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* PrecisionFStrike: Po never curses. Never. And when he finally does say a single curse word (Bitch), can of whoop-ass doesn't begin to describe it. 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 of this, 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").
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* PrecisionFStrike: Po never curses. Never. And when he finally does say a single curse word (Bitch), can "can of whoop-ass whoop-ass" doesn't begin to describe it. 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 of this, 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").
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* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Aside from the experiences of Xiulan and Chang noted on the main page which can seem like this (although no one in the story calls out Po and the rest of the Jade Palace crew for their early treatment of them, in the end it's clear their sufferings are as much their own faults and the villain's, not the heroes', everyone actually ends up treating them both much more sympathetically later, ''and'' they receive some happiness by the end), there is the backstory of [[spoiler:Po's father]] and his actions as a highwayman vs. how everyone (including Emperor Chen) reacted to what was done to him to set him on his path. It should be noted that the emperor did still agree punishment for [[spoiler:Bao]] was warranted, he likely would never have done the things he had if he hadn't been forced to desert, and there was much more going on with that bigoted general than it seemed on the surface. (Needless to say, having a general who would a) disobey direct orders b) mistreat the lower classes and c) use a particular troop's bloodthirstiness [[ItsAllAboutMe for his own ends]], no matter [[CreateYourOwnVillain what this might later turn him into in war (or civilian life!)]] with the excuse that "[[IDidWhatIHadToDo it was the only way]] [[CombatPragmatist to win]]" and "[[HeWhoFightsMonsters we have to win no matter the cost]]" is not something you want if you intend to be a good ruler without rebellions on your hands. And simply exiling the general while stripping him of his rank would not only have punished his innocent family, it would have left him alive and wanting revenge, likely to gather his own army and come to usurp the throne--[[TruthInTelevision something which actually happened]] [[ShownTheirWork fairly often in Chinese history]].) The author has gone on in his sequel vignettes to show [[spoiler:Bao]] not only hasn't gotten off scot-free but knows he did wrong and regrets it (so he isn't being forgiven [[spoiler:just because he's one of the heroes' fathers]]), and has also promised to show more insight into him and that general.
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* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Aside from the experiences of Xiulan and Chang noted on the main page under LaserGuidedKarma which can seem like this (although no one in the story calls out Po and the rest of the Jade Palace crew for their early treatment of them, in the end it's clear their sufferings are as much their own faults and the villain's, not the heroes', everyone actually ends up treating them both much more sympathetically later, ''and'' they receive some happiness by the end), there is the backstory of [[spoiler:Po's father]] and his actions as a highwayman vs. how everyone (including Emperor Chen) reacted to what was done to him to set him on his path. It should be noted that the emperor did still agree punishment for [[spoiler:Bao]] was warranted, he likely would never have done the things he had if he hadn't been forced to desert, and there was much more going on with that bigoted general than it seemed on the surface. (Needless [[note]](Needless to say, having a general who would a) disobey direct orders b) mistreat the lower classes and c) use a particular troop's bloodthirstiness [[ItsAllAboutMe for his own ends]], no matter [[CreateYourOwnVillain what this might later turn him into in war (or civilian life!)]] with the excuse that "[[IDidWhatIHadToDo it was the only way]] [[CombatPragmatist to win]]" and "[[HeWhoFightsMonsters we have to win no matter the cost]]" is not something you want if you intend to be a good ruler without rebellions on your hands. And simply exiling the general while stripping him of his rank would not only have punished his innocent family, it would have left him alive and wanting revenge, likely to gather his own army and come to usurp the throne--[[TruthInTelevision something which actually happened]] [[ShownTheirWork fairly often in Chinese history]].) )[[/note]] The author has gone on in his sequel vignettes to show [[spoiler:Bao]] not only hasn't gotten off scot-free but knows he did wrong and regrets it (so he isn't being forgiven [[spoiler:just because he's one of the heroes' fathers]]), and has also promised to show more insight into him and that general.
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* TheThreeFacesOfEve: Because they are [[{{Expy}} based off of]] WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender's Dangerous Ladies, the Wu Sisters fit this trope as well--Jia, the sweet and affectionate, [[FunPersonified playful]] and, despite her backstory, [[WideEyedIdealist innocent]] Child; Chun, the sensible and capable Wife who save for two points in the story remains eternally cool, calm, and collected (and actually would make a good wife, as shown in backstory by a conversation she had with her father); and Xiu, the [[MagnificentBitch Magnificent]] ManipulativeBitch Seductress (though Jia also has aspects of the latter).
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* TheThreeFacesOfEve: Because they are [[{{Expy}} based off of]] WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender's Dangerous Ladies, the Wu Sisters fit this trope as well--Jia, the sweet and affectionate, [[FunPersonified playful]] and, despite her backstory, [[WideEyedIdealist innocent]] Child; Child (while her sisters are casing the noodle restaurant in preparation for assaulting Ping, she's bouncing excitedly over the menu and [[FurryReminder begging for salmon]]); Chun, the sensible and capable Wife who save for two points in the story remains eternally cool, calm, and collected (and actually would make a good wife, as shown in backstory by a conversation she had with her father); and Xiu, the [[MagnificentBitch Magnificent]] ManipulativeBitch Seductress (though Jia also has aspects of the latter).latter, note the scene where she suggests a bondage threesome with herself, Tai Lung, and Tigress).
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The villain\'s species was hidden from the reader for most of the story so that should be preserved. If the issue was not having a pothole inside spoiler tags, it has been removed.
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** 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 [[NobleBirdOfPrey his species]].
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** 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 [[NobleBirdOfPrey his [[spoiler:his species]].
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%%* MightyGlacier: Vachir
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* TheThreeFacesOfEve: Because they are [[{{Expy}} based off of]] WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender's Dangerous Ladies, the Wu Sisters fit this trope as well--Jia, the sweet and affectionate, [[FunPersonified playful]] and, despite her backstory, [[WideEyedIdealist innocent]] Child; Chun, the sensible and capable Wife who save for two points in the story remains eternally cool, calm, and collected (and actually would make a good wife, as shown in backstory by a conversation she had with her father); and Xiu, the [[MagnificentBitch Magnificent]] ManipulativeBitch Seductress (though Jia also has aspects of the latter).
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* RaisedHandOfSurvival: Tai Lung does a form of this after the FinalBattle, when he uses one fist to punch through a rockfall that had buried him.
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* MightyGlacier: Vachir
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Trope rename and Handling Spoilers.
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** 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:[[BigBadassBirdOfPrey his species]]]].
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** 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:[[BigBadassBirdOfPrey [[NobleBirdOfPrey his species]]]].species]].
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* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Aside from the experiences of Xiulan and Chang noted on the main page which can seem like this (although no one in the story calls out Po and the rest of the Jade Palace crew for their early treatment of them, in the end it's clear their sufferings are as much their own faults and the villain's, not the heroes', everyone actually ends up treating them both much more sympathetically later, ''and'' they receive some happiness by the end), there is the backstory of [[spoiler:Po's father]] and his actions as a highwayman vs. how everyone (including Emperor Chen) reacted to what was done to him to set him on his path. It should be noted that the emperor did still agree punishment for [[spoiler:Bao]] was warranted, he likely would never have done the things he had if he hadn't been forced to desert, and there was much more going on with that bigoted general than it seemed on the surface. (Needless to say, having a general who would a) disobey direct orders b) mistreat the lower classes and c) use a particular troop's bloodthirstiness [[ItsAllAboutMe for his own ends]], no matter [[CreateYourOwnVillain what this might later turn him into in war (or civilian life!)]] with the excuse that "[[IDidWhatIHadToDo it was the only way]] [[CombatPragmatist to win]]" and "[[HeWhoFightsMonsters we have to win no matter the cost]]" is not something you want if you intend to be a good ruler without rebellions on your hands. And simply exiling the general while stripping him of his rank would not only have punished his innocent family, it would have left him alive and wanting revenge, likely to gather his own army and come to usurp the throne--[[TruthInTelevision something which actually happened]] [[ShownTheirWork fairly often in Chinese history]].) The author has gone on in his sequel vignettes to show [[spoiler:Bao]] not only hasn't gotten off scot-free but knows he did wrong and regrets it (so he isn't being forgiven [[spoiler:just because he's one of the heroes' fathers]]), and has also promised to show more insight into him and that general.
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* ReformedButNotTamed: Tai Lung ends up as this by the end of the story as well, although [[DownplayedTrope far less so]] than most examples. Still, he retains his DeadpanSnarker nature (which is often very biting), continues to carry certain resentments, and will always have a belligerent temper and some degree of arrogance.
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* WorldsSmallestBook: Inverted example on Wu Dan. (Although Tigress gets a good rejoinder in by mocking Xiu's age.)
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* WorldsSmallestBook: WorldsShortestBook: Inverted example on Wu Dan. (Although Tigress gets a good rejoinder in by mocking Xiu's age.)
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-->'''Tai Lung''': So what now, big guy? Now ''[[CallBack I'm]]'' [[CallBack sitting on]] ''[[[[CallBack you]]''.
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-->'''Tai Lung''': So what now, big guy? Now ''[[CallBack I'm]]'' [[CallBack sitting on]] ''[[[[CallBack ''[[CallBack you]]''.
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* RestrainedRevenge: During the training in Chapter 22, Tai Lung engages in a rather [[PlayedForLaughs playful]] (for him) form of this trope, as he unexpectedly uses his nerve strike to immobilize Po's limbs, causing the panda to fall flat on his back and Tai Lung to sit on his gut, where he teases Po about finally having gotten some payback over Po first defeating him.
-->'''Tai Lung''': So what now, big guy? Now ''[[CallBack I'm]]'' [[CallBack sitting on]] ''[[[[CallBack you]]''.
-->'''Tai Lung''': So what now, big guy? Now ''[[CallBack I'm]]'' [[CallBack sitting on]] ''[[[[CallBack you]]''.
