History TearJerker / KungFuPanda

* ''TearJerker/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness''

* ''TearJerker/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oogways_ascension.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"You must believe."'']]

You thought you wouldn't cry at a movie called ''Kung Fu Panda''? You were wrong.

Both [[TearJerker/KungFuPanda2 Kung Fu Panda 2]] and [[Tearjerker/KungFuPanda3 Kung Fu Panda 3]] have pages, along with the [[TearJerker/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness series]].

* When Po tries to leave only to be stopped by Shifu, who realizes that he has to train him. Po finally drops his cheerful demeanor and, in a brutal TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, confesses that the only reason he endured all the abuse Shifu and the Five shoved at him is because despite it all, it couldn't hurt as much as the pain Po felt every day being ''who he is.'' Po going into length over just how much it hurt being himself and the heart-rending realization of just how little Po thinks of himself is one of the more gutting moments of the franchise, especially because many people could connect to that sort of feeling. It gives the film such heart while Shifu struggles to find a way to help the panda.
-->'''Shifu:''' You will beat [Tai Lung] because ''you'' are the Dragon Warrior!\\
'''Po:''' YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT! You ''NEVER'' believed that! From the first moment I got here, you've been trying to get rid of me!\\
'''Shifu:''' [[BrutalHonesty Yes, I was.]] But now I ask you to trust in your master as I have come to trust in mine.\\
'''Po:''' You're ''not'' my master... and I'm ''not'' the Dragon Warrior!\\
'''Shifu:''' Then why didn't you quit?! You knew I was trying to get rid of you, yet [[{{Determinator}} you stayed]]!\\
'''Po:''' Yeah, I stayed. I stayed because [[DidYouThinkICantFeel every time you threw a brick at my head or said I smelled, it hurt]], but it could never hurt more than it did every day of my life just being ''me''. I stayed because I thought if anyone could change me... could make me ''NOT'' me, it was you! The greatest kung-fu teacher in all of China! \\
'''Shifu:''' But I ''can'' change you! I ''can'' turn you into the Dragon Warrior! And I ''WILL!''\\
'''Po:''' Come on! Tai Lung is on his way here right now! And even if it takes him a hundred years to get here, [[ArmorPiercingQuestion how are]] ''[[CynicalMentor you]]'' [[ArmorPiercingQuestion going to change]] ''[[SadClown THIS]]'' [[ArmorPiercingQuestion into]] [[TheChosenOne the Dragon Warrior?!]] HUH?!\\
'''Shifu:''' ''(silence)''\\
'''Po:''' How?… How?!… ''HOW?!''\\
'''Shifu:''' I DON'T KNOW!! ...I don't know.\\
'''Po:''' ''(disappointed)'' That's what I thought.
** The worst part of all this, is while Po's ripping into Shifu, you can see Shifu ''realizing for the first time'' that Po's a person with feelings and motivations, not just some obstacle put in his way. At the same time, you can ''hear'' the desperation in Po's voice when he asks how Shifu could turn him into the Dragon Warrior because he's '''brutally''' aware of his shortcomings and faults more than anyone else and endured heaps of abuse just to try and change that. Po really wants to be proven wrong, yet with his lack of a good answer, Shifu ends up proving him right. Po has a really good reason to be upset and disappointed with Shifu. He wanted to learn kung fu so badly, and Shifu and the Furious Five treated him like he was nothing.
*** Shifu's MyGodWhatHaveIDone expression really cements it, as well as Shifu visibly searching for an answer to Po's ArmorPiercingQuestion. Shifu has maintained an image of knowing exactly what to do and say, but now he's completely at a loss as to how to move forward, and it's entirely his own fault.
** Tigress is spying on the whole conversation and presumably heard everything. While she has a more stoic expression than Shifu, there is enough where you could tell she's also beginning to feel bad about how she had treated Po. [[FridgeBrilliance Then you remember]] how she was also ostracized and felt ashamed of herself back when she was a child. It's clear that while she didn't show it, she's been through similar pains. Furthermore, she's definitely feeling guilty for having ''essentially forced her childhood trauma onto someone else''.
** It also puts into context some of Po's BigEater tendencies. He eats when he's upset. And he's often so upset with just having to be himself that he eats to deal with it.
* Also when the Dragon Scroll seems to be a sham, Po once again starts to self-deprecate, with the Furious Five looking from behind. Their injuries make it hard to tell whether their expressions are pain or guilt and sympathy, but Tigress' rather saddened reply afterwards lacks any of her former malice. She was so bitter and angry when Po was chosen as the Dragon Warrior over her...but even when it looks like he's not, she can't bring herself to be happy about that, either.
