Follow TV Tropes

Following

History Fridge / KungFuPanda

Go To

OR

Changed: 460

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Some have criticized the fight between Po and Tai Lung for how the latter was defeated by the former in spite of Po having just finished training. The answer is in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_Kung_Fu Wikipedia page about the Leopard Kung Fu]]: Tai Lung's style relies on speed, counterattacks (it has no blocks, as it prefers striking for defense), debilitating blows and outsmarting the opponent... And as it happens, Po is the worst possible opponent for Tai Lung: as pointed above, Po is capable of using Tai Lung's strength and speed against him, recoiling back from most if not all attacks and hitting Tai Lung ''hard''; the recoiling counterattack is something that should be dodged or deviated, and Tai Lung's style has none of that; being ''massive'', Po is extremely hard to take down with a debilitating strike (as best shown when Tai Lung used his nerve strike and [[NoSell Po was just tickled]]), and that's made worse by him knowing how to ''use'' that bulk in defense; finally, as a nearly obsessive kung fu fan, Po already knows where Tai Lung's strengths lie, while Tai Lung has no idea of what Po can do, so outsmarting him is difficult at best. And all of this is made worse by the fact Tai Lung was focused on the Dragon Scroll while Po was focused on taking down Tai Lung, and Po ''knew this'': most of the fight is Tai Lung trying to get the Scroll while Po (whose ''first action'' was to dangle it before Tai Lung's nose) lands hit after hit in the most debilitating spots (even while they were rolling down from the stairs: during that fall, Po threw Tai Lung's head on the steps ''eight times'' before ''sitting on his head''). By the time Tai Lung decides to focus on Po to have free access to the Scroll, he has endured over two minutes of one of the most savage beatings in the history of kung fu movies, and has barely enough times to show he could have won rather easily before his strength deserts him and Po (who is still mostly fresh) starts fighting him straight... And ''still'' concentrating on Tai Lung's head (by this time he probably has a concussion).

to:

* Some have criticized the fight between Po and Tai Lung for how the latter was defeated by the former in spite of Po having just finished training. The answer is in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_Kung_Fu Wikipedia page about the Leopard Kung Fu]]: Tai Lung's style relies on speed, counterattacks (it has no blocks, as it prefers striking for defense), debilitating blows and outsmarting the opponent... And as it happens, Po is the worst possible opponent for Tai Lung: as pointed above, Po is capable of using Tai Lung's strength and speed against him, recoiling back from most if not all attacks and hitting Tai Lung ''hard''; the recoiling counterattack is something that should be dodged or deviated, and Tai Lung's style has none of that; being ''massive'', Po is extremely hard to take down with a debilitating strike (as best shown when Tai Lung used his nerve strike and [[NoSell Po was just tickled]]), and that's made worse by him knowing how to ''use'' that bulk in defense; finally, as a nearly obsessive kung fu fan, Po already knows where Tai Lung's strengths lie, while Tai Lung has no idea of what Po can do, so outsmarting him is difficult at best. And all of this is made worse by the fact Tai Lung was focused on the Dragon Scroll while Po was focused on taking down Tai Lung, and Po ''knew this'': most of the fight is Tai Lung trying to get the Scroll while Po (whose ''first action'' was to dangle it before Tai Lung's nose) lands hit after hit in the most debilitating spots (even while they were rolling down from the stairs: during that fall, their bouncing off the stairs, each time they landed, it was Po threw ''landing'' on Tai Lung's head Lung in some form or fashion, which he ''weaponized.'' Po proceeded to punch, knee and step on Tai Lung in the steps noggin each time he landed, so at least ''eight times'' before ''sitting on times'', especially when Po does indeed sit his head'').panda girth... '' on Tai Lung's head'' while still carrying the momentum by falling). By the time Tai Lung decides to focus on Po to have free access to the Scroll, he has endured over two minutes of one of the most savage beatings in the history of kung fu movies, and has barely enough times to show he could have won rather easily before his strength deserts him and Po (who is still mostly fresh) starts fighting him straight... And ''still'' concentrating on Tai Lung's head (by this time he probably has a concussion).



