The main hero of the series. He is an archaeologist on a mission to search for - in order - talismans, demon portals, animals with talisman powers, Oni masks, and demon chi objects that were used to imprison Shendu's siblings. Though he's quite likely the only archaeologist on the planet up to this job (thanks to being Jackie Chan), he'd rather be on a dig or minding his Uncle's antique shop.
Adventurer Archaeologist: Double Subverted; the archaeology is more or less realistic but he's recruited for unrelated missions. Often times he wishes he could get back to his quieter actual job.
Badass Normal: Not only does he not need the talismans to fight demons and wizards and thugs, he prefers not to.
Beware the Nice Ones: He's generaly pacifistic, however if you do press his Berserk Button by hurting his friends or family then he will completely own you.
Adventure Rebuff: Once an Episode, Jackie will tell her to stay out of the action, and she will never listen to him. Fortunately, she manages to be pretty useful and avoids being The Load or a Distressed Damsel most of the time.
Combat Pragmatist: She seems to be the only one of the heroes who thinks to actually use the various magical artifacts/weapons they've acquired (the Talismans usually).
New Powers as the Plot Demands: See Gasshole. The writers gave her a knack for belching for just that one episode probably because they couldn't think of anything else to do with the Wind Demon chi.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: She has her share of moments like unwittingly solved Valmont's riddle ("Tohru Who") and kicking Ratso to an oni mask ("Samurai Ratso").
Strangely enough, said evil side (the Queen of the Shadowkhan) is something of an Ensemble Darkhorse, as Jade only goes evil in one episode, and yet there are plenty of fanfics where it happens again.
Waif-Fu: Works on school bullies, less so on demons.
Tends to vary a lot for no apparent reason. In one episode she's easily beating giant mooks including one who easily floored Jackie and suddenly she's easily restrained by Finn, Chow or Ratso.
Jackie's uncle and Jade's great-uncle. Runs an antique shop that is more of a homebase for the heroes than the high tech government agency. He's actually the cousin of (one of) her parents...they think.
Deconstructed in a Season 4 episode, when he was overly demanding and rude to Tohru (even more than usual), which caused Tohru to get mad at him, resulting in both not wanting to trade a word with each other. Later, when Tohru gets captured thanks to this, he realized how much of a jerk he was.
Badass Grandpa: Played with. Too old to fight like he used to, but now he has magic.
Badass Normal: Yes, he has magic but his blowfish is more or less a magic gun and the other spells can be done by anyone, even Jade, who has no idea what she's doing.
Catch Phrase: "One more thing", "Yu Mo Gwai Gui Fai Di Zao - Evil demons and malevolent spirits, be gone!", "Magic must defeat magic!", "[X] is not important!", "You want a piece of Uncle?" and "You want Uncle to do X? Yes/No? Then let uncle work in peace!"
Pressure Point: If it's not a chi spell or kick, it's this.
Old Master: Who taught Jackie his martial arts and Tohru his magic?
Running Gag: Hitting Jackie in the head with a two-fingered strike every time he does or says something wrong. He did this also to Captain Black, Tohru, Jackie's Dark Side, Daolon Wong, Hsi Wu, Super Moose, and, at least twice, himself.
Sitcom Arch Nemesis: He has it with Kai Ching, Tohru's mother and Ms. Kimber.
The Smart Guy: When something magical happens, he's the only one with any idea what's going on.
Heel Face Turn: "I was told Section 13 served doughnuts on Tuesdays". Yes, Valmont made him fight a fully empowered Shendu with his bare hands, but we know it was really the dougnuts.
Beware the Nice Ones: Normally when the Tiger Talisman splits a person into good and evil twins, the good side is usually a sickeningly good wimp who is too scared to fight. In his case, though... it's just him. As he normally is. And still a Badass.
Big Good: So good, that after accidentally wearing an Oni mask, he is completely uncorrupted by it until Tarakudo tricks him into releasing Shadowkhan.
Butt Monkey: Only Jackie and the Enforcers can top him here.
