History ADifferentLesson / TropesMToZ

** Heian Chao means [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "The Great Dark One."]][[labelnote:*]]Literally, "surpassing darkness".[[/labelnote]] He obviously [[MeaningfulRename chose it himself]]. His original name was something of one too, since Xun, meaning "quick", references [[spoiler:his species]].

** Wu Qing, the mother of the Wu Sisters, has a name which means "Pitiless", "Merciless" and "Ruthless", while Xu Mei, the mother of Mei Ling, means "Beautiful Sunrise". The contradiction between them could not be more obvious. Xuan's name, meanwhile, means either "High" or "Chosen Warrior", which fits his background as nobility in Kunlun Shan, but also applies to his being an Imperial bodyguard, his being Chen's close personal friend (and Yong's), and his place in the backstory for how he acts as a role model and inspiration to Mei, Jia, and even Chun to some degree.

** Heian Chao means [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "The Great Dark One."]] He obviously [[MeaningfulRename chose it himself]]. His original name was something of one too, since Xun, meaning "quick", references [[spoiler:his species]].
** Wei Chang means "Towering and Smooth," which is clearly meant to be ironic.

** Xiu means "Graceful," Chun means "Spring" (or "Honest"), and Jia means "Beautiful." [[spoiler:Or "Good".]] Given at birth, before it was known what they'd be, but also by an assassin mother [[GenreSavvy who planned to raise them in the family business]].

** Wu Qing, the mother of the Wu Sisters, has a name which means "Pitiless", "Merciless" and "Ruthless", while Xu Mei, the mother of Mei Ling, means "Beautiful Sunrise". The contradiction between them could not be more obvious. Xuan's name, meanwhile, means either "High" or "Chosen", which fits his background as nobility in Kunlun Shan, but also applies to his being an Imperial bodyguard, his being Chen's close personal friend (and Yong's), and his place in the backstory for how he acts as a role model and inspiration to Mei, Jia, and even Chun to some degree.

** While Tai Lung was the "horrible criminal escapes from prison" version of the trope in the movie, Heian Chao is the more conventional version, seeing as he was sealed away by Oogway nearly a thousand years ago and, with the turtle's death [[spoiler:[[NiceJobBreakingItHero plus Po's usage of the Wuxi Finger Hold]]]], he breaks free to wreak havoc once more. Interestingly, the two end up being somewhat related, since one of the reasons for Tai Lung being locked in Chorh-Gom in the first place turns out to have been keeping him away from Chao's corrupt influence--which unfortunately didn't work since he could still haunt him for twenty years anyway thanks to AstralProjection. And it was Chao who enabled Zeng's feather to reach Tai Lung, making for an inversion where the GreaterScopeVillain is the one to release the (previous) BigBad from his TailorMadePrison before eventually getting free himself.

** Ironically, something of this division also exists [[{{Foil}} between Tai Lung and Heian Chao]], which the latter points out when approaching the snow leopard in his cell after [[spoiler:Zhuang's murder]], with the BigBad describing the snow leopard as "barbaric and brutish" but still praising his ferocity as making him a perfect weapon to carry out Chao's plans, and describing himself as more refined and only directing others to use the aggressive, harsher mindset because it is [[NecessarilyEvil "necessary"]]. Interestingly, he then invokes the trope's implied positive aspect by stating that [[WeCanRuleTogether if Tai Lung joins him]], they can balance each other and thus be greater than either could be alone. Of course the snow leopard [[{{Hypocrite}} calls him out on this]], considering all the horrific slayings and other cruel acts Chao is guilty of...and in point of fact Tai Lung is more balanced between the philosophies than would otherwise seem apparent on the surface. [[note]]It's noted early in the story that he was a voracious reader, studying diligently and debating ethics and morality with Oogway, and he also [[RealMenWearPink had great skill at playing the flute]] (even if [[UnmanlySecret he tried to hide or disparage it as unmanly]]) which the turtle had encouraged. The snow leopard's ''wen'' aspects were naturally lost or at least suppressed during and thanks to his rampage and imprisonment and so need to be re-learned and embraced (and while he notes to Po he ''can'' be refined and tactful in diplomatic situations, it's understatedly "not [his] thing"), but he can eventually achieve this balance on his own, the same as he can his Yin-Yang balance.[[/note]] Meaning once again, Chao is seeing things that aren't there, whether due to his own flaws and arrogance or as another means of villainous manipulation (although [[AllWorkVsAllPlay this is explored]] a bit [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope differently]] in the vignette addressing his backstory).