** This is best exemplified at the beginning of fight between Po and Tai Lung. Tai Lung tries to hit Po where it hurts by making fun of his fat, but Po uses it to make a small BadassBoast.

to:

** This is best exemplified at the beginning of fight between Po and Tai Lung. Tai Lung tries to hit Po where it hurts by making fun of his fat, but Po uses it to make a small BadassBoast.BadassBoast and does indeed follow on said boast, much to the pain of Tai Lung.



* Everyone claims that Oogway made a mistake in deeming Po The Dragon Warrior but he only smiles and claims there is no such thing as accidents. Seeing how he is a Tortoise and is perhaps the most powerful martial artist to ever live, he knows that appearances don't count and that even someone such as an overweight Panda can become a Master Warrior just like he did.

to:

* Everyone claims that Oogway made a mistake in deeming Po The Dragon Warrior Warrior, but he only smiles and claims there is no such thing as accidents. Seeing how he is a Tortoise and is perhaps the most powerful martial artist to ever live, he knows that appearances don't count and that even someone such as an overweight Panda can become a Master Warrior just like he did.



** If you watch Po throughout the films and specials, whenever he's cooking, he displays a very casual degree of grace and poise that speaks of long hours of learning how to work in the kitchens. In the first film, he's able to hold a stack of bowl in his hand and flick his wrist to ''line all of them up on his arm simultaneously.'' This is especially apparent in the holiday special, where Po and Ping put on a tandem cooking show for the holiday. That sort of thing is as difficult if not ''moreso'' than a martial arts kata. It's more than Po being a fan of kung fu; it's the weight of working all his life. Yeah, maybe he doesn't have the cardio of a fighter, but he still has ''years'' of learning delicate, deliberate, precision actions and movements to fall back on.

to:

** If you watch Po throughout the films and specials, whenever he's cooking, he displays a very casual degree of grace and poise that speaks of long hours of learning how to work in the kitchens. In the first film, he's able to hold a stack of bowl in his hand and flick his wrist to ''line all of them up on his arm simultaneously.'' This is especially apparent in the holiday special, where Po and Ping put on a tandem cooking show for the holiday. That sort of thing is as difficult if not ''moreso'' than a martial arts kata. It's more than Po being a fan of kung fu; it's the weight of working all his life. Yeah, maybe he doesn't have the cardio or stamina of a fighter, but he still has ''years'' of learning delicate, deliberate, precision actions and movements to fall back on.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* What if, when Oogway was blowing out the candles one by one, he wasn't just being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, but instead was pulling a SecretTestOfCharacter? If Shifu had learned inner peace, he could have waited for Oogway to finish the candles, and Oogway probably wouldn't have said anything about Tai Lung

to:

* What if, when Oogway was blowing out the candles one by one, he wasn't just being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, but instead was pulling a SecretTestOfCharacter? If Shifu had learned inner peace, he could have waited for Oogway to finish the candles, and candles. Oogway probably wouldn't have said anything about might've given him the Dragon Scroll, or not mentioned Tai LungLung at all. But Shifu's lack of inner peace made it necessary to choose Po.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* What if, when Oogway was blowing out the candles one by one, he wasn't just being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, but instead was pulling a SecretTestOfCharacter? If Shifu had learned inner peace, he could have waited for Oogway to finish the candles, and Oogway probably wouldn't have said anything about Tai Lung
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* Possibly this is obvious, but when Po is venting to Oogway, saying that he "probably sucked more than anyone in the history of Kung Fu...in the history of China...[[UpToEleven in the history of sucking!]], and Oogway agrees, "Probably," he isn't being a {{Troll}}. He's saying to Po that yes, perhaps he sucked today, perhaps he sucked more than anyone else ever has...but tomorrow is another day. He can learn from today, accept it, and move on.

Changed: 232

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Oogway refused Tai Lung because he saw "darkness in his soul". What he saw was that Tai Lung would go ''berserk'' if he actually saw the Dragon Scroll was blank.

to:

* Oogway refused Tai Lung because he saw "darkness in his soul". What he saw was An odd thing, but then we see how Tai Long reacts. He just ''breaks'' and would've gone berserk. Oogway knew that Tai Lung would go ''berserk'' if he actually saw was not capable of understanding the Dragon Scroll meaning of the scroll due to how he was blank.raised.



