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[[folder: Tropes A-C]]
* AccidentalKiss: Variation. During kung fu training in Chapter 25, Tai Lung moves to kiss Mei Ling's cheek (as a means of celebrating how well it is going, and to repay her for her compliments to him). At the last second she turns her head so he kisses her lips instead. Engineered by her, of course, as part of OperationJealousy to help him and Tigress get together.
* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: In Chapter 31, after the climactic battle at Chorh-Gom, information is shared, forgiveness is offered, and [[spoiler:a MercyKill is given to Vachir]], followed by quite the heart-to-heart between Tai Lung and Tigress.
* AdaptationalExplanation: As part of the [[TheChessmaster chessmastering]] going on in the {{Backstory}} between Oogway and Heian Chao, the fic provides a secondary explanation as to why Tai Lung was locked in the tortoise shell restraint: not only did locking his ''chi'' paralyze the snow leopard so he couldn't escape, it kept his ''chi'' beyond Chao's reach, thus revealing why the BigBad didn't try and claim Tai Lung sooner. Amusingly, this also provides an explanation for why the snow leopard apparently hasn't aged or lost muscles to atrophy, and how he actually got stronger while in prison. Similarly, another reason for placing Tai Lung in Chorh-Gom (beyond keeping him away from the Dragon Scroll and the Valley's innocent citizens) was to keep him away from Chao [[spoiler:who was held prisoner in the Vault of Heroes under the Jade Palace]].
* AfterActionHealingDrama: Mid-action variation--during the FinalBattle, first Monkey, then Crane have to sit out the fighting in order to treat [[spoiler:Shifu]]'s injuries and save his life (though the latter is also hurt himself). Played fully straight after Chao is killed when [[RuleOfThree finally]] [[spoiler:Mantis]] takes over the medical duties.
* AfterActionPatchup: Tigress resetting Tai Lung's dislocated shoulder, then bandaging the knife wound in his side while on the ledge in Chorh-Gom. Could be considered a repayment for him treating her wounded head and ankle after her disastrous encounter with Xiu in the birch forest. There's also the even more serious example of Mantis and the local doctor working to [[spoiler:save Po's life after his throat is slit]].
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Vachir]]. A character with very little characterization in the film, and shown to be a nasty, vindictive bully to the point the audience could actually root for [[spoiler:Tai Lung to defeat him and escape]], is here shown to have depth and motivation for the things he's done, and [[spoiler:the DemonicPossession he undergoes which forces him to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone commit heinous acts against his will]]]] truly makes his suffering and self-loathing meaningful and sympathetic, including to the other characters. By the time Tigress fatally wounds him so that he is able to [[DyingAsYourself die as himself]], he's changed to become a lot more likable, brave, and even noble in his own way. Seeing him apologize to Tai Lung for his ColdBloodedTorture and get forgiven for it, as well as asking for and receiving a MercyKill, becomes a painful case of what could have been, once it's clear he and Tai Lung aren't so different and could have been friends, if matters had turned out differently. In addition, while Tigress and Tai Lung are trapped on the ledge with him in Chorh-Gom and his story is shared, they end up showing [[spoiler:Vachir]] [[YouAreNotAlone he is not alone]], promise to fulfill his LastRequest, say they will make him FamedInStory so people will know he died a hero, and there is a MeaningfulFuneral afterward.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Xiu, but averted, as Tigress's desire for Tai Lung has nothing to do with his status as a former villain--it's one of the main points of contention making her resist any relationship with him.
* AllThereInTheManual: Rather than kept confined only to the pages of ''Art of Kung Fu Panda'', the KFP Wiki, or other supplemental sources, a great deal of lost places, cut characters, backstory, and other information has been incorporated into the story in many different ways.
** The translation of Po's name ("Precious Peace"), and the DoubleMeaning riddle of the Dragon Scroll ("The greatest power in the universe lies within") given by Mark Osborne, which is described in the fic as actually being written on its casing.
** The symbols of the Five Elements being part of the pattern on the floor of the Hall of Warriors.
** The name of Ping's noodle shop being the Golden Harvest Restaurant (referencing the famous kung fu movie studio of the 70's).
** Jennifer Yuh Nelson's comment that Ping has "a little head" with "not much...going on up there except noodles", which is said in-story by Xiulan.
** Two of Tai Lung's original army members, the humorously nicknamed "Four-Armed Yak Demon God on Fire" and the "Ninja Elephant", who appear in the fic as a famous opponent of the snow leopard's in his heroic days and one of the masters depicted in the Vault of Heroes' statuary, respectively.
** The mystical weapons originally listed on the KFP website (later Wiki), only a few of which were mentioned in the movie--Flying Rhino's armor, the Sword of Heroes, and the Invisible Trident of Destiny, with the added entries of the Iron Fist of Justice, the Ninja Weapons, the Shield of Fire Monkey Pass, the Ring Blades, and the Golden Spear.
** The original masters who owned most of the above weapons, now made the first class of the Jade Palace (and Heian Chao's contemporaries)--Master Dog, Master Flying Rhino, Master Iron Ox, Masters Twin Weasels, and the Three Brothers (here depicted as lions).
* AlmostKiss: Tai Lung and Tigress are just about to kiss, while on the ledge in Chorh-Gom they've fallen onto, when [[MomentKiller they get interrupted]] by Crane, who had been searching for them, swooping in to the rescue. Played with in that this would not have been their FirstKiss (in fact they've already had sex for the first time by this point), but it ''would'' have been a sign of them genuinely being in love based on the conversation which took place just before this.
* AmazonChaser: From the very first time he speaks to her in-story, while locked in his cell, Tai Lung states that Tigress's ActionGirl nature, her mastery of kung fu (and teamwork leading the Furious Five), and the fact she nearly beat him at the Thread of Hope all result in deep admiration for her on his part...and as soon as the reader gets back into his POV, he makes it clear her challenging, powerful nature actually excites and arouses him. Luckily for him, AllAmazonsWantHercules also applies to Tigress, so that the only real issues keeping them apart are her not wishing to get hurt by him and [[ReformedButRejected his trustworthiness]].
-->'''Tigress:''' I suppose this means [[ILikeMyXLikeILikeMyY you like your women like you do your tea]] -- strong and hot?
* AmbitionIsEvil: Played with. Tai Lung is just as ambitious as he was in the film, but a key theme of the fic is that what matters is what the ambition is being directed ''towards''. His efforts to redeem himself prove to be a very noble pursuit, and he is just as fiery in his pursuit of Tigress as he was with mastering the thousand scrolls, though he has to approach it much differently in order to succeed. Chao and Xiu form a direct contrast to this, since their goals are downright horrifying.
* AncientEvil: Heian Chao, [[TheOldestOnesInTheBook naturally]]. While not quite as old as most examples of the trope, he reveals himself to be over nine hundred years old when reflecting on how long he has been plotting his ascension to power, thanks to having unnaturally extended his lifespan via [[LifeEnergy chi]] manipulation.
* AndIMustScream: Although he was imprisoned by Oogway for over nine hundred years, this does not apply to Heian Chao, since his spirit was still free to wander even when his body wasn't (although he most certainly did scream during his initial imprisonment, and it's implied he didn't learn the soul-detaching technique right away). But it is absolutely played straight with [[spoiler:Xiu]], who (as a result of MySkullRunnethOver) ends up trapped insane and catatonic but fully aware within her own mind, a condition for which there seems to be no cure; and [[spoiler:[[BodySnatcher Vachir]]]], who thanks to DemonicPossession finds himself carried along mentally while Chao puppeteers his body, unable to resist as the villain murders and mutilates countless innocents--as he describes it himself, "he had watched his own hands committing these foul deeds, wished he could weep--and screamed away endlessly behind his own face."
* AndThisIsFor: During the fight with the Wu Sisters at Wu Dan, Po invokes the phrase twice against Xiu, first [[MakingASplash striking a whip of water]] across her throat "for Tigress" (whom she'd badly injured in an earlier battle), then another across her diaphragm "for [[spoiler:Zhuang]]", whom she'd killed.
* 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.]]
* AntiHero: Once he makes the decision to accept Shifu's offer and try to redeem himself, Tai Lung is, for most of the story, an UnscrupulousHero. By the end of the story he has in most respects shifted to a [[PragmaticHero Pragmatic Anti-Hero]].
* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: Tigress, being GenreSavvy, expects a seduction from the BigBad, who is genuinely confused by the accusation.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateInterruption: During Tai Lung's acupuncture session, when his [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway snide commentary on the strength of the mind and heart]] versus that of the body is interrupted by Mantis with "Tai Lung, you stink!"--referencing [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome the pair of pants he's been wearing in Chorh-Gom for twenty years]]. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] when, after a brief tangent about making sure the snow leopard gets proper hygiene and clean clothes, Mantis reveals he was ''also'' talking about Tai Lung's attitude.
* TheAtoner:
** It takes a little while, since when he first is offered the deal by Shifu, Tai Lung only considers accepting because he basically has no other options except going back to jail. But once he decides he doesn't want to give up on living, has a great deal of his anger and darkness purged in an acupuncture chi-session, is [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone forced to face the truth of what he did]] to the people of the village, and is shown by Oogway's ghost the errors in his thinking that led to his rampage, the snow leopard is [[HeelRealization genuinely overcome with remorse]]. From then on, the rest of the story consists of him truly realizing more and more just how horrible his actions were, then doing everything he can to make amends and earn his redemption. Although he does become a true hero through his actions by the end, he also comes to understand he will be atoning for the rest of his life.
** [[spoiler:Jia]], who falls under the [[HitmanWithAHeart "Assassin Wants to Quit"]] subtrope due to having been ForcedIntoEvil by her sister. Although she wrongfully blames herself for their father's death, she is also guilty of the various criminal and murderous acts she performed as a Wu Sister. Thus her atonement can only be achieved by first breaking free [[spoiler:via fatally injuring Xiu]], then aiding the heroes against Chao, and finally earning a pardon. But even after this, she ends the story determined to [[WalkingTheEarth travel the empire]] on a RedemptionQuest, using her skills for good.
* AttractivenessIsolation: Poor Mei Ling. Down-to-earth, laid-back, happy to notice anyone who is good-hearted, brave, and noble...and no one (especially Crane) will approach her because she's "too pretty", they're threatened by [[StayInTheKitchen her overturning of the gender roles]], or they think [[RichBitch she is too good for them]] (or [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe they're not good enough for her]]).
* AwkwardFatherSonBondingActivity: Or in this case, Father-Daughter--the rather pathetic attempts Shifu makes to get close to Tigress on the way back from Chorh-Gom, ranging from nature hikes to visiting tea shops to [[EpicFail going shopping for feminine frillery]].
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther:
** After going for the first half of the story constantly arguing, lashing out, and snarking nastily at each other, Tai Lung finally has a moment where he shows he truly does love Tigress, and she returns the favor. While the latter is recovering from the injuries dealt her by the Wu Sisters, the snow leopard spends a month and a half taking care of her, and he starts this process by declaring to her (when she openly wonders why he's doing it), "Because, ''damnit'', I care about you. Is that really so hard to believe?" Following this, Tai Lung has her childhood doll repaired, prepares her favorite foods for her with Po's help, reads to her their favorite stories from ''The Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', plays a song for her on his flute, and plays dominoes with her (a pastime already shown in ''Secrets of the Furious Five'' to have special meaning for Tigress, as it's how she bonded with Shifu as a cub). As a result, the chapter ends with her genuinely apologizing for accusing him of trying to kill Po in Yunxian, him admitting the truth about his connection with the Wu Sisters, and him being allowed to kiss her forehead.
** [[FriendshipMoment The friendship version of the trope]] applies to Tai Lung and Po. While the panda shows and states his caring for the snow leopard practically from day one, Tai Lung eventually is able to get over his anger over the Dragon Scroll and cease the insults and mockery enough to show he cares for Po as well. Sometimes this occurs as brief asides in his thoughts and statements, such as how he becomes more and more fond of the panda's cooking as the story progresses, or how he teases and plays around with Po during the "Truth or Dare" game (even going so far as to blow in his belly at one point). When the panda [[spoiler:is near-fatally injured by Xiu at Yunxian]], Tai Lung clearly panics and almost breaks down in tears, leading to him spending the whole trip back to the Valley carrying Po on his back and then also taking care of him during his recovery. While training Po in kung fu, he not only admits aloud that, even if he can't understand why, he does see the panda as his friend, he responds to Po's excitement over seeing some of his best moves with this thought: "it made Tai Lung all the more determined to prove himself...because he simply wanted to see that smile again, to be the panda's hero." By the time Tai Lung is defending Po from Heian Chao's attacks during the FinalBattle, it's no surprise the two of them end up having this exchange:
---> '''Tai Lung''': You stay away from him! ''[[HypocriticalHeartwarming Nobody]]'' [[HypocriticalHeartwarming gets to beat up on the panda...except me.]]
---> '''Po''': Aww, big guy, I didn't know you cared.
---> '''Tai Lung''': Shut up.
* AxCrazy: Xiu, in spades, is the PlayedForDrama version of this trope, since she is TheDragon to [[BigBad Heian Chao]] and the prime PsychoForHire among the Wu Sisters. Her stated goal (both in what she wishes Chao to give her and her overall aim in life) is to become the best assassin in China, but she wishes this not for money but for infamy--she wishes to, in her own words, "become Mistress Death" (something which would well be literal, should Chao grant her his chi powers), with the ability to control whether everyone around her lives or dies. Multiple scenes throughout the story showcase her unhinged nature and sociopathy, ranging from [[LovesTheSoundOfScreaming the pleasure she takes in killing and nastily injuring others]], to her obsessive need to kill Po and claim Tai Lung as hers, to her crazed laughter and various mental and/or emotional breakdowns. The best examples, however, would be her arguing with the voices in her head as she suffers bodily tremors; her continuing to wildly and furiously fight Tai Lung even when [[spoiler:(thanks to [[HolyBurnsEvil handling the Golden Spear]])]] burned flesh is sloughing off her paws; and her pleading for Chao to give her his chi powers even when she's bleeding on the ground from fatal injuries. It gets to the point that even [[EmotionlessGirl Chun]] is [[EvenEvilHasStandards horrified by her words and actions]].
* BabiesEverAfter: At the end of the story, and after a time skip of a year, it's revealed that Tai Lung and Tigress have had [[UntoUsASonAndDaughterAreBorn twin cubs, a tiger-striped boy and a snow leopard girl]]. (Hardly surprising, [[MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces considering how much activity the pair got up to earlier]]...)
* {{Backstory}}:
** As he is the protagonist of the story, Tai Lung is given more development this time around, ranging from more details of his personality, attitude, relationships, and actions as he grew up at the Jade Palace (and how he changed for the worse) to his history with the Wu Sisters, and eventually who his birth family was and why he was a DoorstopBaby.
** Po's unknown past regarding his missing parents is explored (a different version than the canon backstory given in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', naturally), while the little revealed about Mei Ling in ''Secrets of the Furious Five'' is fleshed out via her relationship with the Wu Sisters and their shared father. Further details are also given on the Wu Sisters via Jia's sorrowful memories as to how she ended up an outlaw on the run, as well as Chun's memories of just how [[ContrivedCoincidence they knew Po's biological parents]].
** Vachir's history with the Anvil of Heaven and especially his time as a soldier fighting the Mongols is gone into in some depth, particularly as it relates to his loyalty to and friendship with Emperor Chen (which also requires some delving into his past), while new characters Zhuang and Xiulan get to reflect upon how they met and married as well as each of their connections to Tai Lung's rampage.
** Chapter 38 is almost entirely devoted to revealing the full past history of Heian Chao, and this as well as Tai Lung's conversations with Oogway's ghost reveals a bit more about the turtle's past.
* BackToBackBadasses: Occurs multiple times throughout the story--Tigress and Shifu face off back-to-back with [[spoiler:the zombie Anvil of Heaven]] at Chorh-Gom, to stunning effect; Monkey and Mantis as well as Mei Ling and [[spoiler:Jia]] take up the same positions against the hordes of [[spoiler:the yaoguai]] during the FinalBattle; Tai Lung and Po take on Heian Chao himself back-to-back atop one of the great statues in the Vault of Heroes (a very appropriate tactic, considering the battlefield has 360 degrees and he has the capability of flight); and in {{Backstory}}, Vachir and Emperor Chen are revealed to have taken on the Mongols completely surrounding them after having driven the Great Khan himself into retreat.
* BadassArmy: Two of these appear during the FinalBattle, facing off against each other of course. Heian Chao summons [[spoiler:the yaoguai]], an army of seemingly-endless demons which appear to have unflagging stamina, supernatural strength, and invulnerability to anything but mystical kung fu weapons in addition to their fire magic. Meanwhile, Mantis uses [[spoiler:the Urn of Whispering Warriors]] to summon [[SealedArmyInACan the Warriors of Tenshu]], an army of mystical shades FamedInStory (and [[AllThereInTheManual as described on the KFP Wiki]]) for defending a village of helpless potters from a different army of ravening demons, at the cost of their own lives.
* BaddieFlattery: Although Tai Lung is no longer a villain, his status as an AmazonChaser (as well as DeadpanSnarker and GoodIsNotNice) and Tigress being a fierce ActionGirl causes the snow leopard to greatly admire her spirit (particularly in how she almost beat him at the Thread of Hope, and still continues to stand up to him). As might be expected, when he actually expresses this to her aloud, he means it as a compliment but she takes it as condescension.
* BadGuyBar: The Bandit Inn, a "lost place" location cut from the first movie but depicted in ''Art of Kung Fu Panda'', reappears here as a WretchedHive of cutthroats, robbers, mercenaries, and other villainous sorts. Housed in a SaharanShipwreck on an alkali flat, it is where Heian Chao goes to hire the Wu Sisters to begin putting his EvilPlan into action.
* BaitAndSwitch: A number of chapter openings are misleading, usually in a DoubleEntendre fashion; in particular Chapter 24 and Chapter 31 mirror each other in both suggesting that Tigress and Tai Lung are involved in rather vigorous sexual activity when in actuality it's one of them not-so-gently treating the other's injuries. Chapter 23's opening turns out to be an EroticDream Tai Lung is having, while Chapter 22 misleads the reader into thinking the scene involves the actual characters before eventually revealing it's simply Po playing with the Furious Five's action figures. The way in which Shifu misleads Tai Lung as to what the nature of his new training will be is also an in-story version of this for Tai Lung, since the snow leopard believes he is about to be trained in a new and amazing weapon until it turns out to be...a hammer.
* BaitAndSwitchComparison: Variation. When he discovers that Tai Lung has fallen in love with Tigress and thinks he's going insane because he can't stop thinking of her, [[DeadpanSnarker Mantis]] (being TheMedic) sagely advises him on what is "ailing" him: "I know what you're talking about. [[AllergicToLove It's a terrible affliction]] that can strike anyone without any warning, it's deadly accurate, [[TheCynic it spares no one]] in the end, [[BearerOfBadNews and I'm afraid there's no cure]]. Yeah, you've got it bad, Tai Lung."
* BatmanGambit: Oogway's plan for getting rid of Chao is [[spoiler:to have Po use the Wuxi Finger Hold on Tai Lung to restore him to himself, then joining forces with him. This after [[WhatTheHellHero Tai Lung was held for twenty years in Chorh-Gom to keep him safe from Chao.]]]]
* BeautifulDreamer: Tai Lung with Tigress when, while she's recovering from the injuries dealt her by Xiu and Chun, he plays a song for her on his flute and she falls asleep on his chest.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Xiu goes the entire story longing to be granted power over chi by Heian Chao, so as to be able to control life and death herself. But she really should have been more wary of accepting power from a dark chi master, as the end result is insanity [[spoiler:due to [[MySkullRunnethOver the dark magic flooding and overwhelming her mind]]]], followed by the draining of her own life force and finally [[spoiler:being trapped, insane and catatonic, inside her own mind]].
* BelievingTheirOwnLies: Considering how [[AxCrazy unhinged]] and [[PsychoForHire psychotic]] Xiu is (not to mention [[SanitySlippage what she becomes]] by [[VillainousBreakdown the end of the story]]), this could well be the explanation for why she mocked Po for being a panda ("the greatest warrior in China, in the history of kung fu, is a panda. [[TrashTalk I had no idea the standards at the Jade Palace had sunk so low]]") when it's revealed later that she had years ago [[spoiler:known his father as a deadly and extremely effective fighter]]. Either that or she was using ExactWords [[spoiler:(being a thief and highwayman is not the same thing as a warrior or soldier)]], or she was deliberately withholding the information so she would have ammunition with which to taunt Po.
* BelligerentSexualTension: To the surprise of no one due to the nature of their personalities (and the fact they start out as enemies), this is the sort of relationship Tai Lung and Tigress have for most of the story. Even when they aren't literally smacking, punching, or physically threatening each other, they're always sniping, snarking, and insulting one another--their very first interaction consists of an entire chapter of nothing but a fairly venomous and sarcastic debate that ends with Tigress literally attacking and pummeling Tai Lung. Tai Lung at least is able to admit his deeper feelings, both directly to her and to others such as Viper and Mantis, but Tigress refuses to admit it to herself [[NiceJobFixingItVillain until Heian Chao heightening everyone's emotions]] finally gets her to act on her desires.
* BeneathTheMask: While this is certainly not his intention, undergoing DemonicPossession by Heian Chao sometimes seems to have this effect on those he targets.
