Tropes G to Z / Kung Fu Panda 3

Kung Fu Panda 3 Trope Examples
A - F | G - Z

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Tropes G to L

Gasp!: A mass one by Ping's customers at seeing Po and Li Shan together.
Going to Give It More Energy: After giving Kai a Curb-Stomp Battle, Po sends a wave of his chi into him. Kai's excitement at the amount of power turns to panic when he realizes it's too much for him to handle.
Golden Super Mode: When Po's fathers, Tigress, and the rest of the Panda village transfer their chi to Po, he gains a new outfit with a lot of gold and golden Animal Battle Aura in the shape of a Chinese dragon. He also becomes strong enough to overwhelm and defeat Kai.
Good Is Not Soft:
- Mr. Ping and Li Shan land several blows against jombified Shifu because the latter is chasing Po and Po will not hurt his teacher, even when Brainwashed and Crazy.
- Po destroys Kai's soul, but given the sheer evil he's committed and that he's already come back once, it was both no less than what Kai deserved and probably the only way to stop him for good. Bonus points for doing it by giving Kai exactly what he wanted.
Grand Finale: For now, the film serves as the finale of the film trilogy. Though it does not serve as the overall Grand Finale of the franchise with it receiving a Sequel Series in Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny. Ultimately subverted with the announcement of a fourth film.
Green-Eyed Monster:
- No, no, no, not the jade creatures. Upon learning Po has mastered his chi, Shifu lets out an annoyed "Of course you did...", before humbling himself to ask Po if he can teach him.
- Also, Kai is both a metaphorical and literal example.
Groin Attack:
- Po, while taking a bath, mistakes a very strong spice for bath salts, spraying it all over his groin.
  Po: My Tenders!
- It happens again during the sequence when Po trains the mountain pandas, the little old lady aiming below the plank he's holding.
HA HA HA—No: When Po attempts the Wuxi Finger Hold on Kai, he pretends to be defeated by Po, only to reveal that it was a No-Sell gesture:
Po: [about to apply the Wuxi Finger Hold to Kai] Sorry buddy, gotta send you back to the Spirit Realm. Skadoosh!
[The Wuxi Finger Hold doesn't work]
Po: Okay, that didn't work, let me try one more time. Skadoosh! Skadoosh, Skadoosh... What the...?
Kai: [pretending to be surprised] Hold on, wait! It's working! No! Noo! [Kai makes choking gestures] Ha ha ha, no it's not. Did Oogway teach you that little trick? Too bad: it only works on mortals, and I am a Spirit Warrior.
Hard Work Hardly Works: Also counts as a Continuity Nod to KFP2. Once again, Po masters a skill by the end of the film that he was told about by Shifu at the beginning and where Shifu goes to the length of explaining how it takes many, many years of training in a lonely cave to master it. Shifu's exasperation is evident when Po tells him he got his new staff from Master Oogway after defeating Kai in the Spirit Realm. He does soften however when Po promises to teach him. The movie reveals in the end that it is a lot easier than Shifu thought, since the pandas figure it out by accident^note and Po teaches the entire Valley of Peace to channel their C'hi in apparently less than a week.
Heroic Sacrifice:
- Invoked. Po performs the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself while holding onto Kai to send them both to the Spirit Realm. Po later tells Oogway that he had no idea that he'd be able to return.
- Shifu might also count since he conciously makes Kai focus entirely on him so Tigress can get away and save Po, leading to him being jombie-fied.
Hidden Elf Village: A Hidden Panda Village.
Hong Kong Dub: Averted. Because this particular movie is being co-made by Oriental DreamWorks in China, the animators made two different versions; one where the characters move their mouths after the original English dub, and another where they move their mouths after the Chinese dub. This is the first time something like this has ever been done with an animated feature.
Hope Spot: Po's plan to defeat Kai goes off without a hitch... but it turns out the Wuxi Finger Hold doesn't work on Kai because he's a spirit.