** Crane also views himself and Tai Lung in this manner, when [[ObliviousToLove harboring under the belief]] that the snow leopard and Mei Ling [[OperationJealousy are pursuing one another]]. He specifially makes mention of the two Chinese philosophies of masculinity, ''wu'' (physical combat, battle prowess and military strategy) and ''wen'' (scholarly education, political knowledge, and refined demeanor), and while the two ideally are meant to be in balance, he sees the philosophy he has embraced as making him weaker, or at least less appealing, than Tai Lung as far as Mei Ling is concerned.
** Ironically, something of this division also exists [[{{Foil}} between Tai Lung and Heian Chao]], which the latter points out when approaching the snow leopard in his cell after [[spoiler:Zhuang's murder]], with the BigBad describing the snow leopard as "barbaric and brutish" but still praising his ferocity as making him a perfect weapon to carry out Chao's plans, and describing himself as more refined and only directing others to use the aggressive, harsher mindset because it is [[NecessarilyEvil "necessary"]]. Interestingly, he then invokes the trope's implied positive aspect by stating that [[WeCanRuleTogether if Tai Lung joins him]], they can balance each other and thus be greater than either could be alone. Of course the snow leopard [[{{Hypocrite}} calls him out on this]], considering all the horrific slayings and other cruel acts Chao is guilty of...and in point of fact Tai Lung is more balanced between the philosophies than would otherwise seem apparent on the surface, since it's noted early in the story that he was a voracious reader, studying diligently and debating ethics and morality with Oogway, and he also [[RealMenWearPink had great skill at playing the flute]] (even if [[UnmanlySecret he tried to hide or disparage it as unmanly]]) which the turtle had encouraged. The snow leopard's ''wen'' aspects were naturally lost or at least suppressed during and thanks to his rampage and imprisonment and so need to be re-learned and embraced (and while he notes to Po he ''can'' be refined and tactful in diplomatic situations, it's understatedly "not [his] thing"), but he can eventually achieve this balance on his own, the same as he can his Yin-Yang balance. Meaning once again, Chao is seeing things that aren't there, whether due to his own flaws and arrogance or as another means of villainous manipulation (although [[AllWorkVsAllPlay this is explored]] a bit [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope differently]] in the vignette addressing his backstory).

** Ironically, something of this division also exists [[{{Foil}} between Tai Lung and Heian Chao, which the latter points out when approaching the snow leopard in his cell after [[spoiler:Zhuang's murder]], with the BigBad describing the snow leopard as "barbaric and brutish" but still praising his ferocity as making him a perfect weapon to carry out Chao's plans, and describing himself as more refined and only directing others to use the aggressive, harsher mindset because it is [[NecessaryEvil "necessary"]]. Interestingly, he then invokes the trope's implied positive aspect by stating that [[WeCanRuleTogether if Tai Lung joins him]], they can balance each other and thus be greater than either could be alone. Of course the snow leopard [[{{Hypocrite}} calls him out on this]], considering all the horrific slayings and other cruel acts Chao is guilty of...and in point of fact Tai Lung is more balanced between the philosophies than would otherwise seem apparent on the surface, since it's noted early in the story that he was a voracious reader, studying diligently and debating ethics and morality with Oogway, and he also [[RealMenWearPink had great skill at playing the flute]] (even if [[UnmanlySecret he tried to hide or disparage it as unmanly]]) which the turtle had encouraged. The snow leopard's ''wen'' aspects were naturally lost or at least suppressed during and thanks to his rampage and imprisonment and so need to be re-learned and embraced (and while he notes to Po he ''can'' be refined and tactful in diplomatic situations, it's understatedly "not [his] thing"), but he can eventually achieve this balance on his own, the same as he can his Yin-Yang balance. Meaning once again, Chao is seeing things that aren't there, whether due to his own flaws and arrogance or as another means of villainous manipulation (although [[AllWorkVersusAllPlay this is explored]] a bit [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope differently]] in the vignette addressing his backstory).

* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Po and Tai Lung, respectively, are moderate examples. The panda is chubby rather than skinny (though this still makes him rather unathletic, a big reason for his difficulty in learning kung fu initially), his mannerisms are more childish and silly than effeminate, and while he loves (and is extremely good at) cooking, he's also utterly devoted to kung fu which is considered a very masculine sport in Eastern cultures and settings (and over time has come to be viewed similarly in the West, if not on the same level as being a soldier, warrior, or contact-sport athlete). But he's also literally InTouchWithHisFeminineSide due to having more affinity for Yin, the feminine side of the ''taijitu'', and is of course more emotional, kind-hearted, and an all-around NiceGuy. Tai Lung, meanwhile, is about as butch and virile as can be, ranging from his well-muscled HeroicBuild and aggressive, generally rough nature to his overall dismissal of most things feminine (whether cooking, fashion, and the arts or being loving, gentle, and sympathetic to the needs and emotions of others), as well as having an affinity for masculine Yang. However, over time he does soften his views and attitudes so that, even while he remains manly, he no longer disparages femininity and becomes more caring, gentle, and friendly (though always retaining that biting snark).

* RedHerring: When Heian Chao first appears in the story, it is within the ruins of Chorh-Gom, and while it is made clear that it is [[BarrierMaiden Oogway's death]] which has [[SupernaturalSealing freed him]] to attempt to claim Tai Lung and take over China, the scene seems to imply that like the snow leopard, he too had been imprisoned there. But it's also noted that he had only "dwelled" in the prison's abyss during the time of Tai Lung's imprisonment, and between the later revelations that Oogway had wanted to protect Tai Lung from his darkness and Chao had been plotting and scheming for [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld over nine hundred years]], something clearly doesn't add up. Eventually all is made clear when Oogway's ghost [[TheReveal admits the full truth]] to Shifu: [[spoiler:Chao had been imprisoned in the Vault of Heroes, underneath the Jade Palace and the mountain, and it was from there he was freed--not just by Oogway passing on but by Tai Lung's dark chi he brought with him and [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Po using the Wuxi Finger Hold]]. His soul had been able for centuries to travel by AstralProjection by way of the [[ShadowWalker shadow world]]; his time in Chorh-Gom was merely ''visiting'' it so as to haunt Tai Lung, keeping him corrupted and unstable, and the release Chao thinks about in his first scene was that of his body from the Vault.]]

* TemptingFate: [[spoiler:Monkey]] learns that he [[CassandraTruth really should have listened to Po]], and not mentioned the possibility of [[DemonicPossession spirits taking him over]] the night of the Ghost Festival... Crane also skirts the edges of the trope when, right before Chao first leaves Chorh-Gom to implement his plans, the bird comes just a couple words away from [[YouJustHadToSayIt thinking to himself]] the old (apocryphal) Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times", as well as wondering [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere "What could possibly happen next?"]]

* {{Riddle}}: In the very last chapter, the ghost of Oogway explains to Tai Lung that one of the haiku the characters found in a book while cleaning his room acted as one of these: "The winds of Tibet/Come knocking on my doorstep/I must grow a peach." As usual, it makes use of a DoubleMeaning, as well as a subversion of a LiteralMetaphor: "the winds of Tibet" symbolizes Tai Lung [[NationalAnimalStereotypes (snow leopards coming from the region)]], but the turtle explains this refers to both his appearance as a DoorstopBaby and his escape from Chorh-Gom decades later; the peach, rather than referring to either the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom or the peach seed Shifu planted beneath it, is employed as a symbol of wisdom as it is in Chinese culture--both the wisdom he hoped to instill in Tai Lung, and the later wisdom of Po in reaching out to aid in the snow leopard's redemption. The reason for the multiple layers was both due to Tai Lung's dual role as villain and hero and Oogway hinting at the need for [[{{Foil}} him and Po]] to [[MirrorCharacter act as]] Yin-and-Yang BashBrothers.