** [[spoiler:Monkey]] discovers, after going for months under the influence of dark chi, that in his jealousy, resentment, and overprotectiveness of Tigress he is capable of just as many awful things as he knows (or suspects) Tai Lung is, if not more in some ways. Realizing how his own flaws and weaknesses made him susceptible, and that the same dark chi which corrupted him was what got released from Tai Lung during Mantis's acupuncture session early in the story, he understands the snow leopard better and admits that he has no right to judge Tai Lung for how he handled the same influence. This is part of how he comes to forgive the snow leopard and give his blessing to him and Tigress.
** [[spoiler:Vachir]], on the other hand, gets an even more direct window into his own soul as well as Tai Lung's situation--not only is he ForcedToWatch as Chao makes him mutilate and kill hundreds of innocents (so that he has committed many of the same crimes the snow leopard did during the rampage, if not worse), he comes to realize [[MirrorCharacter how similar the two of them are]] in their pride, narcissism, and ability to justify anything in the name of [[IDidWhatIHadToDo expediency]] or [[ItsAllAboutMe personal desires]]. As a result, while he can't forgive Tai Lung, he is able (after being freed from Chao's control) to apologize for his ColdBloodedTorture and admit that he deserves just as much (or little) consideration and judgment as he'd given the snow leopard.
* BetaCouple: Crane and Mei Ling. They don't have as easy a time of it as most examples of the trope, but [[MasochismTango when]] they are [[SlapSlapKiss compared]] to [[BelligerentSexualTension Tai Lung and Tigress]]...
* BewareTheNiceOnes: It takes a lot to make Po angry. A lot! When he actually says a single curse word, your ass is about to be handed to you, painfully and humiliatingly.
* BeYourself: The {{Aesop}} from the first movie, which explains how Po is able to be a great kung fu fighter and the Dragon Warrior despite the Dragon Scroll having no power other than to make you confront your own worthy nature, is played with here when it is revealed that Oogway (and Heian Chao!) instilled the scroll with a mystical chi ability which allows this belief to ''make'' the later amazing feats of kung fu possible, thus neatly explaining how Po's learning this vital lesson (and Tai Lung's inability to do so) made him a hero without leaving the viewer scratching their head as to what he was then able to do with it, or why ''everyone'' wasn't running around with such skills and abilities due to being true to themselves. Or to put it another way, the scroll's power wasn't to make Po special, but to weaponize his innate understanding of kung fu's "excellence of self" philosophy into something that can manifest literally in his moves and chi. Obliquely foreshadowed by Chun when she asks Chao why, if belief in one's self is all that is needed to succeed, he can't just believe himself capable of taking out Po without their help, and the mage responds that there are limits to chi and that Po's belief is as strong as his, that of the self-styled "greatest master of chi"--implying the panda, too, has some sort of mystical power bolstering his belief.
* BigBad: Heian Chao, the {{Ancient|Evil}} EvilSorcerer and KungFuWizard who wishes to possess and control the chi of every person in the empire (and the empire itself), fulfills this role for the story. Xiu, eldest of the Wu Sisters, may be the character who gives the heroes the most personal trouble, but she is actually TheDragon. It is Chao [[TheManBehindTheMan who is behind]] all the [[TheChessmaster schemes and plans]] the heroes must thwart, who personally hires the Sisters to kill Po and help corrupt Tai Lung back to TheDarkSide, who possesses [[spoiler:Vachir and Monkey]] in order to murder countless innocents and spread a HatePlague over the Valley, and who [[spoiler:directly taints the Pool of Sacred Tears so that he can [[PeoplePuppets control everyone in the Valley]]]]. He's also, of course, the FinalBoss the heroes must face in the climactic ending battle.
* BigDamnHeroes:
** As is to be expected for the kung fu genre, a number of characters get to do this during the FinalBattle or the lead-up to it--Mei Ling arrives with her throwing stars JustInTime to save Po from Xiu's dagger, Crane flies up to face Chao and prevent him from attacking Po or a badly-wounded [[spoiler:Shifu]], [[spoiler:Jia]] stabs Xiu InTheBack just as she's about to deal a killing blow to Tai Lung, the snow leopard himself comes to Po's rescue when he's trapped in ice and on the verge of surrendering to Chao's relentless attacks, and the panda gets to return the favor by catching Tai Lung after he's dropped from a great height. The biggest example, though, would be [[spoiler:Mantis]], who not only shows up to save Crane from Chao's final deathblow, but brings along [[spoiler:the Urn of Whispering Warriors]] to unleash the Warriors of Tenshu and then act as their general in the battle which follows.
** The arrival of Tigress at the trial is an unsuccessful attempt, since she isn't able to get through to Xiulan or the villagers, but Crane arriving JustInTime to [[spoiler:literally cut the rope and save Tai Lung from being hanged]] more than makes up for it.
* BigNo: A number of them, but the biggest are probably from Tai Lung when, after [[spoiler:Monkey]] stabs her, Tigress is falling into the abyss at Chorh-Gom; Xiulan [[spoiler:when "Tai Lung" kills Zhuang]]; and [[SpeakInUnison both Tai Lung and Tigress]] when [[spoiler:Shifu]] falls after being stabbed by Chao.
* BigWhat: While several of these appear in the story as well, the most memorable (and clearest example of the trope) occurs in Chapter 10 as Tai Lung's reaction to the "[[MundaneMadeAwesome weapon]]" Shifu wishes to train him in for his first lesson (a hammer to effect repairs, rather than the glorious kung fu training he was expecting). Another, and far more serious, example occurs when Tigress learns that [[spoiler:Mantis]] has died [[DisneyDeath (or so everyone thinks)]], and a third from Shifu when Mei Ling reveals at the trial that the snow leopard fur in evidence does in fact belong to Tai Lung.
* BilingualBonus:
** A number of phrases sprinkled throughout the story, and even whole sentences, appear in Mandarin, which the author [[ShownTheirWork dutifully translated in his notes]] for those who don't speak Chinese. Most of the original characters have a MeaningfulName due to this as well.
** The diminutive "Tai Tai" that so annoys the snow leopard is also Cantonese for "mother-in-law".
* BitsOfMeKeepPassingOut: Tai Lung's nerve strike, which was already shown to cause temporary paralysis in the first movie, ends up being used in slapstick fashion when he employs it in a bit of revenge while training Po, resulting in the panda staggering about with flopping arms, then hopping on only one leg, before eventually collapsing. It then later gets successfully PlayedForDrama when [[ChekhovsSkill Po uses it]] on Xiu during the fight at Wu Dan (and precipitates her VillainousBreakdown), with the result of the snow leopardess desperately crawling after him so as to keep attacking, sobbing and screaming in fury, until finally she too collapses.
* BlackCloak: Heian Chao wears one, complete with hood to conceal his face, and in contrast to the red and brown cloak he wore when young and mortal. It's also notable for actually being ''made'' from shadows that he gathers with his chi powers, and it's strongly implied he does this not merely to intimidate or to hide his identity, but in order to [[WeakenedByTheLight protect himself from sunlight]].
* BlackComedy: When [[spoiler:the [[DemonicPossession possessed]]]] Vachir captures Zeng:
-->'''Zeng''': What are you...[[NeckLift I thought we'd...gllckk!]][[CallBack ...gotten past this]]...
* BlackMagic: Chao's usage of chi energy hits every beat of the trope, since it generally makes him a master of [[CastingAShadow Elemental Darkness]], but in particular its source is a cross between TheDarkSide and TheCorruption, its cost is [[PoweredByAForsakenChild stealing others']] LifeEnergy (though it also seems to be fueled at times by torture and [[EmotionEater suffering]]), and among its many effects are DemonicPossession, generating a HatePlague, turning others into PeoplePuppets, and [[{{Necromancer}} raising the dead]].
* BodySnatcher: Chao again; although this happens a number of times in the narrative, the only time we see it fully done on-screen is when he possesses [[spoiler:Vachir]].
* BookEnds: The fic begins with Tai Lung, wounded and bandaged from his fight with Po at the end of the first movie (where he was a villain), having been brought from the village square to a cell under the Jade Palace. It ends (other than the long epilogue/denouement) with him wounded and bandaged from his fight with Chao and his forces, having emerged from where the BigBad was held prisoner under the Jade Palace to return to the village square at Po's side (as a hero). And he even receives [[KneelBeforeFrodo the same bows]] from everyone that the panda did.
* BreakTheBadass: Two examples. Wu Xiu, the coldest and most black-hearted of the Wu Sisters, was [[EvenEvilHasStandards both shocked and disturbed]] by what was found in [[spoiler:Monkey]]'s RoomFullOfCrazy, thus showing the reader just how far the DemonicPossession had gone and what the heroes were in for when Chao made [[spoiler:him]] betray them. Similarly, Tai Lung tried to impress on Shifu and the Five how bad it would be to face Vachir by stressing how heartless, horrible, and implacable the rhino was--in other words, implying that he was afraid of him, and wasn't sure even he could win against Vachir. When they actually get to Chorh-Gom, this fear bears fruit during the battle, especially when [[spoiler:Tai Lung first sees the resurrected Anvil of Heaven behind him]]. If Tai Lung is scared, you ''know'' something major is about to go down.
* BreakTheCutie:
** In {{Backstory}}, this is how Xiu, the eldest and cruelest Wu Sister, succeeded in forcing the sweet and lovable Jia to become an assassin and stay under her thumb--first by killing their father in front of her but [[{{Frameup}} arranging it to appear as if Jia did the deed]] so that everyone (including their stepmother) blamed her for it, then by [[ShameIfSomethingHappened threatening Mei Ling and the rest of their family]], and finally by compelling her to commit various crimes and immoral acts so that she would believe she could never be forgiven. [[spoiler:Thankfully, [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal it turns out]] she [[GrewASpine wasn't quite]] broken [[HeelFaceTurn after all]].]]
** During the FinalBattle, Chao attempts via BreakingSpeech to crush Po's spirits and make him [[DespairEventHorizon give in to despair]], both through [[spoiler:[[BrokenPedestal the truth of his parentage]] and the fact [[NiceJobBreakingItHero his usage of the Wuxi Finger Hold is what freed Chao from his prison]]]]. This is clearly meant as a precursor to KillTheCutie on Chao's part.
* BreakingTheBonds: During the first battle with the Wu Sisters at Yunxian, Tai Lung becomes trapped in the coils of a meteor hammer. His response is to flex his pecs and biceps to burst free of the cord, the show-off. Tigress wonders later if this is also how he broke free during their battle at the Thread of Hope in the first movie, but the snow leopard states the ropes just loosened when he struck the cliff face.
* BreakingSpeech: Being a manipulative and psychological sort of villain, Chao is fairly good at such tactics, and manages to demoralize a few of his opponents long enough to gain an advantage over them. He in fact prefaces the entire FinalBattle with a series of these against Viper (the supposed weakness of her compassionate heart), Crane (his intellect and how it failed to stop his schemes or figure out who was behind them), Monkey (his susceptibility to [[spoiler:DemonicPosession]]), and Tigress (her anger and resentment toward Shifu, which he uses to try and [[WeCanRuleTogether lure her into joining him]] at [[CoDragons Tai Lung's side]]). He also employs Po's MysteriousPast against him, as well as how he was the one to inadvertently [[SealedEvilInACan free Chao from his can]]. Sometimes, however, he only leaves himself open to a truly righteous ShutUpHannibal--such as when Po gets his HeroicSecondWind, or earlier when Tai Lung, arrested for [[spoiler:Shen Zhuang's murder]], throws his WeCanRuleTogether sales pitch back in his face.
* BrokenPedestal:
** Po, regarding [[spoiler:his parents, but mostly his father Bao]]. While he'd never believed himself to come from a glorious, heroic lineage, it nearly crushes him to learn that [[spoiler:his father was a deserter from the army and that this, as well as an earthquake destroying their home, led both his parents to become highwaymen, bandits, and even murderers]]. It's [[{{Foreshadowing}} Foreshadowed]] in Chapter 17, when Po decides to go fetch snacks for the "Truth or Dare":
---> '''Po''': Don't worry, I'll leave some money down in the kitchen for the innkeeper. I may be a lotta things, but I ain't no thief.
** Tai Lung learns more of just why Oogway would not give him the Dragon Scroll, why Shifu did not stand up for him, and why both of them chose to lock him away in Chorh-Gom without ever visiting or considering releasing him. He becomes rather disillusioned, too, and certainly [[CallingTheOldManOut gives them both the sharp edge of his tongue]].
* BrutishBulls: Being as he's a stonemason, Shen Zhuang is quite the large and muscular bull, and even though he's not a kung fu warrior it's clear he has great strength and toughness and could handle himself well in a regular fight--so one would think he'd fit this trope. Tai Lung certainly seems to believe he will when they first meet. [[SubvertedTrope However]], due to his kind and generally peaceful nature, he's more of a GentleGiant, with the worst moment of "temper" depicted being a low, threatening tone, a brief scuffle, and a SpitefulSpit. It's actually his supervisor, Wei Chang, who plays the trope straight--but then he ''is'' a [[{{Pun}} bull]] elephant (and fits the CruelElephant trope, as noted below).
* BucketBoobyTrap: While reminiscing about his cubhood during a visit to Wu Dan, Tai Lung reveals he placed a bucket of washwater over his dormitory door so that it would fall on a snooty Imperial official doing a Jade Palace inspection. It also, [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial somehow]], ended up being used on Shifu.
* 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 (tailored to age, gender, and social status of both the speaker and the addressee) and still are even today, making this culturally appropriate.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Implied when Jia confronts Heian Chao about him apparently planning [[spoiler:to have Monkey kill Tai Lung, whom she wanted as her lover]]. Her YouKnowWhatYouDid leads to this gem: "Before he could observe, with absolute honesty, that he had done many reprehensible, vile things and could not be expected to recall them all..."
* CallBack:
** Po's "level zero" from the training hall appears again, only this time something he does ''deliberately'' so as to show (through his humiliation) that Tai Lung can still be a hero.
** Shifu's ability to send out a gust of wind (to blow out Oogway's candles) returns as a chi ability Tai Lung and Tigress use to help extend the new span on the Thread of Hope.
** While visiting the daycare with Tigress, Tai Lung gets to experience the very same thing he did to Shifu when he was a cub--having his mustache yanked out. Even better, [[LaserGuidedKarma it's a red panda cub that does it]].
** In chapter 17 during the "Truth or Dare", one of the dares Tai Lung makes Po do is to touch his toes without bending his knees. Crane, Mantis, and Monkey burst out laughing, since of course they clearly remember the scene from the first movie when, while climbing the stairs to the bunkhouse, they spoke of Po not being able to touch his toes (or even see them).
** Shifu's flute is revealed to have been a gift from Tai Lung when he was six or seven, and that it has a twin which was the snow leopard's own; [[spoiler:he uses it to play a song in honor of Oogway in the branches of the peach tree, as seen in the fic's cover art]].
** We get one to Tai Lung's line of "What are you gonna do, sit on me?" from the first movie in chapter 22, when Tai Lung unexpectedly uses his nerve strike to paralyze Po's limbs (to teach him some lessons as well as a bit of revenge), causing the panda to fall on his back and Tai Lung to sit on his belly.
--->'''Tai Lung:''' So what now, big guy? Now ''I'm'' sitting on ''you''.
** The journey to Wu Dan to focus on special, intense training at the birthplace of kung fu happens again, only this time it's both Po and Tai Lung going there to learn how to channel their personal elements. Also, the dumpling fight happens again too, involving ''both'' of them and Shifu (which is a reference to the directors' commentary where it was revealed the fight was originally envisioned as being between Tai Lung and Shifu).
** Jia listens in to Tai Lung and Tigress's conversation from the same cliff perch where Tigress listened to Shifu and Po.
** Po's dream of the 10,000 demons of Demon Mountain was actually a heroic legend of Tai Lung's, which the panda [[SelfInsertFic inserted himself into]]. [[spoiler:It also gets to happen for real during the FinalBattle, since it turns out he was DreamingOfThingsToCome.]]
* CallingTheOldManOut:
** While it already occurred during their confrontation at the end of the first movie, Tai Lung continues (starting in the very first chapter!) to rail against Shifu for how he raised him to believe he would receive the Dragon Scroll, and for not standing up for him against Oogway; later arguments also criticize the overall manner of Shifu's parenting and the fact he never bothered to visit him in Chorh-Gom save for one time early on. The longer this continues, the less enraged and nasty Tai Lung becomes, instead turning more to pleading for understanding and despair at anything changing. To Shifu's credit, he not only manages to provide some good explanations and rationales, he admits to his grave errors, and the result is that he and the snow leopard finally reconcile about a third of the way through the story.
** Early on in the story Tai Lung has it out with Oogway (who while a mentor was also a grandfather figure for him) over the whole refusal of the Dragon Scroll and everything which followed from it. While the snow leopard has less genuine cause to rail against the turtle, the latter does freely admit to having failed to explain himself well (or at all), and it's quite clear that getting to vent and release all the rage he never got to twenty years ago is cathartic for Tai Lung. The end result is that after another, far more penitent and understanding conversation with Oogway's ghost, the snow leopard is able to forgive and reconcile with him as well.
** During the journey to Chorh-Gom, Tigress has it out with Shifu--her accusations ranging from how he treated her after adopting her from Bao Gu and for all the years thereafter, to his overall distant and emotionless nature, to how he didn't seem to even care Oogway chose Po over her, to how she was a ReplacementGoldfish for Tai Lung (only for the snow leopard and to a lesser degree the giant panda to take her place in Shifu's heart). Unlike with Tai Lung where there were mistakes made on both sides, Shifu does not deny a word Tigress says, in fact coming close to a HeroicBSOD for a while. He begins trying to reach out to her again on their way back to the Valley, although it isn't until the very end of the story (and after [[spoiler:Shifu nearly dies in the FinalBattle]]) that they finally begin to reconcile.
* CannotSpitItOut: Mei Ling just can't bring herself to tell Crane about her part in OperationJealousy to bring Tigress and Tai Lung together for a number of reasons (thinking he wouldn't approve, that he'd try to help and screw things up, that he'd just end up enraging Tigress if he tried). To a lesser degree, she also can't bring herself to tell him about her feelings for him, but Crane himself is far more tongue-tied about his years-long crush on her since their school days together (and [[PoorCommunicationKills thinks she's genuinely interested in the snow leopard]]). It takes more dire events developing to finally get both of them to open up.
* 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 (and according to Viper, Shifu's just as bad). Justified, given Tai's rather sheltered life, one-track mindset, and Tigress' initial refusal to accept him.
-->'''Viper:''' Tai Lung, here's my first piece of advice: when a woman asks you if you think about her naked, you say... no... Except when she wants to know she's attractive, of course. But otherwise, no.\\
'''Tai Lung:''' [[SarcasmMode Well that makes perfect sense, certainly takes a load off my mind]].
* CarnivoreConfusion: Played with when Monkey suggests Chao is so focused on corrupting Tai Lung because [[JustEatHim he's afraid the snow leopard will eat him]]. (Which would also be an example of JustEatGilligan, since getting rid of Chao would indeed solve everyone's problems.)
* CarryABigStick: 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]].
* CastingAShadow: Chao's main {{Elemental Power|s}}, through the corruption of his chi, which manifests through the projection of inky waves and tentacles, black mist or fog, and {{Shadow Walk|er}}ing--which not only allows for AstralProjection and traveling great distances, but also {{Teleport Spam}}ming during several battles. This also lends him a downplayed WeakenedByTheLight trait (closer to the literary Dracula's nature), and a far more debilitating case of HolyBurnsEvil.
* CatapultNightmare: A guilt-ridden Tai Lung throws himself up off of the sleeping pallet in his cell near the beginning of the story, clutching his chest, soaked with sweat, and even running his paws shakily over his face. Having just awoken from a [[PastExperienceNightmare terrifying nightmare]] of [[FlashbackNightmare his rampage]], one [[RecurringDreams he used to have repeatedly]] during his early years in Chorh-Gom which has returned to him now that he's truly aware of [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone the magnitude of what he did]], this is understandable.
* CentralTheme: The question the fic is truly about, and which runs through every major character and arc (although it's most clearly visible in Tai Lung's story), is this: "Is everyone capable, or worthy, of redemption? And can it be earned?" An obviously related theme is {{Forgiveness}}, and the nature and meaning of heroism are also explored.
* ChekhovsBoomerang: [[OurDemonsAreDifferent The yaoguai]]. When they first appear in the story, it's only as a random aside, an old tale of Tai Lung's former heroism which is told by the village headman in Yunxian--and which, like several events Po had mentioned earlier, illustrates why the panda was right to believe the snow leopard isn't evil. However, the tale is also a {{Foreshadowing}} of the [[{{Foil}} relationship]] between [[BashBrothers him and Po]], [[spoiler:since it is this very event, the facing of the 10,000 demons of Demon Mountain, which Po dreamed about in the movie, with him in Tai Lung's role]]. And then, much much later, the yaoguai turn up one more time...[[spoiler:as a BadassArmy [[SummoningRitual summoned by Heian Chao]], which the [[SealedArmyInACan Warriors]] of [[SealedGoodInACan Tenshu]] and the Furious Five must then defeat, [[DreamingOfThingsToCome just as Po had dreamed.]]]]
