History ADifferentLesson / TropesAToL

* HeroicResolve: Po proves once again how capable he is of great kung fu feats when his father Ping is in danger from the Wu Sisters. Tai Lung also is able to rally from being badly injured on several occasions, such as protecting Tigress from Vachir, or defending Po from Heian Chao--not to mention being able to resist the latter's dark ''chi'' and mental influence even while doped up on opium and about to be hanged.

* HeroicResolve: Po proves once again how capable he is of great kung fu feats when his father Ping is in danger from the Wu Sisters. Tai Lung also is able to rally from being badly injured on several occasions, such as protecting Tigress from Vachir, or defending Po from Heian Chao.

* IronicEcho: "There are no accidents." Originally a saying of Oogway's, it is here spoken by [[spoiler:the BigBad]] as he learns that the character he aided Xiu in killing, so as to frame Tai Lung, just so happened to be a SpannerInTheWorks who had been interfering in the Wu Sisters' plans for some time.

-->''And yet, he'd still come that close to killing Shifu. That, too, was something that could never be forgiven. Not even by himself. As he had told Tigress, it was the worst thing he could ever have done, and every time he thought of it now, it filled him with horror.'' '''''All his prior reasoning could explain his actions...but it could never justify them...'''''

* DropTheHammer: Downplayed example, and even subverted to a certain extent--during the FinalBattle, Tai Lung uses a very particular hammer as a weapon [[spoiler:but it's just a regular construction hammer, and he only uses it as a distraction at a key moment]].

* BurlyDetectiveSyndrome: Downplayed, and even played with to some degree. Because all of the characters are {{Funny Animal}}s, the author (like all who write in this 'verse) can get away with calling them by their species name as a dialogue or narrative tag, particularly since the terms are used so often they eventually become as invisible as names or pronouns would be, and the latter are used the vast majority of the time as well. (Although it can at times become a bit more noticeable when fur patterns are used--"striped cat" for Tigress, "spotted cat" for Tai Lung--or when Monkey is called a primate or simian rather than a langur.) Certain adjective phrases do turn up with some regularity, but most of these either simply identify the character's role or title (kung fu warrior/master, "master of the Jade Palace", "leader of the Furious Five"), they are used only once or very sparingly, or they identify a particularly important aspect of the character (Tai Lung and Mei Ling are both called "master/mistress of the Thousand Scolls" because of the honor and respect for that feat which is unique to this setting, and Tai Lung is often called "the ex-convict" to emphasize his criminal past/villainous actions he must atone for before he can be redeemed). It should also be noted that titles and honorifics were important in Imperial China and still are even today, making this culturally appropriate.

* IHaveYourWife (or in this case, father): Variation. Instead of kidnapping Ping to force Po to do something nasty, the villain's plan is to enforce ''inaction'', namely keeping the Dragon Warrior out of the FinalBattle so that Tai Lung and the others will be doomed to failure. Between Po immediately breaking the rules by informing Tigress and Viper, and his choice [[BigDamnHeroes to come to the rescue]] instead of sitting on his hands, things don't work out [[DidntSeeThatComing as Chao had hoped]].

* IHaveYourWife (or in this case, father): Variation. Instead of kidnapping Ping to force Po to do something nasty, the villain's plan is to enforce ''inaction'', namely keeping the Dragon Warrior out of the FinalBattle so that Tai Lung and the others [[ForWantOfANail will be doomed to failure]]. Between Po immediately breaking the rules by informing Tigress and Viper, and his choice [[BigDamnHeroes to come to the rescue]] instead of sitting on his hands, things don't work out [[DidntSeeThatComing as Chao had hoped]].

** In Chapter 17, Po offers to grab snacks from the inn he and the rest of the Furious Five are staying at. He's quick to clarify that he'll leave money, insisting that he's not a thief. [[spoiler:He learn later on that Po's parents were bandits]].

* AdaptationalVillainy: When we eventually meet him in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda3'', the worst thing you can say about [[spoiler:Po's father is that he lies to his son to trick him into leaving the Valley of Peace right before Kai attacks it, and he only did that out of fear for his son's life.]] In this fic, however, [[spoiler:he was a former soldier who started [[BloodKnight enjoying his job]] to [[SociopathicSoldier an unhealthy level]], and then he and his wife left their village behind and [[FromCamouflageToCriminal became highwaymen]].]] That said, [[spoiler:the sequel confirms that they both had a HeelRealization and are working out their sentence in jail together.]]

-->'''Tigress:''' I suppose this means you like your women like you do your tea -- strong and hot?

* AnimalStereotypes: Most of Mantis's memorial boats at the Ghost Festival were for male relatives (referencing the well-known behavior of female mantises eating the heads of the males after mating)... [[AvertedTrope However]], Tai Lung is not at all [[CatsHateWater afraid of water]], unless it is ''cold'' water...[[spoiler:which is in fact [[{{Foreshadowing}} an early indication]] of what he suffered during Vachir's ColdBloodedTorture, no pun intended.]]

** Another subtle example: in Chapter 5, when Po is teasing Tai Lung about dousing him with cold water to help wash off the stink of twenty years in Chorh-Gom, Tai Lung seems to freak at the idea--not because of the [[AnimalStereotypes cat stereotype]] of cats hating water, but because it is ''freezing''. This becomes poignant and even rather upsetting in hindsight, instead of funny, however, when you discover what was done to Tai Lung by Vachir while he was in prison...

* CannotTalkToWomen: To say Tai Lung has great difficulty trying to flirt with Tigress -- let alone properly confess his feelings for her -- would be an understatement. Justified, given his rather sheltered life, one-track mindset, and Tigress' initial refusal to accept him.