-->'''Po:''' Okay, so like, Oogway was just a crazy old turtle after all.\\
'''Shifu:''' No. Oogway was wiser than us all.\\
'''Po:''' ''(mournful)'' Oh, come on! Face it, he picked me by accident! Of course, I'm not the Dragon Warrior! Who am I kidding?\\
'''Tigress:''' ''(solemn)'' ...But... who will stop Tai Lung?
* Shifu reluctantly decides to deal with Tai Lung alone, asking his students to evacuate everyone and expressing his pride for them at last. Po just stands and looks at Shifu, guilt-ridden, before Crane sympathetically leads him out of the palace.
-->'''Shifu:''' Evacuate the valley! You must protect the villagers from Tai Lung's rage! \\
'''Tigress:''' What about you, Master? \\
'''Shifu:''' I will fight him. \\
'''Po:''' What?! \\
'''Shifu:''' I can hold him off long enough for everyone to escape. \\
'''Po:''' But Shifu... he'll kill you! \\
'''Shifu:''' [[FaceDeathWithDignity Then I'll have finally paid for my mistake.]] Listen to me, all of you. It is time for you to continue your journey... without me. [[SoProudOfYou I'm very proud to have been your master.]]
* When Tai Lung confronts Shifu. The snow leopard's first line, "I have come home, Master." is oddly sincere, even regretful. This of course is followed by Shifu's visibly pained reply: "This is no longer your home... and I am no longer your master."
* The dialogue during the beginning of the fight between Shifu and Tai Lung highlights how Tai Lung felt that ''Shifu'' was the one who betrayed him, raising his hopes of being the Dragon Warrior only to immediately turn away when Oogway said otherwise.
-->'''Tai Lung:''' You knew I was the Dragon Warrior! You always knew...\\
[''flashback shows Shifu presenting Tai Lung to Oogway, with Oogway giving Shifu a disappointed look'']\\
'''Tai Lung:''' But, when Oogway said otherwise, what did you do? What did you do?!\\
[''Shifu turns away from Tai Lung with a sad expression, while Tai Lung looks betrayed. We return to the present, with Tai Lung snarling'']\\
'''Tai Lung:''' '''NOTHING!'''\\
'''Shifu:''' You were not meant to be the Dragon Warrior! [[NeverMyFault That was not my fault!]]\\
'''Tai Lung:''' [[RageBreakingPoint Not your]] ''[[RageBreakingPoint FAULT?!]]'' [[SuddenlyShouting WHO FILLED MY HEAD WITH DREAMS?!]] '''[[RageAgainstTheMentor WHO DROVE ME TO TRAIN UNTIL MY BONES CRACKED?!?!]]''' '''''[[CallingTheOldManOut WHO DENIED ME MY DESTINY?!!!]]'''''
* Even during their fight itself, there were moments which tugged the heartstrings. The raw pain and anguish in Tai Lung as he cried out how he only ''ever'' [[WellDoneSonGuy wanted to make Shifu proud of him]]. And whilst he initially hurls the question as to whether Shifu is proud of him ''now'' in an angry tone, when he repeats it the tone changes. It stops being a accusation and becomes a ''plea.''
** And then all of that is matched by Shifu's brokenly whispered reply that he was always proud of him. In that moment, that one tiny moment, when Shifu apologized for having failed him, Tai Lung almost, ''almost'' relented and had a HeelRealization. The relationship between these two has to be one of the most deep, complex, and ''heartbreaking'' in the movie.
--->'''Tai Lung''': ''[savagely beating Shifu]'' All I ever did, I did to make ''you'' '''''PROUD!''''' Tell me how ''proud'' you are, Shifu! Tell me! '''''TELL ME!'''''\\
'''Shifu''': ''[weakly]'' I have ''always'' been proud of you. From the first moment, I've been... proud of you. And it was my pride that blinded me. [[LoveMakesYouStupid I loved you too much to see what you were becoming]]... [[MyGreatestFailure what I was turning you into]]. I'm s... I'm sorry.
** The moment, in flashback, when Shifu could not bring himself to attack Tai Lung because he in turn flashbacked to him as a cub, was also poignant and emotional.
--->'''Tigress:''' He tried to take the Dragon Scroll by force, and Shifu had to destroy what he had created...''but how could he?''\\
''[from Shifu's perspective, the adult, snarling Tai Lung attacking him suddenly changes to his innocent cub self, cooing and happily reaching out to him with outstretched paws -- cut back to the present as Tai Lung swats Shifu away like a fly and hurls him to the floor, accompanied by the sound of bones breaking]''