* ChekhovsGun: While there are a number of seemingly insignificant things in the story, both major and minor, which turn out to be important later, the following are particularly notable:
** The Golden Spear, introduced as part of Tai Lung's self-beration over his inability to ever truly atone [[spoiler:ends up being a weapon he can wield after all, and the very one with which he kills Heian Chao]].
** The hammer Shifu gives Tai Lung as part of his first lesson in humility and redemption [[spoiler:is used by Tai Lung as a distraction in the FinalBattle]].
** The Urn of Whispering Warriors first appears (or rather, doesn't) when Tai Lung notices it gone from its pedestal and thinks he broke it during his battle with Shifu, only to learn Po broke it being a clutz, which leads the panda to recount its legend to try and calm the snow leopard down. It's eventually seen later, repaired by Zeng and the other palace messengers, [[CreativeClosingCredits just as shown in the credits for the first movie]]...[[spoiler:which sets up for when Mantis brings it along so as to release the Warriors of Tenshu to fight Chao's yaoguai]].
** And there are [[ChekhovsArmoury multiple items found in Oogway's room]]: the mahjong set and accompanying painting which were gifts from Emperor Chen and set up for his appearance near the end of the story; the book of haiku which contains a riddle-poem about Tai Lung and Po (explained by Oogway in the final chapter); ''The Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' and the set of dominoes which both figure into Tai Lung drawing closer to Tigress during her convalescence; and the nunchaku which Monkey ends up using during the FinalBattle. Even the figure of Tai Lung and [[NoodleIncident Oogway's naughty love letters]] turn up again, the former as part of Po's "playtime" where he tries to make the Five and Tai Lung get along, the latter as a BrickJoke during the snow leopard's final talk with Oogway.
* ChekhovsSkill:
** The first thing that Tai Lung teaches Po when they begin kung fu training together is [[TheParalyzer his paralyzing nerve strike technique]]; sure enough, the panda ends up using it very effectively against each of the Wu Sisters when he faces them on Wu Dan.
** Tai Lung brags about his skill with lances and halberds on his first day of lessons with Shifu, as well as identifying such weapons as his favorites to Po; this is very useful when [[spoiler:he carries the Golden Spear into battle against the yaoguai, and eventually uses it to kill Heian Chao]].
* TheChessmaster: Although Heian Chao takes an active role in various parts of the story, the majority of his EvilPlan consists of him manipulating characters and events in secret like the shadow he is--hiring the Wu Sisters to kill Po, divide the heroes, and eventually lure Tai Lung into joining them; using DemonicPossession on [[spoiler:Vachir]] and [[spoiler:Monkey]] so as to kill countless innocents and turn everyone (townsfolk and the rest of the Jade Palace crew alike) against Tai Lung, respectively; setting off a HatePlague as well as influencing everyone into argumentativeness and chaos through his corrupt chi projected through [[SympatheticMagic a bit of Tai Lung's fur]]; luring him to Chorh-Gom for a kill-or-be-killed battle with Vachir that will push Tai Lung toward darkness no matter how it turns out; and eventually orchestrating a {{Frameup}}, a KangarooCourt, and [[spoiler:PeoplePuppets used on the whole village via the tainted Pool of Sacred Tears]] to force the snow leopard into a SadisticChoice that places his soul in the balance. And as is usually the case, Chao is brought down by certain characters not being as easily manipulated as he believed, and a few [[SpannerInTheWorks unforeseen developments]].
* ChewOutFakeOut: [[spoiler:Shifu]] catches Tai Lung and Tigress in their bedroom after they've just had sex, and looks absolutely set to read them the riot act--for the bad timing, for doing it in a relatively public (read: loud) way, for what the people of the Valley would think, and more. But instead it turns out he thinks it's a wonderful, beautiful thing he absolutely approves of, and the anger was all an act to yank their chain. (And, it turns out, also a SecretTestOfCharacter.)
* ChickMagnet:
** Tai Lung after his attitude has gotten better, as he ends up having Tigress, Jia, Mei Ling and even Viper all attracted to him to varied extents.
** Emperor Chen is also an example, since despite his age, he still keeps himself in peak physical condition, and this draws the eyes of most of the women watching during his kung fu exhibition at the end of the story, including Jia and even Tigress.
* TheChosenOne: It's made perfectly clear [[SubvertedTrope Tai Lung was not meant to be the Dragon Warrior]]. Meanwhile, because of Chao's evil, because it had to be done and there was no one else to do it, Tai Lung chose on his own (albeit at Oogway's request) to stop the BigBad and [[TheUnchosenOne thus made his own destiny]]. Of course once he did, it turned out [[DoubleSubverted he really was]] TheChosenOne, just not the one he thought, because Oogway had chosen Tai Lung for this task long ago. Since Tai Lung always had the choice whether or not to accept, though, he had destiny and free will at the same time.
* CircleOfExtinction: Xiu and Tai Lung circle each other during the FinalBattle, gradually spiraling inward with weapons drawn as each attempts to sway the other--Xiu taunting and threatening him with what Chao will do to him unless he surrenders and joins them, Tai Lung also seeking her surrender as well as the truth about his missing family. Chun and Tigress also circle one another with swords and fire wheels, but this is only to get into proper position with their weapons and so is without the monologuing. [[RuleOfThree And Chao briefly circles]] Shifu during their battle, while continually mocking the panda with a ReasonYouSuckSpeech he also hopes to break him.
* ClearTheirName: Thanks to the {{Frameup}} which Chao and the Wu Sisters engineer against Tai Lung in the latter third of the story, Crane has to find the proof that he did not kill [[spoiler:Zhuang]] while the snow leopard is on trial and being defended by Shifu and Mei Ling.
* CliffHanger: The endings of the following chapters either leave the reader hanging with the characters in great peril, or have dropped a major bomb of drama or plot development.
** Chapter 13 ends with TheReveal that Heian Chao has hired the Wu Sisters to kill the Dragon Warrior.
** Chapter 15 ends with [[spoiler:Monkey]] becoming [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by Heian Chao.
** Chapter 17 ends with the first grisly murder by [[spoiler:possessed]] Vachir and the announcement he's "coming for" Tai Lung.
** Chapter 19 ends with [[spoiler:Po fatally injured]] and Tai Lung desperate to save his life, only to be caught literally red-handed by Tigress and Monkey.
** Chapter 26 ends with the delivery of Vachir's note and the demand that Tai Lung come and face him at Chorh-Gom.
** Chapter 30 ends the climactic fight with Vachir with a quite literal example, as Tigress and Tai Lung fall off a crumbling pinnacle into the prison abyss.
** Chapter 31 ends with TheReveal that [[spoiler:Monkey (seemingly) killed Mantis]].
** Chapter 32 ends with [[spoiler:Shifu]] catching Tai Lung and Tigress [[InterruptedIntimacy in bed together]].
** Chapter 34 ends with the town magistrate coming to the Jade Palace to report to Shifu that Tai Lung has been arrested and will soon be put on trial for the murder of [[spoiler:Shen Zhuang]].
** Chapter 41 ends not only with Crane's life being saved from Chao, but TheReveal that [[spoiler:Mantis is still alive]].
** Chapter 43 ends with the very real possibility that [[spoiler:Shifu]] will die from the injuries he sustained from Chao.
* ColdBloodedTorture: While the treatment the snow leopard received in the movie was already implied to be hardly the most humane, and hints are dropped in the story early on that it was far worse than Dream Works could show, it is eventually revealed that Commander Vachir inflicted this on Tai Lung at Chorh-Gom. The direct results aren't shown for the most part, but the implications are more than clear, with the rhino employing shaming, sleep deprivation, starvation, verbal abuse, pharmacological torture, and whipping on top of the cold and isolation already seen. Vachir claims this is done as punishment, both for the rampage and to make Tai Lung realize the magnitude of his sins and thus work to atone for them, but it's obvious he's also quite the sadist about it. [[spoiler:Some of this was encouraged by Chao]].
* CombatPragmatist:
** While he is honorable when fighting heroes (which seems applicable to some extent even in the movie), Tai Lung has no compunctions in throwing aside the rules when it comes to facing truly awful opponents like Xiu, Vachir, and Chao. He also tries to instill some of this in Po, with [[TookALevelInBadass a fair degree of success]] but not enough to revoke Po's IncorruptiblePurePureness status.
** Xiu epitomizes such tactics. Aside from using TrashTalk and being a ManipulativeBitch, she is not above using dirty moves or outright cheating: after fighting Tigress and losing, she proceeds to [[spoiler:call in her sister Chun to brain Tigress from behind with her meteor hammer]], and during the final battle she manages to nearly incapacitate Tai Lung, despite having just been the victim of a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown, by [[spoiler:punching him right in an arrow wound he'd previously received in his side]].
* ComeAlone:
** Vachir admonishes Tai Lung to come to Chorh-Gom to face him alone in the note he has Zeng deliver, or else he will continue to keep brutally murdering innocents. In an interesting variation, he also suggests that choosing to do otherwise will result in one of Tai Lung's companions betraying him (something he knows is true, since [[spoiler:it's actually Chao sending the note, and he has possessed both Vachir and Monkey]]). While Tai Lung tries to convince the others to obey (even though he knows he's being LuredIntoATrap), they all end up coming along except for Po and Mei Ling.
** Chun tells Po under flag of truce that he needs to come to Wu Dan alone, and stay there with the Wu Sisters until Chao has won and Tai Lung is under his control, or else they will kill Ping. From the way she delivers the message, it's clear the sisters expect Po to disobey, although it is Tigress and Viper overhearing his preparations to leave and the threat he's been given, respectively, that leads them to come along. Xiu in fact seems delighted they disobeyed, since it gives her a chance to fight and defeat them all.
* ComeBackToBedHoney: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]--Tai Lung wishes to stay in bed with Tigress, but she insists that he ''leave''... so as to [[TamponRun go and fetch birth control herbs]].
* ComicRolePlay: Viper, as part of her attempts to teach Tai Lung how to romance Tigress, takes on the latter's role by portraying her with a ribbon-mask in order to help the snow leopard practice his wooing techniques. The results are entertaining, as much for the location where it occurs (in the bathhouse) and the fact Mei Ling gets to watch and listen in, as for how scarily good Viper is at imitating Tigress and for how pathetic Tai Lung is at it. (One reviewer described it as [[CallBack "this is Tai Lung's level zero."]])
* ConnectTheDeaths: After [[spoiler:possessed]] Vachir starts killing people all over and around the Valley of Peace to both terrorize its citizens and force Tai Lung to come and face him, Crane starts marking a map with the locations of the murders to see if there's any pattern to them (since nothing about the victims generates one). It isn't until he's given assistance by the letter Zeng brings that he realizes the locations make a more subtle shape, a "lopsided" arrow that points to the northwest (i.e. toward Chorh-Gom--the author establishes the Valley as being in Hubei while the prison is in Mongolia).
* ContinuityNod:
** Po breaking the Urn of Whispering Warriors is referenced when Tai Lung notices it gone from its pedestal--and after Mantis reveals what really happened, the panda tells its legend to try and calm the snow leopard down. It's also shown repaired later by Zeng and the other palace messengers, [[CreativeClosingCredits just as appeared in the credits for the first movie]].
** Repairing all the damage done to the palace during Shifu and Tai Lung's battle means numerous references to it appear--the broken doors, the hole in the porch and in the roof, the cracked and cratered walls, the smashed brazier, and even the shield and sword which ended up embedded in a pillar and the floor, respectively.
** The peach sprout which Shifu inadvertently planted under the tree is used by Oogway to help Tai Lung repair his broken staff.
** Po's story of the lousy tipper wolf gets told again, this time to Shifu and Tai Lung at Wu Dan.
* ContrivedCoincidence: Zeng happens to run into [[spoiler:a possessed]] Vachir while coming to warn the Weis [[DramaticIrony about the killer terrorizing the Valley]], and he later is freed to return to the palace just in time to interrupt Mei Ling as she's about to finally [[CannotSpitItOut spit it out]] to Crane. Above all, Zhuang deciding to check on the Weis, thus coming to free them and [[spoiler:deprive Chao of a great deal of power right as the Heroes were facing Vachir and the traitor Monkey]] takes the cake for fortuitous timing.
* CoolClearWater: Played with--as in the movie, the Pool of Sacred Tears is as beautiful, pristine, and pure as can be, but this is not a sign of contamination at all, instead one of holiness and harmony, and the fact it is revealed to be a font of PureEnergy (chi) means that the pool ''has'' been [[AWizardDidIt magically]] purified to make it safe to drink. By the same token, when [[spoiler:Chao's corruption turns it into GrimyWater, the pool's tainted and poisonous appearance, as well as all the death surrounding it, is caused both by Chao's powers and by [[PoisonIsEvil the poison the Wu Sisters poured into it]] beforehand]].
* CoolOldGuy:
** Emperor Chen--the tiger is in his seventies, but not only retains the muscular bulk of a man half his age, he manages to fight Tai Lung to a draw during the story's extended denouement. Hints are also made earlier in the story as to what a great fighter (and kung fu warrior) he was in the past which made him this trope in the present, and this is shown directly in the sequel vignettes.
** Ning Guo, although his coolness is based not on fighting skill but being extremely wry and humorous when Tai Lung comes to his shop to buy birth control herbs, as well as [[spoiler:acting as a SurpriseWitness at Tai Lung's execution--particularly how he calls out the magistrate, Fu Xiao]].
* CordonBleughChef:
** When Po is healing after his and Tai Lung's first encounter with the Wu Sisters, Tai Lung takes it upon himself to cook all of Po's meals, and it is revealed that between a mix of MenCantKeepHouse and thinking such a thing unnecessary for a kung fu warrior, he only knows the "rudiments" of cooking...so that he has a great deal of trouble reading recipes and figuring out where anything is in the kitchen, and the "inventive" dishes he prepares make Po cough, choke, and speak with a hoarse rasp.
** At the end of the story, when Po takes it upon himself to teach Tigress how to cook, she proves to be even worse--her dumplings explode, her bau buns "came out more like black volcanic rocks", her congee sticks to the pan and "fossilizes", and she even manages to ''burn a salad'' (because she left the bowl on top of the oven by mistake).
* TheCorruption: Heian Chao's dark chi and MoreThanMindControl work on this level for anyone he uses DemonicPossession on or even merely influences, but it also seems to be true of ''himself'', since his steeping himself in advanced chi techniques so as to [[spoiler:bring down a tyrannical emperor]] caused him to [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil become more and more twisted, vile]], and [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans willing to do anything]] if he could justify it by the end result, until eventually he turned into an irredeemable monster and (arguably) not even truly himself any more due to [[EvilIsNotAToy losing his soul]].
* CouldntFindAPen: Not only does [[spoiler:Zhuang]] leave a DyingClue written in his own blood on a piece of his shirt, but Vachir/Chao leaves several such messages on the bodies of his murder victims he leaves across China and around the Valley.
* CrazyPrepared: Even though the Jade Palace crew only knows for certain that it's Chao they'd be facing, when they go into the FinalBattle they bring along the majority of the named and famous mystical weapons [[AllThereInTheManual originally described on the KFP Wiki]]--which turns out to be quite prescient considering they also end up having to fight [[spoiler:a summoned horde of spectral demons]]. Played with in the case of [[spoiler:Mantis]] who brings along [[spoiler:the Urn of Whispering Warriors, with its SealedArmyInACan]] only because Oogway told him to, but he had no idea why or what it would be used for. The Wu Sisters are even better prepared for every scenario, since they not only carry multiple weapons each (the reader is shown Wind and Fire Wheels, daggers, garrotes, blowguns, throwing stars, meteor hammers, and fans, and there are likely even more), they are cross-trained and can thus use any weapon the others are carrying, no matter which ones they might lose or what opponent they'd be facing. And finally Tai Lung himself brings along [[spoiler:the hammer Shifu gave him the first day of his new training]], which provides a distraction to Chao at a key moment.
* CruelElephant: Wei Chang is this initially. He's a BadBoss to Tai Lung when he's doing building work, and a StrawMisogynist to Tigress, so when Tai Lung attacks him for the misogyny, Shifu doesn't hesitate to fire the elephant. However, we later learn that he's also a caring husband and father in his private time, and he ends up becoming a lot more sympathetic after [[spoiler:having his son killed, his eyes put out, and himself and his wife subjected to ColdBloodedTorture by a possessed Vachir.]]
* CrypticConversation: While it was already the case in the first movie, Oogway's ghost proves to be just as much a master of never saying what he means or fully revealing all that he knows when counseling Tai Lung. (Less so with Shifu, it seems; while some of this is stated outright to be due to Chao's influence over the Valley having been broken, the turtle generally seems to be more interested in making the snow leopard think and [[FigureItOutYourself work things out for himself]].) He also specifically tells Tai Lung that he must speak cryptically in order to prevent a SelfFulfillingProphecy; that he only wished to [[YouAreNotReady protect the snow leopard]]; that even being dead [[NotSoOmniscientAfterAll does not give him a clear and perfect understanding of the future]]; and that [[SpeakOfTheDevil naming Chao would give him power]] (hence [[YouKnowTheOne "someone is coming"]]). End result, a great deal of VaguenessIsComing, {{Double Meaning}}s, YouWillKnowWhatToDo, and what turns out to be {{Literal Metaphor}}s. The snow leopard even lampshades this tendency by stating Oogway always [[DelightingInRiddles Delighted in Riddles]] and wondering why he expected anything different.
-->'''Tai Lung''': Master...please, could you ''try'', for once, to use a nice, direct, declarative sentence? Just for novelty's sake?
* CueTheSun: Dawn breaks as the heroes emerge from defeating the BigBad. Since he was composed of/fought with shadow and generally represented ultimate evil, the {{Symbolism}} of the trope is even stronger than usual.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tropes D-F]]
* DamselOutOfDistress: It's perfectly clear the ladies here can dish it out as good as the men can, even going to the point that while watching Tigress fighting during the final battle, Tai Lung vows he will do his best to never anger her. None of the ladies ever get captured or made helpless, and if so it isn't for long--Mei Ling gets locked in a cell but immediately picks the lock, and the one time Tigress ends up needing a rescue it's only after the Wu Sisters cheated and nearly killed her; even then Zhuang only chases them away to bring her back to the palace and she recovers just fine, fuming all the while. She certainly wasn't helpless at Chorh-Gom--Vachir didn't know what hit him.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The fic definitely has a tonal shift from the first movie (and interestingly, one which to some degree ended up reflected in the second and third movies, too). Some of this stems from the simple fact the plot addresses the full details of what Tai Lung did during his rampage and what happened to him in Chorh-Gom, and his subsequent coming-to-terms with his own villainy in order to atone. However, the story also introduces assassins, a murderous InspectorJavert who ends up going SerialKiller (leading to plenty of gruesome bodies and death scenes), and plenty of less-than-pleasant [[ShownTheirWork accurate details of ancient Chinese society]]. And that's all before you get to the BigBad being a [[CastingAShadow shadow mage]] capable of DemonicPossession, {{Hate Plague}}s, PeoplePuppets, {{Necromanc|er}}y, and more. Despite the seriousness and upped stakes, however, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story does end on a genuinely happy note]].
* DarkestHour: Chapters 33 through 37--[[spoiler:Zhuang]] has been murdered, with Tai Lung arrested and put on trial for it, placed in a horrible SadisticChoice and on the verge of going mad again, going on a second rampage, and joining the BigBad due to the trauma of being imprisoned again and, he thinks, abandoned by everyone he cares about; thanks to [[spoiler:the corruption of the Sacred Pool and PeoplePuppets]], neither Shifu nor Mei Ling can get through to the KangarooCourt to exonerate him. Meanwhile, [[IHaveYourWife Ping has been kidnapped by the Wu Sisters]] so that Po, Viper, and Tigress have to go to Wu Dan to rescue him, thus keeping all of them away from the Valley (and Po's staying out of the coming battle is in fact the condition for him getting his father back), while Monkey is imprisoned for [[spoiler:seemingly killing Mantis at Chorh-Gom]]. Comes close to being a NearVillainVictory. Also ''[[{{Symbolism}} literal]]'' since Chao's dark chi actually [[spoiler:overshadows and eclipses the Valley with black mist and stormclouds after he corrupts the Sacred Pool]] and after finally defeating him, the heroes [[CueTheSun emerge at dawn]].
* DarkIsEvil: Not Yin, but because Chao's powers are BlackMagic and based off of corruption, necromancy, and just about every other negative ability you can think of, he still exemplifies this trope. Or at least, Shadow Is Evil.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Tai Lung [[ReformedButNotTamed still has almost every single flaw]] he had in the movie, even by the time the story ends. Also, Yin isn't evil despite being the black half of the ''taijitu''; Tai Lung's "darkness" stems from imbalance, pride, and aggression, with many of his more dangerous traits actually stemming from having [[LightIsNotGood too strong a Yang]] and what this made him willing to do.
* TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget: Originally, Chao began studying chi so as to [[spoiler:[[WellIntentionedExtremist depose]] a [[VisionaryVillain tyrannical emperor]] and [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans make the empire a better place]]]], but by the time of the story all he cares about is [[spoiler:[[TakeOverTheWorld ruling the empire himself]], and the lives of everyone in it, because he believes [[{{Pride}} only he has the intellect and insight to do the job]]]]. A MotiveDecay that is strongly implied, if not explicitly stated, to be caused by Chao [[EvilIsNotAToy using powers and techniques]] he [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow did not fully comprehend.]]
