Yao
Yao is an Asian boy who took part in Stan's dance group in the Season Eight episode, "You Got F'd in the A". Stan meets Yao at the South Park Arcade after Michael tells Stan that Yao is an expert at Dance Dance Revolution.
Appearance
Yao has long black hair and wears a red shirt, with an alien from Space Invaders on the front and the words "Game Over" on the back. He is also seen wearing a watch on his left wrist, as well as a necklace and a backwards blue cap as well as red-framed square glasses. Yao wears black shoes, similarly to most of the other characters. He appears to have abnormally large ears along with problems with facial acne. Yao also has some acne on his arms, but it is not as extreme as his facial acne. Not only that, but Yao also has stereotypical characteristics of Asians seen in the series such as small eyes.
Personality
Yao appears to have an obsession with Dance Dance Revolution as he plays it every day after school, and according to Michael, has probably spent about $6,000 on it so far. As for the rest of his personality, Yao appears to be kind and supportive, agreeing to give his time up to help Stan with very little coercion. Yao also appears to care about his reputation, becoming upset when he realized that he might get "served" at the Dance Off in "You Got F'd in the A". Yao also expresses a caring side when Jeffy sprains his ankle while practicing immediately before their performance, asking if Jeffy can move his ankle and examining it, attempting to help. Yao is also quite timid and does not seem to stand up for himself much. When Chef insults Yao's dancing abilities and when Stan calls his idea of recruiting Jeffy stupid, Yao does not say anything back or react. He also does not seem to react to flirting either. When Mercedes twerks on Yao, he does not react and just keeps dancing.
Relationships
Stan Marsh
Yao joined Stan's dance troupe, The South Park Diggities, in "You Got F'd in the A" and they presumably befriended each other during the short time they were seen together. Although Yao initially refused to join since he thought dancing without a machine telling him what to do was "stupid", Yao later accepted Stan's offer, leading to them becoming friends. Stan admires Yao's dancing abilities, claiming that their dance troupe needs him to be able to succeed. However, despite their friendship, they do have some disagreement. When Yao suggests that Jeffy should join their dance troupe, Stan calls the idea stupid. Even though Yao is upset by his idea being shut down, Yao does not react.
Michael
In “You Got F'd in the A”, Michael tells Stan that Yao is an expert at Dance Dance Revolution and gives Stan some information about Yao, suggesting that the two knew each other before the events of this episode and may have been friends. Despite Yao having “conformist” traits such as caring about his reputation and participating in fads, Michael still has a positive opinion of Yao, suggesting that they must be extremely close for Michael to be able to ignore these attributes.
Mercedes
In “You Got F’d in the A”, Mercedes joins The South Park Diggities. She is extremely happy about the invitation, claiming that she has always wanted to try using her dancing skills in a non-work setting and being grateful at the opportunity. During the short time that they were seen together, Mercedes seems to have befriended Yao and appreciates him. Yao also shows this gratitude towards her, being the only one to eat the chicken wings that Mercedes gave the group. When the members of the dance troupe are showcasing their abilities to Chef, she is seen getting close to Yao and twerking on him. Although the Raisins girls are forced to be nice to male patrons, Mercedes' kindness towards Yao appears to be genuine.
Maury
Their only interaction is extremely tense. When Yao, along with Stan and Michael, attempt to speak to Porsche, another Raisins waitress, Maury gets upset and says that anyone who wants to speak with the girls has to order chicken wings first.
Butters Stotch
Although their first interaction is awkward and negative, they do seem to have made up. After hearing from Mercedes that Butters was the state tap dancing champion, Yao, along with the other members of The South Park Diggities, visit Butters' house. When they ask him to join their dance troupe, Butters gets upset with them and goes upstairs, having traumatic flashbacks. However, after he hears that the dance competition is currently being held, Butters heads to the Convention Center and joins the group as a replacement for Jeffy, making up with the members of The South Park Diggities and agreeing to dance again. However, after accidentally killing the members of the Orange Country Crew, Butters is reminded of what happened at the tap-dancing nationals in Nebraska two years prior and is upset again, despite his team winning and the whole crowd cheering. Yao congratulates him, not realizing that this may upset Butters. However, he does not hold this against the dance troupe members, so Butters most likely forgives them for the events that happened earlier in the episode, as well as Yao's insensitive comment.
Jeffy
In “You Got F’d in the A”, knowing about Jeffy’s abilities, Yao tells the others about Jeffy and suggesting that he should join their dance troupe. Even though Stan believes this idea is stupid, Yao is determined to go to the farm where Jeffy is. Yao and the other members of The South Park Diggities go to the farm to see what he can do. After watching his dance routine, Yao is impressed by Jeffy’s dancing skills, and feels happy when Jeffy is able to join the dance troupe. When Jeffy sprains his ankle later in the episode, Yao expresses empathy towards him and tries to help.
Farmer
In “You Got F’d in the A”, after Butters refused to join Stan's dance troupe, Yao told the others that he knew about the farmer and the dancing duck he had to replace Butters. This suggests that Yao and the farmer knew each other before the events of this episode. When they got to the farm, the farmer started singing "Jeffy's Song" to show the South Park Diggities that Jeffy could dance to any song he knows, which are all about drug abuse, sex and domestic violence.
Chef
Although Chef admires Yao's determination and passion, he believes that Yao seriously lacks raw talent in dancing. Chef also is slightly judgmental towards Yao when Stan introduces the members of his dance troupe, questioning if this is really the lineup, and says “Oh boy...” when he realizes that Yao and the others are really members. When the dance troupe showcases their abilities, Chef is disappointed. He also claims that the only way for The South Park Diggities to not get served is if the Orange County Crew comes down with cancer, refusing to help them practice, leaving Yao and the other members discouraged. Yao has never been seen at school with the other children, meaning he most likely has not had any other interactions with Chef, so his opinion on Chef is unknown. However, when the South Park Diggities win the dance competition, Chef congratulates them, standing by Yao. He reacts positively to this and celebrates with Chef and the other members, despite being discouraged by Chef earlier in the episode.
The Orange County Crew
The Orange County Crew are seen as rivals to the South Park Diggities, including Yao. When Jeffy is injured, a member of the Orange County Crew calls the South Park Diggities “fools”. Another one mocks them, claiming they won't even dance, which is followed by Lil’ Sheep saying that the South Park Diggities are scared and that they already got served. Lil' Sheep approaches them directly once his crew starts performing, getting up close to Yao, along with the others, in an attempt to intimidate them. However, Yao seems to ignore this. After Butters accidentally kills the Orange County Crew, Yao is initially scared and shocked at the sight of their corpses before celebrating with the other members, excluding Butters. However, Yao later congratulates Butters for killing the Orange County Crew and winning the dance competition for the South Park Diggities, showing how much he disliked them.
References