** Right after Oogway puts Tai Lung down with a nerve strike attack, Shifu weakly crawls towards the leopard despite his injured leg. The StunnedSilence and the sheer grief and horror on his face, as if he can't believe what his beloved son and favorite pupil has done...
* Oogway's [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascension]]. Actually a lot more fitting word for that would be his "death". It is a true NeverSayDie moment. He was desperate for Shifu to accept Po before his time came. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6eRWvT8RZI The music that plays makes it worse.]]
** [[HeroicBSOD Shifu's panic at the loss of his mentor]] right before Tai Lung arrives is his DarkestHour. The worst mistake of his life is coming back to beat him into the ground, he has absolutely no idea how to make things right despite his wisdom, and his mentor is no longer around to guide him.
--->'''Shifu:''' ''[desperately pleading]'' Master! You can't leave me!\\
'''Oogway:''' You must believe.\\
'''Shifu:''' MASTER!
*** [[FridgeLogic The more you think about it, the sadder it gets.]] Shifu is already old himself. ''How long'' has Oogway been his master, [[BadassTeacher his boss,]] [[TrueCompanions his best (and probably only) friend]], [[GoodParents even his own surrogate father]]? There is little doubt Shifu is closer to Oogway than anyone else in the world, maybe even closer than he was with Tai Lung or the five... and then he just ''disappears'' right when he needs his wisdom the most. The way he panics is almost identical to a child who knows their parent is going to die and there's nothing they could do to stop it. If we were to take the animated series as canon, Shifu was with the Jade Palace since he was ''twelve''.
*** Even putting aside the immediate problems, think how alone a person feels in that moment in general. Shifu never had to have all the answers because Oogway was his safety net. Now the buck stops with him and he feels far from ready to face that. Later, when Po asks how Shifu is going to turn him into the Dragon Warrior, Shifu is forced to admit he does not know. He has accepted that he has to do it, but he is still lost.
* On the way back to the Jade Palace, the Furious Five openly insult and demean Po's shortcomings, [[RightBehindMe seemingly unaware that Po was listening in as he trails behind them]]. Po's attempts to talk to Crane afterwards ends in disaster, as both he and Tigress make it ''clear'' that none of them want Po to be the Dragon Warrior or in the Jade Palace at all (though Crane tries to be nice about it). Devastated that [[BrokenPedestal his idols see him as one big joke]], Po goes to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom to pig out on peaches, when [[CoolOldGuy Oogway]] catches him for a talk. It's when the audience sees just how much Po hates himself and how he desperately wants acceptance and respect.
* The movie in general highlights one of the biggest problems in the world of kung fu: It was originally about self-improvement, but eventually the meaning became tainted, and people began focusing more on pride, superiority, talent, and power. Teachers and students alike would bully and turn away anyone who didn't have a natural aptitude for fighting, something both Shifu and the Furious Five did to Po. Oogway may have known about this, which was why he chose the more open-minded Po to be the Dragon Warrior instead of someone experienced like Tigress.
** A [=YouTube=] commentator said it best:
--->'''[[http://archive.is/F7Ce0 Beowulf [=DW=]:]]''' As a martial artist myself, this scene displayed the worst parts of the culture of martial arts: the pride, the sense of superiority, the tendency to forget that everyone had to start somewhere, and that not everyone is naturally gifted. When I earned my black belt, my master took me aside and told me that I had no talent for the martial arts, and that when I first showed up for lessons, he honestly didn't think that I would last two months. That changed when I showed up to my first belt test with a broken toe. My teacher told me that that same will to persevere would serve me better than any natural talent ever could.\\\
TLDR: this movie hits me where I live.
* Similar to Tai Lung, Tigress' backstory. Especially since her past actions made her the jerk she was in the movie. Of special note is the very end of her story of Tai Lung, where we get to see her as a cub...just as excited and eager about kung fu as Tai Lung, which only results in Shifu refusing to look at her, absently and emotionlessly correcting her form but saying nothing. The look on little Tigress's face says it all.