* DeaderThanDead: As might be surmised based on him being a nine-hundred-plus-years-old KungFuWizard who, thanks to his saturation in chi and unlocking [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow various dark powers]], has cheated death again and again, Heian Chao has to be disposed of in a manner far more thorough and final than simple death. [[spoiler:Not only is he [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice skewered by]] the Golden Spear, which is itself an artifact that OnlyThePureOfHeart can [[HolyBurnsEvil safely touch]], but it gets "charged" with the holy chi inside Oogway's staff. A surefire way to guarantee all the dark chi he absorbed for centuries will be released and none remains to sustain him, and that his soul will finally go on to the Afterlife, but the physical results...overdone chicken doesn't begin to describe it.]] Lampshaded by [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike both Po and Oogway]].
* DeadlyHug: Thanks to Xiu's {{Frameup}}, Mei Ling, Xu Mei, and the rest of China believe that the cause of Wu Xuan's death was a stabbing InTheBack during a loving embrace--courtesy of Jia.
* DeadpanSnarker: Almost everything that comes out of [[CatsAreSnarkers Tai Lung]]'s mouth is bitter, cynical, sarcastic, and caustic, especially if he's talking to [[CallingTheOldManOut Shifu]], [[RageAgainstTheMentor Oogway]], or [[BelligerentSexualTension Tigress]]. (One might wonder if the snow leopard thought this was scroll 1,001...) While this does soften somewhat as the story progresses, it's clear that Tai Lung will always retain a certain smartass, BrutalHonesty nature. As just one example among many, one of the first things he says to Shifu, after the red panda visits him in his cell following the FinalBattle from the first movie and claims he wants to help, is:
-->'''Tai Lung''': Oh, really? Is that why you're here? To come and kiss my wounds and make them all better?
* DeadPersonConversation: Although several deceased characters come back as ghosts to speak with the living, the most consistent is Oogway, who not only seeks to reconcile with Tai Lung and aid in his redemption but also act as a SpiritAdvisor during the conflict with Heian Chao. He also appears to Shifu to pass on Chao's {{Backstory}} and offer guidance on how to defeat him, and helps save and heal [[spoiler:Mantis]] as well as provide him with mystical advice.
* DeadSerious: [[spoiler: Zhuang's death]] was intended to demonstrate just how far Xiu and Chao were willing to go just to subjugate the Valley. The death of [[spoiler:Chang's son]] as well, seeing as it occurred chronologically earlier. But this use of DeathOfAChild was clearly meant more as a proof of how bad Chao specifically was, while the death of [[spoiler:Zhuang]], seeing as he had more CharacterDevelopment and readers had come to like him a great deal, was more of the [[GutPunch sucker punch]] associated with this trope.
* DeathIsDramatic:
** Played straight with [[spoiler:Zhuang]]--his death is the centerpiece of one of the darkest chapters in the fic, is treated with intense grief and seriousness by all involved, allows him to have a final railing against his killer, and in fact leads to the story's DarkestHour thanks to all the ramifications (a trial, a near-execution for Tai Lung, dark chi corruption sweeping across the Valley, and the snow leopard coming this close to falling back into evil). Of note, however, is that this involves a relatively minor character.
** Subverted with [[spoiler:Shifu]], who at first seems to receive the spectacle, sorrow, and meaningful final words one would expect for a character as important as he is, only for all of this to be undone when Mantis succeeds in saving his life.
* DeathOfAChild: Not only do we learn (and witness!) that Chao murdered children [[PoweredByAForsakenChild so as to become the greatest chi master in existence]], but [[spoiler:an innocent child is one of those killed during his rampage while possessing Vachir, and we are later shown in graphic detail just what was done to him]].
* DefeatMeansFriendship:
** Variation. The first time Po appears in the story, it's clear he has already forgiven Tai Lung after their battle from the first movie and, if he doesn't consider him a friend, he'd certainly like him to be--in fact he makes the offer right at the end of the second chapter. For the snow leopard, however, the process is a lot more slowgoing than usual, and while he is in fact surprised and moved by Po's reaching out to him, it requires a great deal of soul-searching, understanding the panda truly does care about him and want to help him redeem himself, and facing off against genuine enemies at his side before he will accept. Once it finally kicks in, though, they're BashBrothers and VitriolicBestBuds for life.
** Played straight with [[spoiler:Jia]] and Po, after he defeats the former at Wu Dan. While she had already been treating him as a WorthyOpponent at worst prior to this, and did have her connection to his past to motivate her, it isn't until he overcomes all the Wu Sisters that the panda comes to trust and believe in her enough to offer hope of redemption and a possible friendship. And while she isn't able to take him up on it at the time thanks to her sisters (and the need to resolve things with Mei Ling), during the FinalBattle she is able to change sides and aid in the defeat of Heian Chao, which gets her forgiven by most of the Jade Palace crew.
* DefectorFromDecadence: The first time [[spoiler:Jia]] attempts a HeelFaceTurn, it is thanks to Xiu's threatening the life of a pure innocent (Ping) in order to [[{{Frameup}} frame]] and manipulate Tai Lung. It is in fact her horror and disgust with Xiu's overall methods and acts that contributes to her real HeelFaceTurn.
* DemonicPossession: Yet another dark power of Heian Chao's is the ability to take over the minds and bodies of others. How much he can control the individual seems to vary depending on how much he requires them to do, whether he is attempting to conceal that he has done so, and how much he has to [[FightingFromTheInside work to overcome the character's willpower]] to take up residence; having one's senses already compromised appears to make it much easier [[spoiler:(Monkey was already drunk from the Ghost Festival)]], as does if the person in question is in any way willing or believes they can make use of his powers for their own ends. The longer he is in possession, however, the more likely it seems to become that the host's mind/soul will lose all ability to resist and be left [[AndIMustScream trapped as a helpless witness in their own mind]]. The reader gets a front-row seat for the horror of the experience when it happens to [[spoiler:Vachir]]; it mostly happens off-screen to [[spoiler:Monkey]], although some detail is filled in when the reader is later able to get his POV after he's freed.
* DenialOfAnimality: A number of times, whether aloud or in his thoughts, Tai Lung refers to himself as human, and a few other characters do as well.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: When Tai Lung is imagining the arguments Shifu will make against him and Tigress becoming a couple [[spoiler:[[ParentsWalkInAtTheWorstTime after he discovers them in bed together]]]], he supplies "You don't have my permission to court her" twice, and then after listing several other items, [[RuleOfThree adds]], "Did I mention you don't have my permission?"
* DespairEventHorizon: Tai Lung comes very close to crossing the line that would destroy his last remaining sense of hope. Naturally it's at the end of the second act, the fic's DarkestHour, and it's absolutely understandable: despite how hard Shifu, Mei Ling, and even Tigress have worked to convince the magistrate and the rest of the village of his innocence, he ends up convicted of killing [[spoiler:Zhuang]] and it appears he's about to be hanged, which aside from the obvious also means his soul and chi would fall into Chao's clutches. To make matters worse, [[SadisticChoice his only means of escape, to break free and go on another rampage]], would ''also'' leave him vulnerable to Chao, and the fact he would have to resort to this (and so prove everyone right about him being irredeemable) is itself another thing to make him fall into despair.
* DetectEvil: When everyone in town is [[spoiler:under the influence of Chao's dark chi]], [[ChildrenAreInnocent Yi]] is able to detect the presence of evil as "too-big shadows" or "having black clothes on".
* DeusExMachina: On a number of occasions Oogway acts as this, most notably when he [[spoiler:spares the life of Mantis]]. Such a thing is practically necessary when going up against the DiabolusExMachina that is Heian Chao; at times the plot can resemble these two masters playing XanatosSpeedChess. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion who wins, but there's plenty of nail-biting suspense, hate-worthy developments, and OhCrap moments to make the reader wonder.
* DevourTheDragon: When Chao is in danger of losing to Po and Tai Lung, and has nearly drained his reserves of chi, [[spoiler:Xiu offers herself to him, wishing to share in his power as he'd promised her so that she can bring down the heroes in his stead]]. Interestingly, at first it appears Chao's action is a mutually beneficial one, since it not only bolsters him but heals [[spoiler:Xiu]], but when it turns out her mortal mind can't handle the influx of power, Chao proceeds to drain her to death (while claiming regret at doing so, though how truthful he's being here is debatable). Fortunately, a [[ThrowingYourShieldAlwaysWorks thrown shield]] from Po (the Shield of Fire Monkey Pass, no less) severs the connection that is making this possible. [[spoiler:As a result, Xiu is rendered comatose while Chao is hurled to the ceiling.]]
* DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch: Thanks to Tai Lung having been voiced by Ian [=McShane=] (who is British and quite often plays a [[{{Typecasting}} mean character]]), it's a given that British slang would be applied to his dialogue to make it seem saltier and regional without including language that is inappropriate or (too) anachronistic. Not only does the usual "bloody" appear, so do "bollocks", "wanker", "git", and "arse", although Tai Lung also drops [[SirSwearsalot a number of F-bombs and "shit"s]] as warranted.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Xiu never saw coming [[spoiler:her betrayal by Jia]] because she believed her sister was too weak, pathetic, and [[ManipulativeBitch easily manipulated]] due to being [[GoodIsDumb dumb]] and [[GoodIsOldFashioned old-fashioned]] to be driven to a MistreatmentInducedBetrayal, and so could never ''[[{{Pride}} possibly]]'' be a danger. She was wrong. Similarly, Heian Chao never expected Po to respond to the [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Father]] situation which he engineered through the Wu Sisters by gathering TheCavalry and riding to the rescue, rather than meekly accepting the inevitable--or that he would be capable of [[spoiler:cleansing the Sacred Pool]] when he got there.
* DidYouActuallyBelieve: During the FinalBattle, Heian Chao mocks Shifu for being overconfident and foolish enough to think he could defeat his kung fu all by himself, let alone his mystical abilities. Shifu naturally isn't even fazed, though it helps that he didn't intend to defeat him alone, simply keep him occupied/wear him down until the others could arrive.
* DishingOutDirt: In the fic's setting, high-level kung fu masters can manipulate chi so as to create and/or control various ElementalPowers (although these are the Chinese elements, of course, not Western) based on the year of their birth. Shifu's elemental power is revealed to be Earth (to [[{{Retcon}} explain]] how he was able to control/shatter the piece of stone porch that Tai Lung hurled at him in the movie), and he is shown capable of levitating, breaking, riding, and otherwise controlling boulders, stalactites, and segments of earth and stone with little trouble. Fitting, for one as stubborn and hard-headed as he.
* DisneyDeath: Although it doesn't occur at the end, [[spoiler:Mantis]] is seemingly killed during the climactic battle at Chorh-Gom--punched with crushing force by [[spoiler:a possessed Monkey]], then thrown into the abyss. He doesn't get a PrematureEulogy, though he does have a cairn raised in his honor...only for him to show up alive during the FinalBattle thanks to [[spoiler:[[DeusExMachina the intervention and healing of Oogway]]]].
* DivideAndConquer: Explicitly stated by Chao to the Wu Sisters as part of his plan--specifically, to have them pick off members of the Five one by one so that Tai Lung no longer has any allies or people who believe in him, thus making it easier for Chao to turn him back to evil. While there are other reasons to do so (being his MoralityChain being the main one), this also applies to why Chao wants Po in particular removed, it applies to why the Sisters [[IHaveYourWife kidnap Ping]] (to force Po into staying away from the FinalBattle), and it's also the underlying reason for the HatePlague Chao creates via [[spoiler:Monkey and the Pool of Sacred Tears]].
* DontDoAnythingIWouldntDo: At the end of the story, Mantis is stated to have given Crane a bit of advice as he goes on the road with Mei Ling and [[spoiler:Jia]]. Unsurprisingly for a CovertPervert like the insect (and speaking to a NiceGuy and ExtremeDoormat like Crane), it consists of the StockPhrase "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
* DontYouDarePityMe:
** As expected, Tai Lung reacts rather poorly to being shown sympathy, concern, and caring, whether snarling and growling at those who express it, actually lashing out at them physically, or simply denying them verbally. Right from the very start, he actually tells Po to shut up and practically lunges at him when the panda dares to compare their lives and say he understands how he feels and what he's gone through, and it takes him until Yunxian before he can accept Po's friendship for what it is. Even with Viper, the most compassionate and kind-hearted of the Five, Tai Lung responds to her observation as to how hurt he's been by life with the StockPhrase, "I don't want, or need, your pity."
** Ironically, Tigress displays the same attitude toward Tai Lung, when he attempts to show sympathy to her for how Shifu treated her growing up after she confronts the red panda about it, though this may also be a result of her partially blaming him for Shifu's distance and harshness.
* {{Doorstopper}}: While not quite ''Literature/WarAndPeace'', the fic certainly makes quite the lengthy novel--at over 600,000 words on Website/FanFictionDotNet, it's been calculated by readers as coming out to over 1000 pages if printed, a thick and heavy volume indeed.
* DoubleSubversion: Near the end of the story, it seems like Master Shifu is dying, in a reference to the ending of the movie--except instead of everyone being [[MistakenForDying clueless like Po]], he really is dying. [[spoiler:But then Mantis succeeds in patching up his injuries so he doesn't die after all--something even Shifu didn't expect, to his chagrin]].
* TheDragon:
** Xiu, the eldest Wu Sister, acts as Heian Chao's top enforcer and the character he can most rely on to do his dirty work. As both a consummate planner, schemer, and manipulator and a sophisticated, skilled fighter, she is able to challenge not only Tai Lung but also Po, Viper, and even Tigress, and overcoming her is not only a way for each of them to prove various truths (Po's having TookALevelInBadass, Tai Lung becoming a genuine hero, Tigress learning to control her temper and think rather than just act), it's necessary to save other characters placed in danger, to get revenge, and to even learn more about Chao, let alone get close to him. She's also the last named villainous character the heroes have to bring down before Chao.
** Vachir is another high-ranking servant of the BigBad, and while as a [[ThePawn Pawn]] he is more of a DiscOneFinalBoss, it can't be denied he fills the "ferocious fighter who leaves the heavy thinking to his boss" role, and it's only by facing him down and breaking the power Chao employs through him that the heroes are even able to figure out who and what they're truly up against, let alone get close to him. And [[spoiler:despite the fact he's not doing it by his own will]] he's the villain with the highest body count in the story and who presents the greatest physical threat.
* DramaticIrony:
** Happens a great deal, but notable incidents include [[spoiler:Chao helping Xiu kill Zhuang without knowing he was the SpannerInTheWorks, Chang's message about Vachir, Shifu thinking Mei Ling would be able to exonerate Tai Lung through identifying the snow leopard fur, everyone thinking Monkey was just being naturally belligerent to Tai Lung when he was actually suffering from DemonicPossession, and Zeng speaking to Vachir of the grisly slayings around the Valley.]] There's also Situational Irony, such as the fact [[spoiler:the Wuxi Finger Hold that purged Tai Lung of his rage and insanity also freed Heian Chao]].
** Extending what was revealed in the movie, Shifu reveals why he did not stand up for Tai Lung against Oogway: because the Dragon Scroll was meant for a true hero, but the very reasons Tai Lung was seeking it (to make his father proud of him and be accepted despite being an orphan) would make it impossible for him to attain it--because a true hero is selfless and does things because they are right, not because they will get him something. So not only did Shifu instill in Tai Lung the very character flaws that made him unsuitable to receive the scroll, but it was Tai Lung's own desires for acceptance and love, and the fact that he desired and sought the scroll at all (a selfless person would never consciously try to obtain it), that proved he wasn't the Dragon Warrior; in fact Tigress, Shifu, any of the Five could never have been the Dragon Warrior, because they were all actively trying to earn the scroll. Worst of all, it was Tai Lung's own great love for Shifu, which drove him to do absolutely anything to make him proud of him, that led him to seek the scroll...but when denied it (and seemingly betrayed), [[{{Tragedy}} he then ended up almost killing the one he loved]].
** An example which bit the BigBad in the ass: the very reason he chose Vachir to be his [[spoiler:possessed]] pawn, the stubbornness and viciousness that would drive him to pursue Tai Lung in vengeance, also made the rhino [[FightingFromTheInside fight and resist him every step of the way]], particularly whenever Chao made him kill innocents. This in turn caused Chao to have to focus on Vachir instead of the Wu Sisters or [[spoiler:Monkey]]. So a good case could be made that Chao would have won, or at least had a much better chance for doing so, if he hadn't chosen Vachir [[spoiler:to possess]]. Or to put it another way, the heroes were ''saved'' by the rhino being such a stubborn {{Jerkass}}.
* TheDreaded: Heian Chao. His introductory scene is nothing but an atmospheric moment where his plans, his powers, and his nature are only teased and hinted at, but in [[CharacterShilling such vivid, portentous, and ominous language]] as to be fraught with peril and disquiet. When he next appears, however, he genuinely causes an entire bandits' tavern to nearly panic and flee, as well as lose all of its belligerence and pugnacious attitude, simply by the emotions his presence conveys, and although she rarely shows it in any visible way, Chun (the EmotionlessGirl among the Wu Sisters) is often greatly disturbed by him; even ''Xiu'' is uneasy on occasions. The crowning example, however, has to be the fact that [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Oogway himself]] shows fear of him and what he can do when first speaking of him to Tai Lung (who by contrast the turtle did not treat with anywhere near as much worry or distress, though he was grave enough). The fact he knows Chao's {{Backstory}} and is able to relate it later to Shifu doesn't really alter how much he seems to dread Chao, either.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Po's dream from the movie turns out to be [[spoiler:a prophecy of the final battle with Chao and his forces]].
* DrowningMySorrows:
** Tai Lung, immediately after being turned down for the Dragon Scroll. While not the trigger for his rampage (that was AllOfTheOtherReindeer BullyingADragon--er, [[{{Pun}} Dragon Warrior contender]]), it likely did not help his [[FatalFlaw temper]] either.
** Monkey at the Ghost Festival, almost to the point of DrowningOurRomanticSorrows (except he drinks alone rather than with his rival) as a result of [[INeedAFreakingDrink having to watch]] [[spoiler:the woman he loves drawing closer to a reformed villain]]...thus leading to AlcoholInducedIdiocy and [[spoiler:DemonicPossession]].
* DuckSeasonRabbitSeason: During [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall the scene]] with [[ShoutOut Po's action figures]], the panda has 'Tai Lung' trick 'Tigress' into declaring her love for him by switching positions in the argument ("Yes" for "No" in whether she would marry him).
* DuelToTheDeath: Thanks to him having escaped Chorh-Gom (and killed most members of the rhino's family during his rampage), Vachir declares Tai Lung must give him satisfaction by battling him until one of them is dead. After having been badly defeated and humiliated at Wu Dan, Xiu pursues the heroes underneath the Jade Palace so as to get her revenge on Po, not even caring at that point about the money or what Chao promised her, requiring Tai Lung in turn to put an end to her so as to save his friend. And of course, both he and Po must slay Chao himself if they hope to keep the Valley and the empire safe from his shadowy conquest.
* DueToTheDead:
** After [[spoiler:Vachir]]'s MercyKill, Tai Lung insists that he be buried with all the proper honor that can be managed under the circumstances, thanks to the hero he once was, him being under DemonicPossession or [[MoreThanMindControl influenced by Chao]] [[spoiler:during his ColdBloodedTorture]], and [[CharacterDevelopment his having realized]] they [[MirrorCharacter weren't so different]]. While they aren't able (or to certain extents, willing) to carry out all of his people's burial practices, they do find a way to blend them with Chinese funereal practices that satisfies everyone (including Odval, when she later finds the grave and declares it to be one of great honor).[[labelnote:*]]Which is rather appropriate, since it reflects Vachir's choices in life, leaving the Mongolian tribes to give his loyalty and service to Emperor Chen. It's highly likely he already blended his people's beliefs with those of the Han, and would thus approve of the same thing being applied to his death rites.[[/labelnote]]Tai Lung's promise to fulfill [[spoiler:Vachir]]'s LastRequest and avenge him also adds to the trope.
** Great care is also given to ensure that both [[spoiler:Zhuang]] and Kuen (Chang's son) receive a MeaningfulFuneral.
** Meanwhile, Monkey insists on building a ShrineToTheFallen for [[spoiler:Mantis]] as a [[TheAtoner form of penance]] because [[NeverFoundTheBody the body could not be recovered]]. While the character in question [[DisneyDeath wasn't actually dead]], he did get to see the cairn and was deeply moved by it.
** Aside from at least one of Vachir's victims being given a proper burial thanks to Chun's PetTheDog moment (though it can probably be assumed the others were as well, whenever possible), the Jade Palace crew also make sure to bury the one they found in Qinghe when they are returning from Chorh-Gom.
* DyingAsYourself: After being forced to undergo horrific DemonicPossession and watch as his body is made to kill and mutilate innocent after innocent in order to lure Tai Lung into either death or corruption, [[spoiler:Vachir]] is finally freed from Chao's control by a fatal sword wound from Tigress. Because he doesn't die right away, however, he in fact ends up having to ask for a MercyKill to prevent Chao from retaking him, and ensure he will die as himself. And when his request is granted, he gets to have some very meaningful LastWords and [[GoOutWithASmile dies with a smile]] (which, considering he's doing this for [[spoiler:[[ArchEnemy Tai Lung]]]], says a lot).
