Lau Chan (VIRTUA FIGHTER)

Lau Chan (born October 2, 1940; People's Republic of China)[1] is a fictional Chinese character in the video game series Virtua Fighter.

A leading Chinese chef, a master of the legendary wushu style Koen-Ken (Or Tiger Swallow Fist) and the father of Pai Chan although the two share a strained realtionship. He is from Shandong Province, Northern China.

Currently (and ever since Virtua Fighter 4), Lau has suffered from a rare illness which cannot be cured. This illness does not seem to hamper his Koen-Ken techniques or his abillity to fight although he is seen coughing in one of his pre-fight animations. Lau was the winner of the first World Fighting Tournament.

Virtua Fighter
A quiet man, he nevertheless has an air of resourcefulness and skill seen only in those skilled in the art of Koen-Ken. His cold appearance belies a gentle nature. He achieved one of his life's ambitions when he was awarded the Grand Prix at the world's most renowned competition for Chinese chefs. As a perfectionist by nature, he enters the World Fighting Tournament to achieve absolute mastery over the Tiger Swallow Fist style.

Virtua Fighter 2
He was the strongest fighter and winner of the First World Tournament. This made him happy as his martial arts school was looking for a successor and the requirement was for him to win the Tournament. After the First Tournament, he retreated to the mountains to train and develop new techniques to improve his ultimate art. He is taking part in the Second World Fighting Tournament using advanced Koen-Ken techniques.

Virtua Fighter 3
Shortly after losing the 2nd tournament to Akira by only the tiniest of margins, Lau received word that his restaurant was in a dire financial situation. For a while, Lau returned to its kitchen in an attempt to revive his once famous restaurant. When he received an invitation to the 3rd tournament, Lau left the kitchen in the hands of his best apprentice, and began the preparations for his journey. They say a thin smile appeared on his lips...

Virtua Fighter 4
In the last tournament, Lau lost to Kage. Dejected, he went back to push his skills to another level. However, he finds out that he has a rare illness that cannot be cured. He then decides there must be a successor to his Tiger Swallow Fist style. However, he has been unable to find a proper successor worthy of this forbidden lineage. When he hears of the 4th world tournament, he decides to join the tournament, hoping to find a suitable student.

Virtua Fighter 5
A master of the Koen-Ken style, Lau found a worthy opponent in the Fourth World Fighting Tournament in Lei-Fei. The young fighter thirsted for all of Lau's knowledge and was obedient to his new master. However, while they were training, Lei-Fei suddenly turned on him and Lau barely survived in his weakened state. About the same time, Lau's only daughter, Pai Chan, also disappeared. Though he had abandoned her long ago, he realized that their bond was still intact, but with death rapidly approaching, he felt he had no choice but to disappear from her life again. He withdrew to what he thought was a secret hideaway when mysteriously he received an invitation to the Fifth World Fighting Tournament.