Human Snowball: Well, Panda Snowball in this case... Demonstrating that he learned to roll like a true panda, Po rolls downs a snowy slope straight toward Kai, turning in a huge snowball in the process before smashing into the villain.
"I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Done briefly by Monkey when he tries to wake a jombified Mantis, though it's really Played for Laughs.
Monkey: Mantis, it is me! Your BESTIE!!! [jombie Mantis proceeds to beat him up]
I Resemble That Remark!: Gets Played for Laughs at the beginning of the movie.
Po: [to Shifu] Me, Teach? I mean, why not Tigress? She's always telling everyone what to do!
Tigress: [deadpan and not amused] Be quiet, Po.
Po: See what I mean?
Insistent Terminology: Po has to remind Mr. Ping he's not playing with dolls, they're action figures.
I Shall Taunt You: Po starts his offense on Kai by making fun of his "chit-chat" and interrupting him. This distracts Kai long enough for the panda village to launch their first ambush.
Juggle Fu: Tigress has to fight a Jade Zombie while protecting Lei Lei, a young panda girl, tossing her several times in the air to freely perform some kung fu move, before catching her back unharmed.
Ki Manipulation: Or rather, chi, using the Chinese pronunciation. The next lesson Shifu tasks Po to learn, and it serves a big role in the film.
Last-Second Word Swap:
- When Po is meeting the other pandas, he sees Hom-Lee, pauses at the sight of his crooked teeth, and says "You're like me, but... with a hat!"
- When Lei Lei asks Po if she can keep the Tigress figure, Po starts saying "Nooo..." until he sees that she's about to cry and finishes with "...problem! Yeah, of course, that's why I brought her... take good care of her...?"
Liar Revealed: Turns out that Li doesn't know how to master chi; he only told Po he did and that he had to come to the Panda Village to learn it because he didn't want to lose his son again and was afraid (rightfully so) that Kai would kill him. Unsurprisingly this leads to a Third-Act Misunderstanding for a bit, until Ping reaches out to Li and, united in their love for Po and desire to protect him, they go to him and offer themselves, and the whole village, to train to be the army Po needs.
Lighter and Softer: Downplayed, while it still has dark moments such as the talk about Po's deceased mom and how dangerous Kai is. The jokes are more abundant compared to the Darker and Edgier second film.
Like Father, Like Son: Inverted, as Po's biological father is revealed to share a lot of his traits, such as being unable to climb a tall flight of stairs without nearly passing out and being comically oblivious, as neither he nor Po suspect they're related to each other at first despite all the evidence pointing to it. Li also appears to share Po's adoration for various kung fu relics, and the two enjoy playing with them like little kids, in addition to Po and Li Shan being big eaters. One of the crucial differences is that Li Shan starts off teaching Po skills of napping, eating, relaxation and rolling down hills that are impractical in the long run when Kai approaches the village, eventually redeeming himself when he offers to take a stand with the panda village, and Po is eager to be part of the action.
Logical Weakness: Po realizes that since Kai is synchronized with his Jombies, all he'll have to do is distract the Jombies (with the help of Ping, Tigress and the Panda villagers) in various ways, leaving Kai vulnerable for Po to get to him unopposed and use the Wuxi Finger Hold. It all worked, except for the bit about the Wuxi Finger Hold.
Logo Gag: The movie opens with Po running up a mountain staircase, and jumping onto the moon, telling the audience "Just start without me. I'll catch up" after exhausting himself, parodying the DreamWorks Animation logo of a boy fishing from the moon as he dangles his fishing line in the sky.
Lost Superweapon: Of a sort. The pandas used to be the only ones with the knowledge to fully master chi or use it for healing, but over the centuries it's become an ancient legend they don't know how to call upon any more, so that it ends up being something they all have to (re)learn, not just Po.