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* WorldsSmallestBook: Inverted example on Wu Dan. (Although Tigress gets a good rejoinder in by mocking Xiu's age.)
-->'''Tigress''': Wait a minute--what do you mean, "I should be worrying about Tai Lung"? What's going on? What do you know that I don't?
-->'''Xiu''': Oh, that could fill whole mountains of scrolls, Master Tigress. Are you sure you have the time to hear it?
** The played straight version appears in one of the sequel vignettes, when Po's biological father Bao promises to teach him "everything he knows about women." Li-Na: "Oh? That shouldn't take very long." (Keep in mind both of them are [[AnimalStereotypes pandas]].)
-->'''Tigress''': Wait a minute--what do you mean, "I should be worrying about Tai Lung"? What's going on? What do you know that I don't?
-->'''Xiu''': Oh, that could fill whole mountains of scrolls, Master Tigress. Are you sure you have the time to hear it?
** The played straight version appears in one of the sequel vignettes, when Po's biological father Bao promises to teach him "everything he knows about women." Li-Na: "Oh? That shouldn't take very long." (Keep in mind both of them are [[AnimalStereotypes pandas]].)
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* RuleOfThree: Aside from the [[MeaningfulEcho repeitition]] of "Say hello to [X] for me" mentioned under GiveMyRegardsInTheNextWorld, a line of original movie dialogue is echoed twice in very different contexts: "So that is his name" (referencing Po) becomes applied by Tai Lung to the BigBad when he first learns of [[MeaningfulRename his assumed name]], and then finally appears at the very end when he learns from his birth family of his original given name. This last iteration is particularly meaningful, since while his original given name did have a {{Badass}} meaning, it was a lot less obviously heroic and special than the one Shifu gave him--[[CharacterDevelopment and him recognizing and embracing this is the final proof he has gotten over the obsession with being the Dragon Warrior, and the best, that had driven him for so long]].
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* RuleOfThree: Aside from the [[MeaningfulEcho repeitition]] repetition]] of "Say hello to [X] for me" mentioned under GiveMyRegardsInTheNextWorld, a line of original movie dialogue is echoed twice in very different contexts: "So that is his name" (referencing Po) becomes applied by Tai Lung to the BigBad when he first learns of [[MeaningfulRename his assumed name]], and then finally appears at the very end when he learns from his birth family of his original given name. This last iteration is particularly meaningful, since while his original given name did have a {{Badass}} meaning, it was a lot less obviously heroic and special than the one Shifu gave him--[[CharacterDevelopment and him recognizing and embracing this is the final proof he has gotten over the obsession with being the Dragon Warrior, and the best, that had driven him for so long]].
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** Heian Chao means [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "The Great Dark One."]] He obviously chose it himself.
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** Heian Chao means [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "The Great Dark One."]] He obviously [[MeaningfulRename chose it himself.himself]]. His original name was something of one too, since Xun, meaning "quick", references [[spoiler:[[BigBadassBirdOfPrey his species]]]].
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* RuleOfThree: Aside from the [[MeaningfulEcho repeitition]] of "Say hello to [X] for me" mentioned under GiveMyRegardsInTheNextWorld, a line of original movie dialogue is echoed twice in very different contexts: "So that is his name" (referencing Po) becomes applied by Tai Lung to the BigBad when he first learns of [[MeaningfulRename his assumed name]], and then finally appears at the very end when he learns from his birth family of his original given name. This last iteration is particularly meaningful, since while his original given name did have a {{Badass}} meaning, it was a lot less obviously heroic and special than the one Shifu gave him--[[CharacterDevelopment and him recognizing and embracing this is the final proof he has gotten over the obsession with being the Dragon Warrior, and the best, that had driven him for so long]].
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* SpitTake: In one of the vignettes, Tai Lung does one of these as he is drinking some tea, when he listens to his mother say she is going on a date with a certain goat. To make things worse, the tea from his spit take lands all over Shifu and the emperor.
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* ThePromise: Early on, Tai Lung wants Tigress to ensure that if he [[ChronicVillainy ever falls into darkness again]], she stop him before he commits another rampage. Naturally, she is quite eager and willing to do so. But when, true to the trope, she faces the prospect of having to keep her word near the end of the story, ironically [[MoralDilemma she is no longer so sure she can do it]] since by then [[{{OTP}} she has come to love him]]. Luckily for her, her resolve is never tested since other forces [[BigDamnHeroes intervene]].
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* ThePromise: Early on, Tai Lung wants Tigress to ensure that if he [[ChronicVillainy ever falls into darkness again]], she stop him before he commits another rampage. Naturally, she is quite eager and willing to do so. But when, true to the trope, she faces the prospect of having to keep her word near the end of the story, ironically [[MoralDilemma she is no longer so sure she can do it]] since by then [[{{OTP}} she has come to love him]]. Luckily for her, her resolve is never tested since [[AllLovingHero other forces forces]] [[BigDamnHeroes intervene]].
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The Messiah has been disambiguated between Messianic Archetype and All Loving Hero. Bad examples and ZCE are being removed; if you disagree, please readd with sufficient context.
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* ThePromise: Early on, Tai Lung wants Tigress to ensure that if he [[ChronicVillainy ever falls into darkness again]], she stop him before he commits another rampage. Naturally, she is quite eager and willing to do so. But when, true to the trope, she faces the prospect of having to keep her word near the end of the story, ironically [[MoralDilemma she is no longer so sure she can do it]] since by then [[{{OTP}} she has come to love him]]. Luckily for her, her resolve is never tested since [[TheMessiah other forces]] [[BigDamnHeroes intervene]].
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* ThePromise: Early on, Tai Lung wants Tigress to ensure that if he [[ChronicVillainy ever falls into darkness again]], she stop him before he commits another rampage. Naturally, she is quite eager and willing to do so. But when, true to the trope, she faces the prospect of having to keep her word near the end of the story, ironically [[MoralDilemma she is no longer so sure she can do it]] since by then [[{{OTP}} she has come to love him]]. Luckily for her, her resolve is never tested since [[TheMessiah other forces]] forces [[BigDamnHeroes intervene]].
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* SuperPowerLottery: Chao (which is rather unsurprising for a BigBad). He is a BodySnatcher and can create PeoplePuppets due to DemonicPossession; [[PsychicPowers can astral project]] and [[VillainTeleportation travel]] via means of a [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace shadow]] [[DarkWorld world]]; can incite a HatePlague and use MoreThanMindControl to influence others; has powers over [[CastingAShadow darkness and shadow]] [[spoiler:[[AnIcePerson and ice]]]] as well as some ability with illusion; and can both [[{{Necromancer}} raise the dead]] and [[SummoningRitual summon]] [[spoiler:demons]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] due to being a KungFuWizard and master of ''[[LifeEnergy chi]]'' (which could be used for anything related to life, the soul, or the mind, as well as perception thereof), as well as using BlackMagic to extend his life and generally discovering [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Things Man Was Not Meant To Know]].
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* SuperPowerLottery: Chao (which is rather unsurprising for a BigBad). He is a BodySnatcher and can create PeoplePuppets due to DemonicPossession; [[PsychicPowers can astral project]] and [[VillainTeleportation travel]] [[ShadowWalker via means of a of]] [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace a shadow]] [[DarkWorld world]]; can incite a HatePlague and use MoreThanMindControl to influence others; has powers over [[CastingAShadow darkness and shadow]] [[spoiler:[[AnIcePerson and ice]]]] as well as some ability with illusion; and can both [[{{Necromancer}} raise the dead]] and [[SummoningRitual summon]] [[spoiler:demons]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] due to being a KungFuWizard and master of ''[[LifeEnergy chi]]'' (which could be used for anything related to life, the soul, or the mind, as well as perception thereof), as well as using BlackMagic to extend his life and generally discovering [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Things Man Was Not Meant To Know]].
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* ShadowWalker: Heian Chao is able to use his dark chi to transport his spirit-form through the shadows. This allows him to cover days worth of distance in a few seconds, and even act in two places at once.
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* NoHardFeelings: Jia tries to pull this trope on Po at Wu Dan. [[TookALevelInBadass Surprisingly, he takes the second option in how to react to it]].
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* NothingPersonal: Jia tries to pull this trope on Po at Wu Dan, based on the fact she's a PunchClockVillain ForcedIntoEvil who owed him ThePromise. Surprisingly, even though this is all true, she is sincere, and he acknowledges these facts and shows regret for it, [[TookALevelInBadass he still takes her out with the nerve strike]] instead of surrendering and agreeing to their/Chao's terms so [[TellMeAboutMyFather he can learn about his parents]]--because it's ''also'' not personal for him, just something that has to be done if the heroes are to win.
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* MasterOfIllusion: Chao uses this ability to [[spoiler:disguise the briefly-possessed Xiu [[LieToTheBeholder as Tai Lung]]]] during the {{Frameup}}.
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* MasterOfIllusion: Chao uses this ability to [[spoiler:disguise [[spoiler:to disguise the briefly-possessed Xiu [[LieToTheBeholder as Tai Lung]]]] during the {{Frameup}}.
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* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: In grand kung fu tradition (see ''BigTroubleInLittleChina''), the fic begins with the comedy (and action) seen in the movie, then gradually introduces horror elements as the BigBad and his lackeys become more prominent in the story. MoodWhiplash is also deliberately invoked a few times (the Truth or Dare immediately followed by the first murder victim being found, Shifu catching Tai Lung and Tigress in bed and Tai Lung fetching birth control bookending [[spoiler:the corruption of the Sacred Pool by Heian Chao]], the MushroomSamba following the trial). But in the end, the comedy mostly acts as effective breather moments between the most terrifying horror scenes, and taking over again completely once the BigBad is defeated. Overall it seems mostly balanced rather than one or the other dominant.