* The Holiday Special works on several wonderful levels - for one, it is the Chinese mid-winter solstice festival (unmistakably, but without ramming it down our throats); and secondly, Po gives an answer to the assembled Masters at the Jade Palace for his need to leave to get back to his Dad's noodle shop that, in Chinese culture, would excuse just about anything- "I need to go home, so I can be a good son." [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming They all turn up at the noodle shop later, thinking that he's clearly made the right decision.]]

to:

* The Holiday Special works on several wonderful levels - for one, it is the Chinese mid-winter solstice festival (unmistakably, but without ramming it down our throats); and secondly, Po gives an answer to the assembled Masters at the Jade Palace for his need to leave to get back to his Dad's noodle shop that, in Chinese culture, would excuse just about anything- "I need to go home, so I can be a good son." In simple terms, it's filial piety. [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming They all turn up at the noodle shop later, thinking that he's clearly made the right decision.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* While probably not intentional, Lord Shen's [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color motif]] marks well his status as a villain in an East Asian setting, as well as firmly a LightIsNotGood character. White is the color of death, which fits closely with his health issues, while red is associated with both blood (obviously), but also with the [[TheFourGods Vermillion Bird]], who associated with fire and positive emotions (all he wants is the attention he never got from his neglectful family, hence love).

to:

* While probably not intentional, Lord Shen's [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color motif]] marks well his status as a villain in an East Asian setting, as well as firmly a LightIsNotGood character. White is the color of death, which fits closely with his health issues, while red is associated with both blood (obviously), but also with the [[TheFourGods Vermillion Bird]], who associated with fire and positive emotions (all he wants is the attention he never got from his neglectful family, hence love). On a much darker level, Shen's red and white colors and particularly his eye symbol also resemble the war flag of [[UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan one of the most terrifying regimes]] in Chinese history.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** Moreso, when Tai Lung said "There's nothing!" he seemed to be referring to himself. A lifetime of training, 20 years in prison, and nearly murdering his father to become the Dragon Warrior, and he can't because of his pride. If he can't be the Dragon Warrior, then he sees himself as nothing.

to:

** Moreso, when Tai Lung said "There's nothing!" he seemed to be referring to himself. A lifetime of training, 20 years in prison, and nearly murdering his the closest thing he had to a father to become the Dragon Warrior, and he can't accept the message of the scroll because of his pride. If he can't be the Dragon Warrior, then he sees himself as nothing.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* One of the first things Oogway says in the movie is warning Shifu that one often meets his destiny on the path he takes to avoid it, and he'd know that better than anyone: he's the one who wrote the Dragon Scroll, to be given to the one who would bring Peace to the Valley (and Shifu himself), but that exact scroll is the reason Tai Lung became a threat to the Valley and a source of strife for Shifu. His effort to avert all that pain actually brought it on.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps to mind; no matter how many times Shifu and the Five kept flooring him all day, ''he likely didn't feel much pain from it.''

to:

* Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps comes to mind; no matter how many times Shifu and the Five kept flooring him all day, ''he likely didn't feel much pain from it.''
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* A subtle bit of foreshadowing: in a world full of funny animal people, no dragons exist. The secret of the dragon warrior is likewise essentially non-existent.

to:

* A subtle bit of foreshadowing: in a world full of funny animal people, people (and kung-fu masters who practice the style associated with what animal they are), no dragons exist. The secret of the dragon warrior is likewise essentially non-existent.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* A subtle bit of foreshadowing: in a world full of funny animal people, no dragons exist. The secret of the dragon warrior is likewise essentially non-existent.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

** Moreso, when Tai Lung said "There's nothing!" he seemed to be referring to himself. A lifetime of training, 20 years in prison, and nearly murdering his father to become the Dragon Warrior, and he can't because of his pride. If he can't be the Dragon Warrior, then he sees himself as nothing.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* Oogway suggests to Shifu that maybe a peach might be able to stop Tai Lung. A continuation of the subtle 'Po = Peach' metaphor that Oogway and Shifu had been dancing around in the conversation prior? Or a hint to Shifu about using food to incentivise Po?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* Oogway refused Tai Lung because he saw "darkness in his soul". What he saw was that Tai Lung would go ''berserk'' if he actually saw the Dragon Scroll was blank.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