Tropes M to R

Match Cut: A brief one after Kai turns Crane into a jade amulet; the image of the former's face transgresses into the clouds and mountains of the next shot.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Oogway in this film is revealed to be have been over 500 years old. While tortoises in real life do live to an impressive age, they usually don't pass 200 years. It's not made clear if Oogway's longevity is a case of Artistic License – Biology or if it's actually a perk of being a spiritual master. Or if it's both.
Meaningful Name: Kai's name, as a warlord, is entirely appropriate given that it means "Victory".
Metronomic Man Mashing: Mantis turned into a Jade Zombie slams Monkey left and right on the ground.
Mirror Character:
- Mr. Ping after Li Shan admits he lied to pull Po out of danger goes to the latter with fresh dumplings, and admits he also lied because he wanted to make sure Po didn't leave him. He understands the need to be a Papa Wolf, and with Ping's jealousy appeased, their Bumbling Dad tendencies make them quite like minded.
- Within the quirky Panda Village, Po and Tigress' roles are practically reversed from what they often are in the Jade Palace, with Po's eccentricities making him an efficient leader and Tigress reduced to a bewildered Fish out of Water.
Mooning: In one trailer, Po shows off "backwards Kung Fu", then ends it with "a respectful backwards bow" — in other words, mooning the viewer.
Mundane Made Awesome: Po and the Five go racing down from the Jade Palace in an epic, extended action sequence at the start of the movie... only to be going to Ping's for lunch. Lampshaded by Mantis when they go back to the palace: "Do we have to strike a pose every time we land?"
My Name Is Inigo Montoya:
- Played for laughs when Kai returns to the Valley of Peace, only to find that nobody recognizes who he is:
  Kai: Kai has returned!
  Rabbit Villager & Goose Farmer: Who?
  Kai: Kai. General Kai. Supreme Warlord of all China!
  Goose Farmer: I dunno.
  Kai: The Jade Slayer. Master of Pain. You may know me as the Beast of Vengeance. Uh... Maker of Widows?
  Goose Farmer: Huh?
  Kai: [frustrated] Okay, I used to work with Oogway?
  Rabbit Villager & Goose Farmer: Oh, Master Oogway!
  Goose Farmer: He was a great warrior!
  Rabbit Villager: We've heard of Master Oogway, he's a...
  Kai: Okay, okay, enough. Silence!
- Inverted when Kai meets Po at the panda village:
  Po: [seeing Kai's entry] Whoa! That's what I call a dramatic entrance!
  Kai: Ha ha! You must be the Dragon Warrior!
  Po: And you must be Kai, Beast of Vengeance, Maker of Widows!
  Kai: [sarcastically impressed] Yes! Finally! Thank you! Almost makes me want to spare your life!
  Po: Oh, you want to spare me? How about you spare me the chit-chat!
- Reconstructed when Po receives a supernatural chi transfusion from the panda village, including Tigress and Mr. Ping, before he starts the final battle with Kai:
  Kai: Who are you?
  Po: I've been asking the same question: Am I the son of a panda? The son of a goose? A student? A teacher? Turns out... I'm all of them. [the chi surrounding Po takes the form of a dragon] I am the Dragon Warrior. Get it? You see the giant dragon? Get ready to feel the thunder!
My Master, Right or Wrong: Played for Laughs during Po's first attempt at training the Five. He tries his best to call out various battle techniques for them to perform to which they all obey, even as they figure they're about to get hurt doing so. They don't hold back with complains after it, though.
Mystical Jade: Kai stole the chi of many kung-fu masters, both living and dead, and turned them into his enslaved thrall made of jade, nicknamed "Jombies". He also wields two blades of jade at the end of a very long chain.
Near-Villain Victory: Kai gets this twice. First is when he reveals to Po that the Wuxi Finger Hold doesn't work on him, followed by him overpowering Po and leaving him unable to defend the pandas, his fathers and Tigress. After Po has managed to drag them both to the spirit realm anyhow (through the technique of Taking You with Me), Kai proceeds to turn Po into a jombie, something he nearly succeeds with as well until Po's friends and family learns how to use chi to save him.