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* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: In grand kung fu tradition (see ''BigTroubleInLittleChina''), ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina''), the fic begins with the comedy (and action) seen in the movie, then gradually introduces horror elements as the BigBad and his lackeys become more prominent in the story. MoodWhiplash is also deliberately invoked a few times (the Truth or Dare immediately followed by the first murder victim being found, Shifu catching Tai Lung and Tigress in bed and Tai Lung fetching birth control bookending [[spoiler:the corruption of the Sacred Pool by Heian Chao]], the MushroomSamba following the trial). But in the end, the comedy mostly acts as effective breather moments between the most terrifying horror scenes, and taking over again completely once the BigBad is defeated. Overall it seems mostly balanced rather than one or the other dominant.
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* ShootTheRope: Variation, as [[JustInTime just when Tai Lung is about to be hung]], [[spoiler:Crane flies in and cuts the rope]].
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* ShootTheRope: Variation, as [[JustInTime just when Tai Lung is about to be hung]], hanged]], [[spoiler:Crane flies in and cuts the rope]].
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* SuperPowerLottery: Chao (which is rather unsurprising for a BigBad). He is a BodySnatcher and can create PeoplePuppets due to DemonicPossession; [[PsychicPowers can astral project]] and [[VillainTeleportation travel]] via means of a [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace shadow]] [[DarkWorld world]]; can incite a HatePlague and use MoreThanMindControl to influence others; has powers over [[CastingAShadow darkness and shadow]] as well as some ability with illusion; and can both [[{{Necromancer}} raise the dead]] and [[SummoningRitual summon]] [[spoiler:demons]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] due to being a KungFuWizard and master of ''[[LifeEnergy chi]]'' (which could be used for anything related to life, the soul, or the mind, as well as perception thereof), as well as using BlackMagic to extend his life and generally discovering [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Things Man Was Not Meant To Know]].
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* SuperPowerLottery: Chao (which is rather unsurprising for a BigBad). He is a BodySnatcher and can create PeoplePuppets due to DemonicPossession; [[PsychicPowers can astral project]] and [[VillainTeleportation travel]] via means of a [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace shadow]] [[DarkWorld world]]; can incite a HatePlague and use MoreThanMindControl to influence others; has powers over [[CastingAShadow darkness and shadow]] [[spoiler:[[AnIcePerson and ice]]]] as well as some ability with illusion; and can both [[{{Necromancer}} raise the dead]] and [[SummoningRitual summon]] [[spoiler:demons]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] due to being a KungFuWizard and master of ''[[LifeEnergy chi]]'' (which could be used for anything related to life, the soul, or the mind, as well as perception thereof), as well as using BlackMagic to extend his life and generally discovering [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Things Man Was Not Meant To Know]].
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* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Tai Lung to Vachir]]
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* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Tai Lung to Vachir]]Vachir.]]
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* MyGreatestFailure: Tai Lung speaks of this during the Truth or Dare. Shifu's parenting skills might also count, and Jia considers Wu Xuan's death to be this.
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* MyGreatestFailure: Tai Lung speaks of this during the Truth or Dare. Shifu's parenting skills might also count, and Jia considers Wu Xuan's death to be this. [[spoiler:Oogway also happens to have his fair share of failures, all involving Xun Chao.]]
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Avert Word Cruft.
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* [[WouldntHurtAChild Wouldn't Hurt A Child]]: Brutally averted by Chao. Tai Lung plays this straight after unintentionally averting it during his rampage. As a result it's also a BerserkButton for him if you suggest that he would, as Monkey discovers.
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* [[WouldntHurtAChild Wouldn't Hurt A Child]]: Brutally averted Averted by Chao. Tai Lung plays this straight after unintentionally averting it during his rampage. As a result it's also a BerserkButton for him if you suggest that he would, as Monkey discovers.
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* [[WhamEpisode Wham Chapter]]: Chapter 34. Nuff said. Chapter 30 also counts. [[spoiler:The first one is the chapter where Zhuang is murdered, Ping is kidnapped and Po informed of it, and Shifu has his frightening premonition just before the CliffHanger of Tai Lung's arrest. The second starts with Zhuang discovering the blinded Chang and his wife being [[EmotionEater fed off of by Chao]] and warned about Vachir, then has the zombie Anvil of Heaven, the fight with Vachir, the revelation that Monkey was possessed (and DisneyDeath of Mantis), and the stabbing of Vachir that led to the explosion of dark chi and Tai Lung and Tigress falling into the abyss. Whew!]]
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* [[WhamEpisode Wham Chapter]]: Chapter 34. Nuff said. Chapter 30 also counts. [[spoiler:The first one is the chapter where Zhuang is murdered, Ping is kidnapped and Po informed of it, and Shifu has his frightening premonition just before the CliffHanger of Tai Lung's arrest. The second starts with Zhuang discovering the blinded Chang and his wife being [[EmotionEater fed off of by Chao]] and warned about Vachir, then has the zombie Anvil of Heaven, the fight with Vachir, the revelation that Monkey was possessed (and DisneyDeath of Mantis), and the stabbing of Vachir that led to the explosion of dark chi and Tai Lung and Tigress falling into the abyss. Whew!]]Whew!]] Chapter 34 also counts as a DramaBomb since, unlike Chapter 30, it takes place after a breather in the plot and what seems to be things mostly better or on the rise toward resolution.
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* YouExclamation: Chao gives one of these when he realizes Po is a) still with the heroes instead of dead or sitting the FinalBattle out on Wu Dan and b) the one who [[spoiler:cleansed the Sacred Pool]], thus breaking his power and ruining his final gambit. To say he is displeased is [[PrecisionFStrike quite]] [[VillainousBreakdown the understatement]].
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** Shen Zhuang means "Robust and Strong".
** Yi means "Gift."
** Yi means "Gift."
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** Shen Zhuang means "Robust and Strong".
Strong", "Deep Thinker".
** Yi means"Gift.""Gift" (or "Joy").
** Yi means
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** Xiu means "Graceful," Chun means "Spring," and Jia means "Beautiful." 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]].
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** Xiu means "Graceful," Chun means "Spring," "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]].
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** [[spoiler:Tai Lung]]'s given name, Qiao Gang, means "Handsome and Unbending". His father's name, Mao, means "Brave or Bold", his mother's, Jian, means "Determined or Resolute", and his brother De, TheCasanova who will go after AnythingThatMoves, has an IronicName meaning "Virtue".
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** [[spoiler:Tai Lung]]'s given name, Qiao Gang, means "Handsome "Handsome, Hard, and Unbending". His father's name, Mao, Yong, means "Brave or Bold", his mother's, Jian, means "Determined or Resolute", and his brother De, TheCasanova who will go after AnythingThatMoves, has an IronicName meaning "Virtue".
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--> [[ADifferentLesson/TropesAToL Tropes A to L]]
--> [[Fanfic/ADifferentLesson Main page]]
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: Tropes M-O]]
* MadeOfIron: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] but also partly averted--characters get hurt badly a number of times, take time to recover, and have to be careful about side-effects and after-effects.
* 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?
* MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: How Tai Lung and Tigress celebrate the defeat of Chao. HilarityEnsues.
* MakingASplash: Po's chi ability is water.
* MalignantPlotTumor: What starts out as a story about Tai Lung redeeming himself, making friends, learning to lighten up, and being accepted turns into a battle to take out assassins, a serial killer, and a dark chi wizard threatening all of China.
* MamaBear: Xiulan, though misguidedly so when it comes to protecting Yi from Tai Lung.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Subverted nicely. Not only is Tai Lung an almost forty-year-old virgin, since he never bothered with romance in his single-minded pursuit of the Dragon Scroll, but [[spoiler:he loses his virginity just before the battle at Chorh-Gom...and ''still'' loses to Vachir.]] And after [[spoiler:he and Tigress finally become a couple and start frequently sharing a bed]], he is still only one member of a team that helps save the day. [[spoiler:He does defeat the BigBad, but only with the help of Po and Tigress--so the PowerOfLove and the PowerOfFriendship trump losing your virginity.]]
* MasochismTango: Tai Lung and Tigress, before, during and after they hook up, though they do mellow out plenty after hooking up.
* MasterOfIllusion: Chao uses this ability to [[spoiler:disguise the briefly-possessed Xiu [[LieToTheBeholder as Tai Lung]]]] during the {{Frameup}}.
* TheMatchmaker: Viper. Also Mei Ling to an extent.
* MayDecemberRomance: Tai Lung is almost twenty years older than Tigress ([[spoiler:and Jia is about the same age difference from Po]]). Xiulan is also much older than Zhuang.
* MeaningfulEcho: "You didn't see anything." "Sure did, every last beautiful moment." Also, with original movie dialogue, "If that's the way you want it..." "That's the way it has to be!" [[spoiler:Said by Xiu and Po, of all people.]] And Crane's "Don't mention it. Ever," spoken this time to Tai Lung and in a completely different manner.
** An example where an entire passage of text is echoed--the very opening lines of the fic, where Shifu first visits Tai Lung in his cell, are echoed when he visits him again later [[spoiler:after he's been arrested for murdering Shen Zhuang]]. Considering the second one is an example of whether the snow leopard has truly changed due to the offer made in the first, the parallel drawn is apt.
* MeaningfulName:
** Heian Chao means [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "The Great Dark One."]] He obviously chose it himself.
** Wei Chang means "Large and Smooth," which is clearly meant to be ironic.
** Shen Zhuang means "Robust and Strong".
** Yi means "Gift."
** Xiulan means "Elegant Orchid." Also somewhat ironic.
** Xiu means "Graceful," Chun means "Spring," and Jia means "Beautiful." 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 "Gentle" and "Beautiful". The contradiction between them could not be more obvious.
** [[spoiler:Tai Lung]]'s given name, Qiao Gang, means "Handsome and Unbending". His father's name, Mao, means "Brave or Bold", his mother's, Jian, means "Determined or Resolute", and his brother De, TheCasanova who will go after AnythingThatMoves, has an IronicName meaning "Virtue".
* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Tai Lung to Vachir]]
* MetaphorIsMyMiddleName: Tai Lung uses this early on, in reference to his [[{{Determinator}} tenacity]], though as usual subverted since he notes he doesn't have a middle name.
* MexicanStandoff[=/=]GunpointBanter: The Wu Sisters, when they're holding Ping captive in his kitchen.
* MightyGlacier: Vachir
* MistakenForGay: Near the end, Ping walks in on Tai Lung and Po in a situation that evokes this trope.
* ModestRoyalty: Emperor Chen
* MommyIssues (partially averted): While Wu Qing didn't beat her children, there was more than enough verbal abuse to justify turning out badly.
* MoodWhiplash: Despite some pretty tough things happening overall, everything seems to look hopeful. Then chapter 24 comes by and things get grim. Also, deliberate contrasts between horror and humor are set up in chapters 17 (a fun slumber party scene segues almost immediately into a gruesome murder) and 33, while the trial is followed up by Tai Lung's opium MushroomSamba. And it's all done so well you can't fault any of it.
* MoreThanMindControl: Chao's possession, particularly with Vachir and [[spoiler:Monkey]].
* MrExposition: Oogway
* MrFanservice: Tai Lung, most of the time. [[spoiler:Also Emperor Chen.]]
* MundaneMadeAwesome: The scene where Shifu builds up what Tai Lung's first new lesson will be, only for it to turn out to be repairwork (and the "amazing" weapon being a hammer) definitely partakes of this trope. The fact it's a {{Motif}} for the fic and highly symbolic doesn't hurt.
* MurderTheHypotenuse (averted): Though she threatens it, Jia never takes this option.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Tai Lung's MoralEventHorizon from the movie, rejecting his father's apology and love and almost killing him for the Dragon Scroll, becomes this to him once he's no longer controlled by rage and hatred. To an extent, the rampage itself also becomes this, but it's mostly that act of filial impiety. Another key moment of CharacterDevelopment.
* MyGreatestFailure: Tai Lung speaks of this during the Truth or Dare. Shifu's parenting skills might also count, and Jia considers Wu Xuan's death to be this.
* MySkullRunnethOver: [[spoiler:What happens to Xiu, after she is 'gifted' with Chao's dark chi.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Heian Chao, “the Great Dark One”
* {{Necromancer}}: Chao. Some FridgeBrilliance may apply in precisely how he gained this ability, since when his {{Backstory}} is eventually told, it is revealed that he was once a great healer and, had he stayed on the side of good, could have been the best doctor in the empire. I.e., as a master of ''chi'' he could already manipulate LifeEnergy. May also tie into how he can perform a SummoningRitual.
* NeverFoundTheBody: Tigress points this out regarding [[spoiler:Mantis]]. [[GenreSavvy And she was right]].
* NeverHeardThatOneBefore: Tai Lung to Monkey in the roofing chapter, about "taking a catnap".
* NeverLiveItDown ([[InvokedTrope invoked]] in-story): Played straight at first, but eventually averted. Tai Lung eventually forgives Po for humiliating him, and Tai Lung himself is eventually forgiven for his rampage, but not until after a great deal of time, soul-searching, and grudge-bearing--for the longest time it seems as if the snow leopard will never get over his final battle with Po or acknowledge the panda had done anything worthwhile as a kung fu warrior, and thanks to how terrible his rampage was it seems as if everyone will only remember Tai Lung for that and not any of his heroic deeds which preceded it.
* NeverMyFault:
-->'''Chao''', ''[[MoralEventHorizon after having killed all his fellow students]]'': No...you don't understand. None of you ever did, or ever will. [[IDidWhatIHadToDo I]] ''[[IDidWhatIHadToDo must]]'' [[IDidWhatIHadToDo do this...it is the only way]]. You...should not have gotten in my way. I...didn't want to kill you, but you had to intervene...yes, it is ''your'' fault, not mine...
* NewEraSpeech: Chao makes one to both Xiu and Tai Lung.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Played with. The revelation that Chao [[spoiler:has [[AnIcePerson power over ice chi]]]], which is both [[{{Foreshadowing}} Foreshadowed]] and makes perfect sense for such a powerful master of chi, ends up not mattering when he has to face [[spoiler:[[RedOniBlueOni the pairing of Tai Lung and Po's Fire and Water chi]]]]. Also, while the protection which Oogway has Shifu set up over the Jade Palace as a barrier between Chao and the Heroes does come out of nowhere, it too ends up being fairly insignificant in the FinalBattle: although it prevents the BigBad from possessing or outright controlling his opponents, he's still quite able to use dark chi to horrific effect on [[spoiler:Tigress and Jia]], as well as strongly influence both [[HotBlooded Tai Lung]] and [[HeroicBSOD Po]]'s emotions. The barrier [[DramaPreservingHandicap only provides the Heroes enough wiggle room to still fight]], with it being the combination of Tai Lung and Po's chi and kung fu [[spoiler:and Tigress [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice throwing]] [[HolyBurnsEvil the Golden Spear]]]] that finally does Chao in. Even [[spoiler:the Urn of Whispering Warriors being able to [[SealedGoodInACan release]] [[BadassArmy the Warriors of Tenshu]]]] and [[spoiler:the Sword of Heroes being able to seal [[SummoningRitual gateways to the underworld]]]], as useful and sudden as these abilities seem to be, aren't precisely played straight, seeing as this [[AuthorsSavingThrow doesn't contradict]] anything revealed by the movie, the KFP website, or ''Art of Kung Fu Panda''.
* NiceGuy: Po, even more so than in the movie.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:Po's usage of the Wuxi Finger Hold also freed Chao.]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Initially, Chao's attempt to use the murder of [[spoiler:Zhuang]] to turn the PeoplePuppet villagers of the Valley against Tai Lung was a [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy brilliant]], if {{Anvilicious}}, scheme which took advantage of the snow leopard being viewed as a CivilianVillain who would NeverLiveItDown. But once the truth comes out who really killed him, and Shifu and Po succeed in freeing the villagers from his control, this same plot is what sways even die-hard haters like Xiulan to Tai Lung's side, and compels Tai Lung and Shifu to seek Chao out in his lair. [[VillainBall Oops]].
* NightOfTheLivingMooks: [[spoiler:You'd think rhino zombies would sound goofy...]]
* NobodyCallsMeChicken: This is Chao's BerserkButton.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Happens twice to Tai Lung, once when his working to [[spoiler:save Po's life]] after the Wu Sisters' attack leads to Tigress and Monkey accusing him of [[spoiler:the panda's murder]], and a far worse one when his deciding to turn back to help Xiulan instead of returning to the palace (and establishing an alibi) gets him locked up and put on trial [[spoiler:for Zhuang's murder]]. Yet Tai Lung doesn't use this as an excuse to fall back on villainy--partly because there's plenty of other good things he does that don't result in bad karma for him, partly because he knows the bad karma is actually being [[EnforcedTrope enforced]] by Heian Chao, and partly because in the end his name is cleared. Zhuang could be said to suffer from this trope too, since [[spoiler:his death comes about due to trying to convince his wife to lay off Tai Lung, and trying to save Ping's life]], but since he still succeeds in clearing Tai Lung's name and [[spoiler:his daughter will be well looked after]] it's debatable whether he views what happens as a punishment--certainly not one to justify refusing to do good deeds.
* NoHardFeelings: Jia tries to pull this trope on Po at Wu Dan. [[TookALevelInBadass Surprisingly, he takes the second option in how to react to it]].
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: [[TookALevelInBadass Po of all people]], as well as Tigress, administer one of these to Xiu at Wu Dan. An even worse one occurs during the final battle, when Tai Lung uses [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome almost every single kung fu technique he knows, in rapid, random succession]], to take Xiu out. Both times, she [[ManipulativeBitch most definitely deserved it]]. Chao also received one at the hands of Po and Tai Lung, while Tai Lung himself received one from Vachir. WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids to the max.
* NoodleIncident: The contents of Oogway's more explicit love letters. Also, the third usage of the Wuxi Finger Hold, which was actually a RuleOfThree[=/=]RuleOfFunny gag and never meant to be explained.
* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: Tai Lung says this about Vachir, when trying to convince himself he'd died during the escape. And of course, it turns out he was wrong. Also, Jia regarding [[spoiler:Po's throat-slicing]] and Monkey regarding [[spoiler:Mantis]].
* NotAGame: Po gets this lecture from Tigress after awakening from a bad injury.
* NotHelpingYourCase: Tai Lung knows better than to resist arrest, let alone kill any of the guards when they try to arrest him for [[spoiler:Zhuang's murder]] (since even without knowing about [[spoiler:the DemonicPossession]] he was well aware [[ReformedButRejected they'd never allow]] him WrongfulAccusationInsurance). He also is lucky enough not to be [[TheCorpseStopsHere found bent over the victim]], nor does he [[BetterManhandleTheMurderWeapon Manhandle the Murder Weapon]] (since it was removed from the scene). However, his later attempt to escape prison (complete with threatening Shifu's life as a hostage) really doesn't do much to prove his innocence (though in his defense he was suffering from SanitySlippage brought on by the trauma of being imprisoned again). And he does have the unfortunate luck of being found by the city guard right as he was [[GetAholdOfYourselfMan trying to calm]] [[spoiler:Xiulan]] down.
* NotMeThisTime: Thanks to being ReformedButRejected, but believed to be a CivilianVillain, Tai Lung gets this several times--first being accused of [[spoiler:nearly killing Po]], then suspected of Vachir's killings around the Valley (something Xiulan is grudgingly forced to admit wasn't him), and finally put on trial for [[spoiler:killing Zhuang]]. This last one, at least, is helped along not only by his former villainy but also by [[spoiler:the authorities and innocent villagers being under DemonicPossession MoreThanMindControl at the time]].
