Charmed
Register
Advertisement

" I figure why stop with just one Zen Master when I can rid the world of two or twenty or a hundred. All their wisdom and magic lost forever in Limbo. Now that's… evil."
—Yen Lo to his former master.[src]

Yen Lo was a skilled pupil of the Zen Master who chose to use his powers for evil. Because of this, the Zen Master decided to name his daughter An Ling as his successor. Yen Lo felt betrayed and swore revenge.

History[]

The Zen Master trained Yen Lo for twenty years, though when the time came to choose a replacement, he chose his daughter An Ling over Yen Lo. He made this decision because An Ling was a better pupil and Yen Lo used his abilities for evil, though Yen Lo felt betrayed and swore revenge.

In late 2001, Yen Lo attempted to kill the Zen Master, though An Ling defended him and managed to wound Yen Lo, causing him to retreat into Limbo. Knowing that only the Dragon Blade could stop Yen Lo, the Zen Master sent An Ling to retrieve it. As she returned with the blade, Yen Lo appeared and fatally stabbed his former master before taking him through a portal.

In Limbo, the Zen master tried to convince Yen Lo to redeem himself and reincarnate. Yen Lo refused, noting that he would likely return as a tapeworm or dung beetle. He then told his former master of his plan, to trap all Zen Masters in Limbo so they could never reincarnate and all their magic and knowledge would be lost. When the Zen Master asked how Yen Lo could escape Limbo without water, Yen Lo replied that there was water in the clouds above.

Yen Lo left Limbo in order to kill An Ling, though he failed and escaped with the Dragon Blade when the Charmed Ones intervened. Inspired by the accidental body swap between Paige and Phoebe, Piper used the same potion to switch bodies with the Zen Master. Although Yen Lo was fooled for a bit, before figuring out something was wrong and captured Piper's soul with the blade.

At the manor, Zen Master learned that Yen Lo had captured Piper's soul by observing him through a portal. When they all arrived in Limbo to save her, Phoebe engaged Yen Lo in a fight while Paige freed Piper. She then orbed the blade to Phoebe, who used it to capture Yen Lo's soul. With him defeated, Limbo was no longer corrupted by his fears and returned to a peaceful place.

An Ling wanted to return to the manor so Leo could heal her father, though the Zen Master told her that he was mortally wounded and that it was his time. He told An Ling was death and rebirth were a natural part of life, which was the final lesson she needed to learn before becoming a Zen Master herself. He then said goodbye to his daughter and took Yen Lo's soul with him to be reincarnated.

Powers and Abilities[]

Active Powers
  • Levitation: The ability to propel oneself into the air and hover.
  • Portal Creation: The ability to open portals to other locations or planes. Yen Lo used this ability to escape into Limbo and to observe the world through water.
Natural Abilities
  • Combat skills: Yen Lo was a trained and gifted Chinese martial artist. He was also skilled with a sword.
  • Wisdom: Yen Lo was taught great knowledge about the magical world and the cycle of life.
Temporary Powers
  • Flight: The ability to propel oneself through the air. In Limbo, his ability temporarily evolved.

Gallery[]

Notes and Trivia[]

  • Yen Lo is seemingly derived from Yanluo, the god of death in Chinese mythology.

Appearances[]

Yen Lo appeared in a total of 1 episode throughout the course of the series.

Advertisement