Contagious Cassandra Truth: After witnessing demons and magic first hand, he tries to report it to his superiors, but they decide he's gone crazy. He has to take Rorschach tests where he thinks all the images are demons!
Overshadowed by Awesome: He's the badass leader to a secret agency equipped with state of the art weapons and scientific equipment. But compared to Jackie, his family, the J-Team and the supernatural villains, he just can't compare.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Understandably skeptical of supernatural, until he gets proof at the end of the first season.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Despite Uncle's constant saying of 'magic must defeat magic', Black continues to send guns and military weapons after supernatural beings, much to the former's dismay.
Uncle: All these years, Black has learned nothing. Magic must defeat magic.
Superpowered Evil Side: When he ends up wearing an Oni mask, then after Jade splits him into good and evil halves, the evil half getting the mask.
El Toro Fuerte
He sleeps in it.
This is no costume, Captain Black. This is a way of life.
A Mexican wrestler that Jackie meets on his search for the talismans. He becomes a friend who occasionally helps the Chans on their missions.
Badass Normal: Subverted then played straight. He's introduced with the The Ox Talisman but never uses it after his first episode.
El Toro’s self-proclaimed “biggest fan,” who apparently is apprenticed under his idol. If El Toro is near, expect him to not be far behind.
Characterization Marches On: Was more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold in earlier episodes, but becomes more passive and childish in later episodes - possibly because of fan reaction to his earlier personality.
Legacy Character: Looking to become a luchador like El Fuerte. He's even got a miniature version of his costume in season 4.
The Load: Plays this role somewhat in the Chupacabra episode, but this is absent in all of his subsequent appearances. Became a case of Never Live It Down to the fanbase.
My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad: While it's an uncle and a personal hero involved, the argument plays out the same. Repeatedly. "Jackie!" "El Toro!" "Jackie!" "El Toro!"
A(n ex-)thief that Jackie gets caught up with in the search for the snake Talisman. Hilarity Ensues. From the second season on, she drops in from time to time to help the Chans.
I am the keeper of the talismans. I am the apocalypse of which legend speaks. And I am, for once and for all, your executioner.
The fire demon and main villain of seasons 1 and 2, though he pops up sporadically throughout the show. Pre-series he was sealed into a stone statue and his talismans were scattered. Finding them is the focus of seasons 1 and 3.
And I Must Scream: Being trapped as a sentient statue for 900 years can take its toll.
All Your Powers Combined: The combined powers of the Talismans were really his powers separated from his body. With them, he can change from his statue form to his true form.
The statue form can be escaped with a single talisman (the rat, who grants "motion to the motionless"). The rest give him power but the rat is what gives him life.
Breath Weapon: Even when locked away in statue form or possessing Valmont, Shendu was capable of breathing a torrent of flames.
Butt Monkey: Abused by his siblings for not trying to free them.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Valmont, Dalong, etc. Anyone he works with he eventually betrays. The sole exception was his efforts to free his demon brethern, and thats largely because he was too terrified of them after the last time he betrayed them.
Demonic Possession: One of his more used powers when he doesn't have his body.
Hijacked by Ganon: Daolon Wong resurrected Shendu in season 3 so he can get the dragon talisman. Did not work out well for Wong.
Mundane Solution: Tries to kill Uncle and Section 13 to interrupt their incantation. It doesn't work.
Not Quite Dead: Killed by Jade in the end of season 1, but returns as a spirit in season 2 possessing Valmont. He gets revived in season 3, but ended up turned into a statue again.
Smug Snake: Especially in season 2, where nothing goes the way he wants it to, he is constantly harrased by his terrifying siblings, and is constantly arguing with Valmont whose body he has to share (to the point Valmont manages to knock him out- he was actually trying to kill him and risked his life to do it, just because he was sick of him). In season 3 he gets his Talisman powers back only to be immediately resealed, and after that is stuck as a prisoner of Section 13 until the finale.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Shendu betrays Valmont and the Enforcers after getting all his talismans because he reasons that Dark Jackie was the one who brought them to him, not Valmont and the Enforcers. In season 2, he sends Finn, Ratso, and Chow out since they no longer needed to carry the Pan'Ku Box. Later, he tries to do this to Hak Foo, but Valmont doesn't want to be alone with him. He even lampshades it with Daolon Wong after backstabbing him.