** If you watch Po throughout the films and specials, whenever he's cooking, he displays a very casual degree of grace and poise that speaks of long hours of learning how to work in the kitchens. In the first film, he's able to hold a stack of bowl in his hand and flick his wrist to ''line all of them up on his arm simultaneously.'' This is especially apparent in the holiday special, where Po and Ping put on a tandem cooking show for the holiday. That sort of thing is as difficult if not ''moreso'' than a martial arts kata. It's more than Po being a fan of kung fu; it's the weight of working all his life. Yeah, maybe he doesn't have the cardio of a fighter, but he still has ''years'' of learning delicate, deliberate, precision actions and movements to fall back on.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* Po showing some great kung-fu moves when he doesn't think about it makes perfect sense when you think who Po is: a huge kung-fu geek with self-esteem issues. He most likely went through the moves time and time again during his whole life but never believed to be actually capable of doing them. All he needed to do was perfecting them and a little confidence boost. That's also the reason he only needed to train with Shifu for a little while, he already did, without realizing it, plenty of training by himself.

Changed: 160

Removed: 157

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
add


** Speaking of Character Development, from KFP 1-3 Po's growth can be seen as this:
KFP: Po - Dragon Warrior (Novice) - KP2: Dragon Warrior (expert) - Dragon Master - KP3: Dragon Master - Grand Dragon Chi Master Po, if you know what I mean.

to:

** Speaking of Character Development, from KFP 1-3 Po's growth can be seen as this:
this: - KFP: Po - Dragon Warrior (Novice) - KP2: Dragon Warrior (expert) - Dragon Master - KP3: Dragon Master - Grand Dragon Chi Master Po, if you know what I mean.

Added: 157

Changed: 142

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
add


** Speaking of Character Development, from KFP 1-3 Po's growth can be seen as this: KFP: Po - Dragon Warrior (Novice) - KP2: DW (expert) - Dragon Master - KP3: Dragon Master - Grand Dragon Master Po, if you know what I mean.

to:

** Speaking of Character Development, from KFP 1-3 Po's growth can be seen as this: this:
KFP: Po - Dragon Warrior (Novice) - KP2: DW Dragon Warrior (expert) - Dragon Master - KP3: Dragon Master - Grand Dragon Chi Master Po, if you know what I mean.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
add

Added DiffLines:

** Speaking of Character Development, from KFP 1-3 Po's growth can be seen as this: KFP: Po - Dragon Warrior (Novice) - KP2: DW (expert) - Dragon Master - KP3: Dragon Master - Grand Dragon Master Po, if you know what I mean.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Eh... I think I need to research this one a little more.


* The way Po has to be trained actually makes a lot of sense too. Real Pandas have had their fair amount of times to show that, like any other member of the Ursidae family you never get between a bear and what it wants to eat. In comparison, Po, while upset, succesfully demolished the kitchen with amateur Kung Fu and did it in an incredibly impressive way just to get something to eat, even with everything tightly locked up or out of reach. Thus Shifu realized that to motivate him to flourish in his training, he had to rely on Po's instinct to do whatever it takes to get a bite of... well, anything.

to:

* The way Po has to be trained actually makes a lot of sense too. Real Pandas have had their fair amount of times to show that, like any other member of the Ursidae family you never get between a bear and what it wants to eat. In comparison, Po, while upset, succesfully demolished the kitchen with amateur Kung Fu and did it in an incredibly impressive way just to get something to eat, even with everything tightly locked up or out of reach. Thus Shifu realized that to motivate him to flourish in his training, he had to rely on Po's instinct to do whatever it takes to get a bite of... well, anything.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* The way Po has to be trained actually makes a lot of sense too. Real Pandas have had their fair amount of times to show that, like any other member of the Ursidae family you never get between a bear and what it wants to eat. In comparison, Po, while upset, succesfully demolished the kitchen with amateur Kung Fu and did it in an incredibly impressive way just to get something to eat, even with everything tightly locked up or out of reach. Thus Shifu realized that to motivate him to flourish in his training, he had to rely on Po's instinct to do whatever it takes to get a bite of... well, anything.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