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:Mantis, and even Xiu.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Tai Lung and Vachir. Also, Tai Lung and Chao, at least in {{Backstory}}.
* NotSoStoic: Tai Lung reveals a sense of humor and light-hearted side. [[spoiler:And eventually, so does Shifu.]]
* NotUsingTheZWord: Averted. When [[spoiler:the Anvil of Heaven is resurrected by Chao]], the story and the characters just call them zombies. Shifu does call them "revenants" at one point, [[PurpleProse which is just a fancy way of saying the same thing]].
* NotWhatItLooksLike: Tigress and Viper's apology; also, Tigress [[InterruptedIntimacy walking in on Tai Lung and Jia]]. [[PlayedForDrama Much more seriously and with more dire consequences]], Tigress and Monkey catching Tai Lung literally red-handed, bending over [[spoiler:Po's bleeding, unconscious body]].
* NothingCanStopUsNow: Inverted and averted--it's one of the heroes who says this regarding their chances in the final battle if they all work together, and despite some hairy moments and coming close to losing [[spoiler:Shifu]], the Heroes win.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: What Mei Ling thinks must be responsible for how Jia, of all people, could have killed their father yet still act so ditzy and flighty. She's wrong of course, though Jia may use it somewhat to make people underestimate her.
* ObliviousToLove: Classic example, in both Crane ''and'' Mei Ling. He's an UnluckyEverydude, [[TwiceShy underconfident]], [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe can't believe she would notice him]], and [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy wants his beloved to be happy]]. She's a BrokenBird, and believes he must view her as a RichBitch, [[LikeBrotherAndSister he sees her as a sister]], or he thinks an InterspeciesRomance will never work to explain why he's never pursued her, and so has fallen into AttractivenessIsolation. Add in PoorCommunicationKills, CannotSpitItOut, a HatePlague, shake and stir. [[TropesAreNotBad What makes the plot work]] is how in-character it is (at least on Crane's part, and if the ShipTease of ''Secrets of the Furious Five'' is real then he does seem oblivious to Mei's feelings for him), that it is at least partly justified by [[AWizardDidIt Chao's interference]], and that the resolution is genuinely romantic and sweet, as well as PlayedForLaughs.
* ObviouslyEvil: [[DiscussedTrope Referenced]] by Monkey when he mocks Mantis for not having figured out sooner that [[spoiler:he was under DemonicPossession]]: "I was startin' to think I'd have to hit you over the head with it before ya got the point--[[spoiler:[[BlackCloak wear black all the time]], maybe, [[PoisonIsEvil grow oleander in the garden]], [[NothingButSkulls decorate my room with skulls]]...]]"
* OddFriendship: Tai Lung and Po become friends, as well as Tai Lung and Yi.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Repeatedly used on Tai Lung. Vachir does it with [[spoiler:"Come to Chorh-Gom and face me or I'll keep killing people"]], Xiu does it with [[spoiler:"Join my clan or I'll kill Po"]], and Chao himself does it with [[spoiler:"Join me or I'll kill you and resurrect you so you join me anyway"]]. Averted when Tai Lung refuses the last two.
* OffstageVillainy: While the reader gets to see a number of awful things the Wu Sisters do, a great deal of their history as assassins is left undisclosed. Also, their mother, Wu Qing, is terrifying enough to [[MommyIssues twist Xiu around her little finger]] and disturb the battle-hardened Wu Xuan, but the reader never gets to see exactly what she was truly like or was guilty of.
* OhCrap: As might be expected, a number of these moments show up:
** Tai Lung, when he first encounters the Wu Sisters.
** Tai Lung again, when Monkey and Tigress discover him [[spoiler:bent over Po's wounded body]].
** Po, Mei, and the Wu Sisters when they find [[spoiler:Monkey]]'s RoomFullOfCrazy.
** Everyone, when they encounter [[spoiler:the zombie Anvil of Heaven]] at Chorh-Gom.
** Tai Lung and Tigress, when Shifu walks in on them in the bedroom.
** Shifu, when he gets told that Tai Lung has been arrested [[spoiler:for the murder of Zhuang]] and again when Oogway's staff lets him see [[spoiler:Chao's possession of the townsfolk]].
** Everyone, when Chao [[spoiler:summons the yaoguai]].
** Monkey, when he sees Po took on Chao on his own.
** And probably the strongest example in the fic, Chao when he sees [[spoiler:the Golden Spear heading right for him]].
* OmnicidalManiac: Both Chao and Xiu.
* OmniscientMoralityLicense: While "there are no accidents," yadda yadda and so on, Oogway admits that he was wrong about many things and he feels more than a bit guilty about how things played out. Still, he did say that he believed everything worked out for the best in the end, and that he knew it would.
* OneDialogueTwoConversations: Crane and Mei. She's trying to explain to him why she is [[spoiler:seemingly pursuing Tai Lung]] and not letting him in on it, he believes she is confessing to [[spoiler:loving Tai Lung in order to help him earn Tigress's acceptance]].
* OneWingedAngel: Chao has such a moment before the end.
* OnlyTheLeadsGetAHappyEnding: Played with. While it is unequivocally true that Tai Lung, Tigress, and Po all get happy endings, so does [[spoiler:Jia]], who while arguably a lead by the end of the story started off as a PunchClockVillain, as do [[BetaCouple Crane and Mei Ling]]. Additionally, Monkey gets to redeem himself after [[spoiler:his stint with DemonicPossession]], and even Chang and Xiulan, despite losing [[spoiler:his son and eyesight and her husband]], find healing and seem to have a brighter future ahead of them, due to Tai Lung's carpentry apprenticeship and [[spoiler:becoming godfather to Yi]], and their families becoming friends.
* OnlyThePureOfHeart: The Golden Spear [[spoiler:which Tai Lung eventually becomes able to wield]].
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The sign that things have reached their DarkestHour would be when Po, ultimate NiceGuy and [[TheChosenOne hero]], not only approaches the matter of facing the Wu Sisters to [[IHaveYourWife rescue his father]] far more [[BewareTheNiceOnes fiercely]] and [[LetsGetDangerous seriously]] than anyone could ever have expected, to the point even Tigress is disturbed, but also [[PrecisionFStrike swears for the first time]] when attacking Xiu. Not coincidentally, [[TookALevelInBadass he's quite badass]] while doing so. Interestingly this is also an in-story example, since the fact he went this far is a matter of some concern for Po, since he believes it's a sign [[spoiler:[[InTheBlood he is just like his highwayman father]]]].
** A more story-wide example of this trope is that thanks to Chao's MoreThanMindControl, the GenreSavvy reader (or character) is able to tell that this is going on whenever someone acts out-of-character. Prime examples would be the way Monkey acts toward Tai Lung (though no one but [[spoiler:Mantis]] figures this out until it's too late), Fu Xiao's personality switch from humble and friendly to arrogant and hateful [[LampshadeHanging which Shifu remarks upon]], and the progress of the HatePlague during Chapter 27 (particularly the usually calm and collected Crane nearly losing it on Tai Lung).
** Lesser examples (though still meaningful): when the [[NothingIsScarier abandoned village of Qinghe]] is discovered, examining the [[spoiler:dug-up graveyard]] causes CovertPervert Mantis to completely go dead serious; and the [[EvenEvilHasStandards reactions of Chun and Xiu]] to [[spoiler:Monkey]]'s RoomFullOfCrazy.
* OperationJealousy: Mei Ling and Tai Lung attempt this to force Tigress to admit her feelings for him. It works, after a fashion, but in the process, thanks to PoorCommunicationKills, Crane first becomes a GreenEyedMonster, then [[ObliviousToLove mistakenly believes their relationship is genuine]] and [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy decides they belong together]].
* OpponentSwitch: Happens on Wu Dan, but subverted in that the switch doesn't instantly result in the heroes' victory (Tigress doesn't even beat Xiu in the end, it's [[TookALevelInBadass Po]], and it's Chun's original opponent, Viper, who takes her out). Also justified in the case of Po and Jia since [[ForcedIntoEvil she really doesn't want]] [[ThePromise to fight him]], and with Po and Xiu since she was focused on her ArchEnemy Tigress at the time and had [[DidntSeeThatComing discounted him]].
* OrcusOnHisThrone (averted): Chao is actually shown doing quite a bit of villainy.
* {{Otaku}}: Po was this in the movie, and still is, though now he's graduated to a Tai-otaku.
* OurLichesAreDifferent: While he has no SoulJar per se and is in some ways more demonic, Heian Chao could be considered a lich by virtue of the dark chi he absorbed [[ImmortalityImmorality keeping him alive indefinitely]], not to mention his [[{{Necromancer}} control over the undead]]. He certainly studied forbidden lore for the sake of power--and when separate from his body cannot be killed.
* OutOfTheInferno: Inversion--via a FlashbackNightmare, this is revealed to be how Tai Lung left his rampage in the village to head for the Jade Palace and steal the Dragon Scroll, disappearing ''into'' the fire. A direct ShoutOut to Sephiroth of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tropes P-R]]
* PaintingTheMedium[=/=]SpoiledByTheFormat: The opening of Chapter 22, wherein Po is using the [[InsistentTerminology action figures]] of himself, Tai Lung, and the Five to act out his wishful thinking of all of them getting along and being close friends (and in Tai Lung and Tigress's case, declaring their love for one another), is [[BaitAndSwitch at first played as if]] it's the actual characters doing so before TheReveal. This is only possible in a textual medium, since in actual animation the truth would have been given away instantly. (WordOfGod has stated, though, that if it were possible to animate the fic, [[TheProducerThinksOfEverything this scene would be done with the 2D animation to achieve the same effect]]--though the sudden appearance of 2D would clue the viewer in that ''some''thing was up...)
* PairTheSpares (partially averted): [[spoiler:Jia is a spare, but Po isn't.]]
* PapaWolf: You don't ever threaten Shifu's children.