"I may be a noble dragon, but I'm also a Demon Sorceror. And not known for keeping promises."
Valmont
This suit costs more than your life.
Jackie Chan. Finally, we meet. It was nice knowing you.
The crime boss of the crime syndicate, the Dark Hand. He is also the main villain in seasons 1 and 2.
Badass Normal: Used Dragon on one occassion but otherwise he's bare handed in fights.
Crazy-Prepared: Had a homing becon for a false tooth that would cause his cane to levitate to his position, said cane holding an electrically charged dagger.
Deceptive Disciple: To some monks in another power play to get back on top.
Demonic Possession: By Shendu. It's not full-out possession as Du was aiming for Jackie, resulting in Valmont and Shen-Dy constantly bickering and fighting for control, as thanks to a spell Du was unable to leave until his siblings released him.
Demoted to Extra: From the third season onward. In season five, his only appearances are two brief, non-speaking cameos.
Diabolical Mastermind: He's the one running the Dark Hand, and the driving force behind the first season.
Kansas City Shuffle: After Shendu betrays him, Valmont plans to use him as a diversion for Jackie while he steals his treasure. Another one is after Shendu is killed by Jade, therefore losing his palace and treasure, Valmont has managed to get all of the talismans for his crimes.
The Other Darrin: Voiced by Julian Sands in the first two seasons and by Andrew Ableson in the rest.
One big happy family. From the top-left corner going clockwise: Dai Gui, Tchang Zu, Xiao Fung, Bai Tza, Tso Lan. In the center Po Kong (left) Hsi Wu(right).
Shendu's brothers and sisters. They hate Shendu's guts because he didn't try to free them.
Even Evil Has Standards: Played with. Shendu asks they give him another chance by using the Book of Ages to escape from the Netherworld. They're initially against it, since they seem to fear the book's reality warping powers, but agree to let Shendu use it since they realize their situation is rather desperate.
Large and in Charge: All of them except Hsi Wu, who is still taller than most humans. The rest are about as big or bigger than Shen Du, and all of them make it very, very clear that they are his bosses, since he lost any equality privileges when he left them to rot in their prison. Inverted with Po Kong, ironically, who is so lazy she is the least bossy demon despite being the largest by far.
The Bad Guy Wins: The episode which introduced both Eggbert (the noble rooster) and Mordecai (the noble pig) ended with him getting away with both talisman powers!
Black Magic: You don't see Uncle enslaving people to be his minions
Butt Monkey: Almost every episode he's in usually ends up with him getting injured and he's the only big bad who gets thrown in prison and loses his powers Drago did get thrown in Section 13's prison at the end of his debut episode and near the series finale, he loses his fire demon chi, but unlike Wong, Drago actually managed to escape Section 13 in the season 5 premiere and gain back his fire demon chi along with the other 7 powers in the penultimate episode. If being defeated on a regular basis wasn't bad enough, some of his defeats may have an added twist. When he immobolized Jade and attempted to transfer the talisman powers she accidentally absorbed, Wong ends up absorbing his own spell and immobolizes himself. When he makes Jackie, Jade, and Tohru mute, deaf, and blind respectively, the episode ends with everyone turning back to normal but he is afflicted with all 3 disablities. In season 4, Tarakudo decides to break the Dark Hand out of prison, but not Dalong Wong. Captain Black even treats this as good news to help Uncle calm down. Even when he escapes prison, it was due to good behavior. His last appearance is being stuck in the past where Jackie tricks the past Dark Hand into taking Dalong Wong prisoner for interrogation and keep in mind that Wong has lost his powers and at this point in time, the Dark Hand has plenty of resoruces including advanced technology weapons.