-->''He spoke, his voice having lost all the menace, contempt, and hatred it had borne for so long, now a soft whisper which breathed relief, wonder, and an odd gentleness. "Gods...I can't believe it. You did it...you actually did it..."''
* DyingClue: After he is fatally stabbed by Xiu (inhabited by Chao so as to [[LieToTheBeholder appear as Tai Lung]]), [[spoiler:Zhuang]] is able to leave behind a message on a piece of his shirt to identify his killer, in his own blood since he [[CouldntFindAPen Couldn't Find a Brush]]. Unlike most examples, it was neither incomplete, cryptic, nor lacking knowledge--simply hidden and misplaced for a while.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:Zhuang. Not only does he see through Chao's dark chi to see who is really killing him (not Tai Lung), he [[SpitefulSpit spits in Xiu's face]] and [[StaringDownCthulhu stares down Chao inside her]]...and as he's dying, [[DyingClue leaves behind a hidden message]] in [[CouldntFindAPen his own blood]] naming his true killer.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: The whole point of the story; it's really the only way to justify giving a former villain whom many consider irredeemable everything he ever wanted (save the Dragon Scroll) without making him feel like a KarmaHoudini at the same time. The characters in fact all get put through the wringer--Tai Lung having to truly face both the depth of his sins and the PTSD of his twenty years of horrific torture, Po learning the truth of his parentage, Tigress coming to terms with Shifu, Crane overcoming his painful insecurities, [[spoiler:Monkey getting put through DemonicPossession that leads him to believe he killed his best friend Mantis, Vachir being forced to murder and mutilate scores of innocents before mercifully being put out of his misery]], Jia having to overcome her tragic backstory, and all of them facing enemies from the depths of shadow and Hell threatening all of China. But thankfully, despite all of this and several new minor characters suffering and even dying, everything works out just fine in the end for those who make it through, and the setting as a whole.
* TheEasyWayOrTheHardWay: Tigress speaks the StockPhrase of the trope name during the raising of the Thread of Hope--with the easy way being Tai Lung giving in to going out on ropes above a thousand-foot drop to properly separate and extend the bridge planks, and the hard way being...the same thing, only forcibly compelled by her. Amusingly, a similar choice is offered when it comes to Tai Lung's redemption, with it being an open question which way is harder--attempting it while dealing with Tigress's harsh and distrustful treatment of him, or trying to get her to ease up, befriend him, or even fall in love with him at the same time as he atones.
* ElementalBaggage: [[spoiler:Both Tai Lung and Po learn to summon their elements from within and the air itself, respectively. They can also use fire or water that's already nearby (the braziers, the Pool of Sacred Tears). Chao also uses Po's water to form it into ice.]]
* ElementalPowers: The story builds off of Tai Lung's fiery rampage near the end of the film, claiming that high level Kung Fu masters can use their chi to manipulate elements. Shifu [[DishingOutDirt uses earth]], Tai Lung [[PlayingWithFire is fire]], and Po [[MakingASplash is water]]. [[spoiler:[[EvilIsDeathlyCold Heian Chao]] can [[AnIcePerson manipulate ice]].]]
* EmotionlessGirl: Wu Chun appears to have no emotions most of the time, or when she does have them she expresses them in subdued, calm, no-nonsense fashion. While never clearly stated, it's implied this is because of her mother's rigid and exacting teaching in the ways of the assassin, being of that profession at all, and as a means of coping with the world and its ills. The few times the reader gets in her head, she can be seen to feel just fine for the most part, instead simply being very good at concealing her emotions for the sake of cool manipulation, objectivity, or wry, quiet humor.
* EmpathyDollShot: Exploited by Monkey [[spoiler:while under DemonicPossession]] to try and engender hatred against Tai Lung for the children he supposedly murdered on his way from Chorh-Gom to the Valley. Also plays into the poignancy of the story of Tigress's doll and rescue from her ruined house after the earthquake, which Tai Lung [[PetTheDog has fixed for her]]. Played with at the village of Qinghe, where the abandoned dolls merely attest to the children who fled along with their parents to escape Vachir's slaughter.
* TheEnd: The fic ends with "[[GratuitousFrench Fin]]".
* EngineeredHeroics: Early on in the story, Tai Lung considers creating a situation (with Po's help, no less) where he can demonstrate to Tigress and the citizens of the Valley that he has changed and can redeem himself by performing some feat of heroism. Luckily he realizes the dangers of this and opts out.
* EroticDream: Tai Lung has one about Tigress, which in a BaitAndSwitch is at first implied to be AllJustADream, or perhaps a DreamWithinADream...except it turns out ThatWasNotADream, since instead of making out with Tigress [[spoiler:it was Jia]]. [[OhCrap And Tigress catches him]]. For added fun, this same 'dream' turns up again later as the real thing, causing Tai Lung to understandably test Tigress to make sure it's really her with [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay Something Only She Would Say]].
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
** Per usual, the very first scene in which Xiulan appears--wherein she sees what seems to be Tai Lung about to play with her daughter, hurriedly pulls her out of reach, and gives the snow leopard the [[{{Pun}} mother]] of all {{Death Glare}}s--establishes instantly the cow's hatred and resentment toward him thanks to his actions during the rampage, as well as her MamaBear tendencies. It also includes a flashback from Tai Lung's POV to explain the source of those motivations and why she will be an emotional and moral antagonist to him for most of the story.
** Zhuang's introductory scene consists of him dismissing the previous foreman who had mistreated Tai Lung as a blowhard no one likes or will miss, offering the snow leopard his friendship, and opining that people need to move on and eventually learn to forgive him, thus establishing his kindness, open-mindedness, and willingess to put himself on the line for others, even (or especially) when they are rejected by many; his conversation with Tai Lung at the Ghost Festival makes this even more clear.
** Heian Chao's very first scene, even without revealing [[HeWhoMustNotBeSeen his name or species]], employs plenty of stylistic flourishes, figurative language, and other narrative tricks to get across what a chilling, disturbing villain he will be, and especially how his presence or influence [[KnightOfCerebus will always make the story darker and more serious]].
* EurekaMoment: When Tai Lung finally figures out [[BashBrothers how to defeat Chao]] [[spoiler:(helped along by the obviousness [[YinYangBomb of Po's fur colors]])]], as well as the scene where the heroes find the scroll Shifu [[TheChessmaster left behind]] identifying who their enemy truly was, and suddenly Tai Lung and Po figure out, if not everything, then a good majority of the plot and the source of Chao's powers, [[HeterosexualLifePartners to the point they're]] FinishingEachOthersSentences.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: She may have been a [[PsychoForHire sociopath]], but the discovery of a RoomFullOfCrazy and [[spoiler:[[DemonicPossession what it revealed]] about [[MoreThanMindControl Monkey]]]] did startle and shock ''Xiu''. Though this may have been partly due to how Chao's plans [[RightHandVersusLeftHand seemed to be running counter to what he'd told her]], thus [[ItsAllAboutMe depriving her of the chance to gain Tai Lung's allegiance]]. Also, it seems even the bandits who frequent the Bandit Inn would run away screaming in terror if they realized that they were being visited by Chao.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Although Tigress denies it with her dying breath until the latter fourth of the story (and Tai Lung both sees it and strives for it almost from day one), by the end of the story everyone can indeed see that Tai Lung and Tigress belong together, even Jia. [[AndZoidberg Well, everyone except poor Crane]]. In this case, however, Tigress being unable to see it is not being ObliviousToLove but her [[ReformedButRejected refusing to believe he had truly changed]] so as to be worthy of her, as well as overall [[SubvertedTrope resistance to the idea that]] AllGirlsWantBadBoys.
* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: When Mei Ling (already established as attending the Li Dai Academy with Crane in ''Secrets of the Furious Five'') first appears in the story (and reveals her familial connection with the Wu Sisters), it's also revealed that the assassin trio went to the academy with them as well. While all of their personalities seem to have been the same then as now, simply intensified in the cases of Xiu and Chun, Crane and Mei erroneously believe that Jia has become as villainous as her sisters; her actions, it is eventually revealed, have occurred [[ForcedIntoEvil under duress]].
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Played with. Chao knows exactly what gives the Dragon Warrior his power, and is well aware of ThePowerOfLove, but he tends to be so arrogant that he thinks his own power can overcome them. [[spoiler:He's wrong.]] Xiu on the other hand plays it entirely straight. Chao does have one moment where he falls prey to this, however: after [[spoiler:killing Chang's son while possessing Vachir and trying to blame Tai Lung by saying it was all part of a trap for him]], he believes ThePowerOfHate and a desire for {{Revenge}} will make Chang turn on the snow leopard even more and help lead a lynch mob against him. [[spoiler:Again, he's wrong.]]
* EvilFeelsGood: Chao and Xiu, since it literally gives them feelings of ecstasy. [[spoiler:Chao is also able to inspire feelings of sexual desire, it seems, in those whose chi he influences--perhaps to the point of being aroused himself by Vachir.]]
* EvilSoundsDeep: Chao's voice, even when not the VoiceOfTheLegion, is indeed made deeper by the incredible mystical power he has absorbed and mastered, but his original voice was deep to begin with.
* ExactWords: Chao gives Xiu exactly what she asked for, but neglected to mention the price, and when he [[spoiler:ages Jia]] it's a reversal of what she asked for. Comes close to being a JackassGenie.
* EyeScream: When [[spoiler:possessed]] Vachir imprisons and tortures [[spoiler:Chang]] and his wife, the former is eventually discovered by Zhuang to have had his eyes brutally attacked to the point blood is pouring down from apparently empty sockets. It's never made clear what exactly caused the injuries (although Vachir did carry a serrated knife), but as of the end of the story, he's permanently blind.
* FacePalm: When Po reacts to Tai Lung accepting Shifu's offer by cheering, whooping, and dancing around while chanting Tai Lung's name, both the snow leopard and red panda put their paws to their foreheads [[LikeFatherLikeSon in the exact same gesture]]. Similarly, both Monkey and Mantis slap their foreheads when they realize, too late, that they could have gotten Tai Lung to teach them his nerve strike during the "Truth or Dare" game. Tigress also performs the "pinching the bridge of the nose" version when she learns Po fought the Wu Sisters by throwing apples at them, as does Tai Lung when, while training with him, Po eagerly speaks of being "blinded by awesomeness" and "oozin' bodacity."
* FakeoutEscape: The Wu Sisters trick Mei Ling near the end of the story with the "hiding out of sight, knocks out/locks in the guard" version of the trope. However, despite the mountain cat [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy falling for it]], Xiu in turn [[OutGambitted underestimates]] Mei Ling, who [[CrazyPrepared happened to have]] her father's lockpicks with her, which the snow leopardess likely had never known existed.
* FallingInLoveMontage: Chapter 25, where Tai Lung is shown following the various romance advice given by Viper in the previous chapter to woo Tigress, particularly everything following the doll scene. A shorter, more understated version occurs in Chapter 32 when they are returning from Chorh-Gom and he is trying to cheer her up after [[spoiler:Mantis]]'s death.
* FalseDichotomy:
** Thanks to the stubborn, black-and-white nature of his thinking, Tai Lung believes for the longest time, both during the present-day storyline and as revealed in {{Backstory}} just before his rampage, that either he is meant to be the Dragon Warrior (and that this is the only way he can be worthy and a hero), or he is nothing but a derided orphan. While just about everyone gets to disabuse him of this notion, Shifu, Oogway, Po, and Tigress all especially have to beat it into Tai Lung's skull repeatedly that he is not the Dragon Warrior, was never meant to be, and why...but ''also'' that this doesn't doom him to be evil or mean his life and training are now meaningless.
** In a nicely-symbolic contrast, any number of times the point is also repeatedly made (whether to Tai Lung, Shifu, Tigress, or the villagers) that while powerful and terrifying, Heian Chao's dark chi was always MoreThanMindControl--i.e., that he was only influencing flaws and negative character traits which were ''already there'', to make people do what they secretly wanted to on some level. Which meant that even once Chao himself was gone, these traits and flaws still must be dealt with in the usual manner to prevent tragedy and suffering in the future--and that [[AvertedTrope no one]] he influenced [[GetOutOfJailFreeCard could be excused of their actions because of him]]. He encouraged and manipulated them, but in the end most of their choices were still theirs, so it was never a simple binary of "everyone committed terrible acts by their own free will and so must be severely punished" or "everyone was completely innocent and everything will be happy ever after once Chao is gone".
* FalselyReformedVillain: In an inversion from the usual, a large portion of the Valley's townsfolk (particularly Xiulan and Fu Xiao), as well as Monkey and Tigress for a good part of the story, believe that Tai Lung's attempts to redeem himself and become a hero are simply an elaborate scheme to mislead everyone into a false sense of security while he plots to take the Dragon Scroll again or some other nefarious plan. The snow leopard is genuine in his efforts, but [[GenreSavvy Heian Chao was counting on people believing otherwise]].
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Every single one of the innocents killed by [[spoiler:possessed]] Vachir is mutilated, eviscerated, ''castrated'', or otherwise bloodily savaged in gruesome ways (including [[DeathOfAChild Chang's six-year-old son]]). Vachir himself gets impaled in the abdomen [[spoiler:and spews out dark chi [[SymbolicBlood in lieu of blood]]]], as does [[spoiler:Zhuang]] (who is specifically noted to be holding his innards in with one hand), and each of the original class of kung fu masters at the Jade Palace are killed in similarly horrific ways, [[spoiler:either by Chao or [[PeoplePuppets by each other]]]] (slicing the jugular, eye impalement, and smashing the nose back into the brain, among others). Finally Chao himself [[spoiler:not only gets impaled, but burned to a crisp, and the reader is treated to a fairly detailed description of his skull and brains being exposed in the process]].
* FastballSpecial: Inverted when [[TheLancer Tai Lung]] hurls [[TheBigGuy Po]] at Heian Chao for a two-fisted strike, but played straight when Po later hurls Tai Lung [[spoiler:to kick the Golden Spear through Chao]].
* FatalFlaw: All over the place. Tai Lung and Tigress still have those bad tempers, and Shifu really, really needs parenting classes. [[spoiler:Monkey]]'s feelings for Tigress are exploited, as is Vachir's hatred of Tai Lung--[[FlawExploitation exploiting fatal flaws]] is what Chao does.
* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Xiu somehow manages to survive everything thrown at her, but she ends up catatonic and yet, very possibly, conscious, jailed with her equally psychotic mother.]] The Weis also experienced one of these: [[spoiler:left suspended from grappling hooks from the ceiling of their basement, slowly and agonizingly bleeding to death]], the villain living off of and growing powerful from their fear, horror, and pain, while being forced to look at their dead son, until he finally allowed them to die. Luckily, they get freed from this.
* FeatheredFiend: [[spoiler:Heian Chao]] is an Amur falcon, and not only is he near human-sized like most of the cast, his raptor's beak and talons (as well as his shriek) are emphasized for their deadliness and intimidating, predatory nature. [[spoiler:And his absorption of dark chi has caused him to swell in [[GiantFlyer size]] and [[MonsterBird muscle mass]] beyond what he normally should possess, making him far more roc-like.]] This is [[AnimalJingoism oddly fitting]] considering [[JustEatHim what the protagonist's species is]] [[spoiler:(and the fact he's the BigBad)]]. Also an example of BrutalBirdOfPrey, especially during the FinalBattle when he shifts from being [[WickedCultured urbane and loquacious]] to some rather cruel, vicious attacks. It's also noted his family was of the nobility.
* FightOffTheKryptonite: An unusual villainous example--Heian Chao succeeds in resisting the power of Oogway's holy chi, at least long enough to [[spoiler:mortally injure Shifu]].
* FinalBattle: Covering four enormous chapters, the story's climax pits Chao and all his remaining forces (which includes the surprise appearance of [[spoiler:the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent yaoguai]]]]) against all of the heroes (including [[spoiler:[[NotQuiteDead Mantis]]]] and [[SealedArmyInACan the Warriors of Tenshu]]). Several subplots are resolved in the process (particularly Mei Ling's desire for vengeance and Jia's allegiance), plenty of {{Foreshadowing}} and [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Guns]] are addressed, there's a large battle portion while Po and Tai Lung engage the BigBad directly, and there are several BigDamnHeroes, DiabolusExMachina, and LeaveHimToMe moments as well as other twists before good finally triumphs over evil.
* TheFinalTemptation: While Chao doesn't use an actual vision, the moment when he comes to Tai Lung in his cell, offering him freedom from prison and the false charge against him, as well as what he's always dreamed of (heroism, fame, powers which no one else has) [[WeCanRuleTogether if he will only join him]] very much has the same flavor. [[spoiler:And as more proof he has truly changed, Tai Lung, though tempted, kicks him to the curb.]] Also doubles as a WhatYouAreInTheDark moment.
* FireForgedFriends: Interestingly, not what you'd expect, since by the time Po and Tai Lung fight alongside each other on the same battlefield (let alone the FinalBattle), they've already become friends. Instead it is [[spoiler:Jia]] coming in to stab Xiu InTheBack (and thus [[IOweYouMyLife save Tai Lung's life]]), and the fact she then joins the heroes in facing Chao's forces (complete with BackToBackBadasses with Mei), that establishes a friendship between her and her former enemies among the Jade Palace crew.
* FirstKiss: Between Tai Lung and Tigress, and engineered by Viper [[spoiler:as part of the "Truth or Dare" game]]. [[FakeFirstKiss Despite these circumstances]], it's mostly positive and doesn't result in a ResetButton or StatusQuoIsGod (what keeps them apart is Tigress's continued stubbornness and temper, as well as outside events), as it acts as confirmation of their feelings, particularly hers.
* FirstNameBasis: For a good portion of the story, Tai Lung refuses to call Po by his given name to his face, either referring to him as "panda" or (after accepting the truth) "Dragon Warrior". However, after a critical moment when [[spoiler:Po is on the verge of dying in front of him]], the snow leopard finally calls him by name for the first time. From then on out, while he still uses his other terms of address, Po's first name is used by Tai Lung much more frequently and willingly. Key moment of CharacterDevelopment.
* {{Flashback}}: A number of these occur, the majority memories of Tai Lung's from when he was in Chorh-Gom, or other events from his past, though one is to Chun's past relating how the Wu Sisters knew Po's biological parents, another is a flashback to a conversation [[ShapedLikeItself about that very past]] which happened offscreen, and another is a HowWeGotHere after the events in Yunxian start InMediasRes (which ''also'' includes another conversation about the past).
* FlashbackNightmare: Tai Lung has a recurring one about the night he rampaged across the valley after being denied the Dragon Scroll.
* FlorenceNightingaleEffect: While Tai Lung had been pursuing and falling in love with Tigress almost from the start, it is while he is taking care of her injuries and helping her recover after her fight with the Wu Sisters that Tigress finally admits she is falling for Tai Lung; seeing a tough (and previously villainous) character show his tender side in this way has quite an effect, it seems. The reverse takes place when Tai Lung is taking care of the injured Po after Yunxian and thus comes to [[HeterosexualLifePartners finally admit a friendship with the panda]].
* {{Foil}}: Po and Tai Lung. Not only are they opposites already in [[RedOniBlueOni the panda's amiable, friendly, laid-back demeanor vs. Tai Lung's arrogance, harshness, and fiery temper]], and in the ways in which they approach kung fu, but they also represent the opposite sides of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. What makes this more heartwarming and powerful is how, as Tai Lung becomes Po's friend (and admits it), the snow leopard not only becomes protective of the panda but seems to admire his innocence and idealism. A case could even be made that before his FaceHeelTurn, Tai Lung was just as much a heroic idealist and that getting to know Po has reminded him of what he used to believe in, a window into who he used to be...and can be again, now that he has someone to protect and fight for.
-->''This was the fellow who, despite only having become the Dragon Warrior a little over three months ago, knew every detail of every kung fu legend, battle, and warrior, even things Tai Lung himself had forgotten or never bothered to learn. If anyone exemplified the philosophy Oogway had always insisted lay at the core of kung fu, it was Po, he lived and breathed it every day.''
-->''And he in turn had taught Tai Lung more things than he could ever have expected—about compassion and love, generosity and good will, forgiveness and acceptance, but most of all what was truly important in life. Fine, Po's zany humor, odd slang, and laughably child-like way of looking at the world could truly grate on his nerves...but by the same token, his innocence was something refreshing, something that made the spotted feline wonder—no, '''demand'''—why the world couldn't be as simple as the Dragon Warrior saw it.''
-->''It had been Po's mercy and friendship that saved him, in more ways than one, he had learned to release so much baggage and stressful burdens thanks to the panda. And marveling at the determination and perseverance they both had in spades, he understood that Po's words to him in his cell over his father's noodles—words he had refused to accept then—were undeniably true: they '''did''' have so much in common. Without him even realizing it, Po had become like a brother to him. At times an annoying, ridiculous little brother, one he sometimes wanted to chuck out the window and whom he felt obligated to tease and belittle as only older brothers could do. But a brother all the same.''


: :Amusingly, when the time comes for Tai Lung to realize and accept that because of this, [[spoiler:he and Po are meant to be brother warriors who fight as two halves of a team, their abilities and personalities reflecting the Yin and the Yang]], he [[SelectiveObliviousness has to have it ground in for him]] by [[spoiler:Po's [[{{Symbolism}} fur colors]]]].