* PassThePopcorn: Mantis's reaction to Tai Lung and Tigress's incipient kiss during the Truth or Dare, as well as later when he's spying on them in the bedroom in chapter 24.
* PassingTheTorch: Shifu eventually steps down and gives his position to Tai Lung. (And he in turn inherits Oogway's position.)
* {{Patricide}}: What Mei Ling believes Jia is guilty of. [[{{Frameup}} Actually]] it's Xiu, apparently because she's an AntagonisticOffspring who thinks LoveIsAWeakness that [[MoralityChain is holding Jia back]] from her true evil calling.
* PeoplePuppets: Chao does this literally, both [[spoiler:to the villagers and his former classmates]].
* ThePerfectionist: Tai Lung, and definitely to his detriment since it led to an all-or-nothing mentality that contributed greatly to his rampage (if he cannot master the scrolls perfectly, he cannot become the Dragon Warrior, which then makes him nothing but a poor orphan and his kung fu is all meaningless).
* PetTheDog: Chun and especially Jia got a number of these regarding Po. Chun also reveals she isn't just the EmotionlessGirl she appears when she notes in her thoughts that after discovering some of Vachir/Chao's victims around the Valley rim, she made sure to anonymously report them [[DueToTheDead so they would get proper burials]]. Tai Lung himself had one when it was revealed he not only WouldntHurtAChild but had a soft spot for them, and another when it's revealed he [[spoiler:knows how to play the flute, and does so in honor of Oogway]].
* PlayingPossum: [[spoiler:How Mantis survives his DisneyDeath, via a ShoutOut to ''Secrets of the Furious Five''.]]
* PlayingWithFire: Tai Lung's elemental chi ability, via a nice RetCon of the movie.
* PlotArmor: While most of the good guys get badly hurt, [[spoiler:none of them die]].
* PlotMagnet: Tai Lung
* PoorCommunicationKills: Crane and Mei again, though it is an example in which the lack of communication is actually in-character; it was established in ''Secrets of the Furious Five'' that Crane has confidence issues, and there also seemed to be a ShipTease between him and Mei which he was, of course, [[ObliviousToLove completely oblivious to]]. [[AWizardDidIt It also doesn't help]] when a HatePlague is making everyone suspicious and willing to jump to the wrong conclusions.
** Ironically, a villainous version of this also appears where Chao's RightHandVersusLeftHand policy and Xiu's {{Pride}} and [[EvilCannotComprehendGood belief that Tai Lung could never fall in love]] result in the Wu Sisters not being told exactly what was planned for Tai Lung [[spoiler:via Monkey]] and Chao not being told about Mei Ling or the romance with Tigress.
* PowerOfFriendship: Tai Lung and Po to the max, though Tai Lung and Zhuang also count. And thanks to the nature of the villain's powers and plans, this is played unabashedly--and justifiably--straight. Just like...
* PowerOfLove: Explicitly stated to offer protection to Tai Lung from Chao's dark chi. This also extends to Po and Tigress, possibly others. Ends up saving our heroes at numerous points, most notably at Chorh-Gom.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: While Chao can gain power from anyone's chi, he is made strongest by that of an innocent child.
* PowerTrio: Tai Lung, Tigress, and Po become this by the end of the story. Which, if the surmise on the FridgeBrilliance page is correct, makes this highly appropriate in an archetypal, [[AllPsychologyIsFreudian psychological]] sense. ([[FreudianTrio Id, superego, ego]].) It also acts as a form of AnatomyOfTheSoul, since Tai Lung would clearly be Body, Po is Spirit, and Tigress (despite her temper and ActionGirl nature) is a clever and intelligent fighter and therefore Mind.
* PrecisionFStrike: Po never curses. Never. And when he finally does say a single curse word (Bitch), can of whoop-ass doesn't begin to describe it. 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 of this, 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").
* ThePromise: Early on, Tai Lung wants Tigress to ensure that if he [[ChronicVillainy ever falls into darkness again]], she stop him before he commits another rampage. Naturally, she is quite eager and willing to do so. But when, true to the trope, she faces the prospect of having to keep her word near the end of the story, ironically [[MoralDilemma she is no longer so sure she can do it]] since by then [[{{OTP}} she has come to love him]]. Luckily for her, her resolve is never tested since [[TheMessiah other forces]] [[BigDamnHeroes intervene]].
** Chun and Jia also made one to [[spoiler:Bao]] to look after his son. Thanks to Xiu, they weren't able to keep it until late in the story.
* PsychicPowers: Chao can astral project. This is a key point, since it not only allows him fast travel, the ability to be in two places at once, and is what prevented him from [[AndIMustScream going even more insane while being held prisoner for nine hundred plus years]], [[spoiler:it's how he was able to keep himself fed on chi and alive all that time, and how he visited Tai Lung in Chorh-Gom, corrupting him and influencing his hatred and desire for vengeance]].
* PsychoForHire: Xiu is the most mentally unstable of the Wu Sisters, though technically all of them are for hire.
* PunchClockVillain: At many times, Chun seems to be an example of this, enjoying being an assassin solely because it's her job. (Type I AntiVillain.)
* PunctuatedPounding: Tai Lung, on Vachir
* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: Heian Chao, to Oogway.
* PureEnergy: The Pool of Sacred Tears turns out to be this, as a gathering of holy chi. [[spoiler:Which is thoroughly corrupted by Chao's touch into a terrifyingly demonic force that lets him make PeoplePuppets of the whole Valley.]]
* TheQuietOne: Chun, for much of the story.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Wu Sisters, who are overall pretty effective as opponents.
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Tai Lung has plenty of this towards Oogway and especially Shifu.
* RapeIsTheNewDeadParents: [[DefiedTrope Averted]] regarding [[PrisonRape Tai Lung‘s time in prison]], as well as lampshaded and mocked.
-->'''Tai Lung''': Damn it all, is that all you ''ever'' think about? Why does everything have to be about sex...why does everyone have to jump to the worst possible conclusion? For your information, you witless little stick, that blasted shell on my back made it so no one could get to my arse, even if they wanted to! But that's not the point...the point is, there's [[ColdBloodedTorture a hell of a lot of things that can happen to you]] in a prison with a thousand men and no women, and they don't involve violation!
* 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). [[TropesAreNotBad 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.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Chao never truly died, he was instead sealed, so he was alive all that time.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure[=/=][[TheGoodKing The Good Emperor]]: Emperor Chen, who not only [[spoiler:pardons Tai Lung and Jia, but actually challenges the former to a friendly sparring match and compliments Po's cooking]]. He also trusts the word of Tigress in her letter and believes everything he is told about Chao without batting an eye.
* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Xiu to Tigress in the birch forest. Chao gives a few as well. [[CharacterDevelopment Po]] also gives one, of the "tired of your friend's action/attitude" type, to Tigress.
* {{Reconstruction}}: The author takes a large number of super villain tropes which, by themselves, have either nearly become {{Dead Horse Trope}}s, are usually always subverted and played for laughs, or end up becoming {{Narm}}...and shows just why they were originally so effective and, quite often, scary.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Happens to [[spoiler:Vachir]]. Averted with Tai Lung, who redeems himself but gets to keep on living.
* RedemptionEarnsLife: Arguably, the entire point of the fic is to do this for Tai Lung.
* RedemptionPromotion: Tai Lung still loses in battle often enough to justify needing Po and the Five as his allies, and he has issues with [[HotBlooded controlling]] [[FatalFlaw his temper]] and ([[PersonalityPowers not coincidentally]]) his [[ElementalPowers Fire chi]], but in all other respects he remains as powerful, incredible, and BadAss a fighter as he was when a villain. The fact he isn't maddened or enraged all the time (and has gotten over his FreudianExcuse) also allows him to actually make use of those thousand scrolls he learned, and use them cleverly and effectively. The Fire chi and [[spoiler:the Golden Spear]] also count as power-ups for him. [[spoiler:Jia]], when [[HeelFaceTurn she changes sides]], isn't demoted either, remaining as awesome and skilled in combat as ever, as well as [[TheDogBitesBack helping]] [[InTheBack take out]] [[spoiler:Xiu]].
* RedemptionQuest: Another point to the story.
* RedOniBlueOni: Sort of. Tai Lung is for certain a red...Po isn't an exact blue since he's hardly calm and logical, but he is less emotional than Tai Lung so he counts.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler:Monkey]], though it takes a long time for anybody to notice it. [[spoiler:Later on, the villagers.]] Also, Chao himself.
* ReformedButRejected: Tai Lung is practically the poster boy for this trope. Very, very few villagers are willing to give him a chance.
* ReplacementGoldfish: While this appeared to some degree in the movie as well, the implications of how Tigress was meant to replace Tai Lung in Shifu's eyes are explored more in-depth here, particularly when his return, Shifu's attempts to redeem him, and the subsequent reconciliation lead to her once more feeling pushed aside and forgotten, [[HisStoryRepeatsItself just as she had]] when Po was chosen as the Dragon Warrior. Leads to CallingTheOldManOut.
* TheReveal: Quite a few, like Chao finally revealing his face, and Monkey revealing [[spoiler:he was the possessed one]] in the middle of a very serious situation. Also, finding out who Chao actually was, who Po's parents were, who Tai Lung's were, Mei finding out who really killed her father...
* RhinoRampage: Vachir actually gets to show off this time how BadAss he is...and not only [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown wipes the ground with Tai Lung]], but comes this close to defeating him. [[spoiler:If not for Tigress...]]
* RightBehindMe: Inverted. Shifu is well aware of the fact that Crane is eavesdropping on his and Tigress's conversation; perhaps it's those enormous ears of his...
** A dramatic horror, rather than comedic, version of this occurs at Chorh-Gom, when Vachir forms out of the darkness right behind Tai Lung. Almost, but not quite, an EnemyRisingBehind.