The main villain of season 4. He is the king of Shadowkhan and lord of all Oni. He has nine generals trapped in masks. Once they find a wearer, they can control their own types of Shadowkhan.
Affably Evil: The least strict boss to the Enforcers.
Butt Monkey: Despite being the most powerful of Oni Generals and being the sole named Demon General, Ikazuki is often at the butt of all jokes. First by being revived without a body, then by literally being at Finn's butt for his debut episode, and finally being "creamed" between Viper and El Toro's bodyslam.
Casting a Shadow: Summoning the Shadowkhan and spreading darkness are the main powers of the Oni generals.
Deadpan Snarker: This is one of Tarakudo's most defining traits.
Demonic Possession: When an oni mask is placed on the face of the user, they are still conscious of their actions, but are greatly influenced by the mask, though eventually it will completely take over. Finn wasn't affected because the rat talisman awakened Ikazuki who was accidentally placed on his butt.
Body Snatcher: Once the mask's host uses their Shadowkhan, they begin to have equal control of the users body, whether the user (namely Captain Black, Finn, Paco, Jade and Valmont) want them to or not.
The Dreaded: Ikazuki again, who is feared as Tarakudo's most fearsome general. Played for laughs as he ends up the Butt Monkey in all appearances- in his first, literally.
Intangible Floating Demon Head: Tarakudo. Makes him a very difficult enemy to fight, but also forces him to rely heavily on his minions. He still seems to prefer it to having a real body, though, since the only way he would get that is if someone found the mask that can seal him away.
Heart Is an Awesome Power: The 'minikan' that one of the generals can summon. They're not demonic ninja like the others so they can't beat up enemies in a straight forward manner. However, they can eat the shadows of humans which not only makes them stronger but incapcitates the victim. As Tarakudo says, one has to make use of their particular strengths.
Living Shadow: The Shadowkhan, Elite Mooks who literally come out of the shadows. They have been around since season 1 but their role and backstory are expanded to be revealed as Tarakudo's private army, and come in eight additional varieties.
Mark of the Beast: If anyone has his mark will have demonic powers and become evil.
Sealed Evil In A Mask: All of the Oni generals, and Tarakudo's ultimate fate. By extension, the Shadowkhan, control of which are the main reason the human villains want the mask in the first place.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: In this trope, Tarakudo is a blue oni and Ikazuki is a red one, which is ironic because, in literal terms, Tarakudo and Ikazuki faces are red and blue respectively.
Person of Mass Destruction: Once all nine demon generals are released, they collectively possess enough power to eventually cover the entire world in darkness. Presumably, if Tarakudo were not a floating head, he could do this all by himself.
Summon Magic: Each Oni general commands a tribe of Shadowkhan and, as per usual, can summon them at will. Shen-Du commanded a tribe of Shadowkahn because he magially manipulated one of their masks.
Weaksauce Weakness: Onions are basically kryptonite to the oni. Even the nigh invincible Tarakudo will retreat if faced with the vegatable. This only applies to the oni themselves, however. A human/oni hybrid wearing a mask is completely immune.
Surprisingly, onions are not the final ingredient to defeat him for good. His true weakness is the significantly rarer hair of a samurai.
Oni-ons, hehe.
Xanatos Gambit: The Oni generals are released whenever all nine masks are assembled in one place. Since Tarakudo is the only one that knows this, whether he gets all the masks, or the J-Team does, he still wins.
The Shadowkhan
Shen-Du's Elite Mooks in seasons 1 and 2, barring a temporary lapse when a demonically possessed Jade seized control of them. Later revealed to originally serve Tarakudo, and to actually come in nine different forms, or "Tribes", of which Shen-Du's Ninjas were only one.
The Corruption: To anyone who summons them who isn't already evil, and sometimes even then. Notably its the summoning that starts it, not the Oni masks, as the corrupting only sets in once they are called upon, not to mention when Jade had her Tarakudo tattoo. Though more noble-minded people can resist for a time, the oni's influence will dominate the host eventually.
