mugen reverts to its cube form, whereupon Kanda drinks it after it liquifies and allows Mugen to assume its crystal form state.

As Kanda does this, Zu Mei silently assures Kanda that he is the forceful lotus, "blooming up out of the mud", before asking For to take care of Bak and passing away.

Equipment
Spirit Stone: Like all members of the magically inclined branches of the Chang Family, Zu Mei was equipped with a marble-like stone known as the Spirit Stone, which acted as a power catalyst for Zu Mei's magics. He kept it on the hair band he tied his hair back with.

Abilities
Master Sorcerer: When he was younger, Zu was considered to be the greatest sorcerer of the Chang family, the bloodlines of which trace back to an extremely powerful German sorcerer who was one of the founding members of the Black Order. Though his abilities have, presumably, waned much in his old age, he is still shown to be able to cast powerful healing spells, if only for a short amount of time.

Atuuda (癒闇蛇, Yuyamihebi): A golem belonging to Zu Mei, Atuuda is used by its summoner as a powerful healing agent. Using Zu Mei's own energy, Atuuda can heal the wounds of others, though the number of times it can be used is directly correlated to the users bodily conditon and, thus, is limited if the user is physically weak. Zu Mei summons it by carving a triangle flanked with strange symbols on two sides and sitting on the bare side in a lotus position while using his sorcery. It is noted by Allen to look like a catfish. After his death, this power has been passed on to Howard Link.

Trivia

 * Because Lvellie was one of his students, Zu Mei is one of the few people who calls him by his first name.