-->'''Tigress:''' Shifu loved Tai Lung like he had never loved anyone before... or since.
** To see how happy he was with Tai Lung makes the scene exactly heartwrenching on Shifu's side. When she does the same move Tai Lung did, look how heartbroken he is. He can't even look at her.
** Tigress' backstory [[spoiler:is made worse by the reveal in ''Secrets of the Furious Five'' that she was raised in an orphanage where she was the only predator and Shifu was the first person who wasn't afraid of her.]]
--->'''Shifu:''' I am--\\
'''Young Tigress:''' Afraid?\\
'''Shifu:''' ''(closes the door)'' No.\\
'''Young Tigress:''' Well, you should be! I am Tigress! Tigress the monster! ...A monster no one wants.\\
'''Shifu:''' You are not a monster. You're just a little girl.
* The expression on Shifu's face when Tai Lung breaks Oogway's staff.
** Alternatively, it's possible it wasn't Tai Lung who broke the staff, it was ''Oogway himself'', to prevent Tai Lung from choking Shifu with it.[[note]]Just before the staff breaks, the spot where it cracks shines with light, and after it breaks, peach blossoms blow by in the wind over the broken fragments.[[/note]]
* Tai Lung turning against his master, and spending 20 years in prison, for what turns out to be..."Nothing?!" No wonder he went berserk instead of accepting the same epiphany that Po did.
** More specifically, Tai Lung declares "It's nothing!" ''[[{{Symbolism}} right while he's looking at his own reflection]]'' in the Dragon Scroll. Add in the fact how he clearly felt the only way anything he did mattered was if it made Shifu proud of him, and him being an orphan left on the doorstep, and it's very clear Tai Lung has a ''huge'' InferioritySuperiorityComplex and that much of his rage and lashing out, from the rampage to his final attack on Po, is motivated by this. While it does not excuse the awful things he did, it is incredibly sad that the snow leopard had no sense of his own worth, that he believed everyone (from his birth family to Shifu and Oogway) had turned on him or abandoned him, that he felt everything he had learned and done had been for nothing, and that [[DramaticIrony he ended up almost killing the one he had loved so much]]. (Just [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/it_cannot_be.jpg look at his face]] when Oogway denies him the scroll and Shifu just turns and walks away without defending him.)
** Throughout the series, gold has been the color used for heroes. They will wear gold, or be shown in golden light. The scene where Oogway denies Tai Lung the scroll shows the leopard in a golden light, before cutting back to the present and showing him in gloom and darkness. Tai Lung, in the flashback, was probably a legitimate hero, protector of the Valley of Peace, adored and idolized by those he defended. Then he threw it all away [[FaceHeelTurn and became]] TheDreaded when he was denied what he felt was his birthright.
*** Not only that: Tai Lung's eyes ''themselves'' are gold (and to judge from how he looked as a cub, this is something he gained as he grew up). While this can be interpreted as part of the snow leopard's whole "I am meant to be the best and I'm the ''real'' hero here" mentality, it can also be viewed as he ''literally'' has the eyes of a hero. Which, to tie back into the film's {{Aesop}}, means that he already was a hero all along, he just had to believe in himself. But he didn't, because he was so convinced he had to have the scroll and that coveted praise and pride from Shifu, and [[ForWantOfANail this destroyed his inner heroism and ruined his life]].
* In the end, Tai Lung isn't redeemed, saved from himself, or even reimprisoned to give him another chance to realise his mistakes. He [[RedemptionRejection rejects every appeal to stop]], ignores every LastSecondChance, and [[VillainousBreakdown breaks down as Po defeats him]]. And in the end, Po simply kills him[[note]]it's debatable whether the Wuxi Finger Hold actually counts as "killing" someone, the third film reveals it sends them to the Spirit Realm, but that's where ''dead people go'' and there's almost no way back[[/note]]. And aside from a non-canon cameo appearance in a game, [[KilledOffForReal he never appears again]].
* It's hard to think about due to the moment mostly consisting of Awesome and Funny, but the fact that Po immediately comes to this conclusion:
-->'''Shifu:''' ''(amazed)'' Look at you!\\
'''Po:''' Yeah, I know. I disgust you.
* At the end of the movie, Po thought Shifu was about to die of his injuries from Tai Lung, and for a second, it looked like he might. Luckily, Shifu clarifies that he's not dying, just finally at peace.
----