* RightHandVersusLeftHand: Chao chooses not to share with the Wu Sisters the entirety of his plans for Tai Lung or Vachir, and nothing at all about his plans for [[spoiler:Monkey]], partly to keep his cards close to his chest, partly because he believes they will rebel if they learn the full story. He's right, since EvenEvilHasStandards, Xiu is [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]], and none of them would care for being a RedShirt. But keeping things from them ends up biting him in the ass, between PoorCommunicationKills, DidntSeeThatComing, and indirectly encouraging [[spoiler:Jia's HeelFaceTurn]].
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Tai Lung almost goes into one of these during the trial. Po sorta goes into one (though he's not homicidal) against the Wu Sisters later on, particularly Xiu. Tai Lung also almost did at Chorh-Gom, as well as in the final fight with Chao. A chronic problem on his part which Po, thankfully, is able to help restrain somewhat. And when pointed at the right person...
** Also invoked by name when Shifu, after revealing [[spoiler:his ChewOutFakeout was a SecretTestOfCharacter]], claims this is what Mantis would have said he'd do upon discovering Tai Lung and Tigress together.
* RomanticFalseLead: How Crane views Tai Lung, for a while. Unusually, Crane actually ''can'' understand [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim what Mei Ling sees in him]] (partly thanks to his own low self-esteem), thus leading to IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy.
* RomanticRunnerUp: Monkey [[spoiler:to Tai Lung, for Tigress's affections]].
* RoomFullOfCrazy: [[spoiler:Monkey]]'s room.
* RousingSpeech: Tai Lung gives a hell of a one just before the Heroes go to the final battle.
* RousseauWasRight: Oogway fully believed in Tai Lung all along, and that if he could simply be freed of Chao's influence and learn from Po's example, the goodness and heroic nature he once possessed would reassert themselves, as they were who he truly was at heart.
** HobbesWasRight: Ironically, Po thinks this after learning [[spoiler:about his highwayman father Bao]], but despite his ability to be ruthless and fierce in battle, he finds his fears are unfounded and, instead of this being InTheBlood, he too has an [[IncorruptiblePurePureness inner goodness]] and heroic nature.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Mei Ling, since she is descended from the ruling clan of Kunlun Shan and is thus a noble. Also, Emperor Chen, who not only fought on the battlefield for years alongside his men, but who became personally involved in the case of [[spoiler:Po's parents]].
* RuleOfCool: A whole lot, natch. Let's just say it starts simple with Tai Lung being ambidextrous, and it escalates to things such as [[spoiler:an army of ghostly warriors versus an army of demons]], and manipulation of elemental forces. Almost the entirety of the FinalBattle seems to run on this.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tropes S-U]]
* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Zhuang. And it gets to you.]]
* SadisticChoice: [[spoiler:Die for a crime [[ClearMyName you didn't commit]], or go on a second rampage to save yourself, thus [[ReformedButRejected proving everyone right about your unrepentant villainy]] and giving the BigBad the inroads to corrupt and possess you.]] Tai Lung can be very grateful there was a third option.
* SandInMyEyes: Tai Lung and Tigress both use this excuse at different points to conceal their vulnerable sides.
* SatelliteCharacter: Several, though not as many as in most fanfics. The two most obvious would be Zhuang and Xiulan, but although it is true their story mostly revolves around their reaction to Tai Lung and his possible redemption, they also have their own subplots relating to Tigress, Ping, and Chang (another SatelliteCharacter). Also of note is that both Xiulan and Chang are that rare form of the trope, the one full of all-consuming rage, bitterness, vengefulness, and outright hatred.
* SayMyName: Happens a lot. An amusing variation is a RunningGag of a character being snapped out of a {{Flashback}} by their name being called.
* SealedEvilInACan: Chao. [[spoiler:Also, the yaoguai, though they seemed to be a RedHerring earlier in the story.]]
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Very much Tai Lung's attitude at not receiving the Dragon Scroll. Somewhat justified by him believing that earning it [[WellDoneSonGuy would make Shifu proud of him]], and that after having been led to believe that he would be the Dragon Warrior, the people of the Valley resumed [[BullyingADragon taunting and rejecting him]] [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer for being an orphan trying to rise above his station]].
* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:Shifu's 'confrontation' with Tai Lung and Tigress after catching them in a compromising position.]]
* {{Seers}}: Meditating allows Shifu, [[LegacyCharacter like Oogway before him]], to have [[MySignificanceSenseIsTingling visions and premonitions of the future]]. The one depicted in-story, aside from being [[RuleOfSymbolism ominous]], [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight portentous]], and [[PropheticFallacy vague]], is also enough to nearly make him [[FaintingSeer pass out]].
* SeeYouInHell: Variation: Tigress tells Chao to 'drop dead', to which he replies, "I already tried that and it didn't agree with me."
* SelfDisposingVillain: Or at least, [[PlayingWithATrope Villain-Disposing Villain]]. But while what happens to Xiu ([[spoiler:ConvenientComa]]) is [[DevourTheDragon thanks to Chao]], it would never have occurred if she hadn't gotten DrunkOnTheDarkSide and begged Chao to [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor give her his power]]. Though Po [[SpannerInTheWorks interfering with the transfer]] may also have had something to do with the results.
* SelfParody: The action figures scene, which makes fun of both certain elements of Taigress fics and Tai Lung redemption fics as well as the author‘s own fic. An in-story example would be one only mentioned in passing: in the Truth or Dare, when asked to praise Po, Tai Lung adds in an extra of himself speaking of Po when he faced the Five on the bridge and [[LargeHam hams it up for good measure]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Po and Tai Lung, respectively.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: It's a good idea to keep a dictionary open in another tab while reading this. That said, the...uncommon words are used correctly, and in almost all cases are actually more of a precise fit than their everyday equivalents. In-story, this also applies to Chao's speech patterns [[FridgeBrilliance because he's from an earlier time]].
* ShamingTheMob: Subverted. Shifu and Mei Ling each try this, but thanks to [[spoiler:Chao's chi manipulation]], no one listens to them.
* ShipperOnDeck: Viper and Mei Ling, with Po to some degree later on.
* ShootTheRope: Variation, as [[JustInTime just when Tai Lung is about to be hung]], [[spoiler:Crane flies in and cuts the rope]].
* ShoutOut: Far too many to count, whether to movies, books, video games, or other fics.
** One particularly interesting one is a sort of meta ContinuityNod ShoutOut: the corruption of [[spoiler:the Sacred Pool]] and its cleansing which bookend Tai Lung's arrest and trial are ''both'' mirrors of Disney's ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''--the corruption is an almost direct parallel to Chernabog's shadowy takeover of the town to resurrect the dead in ''Night on Bald Mountain'', while the cleansing uses imagery quite similar to the Sprite's restoration of the land in the ''Firebird Suite''.
* ShownTheirWork: The author did some serious and extensive research on ancient China.
* ShutUpHannibal: Some truly epic ones happen during the final battle, particularly the ones given by Mantis and Po. Tai Lung gets a pretty good one in his prison cell too.
* ShutUpKiss: Mei Ling to Crane. [[spoiler:Jia almost does so to Po as well.]]
* ShuttingUpNow: Crane, during the Truth or Dare.
* SignOfTheApocalypse: When both Tai Lung and Tigress agree on something (in this case, that the Truth or Dare game is a bad idea), everyone is shocked and stunned, and Po comments in his thoughts, "Should I be [[TotalEclipseOfThePlot checkin' the almanac for an eclipse]]? Or lookin' out the window for [[CometOfDoom a red comet]]?"
* SlapSlapKiss: Aside from [[MasochismTango the overall progress]] of Tai Lung and Tigress's relationship, this actually happens literally during Tigress and Tai Lung's confrontation in the cave.
* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: In grand kung fu tradition (see ''BigTroubleInLittleChina''), the fic begins with the comedy (and action) seen in the movie, then gradually introduces horror elements as the BigBad and his lackeys become more prominent in the story. MoodWhiplash is also deliberately invoked a few times (the Truth or Dare immediately followed by the first murder victim being found, Shifu catching Tai Lung and Tigress in bed and Tai Lung fetching birth control bookending [[spoiler:the corruption of the Sacred Pool by Heian Chao]], the MushroomSamba following the trial). But in the end, the comedy mostly acts as effective breather moments between the most terrifying horror scenes, and taking over again completely once the BigBad is defeated. Overall it seems mostly balanced rather than one or the other dominant.
* SlouchOfVillainy: Chao, in the Vault of Heroes.
* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped ([[InvokedTrope invoked]] in-story): While just about everyone gets to do this in the end, 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. Also, when the time comes for Tai Lung to realize and accept [[spoiler:that 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]], this fact is ground in for him by [[spoiler:Po's fur colors]].
** In addition, any number of times the point was 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.
* SoProudOfYou: Occurs a number of times, though the most notable would be [[spoiler:Po's letter from his biological father]].
* SpannerInTheWorks: Shen Zhuang. Not only does he rescue Tigress and prevent the Wu Sisters from killing Ping, but [[spoiler:his rescue of the Weis deprives Chao of power at a crucial moment, allowing Vachir and Monkey to be defeated and freed, respectively]]. And all without him even knowing he was doing it...[[spoiler:save for [[DyingClue leaving a message behind to name his killer]], which most certainly ruined Chao's plans.]]
* SpitefulSpit: Zhuang does this to Xiu [[spoiler:when she, possessed by Chao and [[{{Glamour}} made to look like]] [[LieToTheBeholder Tai Lung]], [[KilledOffForReal kills him]]]].
* SquishyWizard: Averted, since Chao [[spoiler:can heal himself of any injury so long as he has dark chi to draw upon]], and is a skilled and powerful kung fu fighter in his own right.
* StartOfDarkness: Chao again, and he went at it all-out from the get-go.
