Lessons of Love
- Shifu's comment that the amount of silk Jian wants could "fit an entire Russian circus in there" is a reference to an Anya line in Anastasia.
- The entire monologue Shifu makes about paying for your own tofu to save money is a reference to a similar speech about cheese slices made by Vork of The Guild.
- Several of the quotes Mei Ling gives when she is Tigress's good-luck woman are near or direct quotes of those the title character gave to the matchmaker in Mulan ("Fulfill your duties calmly and respectfully...reflect before you snack—act! This shall bring you honor and glory.").
- Tai Lung's long series of double entendres about calligraphy is inspired by a Sex and the City episode, right down to when he substitutes using "every color ink" for "every color in the crayon box".
- A scene with Zhin where she punches Tai Lung in the gut and lays him low, as well as observations Monkey and Mantis make afterward, is similar to a scene with him and Mei Xing in Luna Goldsun's That's Why They Call It the Present, while a comment Po makes about a tiger who's an amazing chef and has an unbelievable new dessert is a reference to Jiao Dalang and his Tiger's Eye dumplings.
- The Tonkinese cat whom Tai Lung kisses, mistaking her for Tigress, is a reference to Yeying from Luna Goldsun's Memoirs of a Master (specifically about threatening to make the snow leopard cut his own switch).
- The line Tai Lung says to Tigress when they are exchanging wedding vows, "Because when I look at you, I see the kind of person I want to be," is a quote from a Scrubs episode.
The Tale of Po and Jia
- Almost the entirety of Tigress and Tai Lung spying on Po and Jia's date at Ping's noodle restaurant is a recreation of dialogue and actions from the scene at Mudka's Meat Hut in The Emperor's New Groove.
- Tai Lung's mention of a "Minister of Crawling Into Very Small Spaces" is a reference to a bit in the Star Wars novel Starfighters of Adumar.
- Po's line about kung fu being "a dance between warriors", Jia's opinion of men not wanting to learn fan-fighting, Tai Lung disparaging the need to use pirouettes in battle, and Dalang correcting the term cook to chef are all from That's Why They Call It the Present.
- Po calling Bejing a "City of Walls and Secrets" is a reference to Ba Sing Se of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
- Much of Li-Na's characterization and dialogue is drawn from that of Polgara the Sorceress (such as not watching her own tongue and feeding others boiled hay for dinner, for starters).
- The peacock feather on the warden's desk is by Word of God a reference to Shen.
- The wolf guardsman is a reference to one of minor antagonist Zang's men in Soaring Dragon, Dancing Phoenix, who had said he had met Po's father (a mutual Shout-Out on Luna Goldsun's part). Meanwhile, the bit where Tai Lung and Tigress's cubs are mentioned stalking Zeng is a reference to baby Shang doing the same thing.
- The reveal that Mantis isn't actually as knowledgeable on sexual matters as he lets on ("What's it like?") is a reference to the end of the Monty Python's Flying Circus "Nudge Nudge" sketch.
Lessons for the Future
- The entirety of Jiao Dalang's character, but also many references made to him and his family, is of course a giant loving Homage to That's Why They Call It the Present and its sequel, as is the constant ribbing about Tai Lung getting fat.
- Tai Lung's chef training with Dalang has more than a few similarities to both Hell's Kitchen and Worst Cooks in America.
- Just before Tai Lung leaves his house to go down to the village with the twins, Shifu has a heart-to-heart with his son...which leads to an exchange that apes one between Garry and Lloyd in Noises Off:Tai Lung: Beautifully put, Shifu.Shifu: Er, yes. I just felt I needed to...get that off my chest.Tai Lung: Of course.Shifu: Since you'd stopped anyway, and all...Tai Lung: Yes, Father, thank you, I'm deeply touched. Now would you get out of the bloody door?
- The reference to possible names for Tai Lung and Tigress's son, "fighter" and "mountain", meanwhile, are shout-outs to names Luna Goldsun gave the cub in question in her Taigress Mix as well as "Present" (Zhan Shi and Tai Shan, respectively).
- The entirety of Lin's appearance and character, complete with numerous quotes and Call Backs to events in the story, is a full Homage to Marie Goos' "Blue Plate Special"
. - Lin's reference to something being "better than springtime, better than sex" is a quote from Sister Act.
- Tai Lung and Ning Guo's shared joke regarding the opportunities availed by someone being "waist-height" on someone else is a reference to a Running Gag in The Very Secret Diaries.
- Tai Lung's Orgasmically Delicious reaction to the sweets in the candy store was inspired by Chocolat. Meanwhile, his furtive exchange with the store owner ("Do you have it? Everything I asked for?") is a reference to a SWAT Kats fic where Chance acted in similar fashion while obtaining a copy of the latest Harry Potter book.
- Tai Lung's memory of receiving The Art of War and requesting deadlier challenges in the training hall is a reference to Memoirs of a Master.
- The bit where Po gets Tai Lung and Tigress's cubs to go wash up for dinner by threatening to kiss Jia in front of them "and tell her how much I love her" apes a similar exchange from Pacha to his children in The Emperor's New Groove.
The Tale of the Trio: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
- The characters of Yan-Yan and Chen the jerboa are lifted from Marie Goos' fanfic "From Scratch", but much of their characterization is also taken from the interactions between Polgara and Beldin in The Belgariad.
- Jia and Mei's exchange regarding Tai Lung ("I just like to look at him!" "Me too!") is a quote from the second The Princess Diaries film.
- Crane and Mei's exchange regarding them not dressing up as concubines to get into Kang's compound is lifted from a similar conversation between Wes and Hobbie in Starfighters of Adumar.