* ForcedIntoEvil: Jia, who is also therefore an AntiVillain, due to being coerced into her life as an assassin (and believing [[TrappedInVillainy she has no way out of it]]) by Xiu.
* ForeignCussWord: In Chapter 40, when Heian Chao learns that Po [[spoiler:had cleansed the Sacred Pool of Tears after previously corrupting it]], he becomes infuriated and yells, "Cào nĭ zŭzōng shíbā dài!" [[labelnote:translation]]"Fuck your ancestors to the eighteenth generation!"[[/labelnote]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Aside from the various [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Guns]] littered throughout the story, this occurs a number of times, such as the implication of what would have happened if Zhuang had seen the Wu Sisters (and they him) during his rescue of Tigress ([[spoiler:[[WhamEpisode it isn't good]]]]), [[spoiler:Monkey getting possessed [[FiveSecondForeshadowing right after Po warned him about wandering spirits the night of the Ghost Festival]]]], and [[spoiler:Tai Lung losing his dark chi thanks to the acupuncture session pointing ahead to what happens when Vachir gets stabbed]]. But the two best examples, one obvious and one not, would be:
---> '''Viper''', ''regarding the Five'': Still, I think if you give them enough time, and they get to know you better, things might change.
---> '''Tai Lung''': Yes, and the Emperor will arrive on his palanquin tomorrow to pardon me in person. And when the New Year arrives, I'll suddenly have more good luck and prosperity than I can shake a stick at. Oh, and all the pigs in the Valley will sprout wings, too. [[spoiler:(Guess he'd better start looking for someone to CueTheFlyingPigs, since that's exactly what happens near the end of the story.)]]

:: :And this bit from Monkey's thoughts:

---> No, the familial love and firm, unshakable trust between them was as dead and buried as Tai Lung's cubhood, or the thousand rhinos he had killed escaping Chorh-Gom. And, Monkey privately believed, as dead as the goodness and loyalty the snow leopard had once possessed. [[spoiler:(NightOfTheLivingMooks from Chapter 30, anyone? Also, ''none'' of those things stay dead and buried, since Tai Lung even gets to meet his past self in a sort of reverse FutureMeScaresMe situation.]]
** A subtle example from Chapter 11: not only is the wind which nearly costs Tai Lung his life when it knocks him from the Thread of Hope an early attempt by Chao to kill him (note the direction it blows from), but [[spoiler:its frigid nature is a hint at Chao's [[AnIcePerson ability with ice chi]]]].
** Another subtle example: in Chapter 5, when Po is teasing Tai Lung about dousing him with water to help wash off the stink of twenty years in Chorh-Gom, Tai Lung seems to freak out at the idea. At first, this can come off as falling under the [[AnimalStereotypes stereotype]] of cats hating water, but it's worth noting that Tai doesn't object until Po specifically mentions ''cold'' water. Then we discover in Chapter 29 what was done to Tai Lung by Vachir while he was in prison...
** 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 learns later on that his parents were bandits]].
** Chao's offhand and dryly snarky reference in his very first scene to Tai Lung having needed only "a feather's urging" to escape from Chorh-Gom turns out to be foreshadowing of [[spoiler:[[{{Retcon}} it having been his doing]] that Zeng's feather reached Tai Lung, since he guided it there with his dark chi]].
** The fact Tai Lung used the Sword of Heroes in Yunxian twenty-three years before to bring down the cliff of [=WuShon=] (and [[SealedEvilInACan seal the yaoguai away from the mortal world]]) foreshadows [[spoiler:its use during the FinalBattle to seal [[SummoningRitual the gateway Chao opened]] and [[HistoryRepeats banish the surviving yaoguai again]]]].
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: It turns out Tai Lung and Tigress had one of these many years ago--[[ContrivedCoincidence he was the one who]] [[spoiler:saved her from her collapsed house after the quake that killed her parents]]. She was too young to remember (until something in-story jogs her memory) and he understandably forgot after his rampage and twenty years in Chorh-Gom. As [[LampshadeHanging Oogway]] always [[ArcWords says]], [[ThereAreNoCoincidences "There are no accidents."]]
* ForYourOwnGood:
** This is the reason, it turns out, that Tai Lung was a DoorstopBaby--to give him to a family who would raise him as a good and noble warrior like his father, and who could actually take care of him (due to not having too many mouths to feed and enough money).
** [[{{Foil}} This is also why]] Bao and Li-Na [[spoiler:gave up Po]], because [[spoiler:[[EvilParentsWantGoodKids they wanted him to have a good, safe, happy life rather than being raised on the run with highwaymen and assassins]]]].
* FourIsDeath: In the Wu Sisters' introductory scene, Xiu is idly rolling dice on the table; one of the numbers which comes up is four. It may also be noted that the Sisters plus Vachir gives Chao four followers, and [[spoiler:seemingly]] killing off [[spoiler:Mantis]] may have been an attempt to invoke bad luck in the FinalBattle, with there only being [[spoiler:the Furious Four]]. And on Wu Dan, Xiu actually makes the hanzi for four in the air with her knife, when discussing how she loves killing and wants Chao's chi power so she can do even more. In a meta-aversion, however, Chapter 4 in which Tigress goes storming off to Tai Lung's cell does not in fact involve the leader of the Five gutting the snow leopard.
* {{Frameup}}: Chao's last major gambit before the FinalBattle--[[spoiler:possessing Xiu and influencing Xiulan with his dark chi, so as to make it [[LieToTheBeholder look to her]] that it is Tai Lung killing her husband.]] And it would have worked if not for [[SpannerInTheWorks Zhuang]], [[ClearTheirName Crane]], [[TheChosenOne Po]], and [[DeusExMachina Oogway]].
* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: While Tai Lung is on his way to realizing this from his first talk with Po onward (and especially after visiting the village with Tigress and meeting Oogway's ghost for the first time), in his narcissism and NeverMyFault mentality it isn't until he has forgiven Oogway and is contemplating his battle with Shifu in the movie, their argument just before his rampage, and his reasons for refusing to accept Shifu's apology that he finally accepts the truth: that everything which happened to him, and the way Shifu raised and acted toward him, does not change how horrible and wrong his own actions were. This (along with Shifu explaining the truth behind why he never stood up for him to Oogway) is naturally what leads to their reconciliation as father and son.
-->''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. Was it any wonder he'd lashed out at Monkey, when the langur had thrown this in his face back in Yunxian?'' '''''All his prior reasoning could explain his actions...but it could never justify them...'''''
* FreudianSlip: As the heroes are preparing to go face Chao for the FinalBattle (complete with VerbalBackspace):
-->'''Tai Lung''': So he's a wizard, so sodding what? He's still mortal, he's still got a body, he can still be killed if we can [[ItsPersonal just get my paws]]--I mean, our paws, on him!
* FriendshipMoment:
** Tai Lung has {{Friendship Moment}}s with Po since fairly early on, and while he ends up finally saying out loud that Po is his friend in chapter 22, it's his coming to save Po from Chao during the final battle, and finally allowing Po to hug him after the battle is over, that proves the friendship is firm and genuine.
** Jia shows caring and concern to Po despite their being enemies in how she only half-heartedly fights him (once she learns it was his father they made a promise to years ago, to look in on and help take care of his son), eventually stepping in to prevent Xiu from killing Ping, and later offering to tell him the full story about his parents if he will surrender to the sisters. Po later returns the favor by offering her hope of redemption and defending her to the other kung fu warriors.
** Tai Lung apologizes to Viper for inadvertently dismissing her fighting abilities, once he learns of one of her past legends; he also hugs Crane [[spoiler:for saving him from hanging]], and Zhuang for helping rescue Tigress from the Wu Sisters.
** [[spoiler:The ultimate in {{Friendship Moment}}s, though, comes when Zhuang leaves a message as his dying act to prove Tai Lung innocent of his murder, and the snow leopard in turn offers his widow to help take care of and raise their daughter.]]
* FurryReminder: The fact the characters are animals is actually lampshaded a few times. Aside from the CarnivoreConfusion / JustEatHim moment, Mei Ling's ability to identify others by scent is a plot-critical element twice, once when exonerating Tai Lung of [[spoiler:nearly killing Po]], and once when trying ([[FailureIsTheOnlyOption but failing]]) to prove to the KangarooCourt he didn't [[spoiler:kill Zhuang]]. Viper's cold-bloodedness and the BlackWidow tendencies of female mantises are also referenced.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tropes G-I]]
* GeekyTurnon: If by 'geeky' you mean InLoveWithYourCarnage / InterplayOfSexAndViolence, then this very much describes how [[BloodKnight Tai Lung]], AmazonChaser that he is, reacts to [[ActionGirl Tigress]] when he discovers she's [[spoiler:hidden a sword alongside her leg]] and is about to use it on [[spoiler:Vachir]]. The only thing that prevents it from turning into an outright EngagingConversation is their circumstances (mid-battle) and him wanting to wait until she clearly returns his feelings.
-->'''Tai Lung''': Gods, [[ShoutOut I love you]].
-->'''Tigress''': [[Franchise/StarWars I know]].
* GenerationXerox: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] with Zeng, who is from a long line of Jade Palace messengers all the way back to the time Oogway had it built. A CallBack to Ping and his long line of noodle chefs.
* GenreSavvy:
** Tai Lung gets quite a bit of mileage making fun of Chao's villainy, as does Crane with his black cloak. Tigress expecting the villain to seduce her also counts.
** At the same time, however, there is Chao's big plan: [[spoiler:to kill the Dragon Warrior, but not because he is TheChosenOne or because he wants the Dragon Scroll for himself (not only does he not need such a MacGuffin, he actually helped ''make'' it and is thus aware of what it can do as no other besides Oogway is). It is to deprive the Valley of its AllLovingHero and Tai Lung his perceived MoralityChain so that he will revert back to his rampaging, savage self. He also attempts to use Tai Lung's HeroicResolve against him by pushing him into a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Vachir, a JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope act which will make him susceptible to TheCorruption.]]
*** When that fails, [[spoiler:he counts on the fact that everyone will expect the ReformedButRejected ex-villain to actually be a FalselyReformedVillain to get the entire town to turn on Tai Lung for supposedly murdering Zhuang, and guarantees their cooperation by drawing on [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten the fears and hatreds brought on by the rampage]] to possess the townsfolk--and he shows Xiulan exactly what she believed she'd see [[{{Frameup}} by appearing]] as [[LieToTheBeholder Tai Lung]] when he and Xiu kill her husband]].
*** Lastly, [[spoiler:not only does he ensure Tai Lung will be imprisoned, something which after 20 years of confinement is sure to unhinge him again, but he places the snow leopard [[SadisticChoice in an unwinnable situation]]: die for a crime he didn't commit, or break free and rampage again to save himself, thus turning everyone against him for real.]] And it would have worked too, if not for both the PowerOfFriendship and the PowerOfLove. And because, in the end, EvilCannotComprehendGood.
* GenreShift: When Chao finally sets his plan in motion, the story makes a huge turn into this trope. "I thought this was a kung fu movie; when did Creator/BramStoker start writing it??"
* GetAholdOfYourselfMan: Near the end of the story, Po has gone into a HeroicBSOD thanks to Chao revealing that [[spoiler:Po's usage of the Wuxi Finger Hold was what freed him]]. Viper's response (along with [[YouDidTheRightThing assuring him he made the right decision]]) is to slap him with her tail since "you were getting hysterical."
* GetARoom: After falling onto the ledge in Chorh-Gom, Tai Lung and Tigress fall into their usual sexual bantering and flirting while treating their injuries. Vachir, stuck there with them, groans for them to get a room "or at least get married already."
* GetOutOfJailFreeCard: Mostly averted--aside from being held prisoner until he agrees to try and atone, Tai Lung is also always haunted by what he did and so could be said to never truly be free. Neither he nor anyone influenced by Chao is allowed to be excused of their actions, either, since it was only MoreThanMindControl.
* GhostReunionEnding: Not Oogway, since he appears throughout the story for various {{Dead Person Conversation}}s and SpiritAdvisor moments, but the ghosts of [[spoiler:Zhuang]] and Vachir do appear in the final chapter to take care of some pieces of UnfinishedBusiness and have a final farewell to the snow leopard before they move on or are reborn. The ghost of Wu Xuan also appears, but interestingly he is not someone Tai Lung knew or had any particular interest in meeting; his visitation is to take care of ''Tai Lung's'' UnfinishedBusiness by revealing to him the truth about his birth family. (So, it's a meeting with a ghost to enable a reunion of the living.) In a final variation, none of these ghosts appear on their own, instead being summoned or enabled to visit by Oogway.
* GiveMyRegardsInTheNextWorld: Heian Chao, in {{Backstory}}, uses this when killing his best friend Master Dog: "Say hello to Guan-Yu for me..." He later [[MeaningfulEcho echoes this]] in a particularly twisted way when, while [[DemonicPossession possessing]] [[spoiler:Monkey]], he [[DisneyDeath (thinks)]] he kills [[spoiler:Mantis]]: "Say hello to Oogway for me..." (Amusingly, the character in question actually [[DeadPersonConversation does get to]], and this is a big part of how [[DeusExMachina he's able to come back]] and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard spoil Chao's plans]].) And [[RuleOfThree it occurs once more]] in a satisfying (yet still disturbing) parallel when Tai Lung [[spoiler:stabs Xiu with the Sword of Heroes]]: "Say hello to the yaoguai for me..." This, like the previous example, also ends up a subversion since she doesn't die either, instead ending up [[AndIMustScream trapped]] inside [[MySkullRunnethOver her own insane mind]].
* GodhoodSeeker: One of Heian Chao's main current motivations, once the reader gets into more of his POV, is revealed to be the achievement of divinity (or at least that level of power)--and thus he is extremely furious when it is thwarted by the events at Chorh-Gom. During the FinalBattle, he also makes his delusions of godhood clear through certain choices of words, such as when he calls Mantis a pusillanimous creature (and not only for his size), and a bit later when he calls all of the Jade Palace crew "insignificant mortals." Xiu also expresses the same desire for eternal life and power [[spoiler:after Chao possesses her briefly to kill Zhuang]].
* GondorCallsForAid: When Shifu decides that the Wu Sisters and the siege of Vachir are too much for the Five, Po, and even Tai Lung to handle alone, he sends Zeng with a message to the Imperial City, calling for the Emperor to send his men for aid. This ends up subverted in the end, however--due to ImpededMessenger rather than CavalryRefusal.
* GoodFeelsGood: Tai Lung gets to experience and enjoy doing good things, including normal, everyday things not related to kung fu, particularly carpentry and looking after children. Most if not all of this was [[ChessMaster engineered by Shifu under the guise of lessons]].
* GoodHurtsEvil: The Golden Spear hurts those who aren't [[OnlyThePureOfHeart pure of heart]]. [[spoiler:Xiu learns this [[HolyBurnsEvil the hard way]], as does Chao.]]
* GoodIsNotNice: The reason Tai Lung can be a hero, and [[spoiler:use the Golden Spear]], yet still retain his character flaws, snarkiness, and JerkAss tendencies. Possibly related to PureIsNotGood.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: It becomes very difficult for the Heroes to face Vachir when it's pointed out that he is technically one of the good guys simply trying to punish Tai Lung. The fact the snow leopard still did a lot of horrible things during the rampage, he knows it, and on some level believes he deserves to be punished for it, only muddies the waters even more. A very realistic way of showing answers in life aren't always easy, and pretty much unavoidable when TheAtoner has to deal with an InspectorJavert who is, on some level, ''right''.
* GroinAttack: A number of these were used on Vachir at Chorh-Gom. Xiu also pulls one on Tai Lung during the final battle, and on Po at Wu Dan.
* HalfSiblingAngst: Played with for Mei Ling and the Wu Sisters. The angst stems not from feeling unloved by/jealous over the shared parent per se (Jia, Mei, and Wu Xuan all got along quite well, and Xiu [[AntagonisticOffspring considered their father weak and pathetic]] so wouldn't ''want'' to be close to him), or that they don't count as real family. Instead it's due to the fact one side of the family is a good, noble, honorable clan while the other is...TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether. As a result, it's the ''shared parent'' (Wu Xuan, in this case) who is troubled, as he loves all his daughters but also wishes to save the Wu Sisters from their mother's evil if he can. Xiu and Mei Ling act as CainAndAbel to one another, while poor Jia is caught in the middle as the BlackSheep (from ''both'' sides, at different times). Add in the rumor that Qing's immorality stems from InbredAndEvil, and that Xiu ends up [[{{Patricide}} killing Wu Xuan]] (while framing Jia for it), and you get quite the BigScrewedUpFamily.
* HallOfMirrors: [[spoiler:During the final battle, Tigress and Chun fight amidst crystals that act like this. And Chun proves her intelligence by refusing to make the navigational mistakes most fictional characters do.]]
* HammyHerald: [[{{Otaku}} Po]] does this for Tai Lung during the time the latter is deciding whether or not to accept Shifu's offer, presumably to remind people of the good things he had done. However, hearing "Make way for the Master of the Thousand Scrolls!" instead makes it so, in the words of Crane of all people, the panda would be "hogtied, slashed with the Thousand Cuts of Death, and left beneath dripping water for days on end; it was just a matter of who got to him first."
* HandBehindHead: Once he's gone through CharacterDevelopment (mostly of the falling-in-love sort, but also learning to be humble and to care about others besides himself), Tai Lung does this a great deal, particularly around Tigress.
* HangoverSensitivity: Monkey the morning after the Ghost Festival: wishing "Mantis didn't walk so loudly through the bunkhouse" and then later begging for a spare hat from Crane to shade his eyes.
* HatePlague:
** [[spoiler:Monkey]]'s infection as it spreads to the Five, since his mere presence let alone speaking with or touching them causes almost everyone at the Jade Palace to become increasingly argumentative and disagreeable. While it's most visible in Chapter 27 as everyone gets into it over Vachir's note and then travels to Chorh-Gom, it actually begins well before that though more subtly (during the "Truth or Dare", and then as [[spoiler:Monkey]] whispers in Tigress's ear during their search around Yunxian), and it has well over a month and a half to build up during Tigress's convalescence. It also has varying effects depending on personality--while Tigress and Tai Lung are [[HotBlooded the most temperamental]], Crane is made jealous and Mei Ling [[PoorCommunicationKills tongue-tied]], while even Viper's compassion and Mantis's patience are pushed to their limits.
** Later used on the entire Valley [[spoiler:in tandem with PeoplePuppets, thanks to Chao corrupting the Sacred Pool]], which only fans the suspicions and distrust of the villagers [[ReformedButRejected toward Tai Lung]] before culminating in a KangarooCourt, a mob, and his near-execution.
* HaveYouComeToGloat: At the very start of the story, when Shifu comes to visit Tai Lung's cell at the Jade Palace after the Wuxi Finger Hold, the snow leopard accuses his father of this.
* TheHecateSisters: Because they are inspired by WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender's Dangerous Ladies, the Wu Sisters fit this trope--Jia, the [[CloudCuckoolander playful and silly]], innocent and optimistic, but also seductive, Maiden; Xiu, the [[MyBelovedSmother manipulative and controlling]] Mother as the leader of the group; and Chun, the apathetic, cynical and [[EmotionlessGirl unemotional]] Crone. This is most exemplified in their introductory scene, where Jia is excited at Chao's offer (and busily building structures out of mahjong tiles) but also wants to seduce Tai Lung, Xiu is calculatingly trying to turn things to the Wu Sisters' advantage, and Chun fans herself in boredom while claiming all Chao can give them is "empty shadows and a headache."
* HeDidntMakeIt: Viper uses the StockPhrase when informing Po of [[spoiler:Mantis]]'s death; considering the fact she had come right out and used the word "dead" when telling the others back at Chorh-Gom, it's likely this was to spare the sensitive bear's feelings. [[spoiler:And ironically, since Mantis was actually alive and just delayed coming back, "he didn't make it" ends up being literally true.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: The story's main premise is focusing on this trope for Tai Lung as he shifts from villain to (anti)hero. [[spoiler:Later on, Jia unequivocally shifts to heroic, since she was only ForcedIntoEvil and is finally able to break free of Xiu, and Chun edges towards it slightly but ends up averting it.]]
* HeirClubForMen: Tai Lung's original motivation to romance Tigress is that he wishes to ensure his family line continues, both in the sense of "leaving a legacy behind" and to carry on his kung fu tradition. Thankfully he dropped this once he a) wised up as to the dangers and b) actually fell in love.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: One of the reasons [[spoiler:Monkey]] [[DisneyDeath tries to kill]] [[spoiler:Mantis]], because the latter has read his chi and recognized Chao's DemonicPossession. While [[spoiler:Monkey]] doesn't state it aloud (mostly because his immediate response is to go for a fatal attack), the fact this occurs in a room with just the two of them, with no one else aware of the revelation, and [[spoiler:Mantis]] blithely stating the others could help him perform a chi exorcism "once they got back to the Valley", also turns it into a HaveYouToldAnyoneElse situation. As the victim himself thinks, "I may have miscalculated."
* HeroesFrontierStep:
** Tai Lung has several. The first three are the more personal, where he [[TakingTheBullet takes a knife]] for Tigress, thus saving her from Vachir; where he forgives Vachir for the ColdBloodedTorture he put him under at Chorh-Gom [[spoiler:and provides him a MercyKill]]; and his forgiveness of [[spoiler:Monkey]] afterwards. All of these personally convince Shifu and the rest of the Five that Tai Lung not only deserves his second chance, but has good in him and is genuinely trying to achieve it, so that from that point on in the story, they all defend and support him unequivocally against the threats that follow. The last one is the biggest and also the one that convinces the rest of the Valley as well as the Emperor, his being the one to decisively kill and destroy Heian Chao (albeit with help).