Never Trust a Trailer: One of the US trailers has Tigress telling Po that he needs to teach the pandas to fight. In the film, she's actually asking Po if he's learned to master chi, and the subject of training the pandas doesn't come up until Li Shan suggests it. The same trailer also has Tigress state that Kai attacked the Valley of Peace and that it's "all gone". In the film, he's only shown attacking the Jade Palace; it's unknown if he did any damage to the Valley below.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Subverted. While Po is upset that Li lied to him to make him come to the village and to get away from Kai, Li does point out that Kai would have defeated Po as well as Shifu and the other members of the Furious Five. Bringing Po to the village buys everyone time to mount a defense, and to defeat Kai.
Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Inverted; Po learns that all of his weaknesses in the previous films — unable to climb stairs, Big Eater — are normal for all pandas. He's delighted on learning how well he fits in during the village, and that his weaknesses weren't weaknesses at all but character traits.
No-Sell: The Wuxi Finger Hold doesn't work on Kai because it only works on mortals. Po finds a way to make it work on him indirectly.
Not a Morning Person: Li explains groggily to Po that all pandas sleep in until noon.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Tigress racing all the way to the panda village while injured. And then Tigress recovering to help train the villagers.
Oh, Crap!:
- Crane has a rather priceless expression upon meeting Kai.
- The Wuxi Fingerhold only works on mortals.
- Kai has one when he realizes he can't control the chi Po just flooded him with, resulting in him being obliterated.
"Oh, Crap!" Fakeout: Kai's reaction to Po attempt to use the Wuxi Fingerhold on him.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Oogway's scroll describing Kai is much more serious and straightforward than his normal laid back way of doing things, even outright saying if Kai ever came back, only a master of Chi was capable of stopping him. Not only does this show how dangerous he is, it shows that Oogway was likely torn up seeing his old friend turn into a selfish psychopathic monster.
- Oogway's reaction to Kai, complete with a Little "No", is the only time in the series where he is shown to have an Oh, Crap! reaction rather than a detached bemusement or stoic deadpan.
Open the Iris:
- Po when witnessing the full capability of Flying Rhino's battle armor.
- Also every single panda baby when food is close.
Our Zombies Are Different: Kai has the ability to drain the chi of kung fu masters and summon jade statues of them to do his bidding, including masters who've been dead for more than a century. Tigress even refers to the creatures as "jade zombies", which Po and Monkey then nickname "jombies".
Out of Focus: Since the plot places more emphasis on Li Shan and the panda villagers, the Furious Five become less prominent here than they were in the two previous films, particularly because Kai turns all of them except Tigress into his puppets for most of the movie.
Papa Wolf:
- Mr. Ping, while scared that Po is going to leave him for Li Shan, keeps questioning the strange panda that has appeared and smuggles himself in the lunch he packed for Po to go to the village and make sure his son is safe.
- In the climax Mr. Ping and Li Shan team up against the jombies, donning armor and alternating attacks, to protect Po from a jombified Shifu.
Passing the Torch:
- Shifu tells Po that he wants him to be the next teacher of the Furious Five.
- Oogway passes his staff to Po, appointing him the new Leader of all of Kung Fu.
Planning with Props: Po learns this doesn't work when a) your audience includes baby pandas and b) your props are edible.
Quizzical Tilt: After Kai declares thunderously "I HAVE RETURNED", the two previously scared egg-less farmers tilt their heads and ask, confused, "Who?!"
Plucky Comic Relief: Reconstructed. Tigress, who is usually The Comically Serious at best, ends up a Fish out of Water in the goofy Panda Village. The screentime focused on Po training the pandas to be warriors is peppered with humorous scenes of Tigress dealing with Lei-Lei.