*** [[Film/KungFuPanda3 Kai]] also fits with the color motif, being largely [[SicklyGreenGlow green jade]]. Jade, in China, is associated with wealth, aristocracy, longevity, and burial. As fitting his [[TheUndead defiance of the natural order]], Kai perverts all four meanings ([[{{Greed}} he steals the wealth of chi from other people]], [[AristocratsAreEvil is arrogant and egotistical]], [[AncientEvil is over 300 years old]], and [[{{Necromancer}} animates the forms of people he's destroyed to fight for him]]). Even more fitting, he shows an incredible ''dis''respect of jade in one way; it's supposed to be a sacred material, not suited for combat. Even beyond his jombies, Kai uses jade ''for knives''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps to mind; no matter how many times Shifu and the Five kept flooring him all day, he likely didn't feel much pain from it.

to:

* Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps to mind; no matter how many times Shifu and the Five kept flooring him all day, he ''he likely didn't feel much pain from it.
it.''
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps to mind; no matter how many times they kept flooring him all day, he likely didn't feel much pain from it.

to:

* Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps to mind; no matter how many times they Shifu and the Five kept flooring him all day, he likely didn't feel much pain from it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps to mind; no matter how many times they kept flooring him all day, ''he likely didn't feel much pain from it.''

to:

* Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps to mind; no matter how many times they kept flooring him all day, ''he he likely didn't feel much pain from it.''
it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps to mind; no matter how many times they kept flooring him all day, ''he likely didn't feel much pain from it.''

to:

** * Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps to mind; no matter how many times they kept flooring him all day, ''he likely didn't feel much pain from it.''

Added: 81

Changed: 342

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

** Po's insistence on staying no matter how much Shifu and the Five are beating him up. At first you think it simply has to do with him being TheDeterminator, but after you've watched his fight with Tai Lung another reason creeps to mind; no matter how many times they kept flooring him all day, ''he likely didn't feel much pain from it.''



** This troper just went back to watch that, and noticed also that after Oogway takes Tai Lung down, Shifu ''crawls'' toward him, and in the following training scene with Tigress, he has a very slight limp.

to:

** This troper just went back to watch that, and noticed also that after Oogway takes Tai Lung down, Shifu ''crawls'' toward him, and in the following training scene with Tigress, he has a very slight limp.
** Watch Shifu throughout the film and you'll notice he ''always'' has that
limp.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* If you take a look at each of the Masters, each of them actually has a personality/way of talking/banter style based on their type of Kung Fu. Tai Lung hits you with hard verbal strikes at your weakpoints, Tigress hits you with an aggressive hard verbal blow, Viber is very gentle with her speaking and tends to make not to hurt anyones feelings, but can make a quick strike if you tick her off, and Po takes any verbal abuse and redirects it back at the opponent.
** This is best exemplified at the beginning of fight between Po and Tai Lung. Tai Lung tries to hit Po where it hurts by making fun of his fat, but Po uses it to make a small BaddassBoast.

to:

* If you take a look at each of the Masters, each of them one actually has a personality/way of talking/banter style based on their type of Kung Fu. Tai Lung hits you with hard verbal strikes at your weakpoints, Tigress hits you with an aggressive hard and harsh verbal blow, Viber blows, Viper is very gentle with her speaking and tends tries to make not to hurt anyones anyone's feelings, but can make a quick strike if you tick her off, and Po takes any verbal abuse and redirects it back at the opponent.
** This is best exemplified at the beginning of fight between Po and Tai Lung. Tai Lung tries to hit Po where it hurts by making fun of his fat, but Po uses it to make a small BaddassBoast.BadassBoast.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* Everyone claims that Oogway made a mistake in deeming Po The Dragon Warrior but he only smiles and claims there is no such thing as accidents. Seeing how he is a Tortoise and is perhaps the most powerful martial artist to ever live, he knows that appearances don't count and that even someone such as an overweight Panda can become a Master Warrior just like he did.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** This troper just went back to watch that, and noticed also that after Ooqway takes Tai Lung down, Shifu ''crawls'' toward him, and in the following training scene with Tigress, he has a very slight limp.

to:

** This troper just went back to watch that, and noticed also that after Ooqway Oogway takes Tai Lung down, Shifu ''crawls'' toward him, and in the following training scene with Tigress, he has a very slight limp.

Top