[[caption-width-right:350:''You must believe.'']]

You thought you wouldn't cry at a movie called ''Kung Fu Panda''? You were wrong. Both [[TearJerker/KungFuPanda2 Kung Fu Panda 2]] and [[Tearjerker/KungFuPanda3 Kung Fu Panda 3]] have pages, along with the [[TearJerker/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness series]].

'''Shifu:''' [[BrutalHonesty Yes, I was!]] But now I ask you to trust in your master as I have come to trust in mine.\\

'''Po:''' ''*mournful*'' Oh, come on! Face it, he picked me by accident! Of course, I'm not the Dragon Warrior! Who am I kidding?\\
'''Tigress:''' ''*solemn*'' ...But... who will stop Tai Lung?

-->'''Shifu:''' Evacuate the valley! You must protect the villagers from Tai Lung's rage. \\

[''Flashback shows Shifu presenting Tai Lung to Oogway, with Oogway giving Shifu a disappointed look'']\\

[''Shifu turns away from Tai Lung with a sad expression, while Tai Lung looks betrayed. Returns to Present with Tai Lung snarling'']\\

--->'''Shifu:''' ''[desperately pleading]'' Master! You can't leave me.\\

'''Po:''' Yeah, I know, I disgust you.

** Tigress is spying on the whole conversation and presumably heard everything. While she has a more stoic expression than Shifu, there is enough where you could tell she's also beginning to feel bad about how she had treated Po. [[FridgeBrilliance Then you remember]] how she was also ostracized and felt ashamed of herself back when she was a child. It's clear that while she didn't show it, she's been through similar pains. Furthermore, she's definitely feeling guilty for having treated Po the same way.

'''Po:''' How? How?! ''HOW?!''\\

--->'''Tai Lung''': ''[savagely beating Shifu]'' All I ever did, I did to make ''you'' '''''PROUD!''''' Tell me how ''proud'' you are, Shifu! Tell me! '''''TELL MEEEEE!'''''\\

'''Tai Lung:''' [[VillainousBreakdown Not your]] ''[[VillainousBreakdown FAULT?!]]'' [[SuddenlyShouting WHO FILLED MY HEAD WITH DREAMS?!]] '''[[RageAgainstTheMentor WHO DROVE ME TO TRAIN UNTIL MY BONES CRACKED?!?!]]''' '''''[[CallingTheOldManOut WHO DENIED ME MY DESTINY?!!!]]'''''

'''Shifu:''' [[BrutalHonesty Yes, I was!]] But now I ask you to trust in your master, as I have come to trust in mine.\\

'''Po:''' Yeah, I stayed. I stayed because [[DidYouThinkICantFeel every time you threw a brick at my head or said I smelled, it hurt]], but it could never hurt more than it did every day of my life just being ''me''. I stayed, because I thought if anyone could change me... could make me ''NOT'' me, it was you! The greatest kung-fu teacher in all of China! \\

'''Po:''' Yeah, I stayed. I stayed because [[DidYouThinkICantFeel every time you threw a brick at my head or said I smelled, it hurt]]! But it could never hurt more than it did every day of my life just being ''me''. I stayed, because I thought if anyone could change me... could make me ''NOT'' me, it was you! The greatest kung-fu teacher in all of China! \\

** Shifu's panic at the loss of his mentor right before Tai Lung arrives is his DarkestHour. The worst mistake of his life is coming back to beat him into the ground, he has no idea how to make it right and his mentor is no longer around to guide him.

*** [[FridgeLogic The more you think about it, the sadder it gets.]] Shifu is already old himself. ''How long'' has Oogway been his master, his guide, his friend, even his own surrogate father? There is little doubt Shifu is closer to Oogway than anyone else in the world... and then he just ''disappears''. If we were to take the animated series as canon, Shifu was with the Jade Palace since he was ''twelve''.

'''Po:''' Yeah, I stayed. I stayed because every time you threw a brick at my head or said I smelled, it hurt! But it could never hurt more than it did every day of my life just being ''me''. I stayed, because I thought if anyone could change me... could make me ''NOT'' me, it was you! The greatest kung-fu teacher in all of China! \\