** [[spoiler:Jia]] has a big one too, where she delivers one of the fatal blows to Xiu as payback for [[spoiler:the murder of their father and forcing her into a life of evil]].
* HeroicBSOD: Po experiences a lesser form, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness lapsing into utter quiet and depression]] with a ThousandYardStare, when he learns from the Wu Sisters that [[spoiler:his parents were thieves and murderers]], then descending into babbling, tears, and general emotional instability rather than a complete mental breakdown when Chao reveals to him [[spoiler:[[NiceJobBreakingItHero his use of the Wuxi Finger Hold also set him free]]]]; the results of the second example are still the same, however, with him collapsing under Chao's onslaught and having to retire from the fight for a while. Luckily, he gets better thanks to Viper's help (GetAholdOfYourselfMan followed by YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre and YouDidTheRightThing) and returns to save Tai Lung, complete with a NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech wherein he states [[IAmWhatIAm he does not need to be ashamed]] for [[BrokenPedestal where he came from]] and that choosing to fight again will allow him to rectify his earlier mistake.
-->'''Heian Chao''': And how, pray tell, did you manage to come to terms with what I told you? It matters not what worthless platitudes Viper gave you—you still know it all to be true.
-->'''Po''': Yeah. But I decided somethin' else was more important. Like gettin' rid of you. Next to that, who cares where I came from? An' anyway, what ya seem t' keep forgettin' is choice. I can be different [[spoiler:from my dad]], an' I sure as heck intend t' be. An' so what if I'm th' one who let ya go? Just means I get t' have th' awesome pleasure of kickin' your butt.
* HeroicLineage: While Tai Lung is afraid that [[VillainousLineage his darkness is in the blood]], it turns out he inherited his fighting ability, intelligence, and ultimately his inner heroism from his father [[spoiler:who was a personal bodyguard of the Emperor and died defending him during a Hun invasion]]. Mei Ling also takes after her father Wu Xuan in both fighting prowess and heroic nature--and, if the vignettes are anything to go by, in her sense of humor and rather naughty nature, too.
* 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 [[HeroicWillpower being able to resist]] the latter's dark ''chi'' and mental influence even [[MushroomSamba while doped up on opium]] and about to be hanged.
* HeroicSacrifice: Averted, although [[spoiler:Tai Lung [[TakingYouWithMe would have done it]] if it proved necessary]].
* HeterosexualLifePartners: By the end of the story, a strong case could be made for this regarding Po and Tai Lung. Among the highlights: Tai Lung first coming to see Po as his friend [[FlorenceNightingaleEffect while helping the panda recover]] from a life-threatening injury; [[RealMenCook cooking]] meals [[ThroughHisStomach together]]; StrangeMindsThinkAlike, FinishingEachOthersSentences...
* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen / TheFaceless: Chao doesn't reveal his face until near the end of the story. Also, the reader doesn't even get to know his species or name for a while.
* HiddenDepths: Jia isn't just the silly girl she seems on the surface. Also Viper isn't always the civilized girl she appears to be. [[spoiler:She can be pretty wicked too. Is demonstrated at the end of her fight with Chun at Wu Dan. Viper's words and actions do surprise Po and even her girlfriend Tigress to such an extent that they agree to tell no one else anything about what happened.]]
* HiddenHeartOfGold: As much as Tai Lung has been (or pretended to be) a {{Jerkass}} for so long, when the chips are down he does eventually prove that he has good inclinations, the ability to love, and a desire to protect those who are weak and innocent, especially children--even though his masculine pride makes it very hard for him to admit.
* HiddenInPlainSight: [[spoiler:Chao's body was imprisoned in the Vault of Heroes, and thus was under the Jade Palace--and everyone's noses--all along.]]
* HistoryRepeats:
** In a larger, more meta sense, by influencing Tai Lung [[MoreThanMindControl toward his darker impulses]] so he would give in to rage and [[IDidWhatIHadToDo do whatever it took]] to accomplish [[ItsAllAboutMe what he believed was right]], Heian Chao made this happen with [[FallenHero the snow leopard and his rampage]], just as (it is revealed) he himself did nine hundred years before. This is even stated explicitly in-story by Tigress once Chao's true identity is revealed to everyone.
--->'''Tigress''': You're absolutely right! [[TheParagonAlwaysRebels You were Master Shifu's best student...and you lost yourself to darkness. Heian Chao was Oogway's student...he must have been extremely talented, if not the best, with how powerful he's become now...and he practically]] ''[[TheParagonAlwaysRebels is]]'' [[TheParagonAlwaysRebels darkness incarnate]].
--->'''Mei Ling''': You mean...Chao did it once, and he made it happen again?
--->'''Tigress''': I wouldn't be surprised if he makes it ''keep'' happening, over and over, until he gets what he wants.
** A smaller, but no less meaningful, example of this also occurs only a few months apart for [[spoiler:Shen Zhuang]], involving a shirt being torn and soaked with blood to help save one of the heroes: the first time, it's to provide a wrapping to staunch the head wound Tigress receives courtesy of Chun; the second time, it's to provide the DyingClue needed to prove Tai Lung innocent after the KangarooCourt.
* HopelessSuitor: Ever since she first met him twenty years ago, just before his rampage, Wu Jia has strongly desired Tai Lung and wanted to make him her lover. At the time, he was focused only on the Dragon Scroll; now in the present, he's only focused on winning over Tigress, so no matter how much she tries and wishes otherwise, he'll never be hers. [[spoiler:Thankfully, she gets to find love after all, and in the most unexpected place, with Po.]]
* HopeSpot: Occurs at various points throughout the story, particularly during battles, but two clear ones occur at Chorh-Gom. First, when Tigress and Tai Lung have sent Vachir flying down a bridge to slam into a wall and the two cats congratulate themselves (Tai Lung even starts TemptingFate and thinking they were going to win), only for Vachir to pull free of the wall and reveal [[ImplacableMan he wasn't even injured]]. Second, a short time later: after horribly beating and injuring Vachir in a near (and quite deserved) RoaringRampageOfRevenge, it seems Tai Lung will win...only for Chao's dark chi to heal everything the snow leopard did to him. OhCrap would describe Tai Lung's reaction nicely.
* HostageSituation: Vachir attempts one of these in Chorh-Gom...with [[spoiler:[[ActionGirl Tigress]]]]. Big mistake.
* HotBlooded: Despite going through a HeelFaceTurn, Tai Lung just seems unable to rid himself of this trope, although he does get better by the end. Tigress also counts, although in one aversion of this (and contrary to her first battle with Xiu which shows she [[CharacterDevelopment learned her lesson]]), her encounter with [[EmotionlessGirl Chun]] during the FinalBattle is a sword fight that is described as calm, clever, and coolly calculated--which is a big part of why she wins it.
* HowDareYouDieOnMe: Non-romantic variation--both Tai Lung and Tigress get teary-eyed, curse, and chastise [[spoiler:Shifu]] when it seems he's about to die after the FinalBattle. A very short time before this, Tigress also starts to invoke the trope name through her tears when it seems as if Tai Lung has been crushed in the rockfall caused by Heian Chao's death, only for him to break free, battered but still quite alive.
* HowDoIShotWeb: Tai Lung couldn't master fire chi right away. Even aside from his initial difficulties at Wu Dan, he was also constantly struggling to control it ([[HotBlooded and his temper]]) during his fight with Vachir and at several other points thereafter; it isn't until the final battle, with assistance from Po, that he learns to do so. However, Po's learning of water chi also took some time, seeing as it required him to learn to give in to and express his emotions rather than be the polite and proper waiter Ping raised him to be. And even with the instruction of Tai Lung, Mei Ling, Crane, and later Tigress, it also still took him a month and a half to more skillfully and masterfully learn more advanced kung fu.
* HowMuchDidYouHear: Chang's reponse when Shifu reveals he'd been standing in the palace doorway listening to him confront Tai Lung. Unlike most versions of the trope, the speaker doesn't turn around in the middle of giving himself away, instead being caught fighting with Tai Lung and then attempting to throw the snow leopard under the bus by claiming he was only defending himself after Tai Lung lost control again. It's not until Shifu allows the elephant to incriminate himself, and then reveals he had overheard the earlier dialogue, that [[OhCrap Chang realizes how much he screwed up]] and invokes the trope name.
* HypocriticalHumor: The Wu Sisters tease Tai Lung about him being old enough to be their grandfather...when in fact they aren't much younger than he is, having been in their late teens or early twenties when Crane and Mei Ling were in school twenty years ago. The teasing, of course, is merely meant to annoy and anger the snow leopard who is sensitive about his age.
* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat: “Quit hitting yourself!” Said by Viper, [[spoiler:while battering Chun senseless with her own paw at Wu Dan]], after which she notes her desire to say it but which Shifu had always kept her from doing until that moment.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: {{Discussed|Trope}}, when Tai Lung explains to Po why it's good to be ambidextrous--because, among other advantages, you can switch hands in the middle of a battle and thus throw your opponent off.
* ICanExplain: [[spoiler:Tai Lung and Tigress, when Shifu [[ParentsWalkInAtTheWorstTime walks in on them]] after they've... well, you know.]] Also earlier, when Tigress [[InterruptedIntimacy caught him with Jia]]. A RunningGag for the fic.
* ICannotSelfTerminate: Vachir, to the point that though [[DrivenToSuicide he wishes he could kill himself to escape Chao]], he can't. [[spoiler:Eventually leads to Tai Lung's MercyKill of him.]]
* [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe I Can't Believe A Girl Like You Would Notice Me!]]: So very much Crane's feelings toward Mei Ling. [[spoiler:Happens also with Po toward Jia:]]
-->''[[spoiler:[[WontTakeYesForAnAnswer "Well, of course, I can understand why you'd feel that way," Po said reasonably, even as his shoulders sank and his whole expression became downcast. "I'm just a big klutz, an' I need t' lose weight, an' grow up, an' grow a pair, an'—" He broke off, finally realizing what she'd actually said. "Wait—you were? You were? Really, truly?"]]]]''
-->''[[spoiler:For answer, Jia leaped toward him without warning. The panda only had time for a brief flail as he caught her in both arms, and then as she planted a forceful, fervent kiss on his muzzle he fell back, wind milling, right into the river shallows.]]''
* IceCreamKoan: When Tai Lung tries to comfort Tigress regarding Shifu and his ability to love them both, [[WhatWouldXDo he tries to think like Oogway]]. What he comes up with starts off from a good place ("Love isn't a finite thing, it's a pool everyone can drink from that never runs out"), but then he ends up falling into a statement that instead of profound comes across as silly and contrived: "So, look at your life as a glass half-full of love?"
* AnIcePerson: In the fic's setting, high-level kung fu masters can manipulate chi so as to create and/or control various ElementalPowers (although these are the Chinese elements, of course, not Western) based on the year of their birth. [[spoiler:[[EvilIsDeathlyCold Chao]]]]'s elemental ability is ice, which allows him to not only form it from liquid water and water vapor, but to transform [[MakingASplash Po]]'s water attacks to ice and turn them against him. Naturally this makes him opposed to Tai Lung (not only in power but in personality), but it also holds a hidden weakness: because it's ''cold'' he's actually controlling, when his ice is melted by the snow leopard's Fire into warm water, he can no longer influence it but Po still can. It's also a case of a chi master extending what such power can normally affect, since ice is not one of the birth-year elements. (As he himself states, "Did you truly think...that the Five Elements are the only ones which exist?")
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Another aspect of Chao's justification for his study of BlackMagic and his subsequent actions, though it is highly questionable that it truly was necessary, or whether [[BelievingTheirOwnLies he truly believes this any more]].
* IfICantHaveYou: [[spoiler:Monkey, to Tigress]]. Not only does he try to ensure Tai Lung won't have Tigress by trying to fatally stab her, he actually invokes the trope by name while doing so.
* IfIWantedYouDead: Xiu reveals to Tai Lung that the reason he's left alive at Yuxnian is because he wasn't her actual target.
-->'''Xiu''', ''after'' ''[[spoiler:having cut Po's throat but left Tai Lung mostly alone]]'': Who said I was after ''you''?
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: After Monkey finally gives the snow leopard his blessing in pursuing Tigress, the primate understandably falls into this trope. Tai Lung's response is first the heartwarming declaration that hurting her is the last thing he wants (and that he'd rather kill himself than hurt her, ''and'' would if he did), then the humorous one that hurting her is likely the last thing he'd ever ''do''.
* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim:
** Implied to be why Tai Lung won't kill Vachir, then stated outright when Vachir taunts him about it. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], since if Tai Lung really were to kill him, and through a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, this would leave him susceptible to Chao's DemonicPossession. Having someone else kill Vachir prevents this, while also ensuring there is no KarmaHoudini nor a continued slaughter of innocents.
** A less prominent example also occurs on Wu Dan, when Viper refrains from killing Chun, as that would "make her no better than the Wu Sisters."
* IgnoringBySinging: Tai Lung does this in Oogway's room, as a form of BrainBleach when they discover Oogway's love letters. He comes close to doing so [[CallBack again]] at the very end of the story, when the turtle's ghost makes reference to his thoughts on Tigress were he younger (and alive).
* IGotYouCovered: Invoked by name when Tai Lung, on the verge of defeat against Chao's chi attacks (and already having been badly injured fighting Xiu), is suddenly rescued by Po--complete with OneLiner and a short RousingSpeech--intervening and taking up the fight until the snow leopard can gather his HeroicSecondWind.
* 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 [[ThreadOfProphecySevered 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]].
* IKnowKungFu: PlayedForLaughs when Monkey actually says this (to [[CastingAShadow Heian Chao]], though [[ShadowWalker he doesn't know it yet]]) in the village streets after the Ghost Festival--as he immediately berates himself, his [[FamedInStory notoriety as one of the Furious Five]] makes such a warning to an enemy both obvious and redundant. In his defense, he is drunk at the time. Also subverted in that it doesn't do him any good [[spoiler:against Chao's DemonicPossession]].
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Subverted. [[spoiler:Mantis thought he could get through to the possessed Monkey at Chorh-Gom but it didn't work. [[HisStoryRepeatsItself And it didn't work for Dog and Chao either]].]]
* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: Much of the interactions between Heian Chao and the Wu Sisters are like this, partly because of the RightHandVersusLeftHand principle, partly because [[ForTheEvulz they just enjoy toying with each other that much]] and fooling each other (or trying to) into believing the other is the one in charge.
* ILikeMyXLikeILikeMyY: Variation, both to fit the Chinese setting and inverted in where the speaker is saying this about someone ''else'''s preferences rather than their own--while flirting and bantering on the ledge in Chorh-Gom, Tigress suggests that because of his love for her, Tai Lung must like women like he does his tea, "strong and hot".
* ILoveYouBecauseICantControlYou: Although he had never tried to charm or woo anyone before, such is Tai Lung's arrogance and narcissism that he clearly thinks he ''could'' get anyone to throw themselves at his feet, should he want it--and so when he does pursue Tigress, the fact she resists and stands up to him is another big part of what makes her challenging and therefore appealing. Like his other less-admirable traits, this changes as he does until, by the end of the story, he simply deeply admires her willpower and strength.
* ImmortalityImmorality: Not only is Heian Chao [[ImmortalitySeeker seeking]] to be both ageless and unkillable (things which would be just as against Buddhist and Taoist beliefs as Western ones), he is willing to do anything and everything to achieve it (and his specific methods involve {{Life Drink|er}}ing and being PoweredByAForsakenChild).
* ImpactSilhouette: Tai Lung does this to Chao during the final battle. He and Tigress also do it to Vachir at Chorh-Gom.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Chao]]. By the Golden Spear, no less, which [[GoodHurtsEvil thanks to]] its [[HolyBurnsEvil sacred nature]] makes the results seem even more like meat on a barbecue skewer.
* ImpededMessenger: [[GondorCallsForAid The message]] to the Emperor [[SubvertedTrope never gets there]], as Zeng gets captured.
* ImplacableMan: [[spoiler:[[DemonicPossession Possessed]]]] Vachir. Not only did he continue to approach the Valley inexorably in his pursuit of Tai Lung and twisted murder spree, but during the battle at Chorh-Gom he refused to die, give up, or back down--surviving any and all injuries dealt to him thanks to the healing provided by Chao's dark chi and getting back up after countless attacks which should have killed him or knocked him unconscious.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Po and Viper seem pretty much immune to Chao's corruption. On the other hand, Jia is normally a very sweet and kind woman, but Xiu corrupted her into becoming an assassin out of fear and blackmail, so she averted the trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: While this was already noticeable in the first movie (particularly if you read between the lines during the CallingTheOldManOut scene), the author delves much more into how this trope applies to Tai Lung. It's mostly a cross between him being an orphan who doesn't know his family or ancestors ([[ShownTheirWork something of paramount importance in ancient China]]) and the way Shifu raised him to believe he would be the Dragon Warrior and thus [[ThePerfectionist had to be the best]]--so that anything less was not good enough to him, he always needed outside validation to see his own worth rather than seeking self-enlightenment as Oogway would have taught, and he believed that without the Dragon Scroll or even mastery of kung fu, [[WellDoneSonGuy Shifu would never love or be proud of him]]. It's genuinely heartbreaking...but thankfully the snow leopard is able to conquer this by the end, for a number of reasons but mostly Shifu finally opening up properly to him, [[LoveRedeems the love of Tigress]], and [[ThePowerOfFriendship Po's friendship]] all showing him his value and how he ''can'' be a hero.
* InformedAbility: While Mei Ling's word (and her own inherited abilities) are fairly good testimonials, it's sadly the case that the reader never gets to see her father Wu Xuan's great warrior prowess. This is rectified in the sequel vignettes, however.
* InTheBack: How Wu Xuan died, courtesy of a poisoned dagger. [[spoiler:And how Jia betrays Xiu, [[LaserGuidedKarma fittingly enough]].]]
* InLoveWithLove: When Tai Lung first confesses to Tigress that he loves her, she accuses him of both only wanting the experience and circumstances of being in love without actually caring about her, and of LovingAShadow--that because she is the first female kung fu warrior he's met, a fellow feline, and the leader of the Furious Five, this makes her the perfect/only possible mate for him, while at the same time he thinks she will just be a warrior-wife who will defer to him because of his masculinity and kung fu skill rather than who she really is. Tai Lung denies it, but later admits to himself she's at least partially right and resolves to do better, to grow beyond such shallowness.
-->'''Tigress''': You've got it all mapped out in your head, don't you? Why we're destined to be together.... You aren't in love with me. You're in love with the ''idea'' of being in love with me. You, the Master of the Thousand Scrolls, and me, the leader of the Furious Five. It must seem like poetic justice to you, that we should be fated to meet and become lovers. Who else is there worthy of you, after all? We're the perfect couple, and once I accept the truth, give into your charms, and fall into your arms, all of China will have to marvel at how our love was written in the stars, and we can spread a legacy of kung fu all across the land.
* InsistentTerminology: Tai Lung disparages Po's action figures as dolls [[Film/{{Spaceballs}} when catching him playing with them]], so that the panda corrects him with "They're action figures." Heian Chao does the same during the FinalBattle, albeit in a far more mocking and condescending manner, prompting Po to snap, "And for the last time, they're action figures!"
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Less extreme than most examples, but due to the twenty-year age gap, Tai Lung could be said to have one of these with Po, Viper, and Monkey by the end of the story (Mantis is a little older than him, Crane and Mei Ling are of nearly the same generation, while Tigress of course has [[LoveInterest a different relationship]]).
* InterruptedIntimacy: Poor Tai Lung. First while [[EroticDream dreaming of Tigress]] he is interrupted [[ThatWasNotADream only to find himself]] [[spoiler:with Jia]] instead...and caught by the actual Tigress. Then in the CallBack to this same scene, [[FromBadToWorse it gets worse]] since he and Tigress [[ParentsWalkInAtTheWorstTime get walked in on by Shifu]]...
* InterspeciesRomance:
** Crane and Mei Ling. [[spoiler:And Po and Jia.]]
** Tigress and Tai Lung also count, but at least they're compatible enough to have cubs.
* InVinoVeritas: Played with. Getting [[OffTheWagon drunk at the Ghost Festival]] doesn't really bring out of Monkey anything the reader hadn't already seen, since other than a few caustic remarks he mostly keeps his resentful thoughts about Tai Lung to himself, nor does it change his personality in any way. However it does lead to the AlcoholInducedIdiocy of [[spoiler:wandering around alone on the night when the dead are said to walk and want the bodies of the living]] and lowers his inhibitions enough to make [[spoiler:DemonicPossession]] easier...which [[MoreThanMindControl could be said to have brought on]] a permanent distillation, inversion, and exaggeration of his feelings.
* 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.
** PlayedForLaughs much earlier, when Po and Tai Lung have their LightheartedRematch in the kwoon: after seeing the snow leopard maneuver through the hall's obstacle course with perfect skill, the panda [[ImYourBiggestFan blurts out in amazement]], "I can't believe I beat your tail the other day!" After [[HumbleHero Po]] later throws himself into the course and fails almost as badly as he did in the movie (to show the former villain he can still be a hero, since TheChosenOne is still very lacking in skills), it's Tai Lung's turn to say "I can't believe you beat my tail the other day!", [[NotSoAboveItAll this time in incredulity]] as [[ActuallyPrettyFunny he collapses in laughter]].