Giant Mook: The Sumo Khan and, eventually, the Leech Khan.
Eldritch Abomination: The Squid Khan, who are the only Shadowkhan whose face we see, which turns out to be a hideous demonic-looking Cthulian monster. Presumably, all Shadowkhan are equally as horrifying underneath.
Half the Man He Used to Be: Valmont and Jade each end up wearing half an Oni-mask, so when they summon their Crab-Khan they each end up getting the left and right halves of each mook.
Mook Carryover: Inverted. They are introduced as serving Shen-Du, but originally served Tarakudo, despite the latter not appearing until season 4. Played straight with Shadow-Jade and to a lesser extent with anyone who put on a mask, though in both cases the summoner became Brainwashed and Crazy. Daolon Wong tried to do this, but ended up freeing Tarakudo instead, though he had briefly controlled them in an earlier episode.
The main villain of season 5. He is Shendu's son, but decides that he's better off making a name for himself rather than be just a supporting player to his father.
Avenging the Villain: At first, but betrays his father to get the demon chis of his aunts and uncles.
Bad Boss: He treats all his subordinates like crap, blaming them whenever something goes wrong (even if it's Drago's fault) but never showing any kind of praise when they do succeed at anything.
All that world domination stuff just doesn't pay the rent.
Shendu and Valmont's henchmen. It consists of Finn, Ratso, Chow, and Hak Foo. Tohru starts as an Enforcer but he has a Heel Face Turn in the end of season 1, making Hak Foo replace him. Later, in season 3, they work for Daolon Wong and Tarakudo in season 4. But in season 5, when Drago employs them, he turns them down after they fail him once.
Redemption Promotion: Ratso, Finn and Chow tried to be good a couple times, with decent results. It never lasts because their greed gets the better of them, at least until the Grand Finale anyway.
Superpowered Mooks: As Dark Chi warriors under Daolong, they gained enhaced physical abilites and magical weapons, and during their brief time serving Drago they gained fire powers.
Also when they wore their oni masks as Chow managed to lift Tohru with one hand and toss him aside easily.
Talking to Himself: Chow who is voiced by James Sie, who also voices Jackie and Shendu.
Too Dumb to Live: though they do have some smart moments, they have had at least a few of these moments, like when a spell gone wrong had made Jade as tall as an office building, they ran and attacked her, but she promptly steps on them (they were dark chi warriors at the time though, which may have been why they didn't think it through), Valmont saying he couldn't believe they didn't see that coming.
Drago's henchmen. It consists of Strikemaster Ice, DJ Fist and MC Cobra. Originally a pizza boy, Ice joined a monastery where he learned martial arts and met his boys Fist and Cobra. After they were kicked out of the monastery for bad behavior, the Ice Gang sought revenge but were stopped by Jackie and the Enforcers. They were later recruited by Drago and changed them into his dragon henchmen.
Genius Bruiser: Cobra and Fist managed to build a submarine out of broken cars in their junkyard hideout. It's possible that they built the monster trucks and tasers used to kidnap Jackie, Uncle, and Captain Black in the second to last episode.
Ironic Nickname: Strikemaster Ice is given the ability to breathe fire.
Monkey King is a trickster monkey. He is released whenever someone pulls his puppet form's leg, the luckless victim becoming a puppet in his place, only to be restored if he pulls their leg, which he isn't likely to do of his own free will. He might seem like an irritating prankster at first glance, but he takes a very dim view of anyone trying to spoil his fun...
Puppet Permutation: Is a wooden dummy, but changes into a live being when someone pulls his leg. The person who pulls his leg turns into a dummy themselves.
Sublime Rhyme: The instructions for switching places with a person in terms of living-puppet.
To free me of glitches and put you in stitches, this merry ape begs: Pull my leg.
They Stole Our Act: He just couldn't stand other people showing off better than him in talents.
Tohru's mother
Tohru's mother. She only appears in a handful of episodes but leaves quite an impact. She shows the Chans a new side of Tohru and becomes Uncle's arch rival.