Rain of Arrows: In the flashback narrated by Shifu and describing Master Oogway's past with Kai, a rain of arrow is depicted as it is mentioned they fell to an ambush, implying it was what wounded Oogway.
Really 700 Years Old:
- Oogway is revealed to be over 500, and with Po being appointed his successor, he will probably have a similarly long life.
- Po may in fact be immortal, now that he has effectively slain himself and come back from the Spirit World in a manner similar to what Kai did, though Po was able to return due to not being sealed away.
Recycled Trailer Music: The first trailer uses the Madagascar theme.
Remake Cameo: In an interesting case, Fred Tatasciore and Mick Wingert , who voiced Shifu and Po on Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness , voice minor characters here.
Retcon:
- At the end of Kung Fu Panda 2, we see Po's kind in their hidden village portrayed as rice growers. This film completely cuts all that out and portrays it as a village with no noticeable agricultural source. Of course, there is a chance that the rice field still exists somewhere close to the village and we just don't see it in this film due to the season being winter in the mountains.
- Li Shan's portrayal at the end of the second film also suggested he was some form of spiritual leader, with Po's flashback implying he had some combat knowledge as he knocked away the Wolf Boss with a hammer — in this film, he turns out to be just a regular guy with no training of any kind.
The Reveal:
- The Wuxi Finger Hold was left as a mystery in the first film, with not much more details than it results in No Body Left Behind, gives off a lot of energy and fog, and the "hardest part of it is cleaning up afterwards". In this film, it shows that by touching the finger to someone, they are forced to go to the Spirit World, leaving behind a yin-yang symbol composed of flower petals. Of course, it is also shown to only work on Mortals, not spirits.
- While in the spirit realm, Oogway reveals to Po that he was the one telling Li Shan that Po was alive.
Reverse Arm-Fold: Po strikes this pose while overseeing the pandas' training; fitting for a martial artist / drill sergeant phase.
Po: [evil grin] They are ready.
Tigress: [incredulously] ...What?
Ridiculously Cute Critter: Lei Lei and the other toddler pandas.
Rule of Cool: Don't ask how Po is able to leap hundreds of feet into the sky or practically fly down to the Valley of the Peace from the Jade Palace above (and back again), just enjoy how awesome it is.
Rule of Drama: Despite the badass combatant Tigress is, she does nothing to help Po when witnessing him being defeated by Kai, but holds onto Lei Lei and gives him a heartbroken look instead. It likely served to show how hopeless even she considered the situation to be, along with emphasizing her Big Sister Instinct with Lei Lei.
Rule of Funny:
- Pandas have barely visible "private parts", yet Po still feels the need to cover himself when getting out of his bath (even as he's also covered in bubbles).
- The opening sequence with Po and the Five shows Po apparently having no issue travelling up and down the steps to the Jade Palace anymore (see Rule of Cool above), yet when he climbs the steps with Li Shan a while later, he's as exhausted as ever (though he notably does recover faster than before).
Running Gag:
- Grandma Panda getting hit on the head repeatedly with flying objects.
- Kai frustrated that no-one remembers him, or knows who the heck he was.

Tropes S to Z

Scenery Porn: From what can be seen of early footage of the hidden panda village, it is sure to be filled with this. The Chinese trailer also shows a clip of Po reuniting with Oogway in the spirit realm in what can only be described as an absolutely gorgeous piece of Chinese inspired dream-like setting. The final movie more than lives up to these trailers, as well as adding in the gorgeous landscape during the journey to the village and any time spiritual fighting occurs, most notably Oogway versus Kai at the start of the movie, and Po versus Kai after he used the Wuxi Finger Hold.
Secret Test of Character: Shifu reveals why he gave Po the teaching assignment after the disaster in the Jade Palace. Shifu goes on to tell Po that being the Dragon Warrior is more than just punching and kicking; the incredible power of chi awaits him.