* ItHasBeenAnHonor: Vachir's final moments [[spoiler:before Tai Lung gives him a MercyKill]] partake of this, once he realizes he and Tai Lung are not so different and the snow leopard promises to fulfill his LastRequest.
-->'''Vachir''': [[ProfaneLastWords Give 'em hell for me, Tai]].
* ItsAllMyFault:
** Tai Lung feels this way about the events at Chorh-Gom, both because he went into it for {{Revenge}} and tried to keep the others away out of DontYouDarePityMe rather than for honor or [[HeroBall just doing the right thing]], and because he didn't admit to himself or them that [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat Vachir could still be alive]] and behind what was going on; despite being [[AWizardDidIt made to forget or dismiss what he knew of Chao]], he also blames himself for not telling anyone.
** Po blames himself for some of what happens since as the cook he should have [[spoiler:gone to Monkey's room to collect dishes and thus learned about his DemonicPossession sooner]] and he was learning about chi from Mantis and Shifu. Perhaps with a bit more cause, the panda also blames himself during the FinalBattle since [[spoiler:[[NiceJobBreakingItHero his usage of the Wuxi Finger Hold]] also [[SealedEvilInACan freed Chao]]]]. This last is of course denied by Oogway, since he was the one who didn't tell anyone about Chao and [[spoiler:[[RegularlyScheduledEvil Chao was likely to break free on his own eventually anyway]]]]. He also stressed Po's action as the thing that actually saved them all in the end since [[YinYangBomb it enabled Tai Lung's redemption]] and [[TheUnchosenOne he was needed to stop Chao]].
* ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies: Implied, and averted in Tigress being a badass who can take care of herself just fine, and Tai Lung knows it. This also plays into why Tai Lung tries to leave the Five and Shifu behind when he goes to Chorh-Gom to face Vachir; naturally, they all shoot him down with the rejoinder that they can take care of themselves too--and that rather than being in danger from being near him, they can actually protect his back. (Of course, since one of them [[spoiler:almost]] dies, perhaps they should have listened to him after all.)
* ItsPersonal: Mei Ling wants to get vengeance on the Wu Sisters for her father's death, Tai Lung wants to get vengeance on Chao for everything he has done to him (both in-story and in the past), and Tigress and Po both want revenge on the Sisters for [[spoiler:Zhuang]]'s death and for being trounced by them.
* ItsQuietTooQuiet: Employed by Tai Lung in the “where did all the birds go” sense when the Wu Sisters first show up, but actually stated in Mei Ling's thoughts when [[spoiler:she's about to discover Po and Jia in Monkey's RoomFullOfCrazy]].
* IsThatWhatHeToldYou: Invoked [[spoiler:but subverted, since Xiu doesn't know anything about Tai Lung's parents and neither does Shifu]]. Another instance of it is later played straight--except it is a ''hero'' using it, when [[spoiler:Mei Ling convinces Jia to not believe Xiu's lies about her always being a worthless, evil assassin and so complete her HeelFaceTurn]].
* [[IveComeTooFar I've Come Too Far]]:
** At a certain point in the story, Tai Lung wonders whether it might be better to give up in his pursuit of Tigress, but he declares to himself that he's gone too far and worked too hard to do such a thing now (especially since by this point he is pursing heroism and his redemption as much for his own sake as to impress her). He also realizes, once he is calm and not just acting on knee-jerk rage, that he's come too far (i.e. in mastering the thousand scrolls) to give up on his future and join the Wu Sisters just because he didn't become the Dragon Warrior.
** Heian Chao refuses to give up on his villainous plans no matter how many set-backs he has with Vachir, the Sisters, or [[spoiler:Monkey]]; he has, after all, been plotting to take over China for over nine hundred years at this point.
* IWantGrandkids: Once he has it clear that Tai Lung and Tigress have become a couple, Shifu falls into pressuring them to give him grandchildren, both in words and in hints like knitting baby clothing.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: When Crane [[PoorCommunicationKills believes]] that Mei Ling has fallen for Tai Lung, he resolves to ignore his UnrequitedLove for her and instead insists she should be with the snow leopard, that he's happy for her, and that he won't stand in their way.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tropes J-L]]
* JuggleFu: Tigress performs such actions several times during the final battle with the Ninja Weapons.
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: Though not his entire plot, Chao does explain a great deal of what he plans to Tai Lung in his cell. Somewhat justified in that Chao is trying to earn Tai Lung's respect, prove to him how cleverly diabolical he is, so that the snow leopard will join him, and that a great deal of the revelations are couched as threats to ensure compliance. But since Tai Lung is merely stalling for time and fishing for information...
* JustifiedCriminal: Bao and Li-Na [[spoiler:(Po's parents)]] were forced into a life of crime when the destruction of their restaurant in an earthquake robbed them of their home, livelihood, and savings and the former [[FromCamouflageToCriminal was forced by an unsympathetic superior to desert the army in order to help his wife (an act which obviously set the empire's enforcers against him for treason)]]. While committing robberies and murders, they ensured they never harmed children or families with them, and they did all they could to ensure their victims were [[AssholeVictim ones who deserved it]]. [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Over time, however]], as Bao became more and more enamored of bloodthirsty practices, this became far less true.
* KangarooCourt: A much darker example than usual (which is saying something), [[spoiler:thanks in part to Chao possessing the villagers]], with authentic Chinese legal practices to boot. But because it's Tai Lung on trial for killing [[spoiler:Shen Zhuang]], the outcome is certainly decided in advance (the gallows are being built outside the whole time), and while witnesses and testimony are allowed, there's plenty of courtroom antics and intervention by the HangingJudge to undermine or dismiss them, and even then Tai Lung is given a physical contempt of court penalty (beatings on a rack-like device) for simply hesitating to answer and for proclaiming his innocence.
* KeystoneArmy: Played with. Shifu guesses that [[spoiler:[[NightOfTheLivingMooks the undead Anvil of Heaven]]]] is under [[spoiler:the possessed]] Vachir's control and can only be defeated if he is killed, but dealing him a fatal injury he can't heal doesn't immediately cause them to collapse, only mill about a bit in confusion. However, this deathblow ''does'' break him free [[spoiler:of possession]], and the departure of the dark chi within him does in fact induce instant rotting/dissolving in the zombies as they lose the power that was animating them along with it. Whether this was the case for [[spoiler:the yaoguai]] is unknown, since they get banished back to the underworld and the gate which let them cross over is sealed before their [[SummoningRitual summoner]] Chao dies.
* KiManipulation: Elemental ki attacks, to be more precise, end up being employed in battle by Tai Lung, Po, Shifu, and Heian Chao. Although it is implied that the latter's ability to create PeoplePuppets (most seen in the moment when [[spoiler:Vachir]] gets possessed and the flashback where Chao [[spoiler:kills his friends and fellow classmates]]) is also a form of this, since his DemonicPossession is never clearly stated to be a magical power--i.e., manipulating their ki with his own is ''how'' he possesses/puppeteers them, since it is LifeEnergy.
* KneelBeforeFrodo: After defeating the BigBad and [[ItsPersonal fulfilling his oath]] to get justice for [[spoiler:the death of Zhuang and the possession of Vachir]], Tai Lung receives one of these moments--in a [[{{Symbolism}} very nice full circle]], begun by Po and spreading from there to the Five and all the rest of the Valley.
* KnewItAllAlong: At the very end of the story, after Tai Lung learns about his birth family [[spoiler:from Wu Xuan's ghost]], Mantis claims he knew all the time that [[spoiler:the color of Tai Lung's pants and baby bunting meant he had an Imperial guard for a father]]. [[LemonyNarrator The narrative then snarkily notes]] "which he had somehow completely failed to mention before this."
* KnightTemplar:
** Even before encountering Heian Chao, it's clear that Vachir had a very strict sense of morality which allowed him to judge, reject, and punish others without feeling in the least bit in the wrong or without honor. Rather than having an issue with free will, he simply seems to believe in the infallibility of either [[MyCountryRightOrWrong the Emperor]] or of [[NobleTopEnforcer a code of law]] in general. This, plus a desire for {{Revenge}} against Tai Lung for killing most of his family, makes him easy pickings for Chao, since he's already fond of DisproportionateRetribution, PayEvilUntoEvil, and IDidWhatIHadToDo if it will punish Tai Lung or carry out the Emperor's will against enemies. [[spoiler:Interestingly, being compelled to horribly murder countless innocents while under DemonicPossession forces Vachir to [[BeneathTheMask see the truth]] in his harsh cruelty, and how he and Tai Lung aren't so different, so that as he lays dying he's able to both forgive the snow leopard and apologize for his ColdBloodedTorture.]]
** Heian Chao is an even stronger example (at least before he fell into [[TheCorruption completely corrupt]] acts of [[ForTheEvulz villainy]]), as he began life as [[spoiler:a WellIntentionedExtremist VisionaryVillain who simply believed only he knew the right way to rule and [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans make the empire a better place]]]]. But once he convinced himself anything was justified to achieve his ends, and that [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill he had to eliminate free will]] along the way, [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil it all went downhill from there]] [[spoiler:(and [[HeWhoFightsMonsters he became no better]] than the tyrant he was trying to save everyone from)]].
* KungFuWizard: Heian Chao is a master of numerous forms of dark spiritual energy, ranging from {{Necromanc|er}}y and DemonicPossession to MoreThanMindControl and CastingAShadow, but all of it revolving around his stealing and manipulation of LifeEnergy. He augments this, however, with also being a master of Eagle Claw kung fu, and is thus fast, skilled, and supernaturally strong.
* TheLancer: Played with, as at different times, both Tai Lung and Po fit this trope. Tai Lung is Po's former enemy, TheStoic to the panda's [[DumbIsGood naïve innocence]] (some would call it idiocy), is perceived as a HandsomeLech (and often plays up the image) while Po is definitely chaste, and is both an IneffectualLoner and AntiHero to Po's AllLovingHero. But...he is also the much-better leader. Not to mention that through training with Tai Lung, Po becomes a lot more badass, their ElementalPowers are the opposite you'd expect for TheHero and TheLancer (though [[RedOniBlueOni not for their personalities]]), and over time Po gradually becomes more willing to enter moral gray areas or pull dirty tricks on his enemies. In the end, they both end up supporting each other as much as being the leader. [[spoiler:And Tai Lung also gets to literally be a lancer in the final battle.]]
* LargeHam: Heian Chao is best experienced if you imagine him being voiced in the same tone as [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Liquid Snake]]. Although, ironically, the author's about me page casts Creator/CamClarke as ''Zhuang'' instead, with [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} Alucard]] as Heian Chao.
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** Both Chao and Xiu end up getting hit hard in various ways due to their own actions. Chao is the one [[spoiler:while possessing Xiu]] to kill [[spoiler:Zhuang]], only for the latter to leave a DyingClue revealing the truth which completely undercuts his {{Frameup}} scheme against Tai Lung; he forced [[spoiler:Monkey]] to attack and nearly kill [[spoiler:Mantis]], leading both of them to destroy and seal away his BadassArmy; he inflamed Jia's lusts so as to make her obsessed with Tai Lung, only to then later try to kill him [[spoiler:leading to her coming to actually care for Tai Lung and turn on Chao]]; and after his entire campaign to turn Tai Lung to darkness and make him his servant (but especially encouraging his rampage, [[spoiler:Vachir's ColdBloodedTorture]], and the {{Frameup}} and KangarooCourt), it's the snow leopard who ends up killing him. Meanwhile, after being ForcedIntoEvil, [[ManipulativeBitch made to believe]] she was to blame for their father's death, and [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal generally treated like crap]], [[spoiler:Jia]] ends up turning on Xiu [[spoiler:by stabbing her InTheBack, [[KarmicDeath just as she had their father]]]].
** Chang and Xiulan, two of Tai Lung's most vocal detractors, end up losing [[spoiler:his son and eyesight, and her husband]], respectively. Comes across as a bit of SelectiveEnforcement (not to mention lacking in empathy toward their previous losses during his rampage) until one considers that these newest losses came about, not due to disapproving of Tai Lung specifically, but because neither of them could let go of their [[ThePowerOfHate hatred]], desire for [[{{Revenge}} vengeance]], and ItsAllAboutMe mentality. Oh, and because of an evil chi wizard and an insane assassin, of course.
* LastMinuteHookup: [[spoiler:After Jia goes most of the fic pining/lusting for Tai Lung, she ends up getting together with Po in the very last chapter. Since a good portion of her desire for the snow leopard was encouraged by Chao, and there is foreshadowing (some subtle) in how she interacts with Po, especially during their fight on Wu Dan and the trip back to the palace, it doesn't come completely out of nowhere. It's also developed more in the vignettes, showing how they got there and where they'll go in the future.]]
* LastRequest: [[spoiler:Vachir]] has two, one made while dying and the other made during a DeadPersonConversation--to avenge him, and to take care of his son.
* LawfulStupid: Fu Xiao, considering the claims he makes at the trial to justify both Tai Lung's supposed descent back into villainy and finding him guilty, [[KangarooCourt whatever it takes]]. While some of this is surely caused by [[spoiler:Chao's dark chi]], the fact Shifu doesn't consider it to be too greatly out-of-character, [[spoiler:coupled with the fact the BigBad's possession is in most cases only MoreThanMindControl,]] suggests it's part of the ram's own stubborn and HolierThanThou nature.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
** The story scroll detailing the events of the first movie, found when the heroes visit a bookseller, is almost meta in its acknowledgment of both things people watching the film noticed and things the moviemakers did to mislead the audience. To be specific, thanks to GossipEvolution, willful misinterpretation, and a certain amount of {{Shout Out}}s to fanon, Po is turned into a FakeUltimateHero who took out Tai Lung all by himself while the Furious Five did next to nothing (the fight at the bridge becomes a "footnote"); Viper [[{{Flanderization}} only cares about makeup and pretty clothes]], Monkey [[MandatoryLine is mute]], while Shifu's CynicalMentor and {{Jerkass}} tendencies are [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]]; the filmmakers' ploy with making Tai Lung ''appear'' to be a mindless beast before TheReveal of Ian [=McShane=]'s voice is also referenced by making the snow leopard a drooling savage with HulkSpeak, and...Tigress is a man. (See the [[InvokedTrope invoked]] ViewerGenderConfusion entry.)
** Mantis indulges in a bit of this too at the start of Chapter 24, when he notes that the BaitAndSwitch DoubleEntendre opening would "sound really bad to ''anybody who didn't know what you were talking about''."
* LetsGetDangerous: Most of the time Po, even when he demonstrates the skill in kung fu he has learned from Shifu, Tigress, and Tai Lung, remains a sweet, kind, fairly bumbling and amusing character. But after the Wu Sisters kidnap Ping and threaten to kill him unless Po sits the coming battle out, the panda immediately switches to serious, focused mode, [[TookALevelInBadass shows off his true badassery]], and even comes close to a dark line a few times.
* LieToTheBeholder: Chao's {{Glamour}} makes Xiu [[spoiler:appear to Xiulan as Tai Lung when killing Zhuang]]. It isn't clear if the other Wu Sisters also saw it, but it's implied Zhuang did before seeing through it, which suggests it was intended solely to be viewed by the villagers as part of the {{Frameup}}, not a general illusion.
* LightheartedRematch: The training in the kwoon which Tai Lung and Po undergo after the snow leopard's acupuncture session definitely feels like this, at least until Po says the wrong thing and makes Tai Lung lose his temper again. The dumpling fight on Wu Dan would be this trope played entirely (and heartwarmingly) straight, twice over, since it's a rematch for every combination of Tai Lung, Po, and Shifu as pairs, as would the nighttime training of Tai Lung and Po in Chapter 22. Emperor Chen's challenge near the end of the story has shades of this too, suggesting he and Tai Lung might have sparred more seriously once, long ago.
* LightIsNotGood: "Shadows can surround us, ensnare us, make us lose our path. But when the light is brightest around us, we are just as blind." A case could also be made that, despite being stronger in the calm, cool, calculated Yin that is the dark half of the ''taijitu'', Heian Chao also exemplified this trope, ironically, before he gained his shadow powers--because he was so convinced of his own wisdom and superiority, so steeped in the good side of LifeEnergy, that he believed he knew better than everyone else and had to be given all power so as to control and manage their lives, and it was this belief and pride which led him to evil.
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: While it unsurprisingly tends to fall on [[TheMasochismTango the darker, uglier side]] of things, [[BelligerentSexualTension Tai Lung and Tigress's]] arguing and overall conflicts can often come across as what you'd see from a long-time couple--Mei Ling certainly thinks so, at least.
* LikesOlderMen: Quite a few characters seem to have this trait, from the chambermaids who go to bed with De in the sequel vignettes to everyone who swoons over Emperor Chen, but the main example seems to be Tigress, since she not only falls for Tai Lung and also is swayed by Chen's physique (even at his current age of seventy-something), but among the men she was interested in before the snow leopard at least one, the lion monk Achal, is revealed in the vignettes to be an older man as well.
* LikesOlderWomen: On the other hand, one character follows this trope--Zhuang, who makes it clear that he married Xiulan precisely because he felt more at ease with someone who had experience and could show him how things were done. (Po doesn't quite count, since his interest in such matters seems to be limited just to [[spoiler:Jia]].)
* LiteralDisarming: Happens to Heian Chao during the FinalBattle, in order to deprive him of his claw bracer. Unusual both in how it is accomplished (by means of an {{Elemental|Powers}} KiManipulation of [[AbsurdCuttingPower super-sharpened]] water, rather than air) and who does it: [[spoiler:[[TookALevelInBadass Po]]]]. However, considering Chao's HealingFactor and status as a horrific and monstrous villain, it could be argued that such an attack was quite justified and would not cause long-lasting damage anyway, rendering it more pragmatic than anti-heroic.
* LittleNo: While not an actual "no", Tai Lung very quietly saying [[spoiler:Po's name to try and rouse him after his throat is cut]] has the same feel and impact.
* LoadBearingBoss: Played with. The Vault of Heroes doesn't [[CollapsingLair fall apart]] because its existence depended on Chao--it falls apart because [[spoiler:his explosion destabilized it]].
* LockAndLoadMontage: The heroes arm themselves up before the final battle with most of the famous kung fu artifacts in the Hall of Warriors, mostly consisting of the ones [[AllThereInTheManual originally listed on the KFP Wiki]] [[spoiler:including the Golden Spear]]. The fact they belonged to the Jade Palace's first class [[spoiler:who were all murdered by Chao]] makes this [[LaserGuidedKarma deliciously ironic]].
* LoveDodecahedron: Tai Lung [[LoveInterest falls in love]] with Tigress, [[spoiler:Monkey]] is [[RomanticRunnerUp also in love]] with Tigress, Crane [[BetaCouple is in love]] with Mei Ling, Mei Ling thinks Tai Lung is hot but loves Crane [[PoorCommunicationKills who in turn thinks]] Mei Ling [[RomanticFalseLead loves Tai Lung]], and Jia [[HopelessSuitor also wants]] Tai Lung. Phew! Oh, and [[spoiler:there are shades of Jia and Po [[LastMinuteHookup getting together]].]]
* LoveIsAWeakness: Heian Chao disparages love repeatedly as something undesirable which either would interfere with his grand schemes or makes those he wishes to manipulate into pathetic, overemotional weaklings. The implication from some of his thoughts is that the underlying reason for this is either due to SillyRabbitRomanceIsForKids or LoveHurts.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: PlayedForLaughs from Tai Lung's point of view, as he speaks often of how his desire for and pursuit of Tigress often renders him irrational if not actually crazy. By contrast, [[spoiler:Monkey]] is so determined to protect Tigress from him (or anyone else) while [[RomanticRunnerUp still secretly yearning for her]] that it is sadly, remarkably easy for Chao to possess and corrupt him straight into LoveMakesYouEvil territory.
* LoveRedeems: While there becomes far more to it as the story develops ([[TheAtoner genuine desire for atonement]], embracing the heroism [[FallenHero he threw aside]] years ago, finding hope and meaning again in his relationships with [[WellDoneSonGuy his father]] and [[ThePowerOfFriendship Po]]), it's his love for Tigress and his determination to become a better man so as to win her that kickstarts Tai Lung's redemption, and helps him resist Chao's influence later on.
* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: Both Xiu and Chao exemplify this, the latter even more so since it seems to [[PoweredByAForsakenChild literally give him power]], witnessing and [[EmotionEater feeding on the pain, fear, and anguish of his victims]]. But also witness how Xiu enjoyed tormenting Tigress in the birch forest, killing [[spoiler:Zhuang]], and [[spoiler:punching Tai Lung in his wounded side]].
* LudicrousGibs: Thanks to [[spoiler:[[NightOfTheLivingMooks their being zombies]]]], the battle with the Anvil of Heaven at Chorh-Gom results in quite the explosion of gore, blood, and other viscera.
* {{Lust}}: Jia has an intense sexual desire for Tai Lung which only gets stronger as the story goes on thanks to Chao's influence. At the same time, both Chao himself and Xiu have an equally strong desire for power and conquest, whether it is over lives and souls, the empire, or life and death itself.
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