* PropheciesAreAlwaysRight: While the possibility is raised by Tigress in her thoughts after Po gives her a ReasonYouSuckSpeech, Oogway does eventually reveal to Tai Lung that his words to Shifu in the first movie were a case of this--namely that the snow leopard, as a resident of the Valley, was included among the "everyone" the turtle claimed the Dragon Warrior would bring peace to. Moreover, he states he had used ExactWords when warning Shifu of his vision: he had said Tai Lung would "return" to the Valley (rather than that he would be killed, destroyed, or even defeated), in this case meaning he would return to who he used to be, a good and heroic warrior. He can even say he suggested as such, since he had told the red panda that Tai Lung's escape is bad news "''if'' you do not believe that the Dragon Warrior can stop him"--[[PropheticFallacy without mentioning what means Po would use to do so]].

** Also, when Tigress uses foul language on Tai Lung is when the story starts taking a very serious turn.
** Heian Chao gets the greatest example, however, when he lets loose a curse so foul it had to be written in Mandarin to avoid driving up the rating (it translates as, "Fuck your ancestors to the eighteenth generation").

* NationalAnimalStereotypes: Aside from the obvious (Po and his panda stereotypes, snow leopards being native to Tibet), the author explicitly references several males who once attracted Tigress's eye as having species connected with their homelands--a [[SavageWolves wolf mercenary]] from [[MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong Siberia]], a [[AsianFoxSpirit fox from Japan]], a [[ImperialChina tiger from the capital]], and [[EndangeredSpecies a Gir lion from India]]. Additionally, the Great Khan is described as [[HotBlooded a wolverine]], Chao is [[spoiler:an Amur falcon]], and Oogway is suggested to be native to Galapagos. One notable exception is making Vachir and most other rhinos be Mongolian in origin, despite those in the film being Javan in appearance, due to the Anvil of Heaven being placed at Chorh-Gom and Vachir's name being Mongolian for "thunderbolt"; this is addressed in one of the sequel vignettes when Vachir reflects on his family having Javan ancestry but having relocated to live among the Mongolian steppe tribes many generations ago. Other examples occur in the sequel vignettes and shuffles as well.

** A slightly downplayed case; by the time the Tai Lung, Shifu, and the rest of the Furious Five make it to Chorh-Gom in Chapter 29, Tai Lung legitimately struggles to hide his fear of the place and even sheds tears upon revealing the ColdBloodedTortue Vachir inflicted on him during the 20 years he was imprisoned there. While Tai Lung had already started becoming more open about his feelings by this point in the story, this was the moment where he willingly let himself appear vulnerable to highlight how traumatic the experience was for him.

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Vachir, thanks to being the MadeOfIron ImplacableMan as well as the HealingFactor provided by Chao's dark chi.
-->'''Vachir''', ''after being hurled the entire length of a bridge, slamming into a wall, and leaving an'' ''ImpactSilhouette'': Sorry to disappoint ya. Was that supposed to tickle?

* UnexpectedVirgin: Tai Lung, due to both his age (almost forty years old) and his badass, tough-guy exterior, but it turns out that he simply never bothered with romance in his single-minded pursuit of the Dragon Scroll (that and he was imprisoned for 20 years).

* UnexpectedVirgin: Tai Lung, due to both his age (almost forty years old) and his badass, tough-guy exterior, but it turns out that he simply never bothered with romance in his single-minded pursuit of the Dragon Scroll.

* RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic: Applies everywhere, even characters' thoughts, save for ones whose ways of speaking and thinking are different from the norm (Po's slang, Monkey's accent, Mantis using tangents and run-on sentences). [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools This actually allows]] for a subversion later when Tai Lung realizes the thoughts in his head encouraging him to go off the deep end again are ''too'' perfect and ''too'' pat, thus giving away that it was really Chao [[ManipulativeBastard trying to manipulate him again]]. Outdated, perhaps, but still an AcceptableBreakFromReality.