- The infiltration of Kang's compound, complete with Crane being chosen by the sleazy crime lord to visit his bedchamber, is an extended Homage to Cloud crossdressing to get into Don Corneo's mansion in Final Fantasy VII.
The Tale of the Trio: A Pirate's Lot is Not a Happy One
- Once again, the entirety of Jiao Shang's character (sans Dragon's Rage) is a Homage to his appearances in That's Why They Call It the Present, as well as a number of details revealed about his past in Soaring Dragon, Dancing Phoenix.
- Long Shi's quote, "people begin to disobey you and then it's nothing but work all the time", is from The Princess Bride.
- The Sumatran rhino Mei fights is by Word of God meant as a Shout-Out to the Sumatran division in the Anvil of Heaven in Ilien's fanfic "Book of Changes".
- Shang's exchange with Alvares when he's about to be carried off for a bedroom romp by Tao and Liang is a quote of a similar exchange between Gene and a futuristic AI in John DeChancie's Castle Perilous series.
- More of a Casting Gag, but the fact the author's about me page casts Antonio Banderas as Alvares, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Long Shi, and Anthony Hopkins as Pires is a clear reference to their all starring as the main roles in The Mask of Zorro.
The Tale of the Trio: Hungry Like the Wolf
- The garden where Jia and Mei are resting at the beginning is a reference to a location where Dalang takes Tigress on their first date in That's Why They Call It the Present.
- To complete the triptych, Jiao Shen is lifted from "Present" and Soaring Dragon, Dancing Phoenix, with the change that in this universe he never became a ruthless warlord and is instead an honorable general serving Emperor Chen, more in the vein of another Shang's father in Mulan. However, he still drops a few familiar lines from the fanfics, albeit in different contexts.
- Jia's lines about there being nothing but "clear skies and smooth sailing from now until forever" and that her aura's "never been pinker" are references to Sokka and Ty Lee lines from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Meanwhile, Itultarak's questioning about her being one of Tai Lung's fangirls is one Azula made to Suki, and the flashback to Jia and Xiu's poignant conversation in their old home is inspired by a similar conversation between Zuko and Azula in "The Beach".
- Thundering Rhino's given name, and the detail of the fossilized skeleton seen in the cliff face, are from Book of Changes.
- Chun's speech to Xuan regarding his dislike of her assassin's skills is a paraphrase of one Sadi made to Silk in the Mallorean.
- Jia using her fan to disarm Itulturak is a Shout-Out to Mulan doing the same thing to Shan Yu.
- Achal's comment to Shou Feng that "to an impartial observer, I would not appear the unbalanced one", is a quote from Dr. Kavita Rao in Astonishing X-Men.
- Achal himself, meanwhile, is another character Homage, this time to Auron of Final Fantasy X.
- Several references appear to well-known Buddhist fables from India and Japan: the tale of Angulimala, Achal's willingness to let Feng kill him (which is from "The Little Monk and the Samurai"), and Feng's eventual fate which mirrors that of Emperor Ashoka.
- Feng's costume, as well as his Juggernaut siege engine, are references to What Could Have Been concepts for Tai Lung depicted in The Art of Kung Fu Panda.
Lessons from the Past: Love Goes On and On
- Xiulan's line to Zhuang, "And that's why Father always thought I'd never get married", is a near-quote about Tzipporah (after the "letting Moses fall back in the well" scene) from The Prince of Egypt, a bit of a meta Shout-Out since the author stated he views Xiulan as having the same voice actress (Michelle Pfeiffer) as Tzipporah.
- The farewell between Xiulan and Zhuang has similarities to both that of Tidus and Yuna in Final Fantasy X (a ghostly embrace from behind) and Cloud and Aerith in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (some of the dialogue and thoughts).
Lessons from the Past: Warriors of Virtue, Warriors of Vice
- The old master Golden Rhino, Vachir's reference to reenlisting, and (as noted on the main page) the cheetah who is stated by Word of God to be Isidorus of Alexandria are all taken from Book of Changes.
- Vachir's moment of contemplating the young Mongol he kills is an almost word-for-word recreation of Sam's similar thoughts regarding the Haradrim in The Lord of the Rings.
- Xuan's Casual Danger Dialogue "no better place for hand-to-hand combat" is a reference to a Phoebus line in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
- The character of Chan Lei (Monkey's brother) is taken from Peter the Muggle's fanfic "Monkey in the Middle".
- General Hao quotes Senator Palpatine from The Phantom Menace ("I'll be watching your career with great interest").
- The character of Lan Duo is yet another from Soaring Dragon, Dancing Phoenix.
- The character of Wei-Shan (although mentioned briefly in Blue Plate Special) first appears on-screen in From Scratch.
- When Qing is forcing young Jia to recite the generations of the Wu line, several names are Shout Outs to those given to the Wu Sisters in Soaring Dragon, Dancing Phoenix; From Scratch; and Memoirs of a Master.
- The Qing family mansion and its garden, Xuan's line to Jia ("no matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are", spoken by Ursa to Zuko), and Qing's line regarding Jia ("What is wrong with that girl?") which was also spoken by Ursa but regarding Azula, are all references to Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Lessons from the Past: The Falcon, the Turtle, and the Hare
- As noted on the main page, the character of Chuluun is revealed to be named In-Universe after Ilien's rhino character from the Anvil of Heaven in Book of Changes.
- Although it's depicted onscreen in the dream sequence that begins Kung Fu Panda, the name for the Xiao Tou Inn comes from Soaring Dragon, Dancing Phoenix.
- Chao's chi cleansing takes a number of visual cues from both how Unalaq purified dark spirits in The Legend of Korra and the ending of The Dark Crystal.