Po: I don't know why you ever thought I could teach that class!
Shifu: Oh, I knew you couldn't.
Po: What? You set me up to fail? Why?
Shifu: If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are now.
Po: [whines] I don't want to be more! I like who I am.
Shifu: You don't even know who you are.
'Po: What do you— Of course I do: I'm the Dragon Warrior.
Shifu: And what exactly does that mean, Dragon Warrior?
Series Continuity Error:
- This movie retcons the events of the episode "Enter the Dragon" from Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness where Po already mastered chi to fight the episode's main antagonist, while he doesn't know what chi is in this movie. Additionally, the episode states that the universe granted Oogway the ability to master his chi, while this movie states he learned it from the pandas, and the series is supposed to be set before the events of this movie. However, this would support many fans' belief that the TV series are non-canon to the films.
- In the 2015 prequel short "Secrets of the Scroll", Po's figures of the Furious Five ends up being accidentally given away to a rabbit child, yet Po still has them in this film. Either Po leaving the figures with the child took place after this film, or he made new ones.^note
Ship Tease: Certain moments between various characters.
- When Po is playing with his action figures in the bath tub, he briefly uses Tigress' action figure as a fangirl swooning about how handsome he is.
- While it doesn't develop into anything, Po still has a hilarious reaction upon meeting Mei Mei, clearly being self-conscious about meeting a female panda his age.
- Hilariously enough the Dance Party Ending shows a possible Last-Minute Hookup between Mei Mei and Hom-Lee, the panda with the crooked grin whose smile gets straightened out when hit by nunchucks.
Shout-Out:
- One British commercial parodied the famous "Sneezing panda" clip with Li Shan being surprised at a toddler panda sneezing.
- The "A Father Rises" clip is a direct Shout-Out to Star Wars.
- "Chitty chitty chat chat" is a reference to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Shown Their Work: The village pandas' behaviour is influenced by a trip the creators took to a panda reserve, where they observed how said animals are big eaters, heavy sleepers and, yes, fond of rolling around.
- Li Shan shows Po a baby picture he had painted on Po's 100th day. The 100th day is considered an important milestone for babies in China (a celebration of the fact that they've survived that long, and thus are more likely to keep surviving), and zoos wait 100 days to name any baby pandas in their care.
Skewed Priorities: When Tigress appears in the Panda Village to tell Po that Kai has destroyed the Valley of Peace, Ping asks "Is my restaurant okay?" and all the pandas give him a look.
Slap-Slap-Kiss: Played with; at the end, when Mei Mei's nunchucks hit Hom-Lee and straightens out his smile, then she says hello to him while holding a hand fan in front of her face.
So Last Season: Subverted. While the Wuxi Finger Hold can't affect Kai directly, Po finds out a way to hit him with it indirectly.
So Proud of You: Downplayed; the look and bow Shifu offers Po at the end when witnessing how successful a kung fu teacher he's become all but shouts this.
Shifu: The student has truly become the tea... [looks at Po's staff] Wait. Where did you get that?
Po: Oh, this. Oogway gave it to me in the spirit realm.
Shifu: Oh, of course he did.
Po: I think I mastered Chi.
Shifu: [sighs] Oh, of course you did. Can you teach me?
Sorting Algorithm of Evil: The villain of this movie, Kai, far eclipses Tai Lung and Shen in power.
Squee: We know Po always squees at basically everything dealiing with kung fu, but when his dad puts on Master Flying Rhino's armor and then pulled a string (upon which the armor sprouted additional spikes, great metal wings like a hussar and a little flag on top), Po squee'd so hard he wheezed, and as he hastily admits afterwards:
Po: I think I just peed a little.
Standard Snippet: When Li reveals just why the master was called Flying Rhino through a hidden capability of his armor, a stunned and fanboying Po can only stare at him in awe... while a snatch of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" plays.
Stranger in a Familiar Land: Po is taken to his father's new home after Shen's massacre of their previous home — a secret panda paradise — and has a hard time fitting in.
Suggestive Collision: During Po's "training" to roll like a panda, he collides into Mei Mei, they get entangled into her ribbon and he ends up on top of her. Not that she minds.
Mei Mei: Subtle, Po.
Supernatural Martial Arts: While the franchise is no stranger to this trope, particularly in Legends of Awesomeness, it's especially prominent here, where the Big Bad steals the chi of martial arts masters, including the Furious Five, resulting in them being turned into his evil minions. Not to mention the various incredible chi effects both in the Spirit World and the mortal world.
Surpassed the Teacher: Lampshaded by Shifu when Po returns to the panda village:
Shifu: The student has truly become the tea-- [Shifu sees Po's yin-yang staff] Wait, where did you get that?
Po: Oh, this. Oogway gave it to me in the spirit realm.
Shifu: Ohh, of course he did.
Po: I think I mastered chi.
Shifu: [sighs] Of course you did. [Beat] Can you teach me?
Swapped Roles:
- The normally bungling Po bonds with and competently weaponises his like-minded kin within the Panda Village, where Mr Ping and even Tigress, who usually function soundly in their usual routine, are such Fish out of Water that they end up playing comic relief.
- When Po is first deemed the Five's teacher, and they more or less end up reenacting his "Level Zero" workout from the first film due to his bad direction, while Po agonisingly watches the same way they did his. They even crawl on-frame by the same shot afterwards.
Taking You with Me: Po uses the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself while holding onto Kai to send them both to the Spirit Realm, after finding out it won't work on Kai directly (as Kai is already a spirit).
Tempting Fate: When Crane asks Shifu what the plan is, Mantis does a bit of premature boasting:
Crane: Master, what are we going to do?
Shifu: You are going to find out where Kai is. Follow the trail of those jade creatures, but do not engage, for with every foe he faces, Kai becomes stronger.
Crane: Why me? Is it because I asked?
Shifu: No, it is because you can fly. Go!
Mantis' Should have kept your beak shut! [he laughs]
Shifu: And take Mantis.
Mantis: Oh, man! Is it because I—
Shifu: Yes.
The Tape Knew You Would Say That: While Shifu reads Oogway's scroll of the days when he and Kai were warlords, Oogway's voiceover describes how the master was badly wounded and Kai journeyed for days to find him aid. When Oogway reveals that he ended up in a village of pandas, Po interrupts the narration to comment, "Whoa! Pandas?" Oogway's voiceover then resumes by saying, "Yes. Pandas."
Toilet Humor: When Po witnesses how Flying Rhino's full battle armor works, he reacts in complete awe and comments that he "just peed a little."
Trailers Always Spoil: The various trailers spoiled quite a lot such as Kai destroying the Jade Palace, Tigress traveling to the panda village, Po reuniting with Oogway, and the final battle taking place in the spirit realm.
Training the Peaceful Villagers: Po is forced to train the pandas in kung fu after Kai attacks the Valley of Peace.
Tranquil Fury: Po's reaction upon gaining his new powers in the Spirit Realm in order to defeat Kai for good.... only to then erupt in giggling elation from his giant Dragon gimmick.
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: When Po asks about his mother:
Li Shan: She was the total package: smart, beautiful... Tremendous appetite. [Po chuckles] She was the love of my life. And then, just when I thought I couldn't get any luckier, along you came, my Little Lotus. I really had it all... until that one moment, when I lost everything.
Un-person: Nobody remembers who Kai is because Oogway kept the records of him hidden away and never mentioned him to anybody. This greatly angers Kai when he returns, seeing that Oogway has destroyed his legacy.
The Unreveal:
- We never do find out how Li and the other pandas survived Lord Shen's attack.
- Could Oogway come back to life like Po did if he wanted to? He doesn't know; he never tried.
Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Preparing for his final battle with Kai, Po reasons that he needs to get close enough to Kai to employ the Wuxi Finger Hold. We then see a Training Montage where Po drills the other pandas not in kung fu but in skills they already possess (hugging, hacky-sack, ribbon dancing), then moving on to weaponizing those skills (hugging logs so hard they splinter, using fireworks instead of hacky-sacks and nunchucks instead of ribbons). Even amid the training, Po's plan is still not revealed; when he announces, "They are ready," Tigress is scratching her head. Finally, when Kai arrives with the jade-zombie army of martial arts masters, Po springs his plan and the other pandas succeed in holding their own against the jombies and distracting Kai enough for Po to get close enough for the Wuxi. Which does not work on Kai because he is no longer mortal. The parts of Po's plan that we don't fully know about in advance work flawlessly. The part he discusses in the beginning (the Wuxi Finger Hold) doesn't. At least not without some improvisation.
Villain Opening Scene: The movie opens in the Spirit Realm with the introduction of Kai, who defeats Master Oogway and absorbs his chi. The scene ends with Kai vowing to find the one Oogway claims is destined to defeat him (Po) before leaving through a portal to the mortal realm.
Villainous Breakdown: Kai loses it when Po manages to drag them back to the Spirit World. Not only is he clearly furious, nearly all the comedy in his character vanishes. Made all the more unsettling by the contrast with the humorous one he faked only a few minutes before when the Wuxi Finger Hold didn't work on him.
Kai: It took me 500 years to take Oogway's chi. I will have yours even if it takes me 500 MORE!
Vomit Discretion Shot: Po gets one after he and Li had too much fun spinning around on some shields in the Jade Palace. It happens again at the panda village after Po rolls down a mountainside too fast.
Wearing a Flag on Your Head: Played for Laughs; When Li pulls a string that triggers Master Flying Rhino’s armor to adjust properly onto his body, a tiny red flag pops out on top of the helmet.
Wham Line:
- "I'm Li Shan. I'm looking for my son." Then it gets played with as everyone present but Po and Li realizes what that implies.
- When Po finally catches Kai, he tries the Wuxi Finger Hold on him in order to stop him, but it does not work at all. Kai then drops this bombshell.
Kai: Hold on, wait. It's working. No. no! [chuckles] No, it's not. Did Oogway teach you that little trick? Too bad. It only works on mortals. And I am a spirit warrior.
- Followed by Po telling the Five: "RUN."
What Happened to the Mouse?: It's implied Kai has been creating dozens of jombies offscreen, but we only ever see a select few. When the jombies are all restored, the only ones to be actually seen are the ones we met when they were still alive.
What the Hell, Hero?: Po is furious at Li for lying to him about knowing how to master chi. However, they reconcile later on when Li wants to make things up to Po and offers himself and the rest of the village to be his army.
Where It All Began: The final scene of the film takes place in the Jade Palace Arena, the same place where Po was chosen by Oogway to be the Dragon Warrior in the first film.
Who Wants to Live Forever?: It's implied that Oogway could resurrect himself and return to the mortal realm like Po was able to, but due to living for over 500 years the turtle is completely content with staying in the Spirit Realm.
The Worf Effect: An offscreen one. A Freeze-Frame Bonus reveals that Kai has already found and defeated Tai Lung in the Spirit World by the time the movie begins.
World in the Sky: This is how the Spirit World is represented, with chunks of rocky landscape with a few ruins atop floating around in a weightless environment.
"Yes"/"No" Answer Interpretation: As Po and his father are departing for the panda village...
Viper: Do you really think Po can master chi?
Shifu: It doesn't matter what I think. It only matters what the universe think.
Mantis: So... that's a "no"?
You Can't Kill What's Already Dead: The Wuxi Finger Hold doesn't effect Kai because he's already dead and came back as an undead spirit, and it only works on mortals.

Kung Fu Panda 3 / Tropes G to Z

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