* StayInTheKitchen (averted): Not only does Tai Lung (wisely) never expect this of Tigress, but when Crane and Mei Ling get together, he follows her on a kung fu adventure across the empire. (This is contrary to some of the men Mei has known in the past, who were threatened by her ActionGirl status.) And Po, of course, is the one who will stay in the kitchen when he isn't being the Dragon Warrior.
* StealthPun: From the scene at the apothecary:
--> '''Ning Guo''': Really? Well, nothing to be ashamed of, sonny, happens to all of us at the worst of times, doesn't mean anything about your masculinity. I could give you my own special brew...''a certain weed I mix with something fresh from yours truly''... [[spoiler:Ning Guo is a ''goat''.]]
* StormingTheCastle: The good guys do this first in Chorh-Gom, and later down in the Vault of Heroes.
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: At one point, to keep someone from knowing what he actually had on his mind, Tai Lung says, [[NotSoDifferent just like]] [[{{Foil}} Po]], "What was I thinking about? Er...noodles."
** Another form of this crosses with SpeakInUnison when Tai Lung, [[MushroomSamba doped up on opium]] and fresh off his KangarooCourt, near-execution, sees Po after the latter has returned from a major fight on Wu Dan [[ItMakesSenseInContext draped in unconscious snow leopardesses]]: "What happened to ''you''?"
* StrawNihilist: Chao definitely has [[{{Pun}} shades]] of this.
* SummoningRitual: Chao does this [[spoiler:with the demons]].
* SuperPowerLottery: Chao (which is rather unsurprising for a BigBad). He is a BodySnatcher and can create PeoplePuppets due to DemonicPossession; [[PsychicPowers can astral project]] and [[VillainTeleportation travel]] via means of a [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace shadow]] [[DarkWorld world]]; can incite a HatePlague and use MoreThanMindControl to influence others; has powers over [[CastingAShadow darkness and shadow]] as well as some ability with illusion; and can both [[{{Necromancer}} raise the dead]] and [[SummoningRitual summon]] [[spoiler:demons]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] due to being a KungFuWizard and master of ''[[LifeEnergy chi]]'' (which could be used for anything related to life, the soul, or the mind, as well as perception thereof), as well as using BlackMagic to extend his life and generally discovering [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Things Man Was Not Meant To Know]].
* SurpriseWitness: [[spoiler:Ning Guo]] acts as this--not at Tai Lung's [[KangarooCourt trial]], but his execution, although by that point his words are only an additional confirmation rather than the linch-pin since [[spoiler:Crane]] had already brought [[DyingClue the evidence]] [[ClearTheirName to exonerate the snow leopard]] and Shifu had [[spoiler:exorcized the PeoplePuppets of the village so that they could actually listen]].
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: How Po attempts to convince [[spoiler:Jia]] he wasn't about to declare his love for her...
* SweetTooth: Tai Lung. He doesn't like to admit it, but he'll blissfully chow down on any sweets he can get his paws on.
* SympatheticMagic: Chao does this with Tai Lung's fur.
* TakeAThirdOption: Chao [[XanatosGambit arranged things]] so that either Tai Lung would be captured, [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured]], killed, and/or corrupted back into a villain by Vachir, or he would in turn kill Vachir and [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim become just like him]] thanks to RoaringRampageOfRevenge, ThouShaltNotKill, and JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope rendering him susceptible to DemonicPossession. Instead, Tai Lung does the right thing [[spoiler:after Vachir is freed by Tigress fatally injuring him, by both [[RedemptionEqualsDeath granting him forgiveness]] and a MercyKill]]. Cue BigNo and VillainousBreakdown.
* [[TakingTheBullet Taking the Knife]]: Tai Lung does this for Tigress when [[spoiler:Monkey]] tries to kill her.
* TakingYouWithMe: Tai Lung tries to invoke this with Vachir, but fails.
* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Occurs a number of times, but most notably during the final moments of the battle with Vachir.
* TalkToTheFist: Tai Lung uses this on Chao, in a very nice ShutUpHannibal moment.
* TellMeAboutMyFather: Both Tai Lung and Po get to say this. One is quite happy with what he learns, the other...[[BrokenPedestal isn't]]. [[spoiler:And it's not who you think.]]
* TemptingFate: [[spoiler:Monkey really should have listened to Po, and not mentioned the possibility of spirits taking him over the night of the Ghost Festival...]] Crane also skirts the edges of this trope when, right before Chao first leaves Chorh-Gom to implement his plans, the bird almost thinks to himself the old Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times".
* ThatManIsDead: Chao to Shifu during the final battle. Three guesses which way he says the trope name.
* ThirteenIsUnlucky: Despite the story taking place in ancient China, Chapter 13 is when the Wu Sisters are first introduced and the BigBad's villainy is made clear. [[SubvertedTrope On the other hand]], this same chapter also includes one of the most touching and heartwarming moments in the story between [[HeterosexualLifePartners Po and Tai Lung]], and Tai Lung having something of a MeetCute with [[spoiler:his past cub self]] to reassure him he still has goodness in him.
* ThisCannotBe: Chao several times (especially [[spoiler:his death scene]]). Also Xiu at Wu Dan.
* ThisIsReality: Spoken by Tai Lung to convince Po they are truly facing someone like Chao.
* [[ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself This Is Something He's Got To Do Himself]]: Tai Lung views dealing with Vachir this way.
* ThisIsWrongOnSoManyLevels: Very much the reaction of everyone to seeing the contents of [[BrainBleach Oogway's more explicit love letters]].
* ThouShaltNotKill (averted): Though Po still doesn't kill anyone, no one else seems to have this compunction.
* ThroughHisStomach: Apparently this is one of the ways in which Po succeeds in befriending Tai Lung. Let the HoYay commence.
* TinkleInTheEye: Though not actually in the eye, this otherwise happens when Tai Lung, [[CrowningMomentOfFunny conscripted into helping Tigress at the day care]], has to do the dreaded [[TheDiaperChange Diaper Change]]--from [[LaserGuidedKarma a red panda cub, no less]].
* TitleDrop: Technically the title is dropped right in the fic's opening blurb ("Can a father undo his past mistakes? Perhaps, if the snow leopard can be taught...A Different Lesson"), but it is properly referenced at least three times in the fic itself--the first time during the training on Wu Dan where it emphasizes what Tai Lung has to do differently and how he should view the world and his place in it if he wants to be a hero, the last time at the very end when he is reflecting back on everything he's gone through. The second time, in a sinister variation, is spoken by the BigBad, implying [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow what he will offer]] if Tai Lung [[WeCanRuleTogether joins him]].
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Despite no one ever coming out and saying it, some might consider [[spoiler:Zhuang]] to be this, considering he has a number of GaryStu traits (though thankfully not fully becoming one due to not taking over the story), he has next to no flaws, and it is his death, among other things, that galvanizes Po to fight the Wu Sisters, sends Tai Lung on his RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Xiu and Chao, and even gets Xiulan and the rest of the Valley's support behind Tai Lung [[NiceJobFixingItVillain once it comes out who really killed him]]. The trope is still played with at least, since he does not get a long, drawn-out death scene (though there is a MeaningfulFuneral and a DeadPersonConversation before he moves on to the next life--albeit for Tai Lung's ears alone) and the BigBad not only doesn't reflect on it, he dismisses him as [[TrashTalk a mere peasant]] whose death was LaserGuidedKarma for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and [[ButForMeItWasTuesday a simple byproduct]] of his plan to TakeOverTheWorld.
* TookALevelInBadass: At a certain point, Tai Lung shows that when cool and collected, he could defeat Po, probably easily at that. But after some time, lessons and new tricks from both Shifu and Tai Lung, combined with Po's natural talent, and... well, let's just say you also don't want to see an angry panda.
* TooSlow: Pulled on Tai Lung by Xiu at Yunxian.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Tai Lung absolutely adores candy and desserts of any kind, though he's very secretive and does not like people to know about it. This is further explored in one of the sequel vignettes, where Tai Lung buys the best confections that the store owner can provide, and it's all treated in a way that [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything makes them look like they're smuggling and buying illegal substances]].
* {{Troperiffic}}: And [[TropesAreNotBad deliberately so]], by WordOfGod.
* TrueCompanions: Tai Lung eventually learns to see everyone in the Jade Palace as this.
* TryingToCatchMeFightingDirty: Xiu epitomizes this trope. 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]].
* TryNotToDie: Tigress uses a snarkily dry variation of this in Chorh-Gom after having saved Tai Lung from falling off a collapsing bridge; because of the SlapSlapKiss, MasochismTango [[BelligerentSexualTension nature of their relationship]], this rather than the usual plaintive, emotional version makes sense--for them, this ''is'' a heartfelt prayer to come back to each other.
-->'''Tigress''': Try not to fall again...I might not be there next time to catch you.
* {{Tsundere}}: Tigress to the max, Type A. Tai Lung is both a male one and a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
* TwiceShy: Crane and Mei Ling are kept from hooking up for the longest time because of this.
* UnluckyEverydude: Crane
* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Subverted. Shifu tells Tigress and Tai Lung exactly what he intends to do to stop Vachir. Despite this, the plan itself works perfectly--Vachir just happens to survive it is all. Also, despite Chao telling the Wu Sisters his plan for Tai Lung and the Five, it comes very close to working with only [[spoiler:Oogway's protection]] preventing it. However, it is later played straight when Chao tells Tai Lung what he intends for him to do as his servant, which of course never comes to pass.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Aside from the way this already applies to him in the movie, the scene where Tai Lung and the others discover the portrait of him as an adorable cub in Oogway's room is the OldShame[=/=]PlayedForLaughs variation of this trope. Except that instead of Tai Lung bemoaning the ruining of his VillainCred, he's attempting to head off BadassDecay. Despite the fact he remains a badass for the rest of the story, amusingly, no one seems to believe him when he calls his cub self a hellion...[[NotSoDifferent except Tigress]].
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Chao uses this as his reason (excuse!) for murdering his friends and a group of children. Later on he still has it, just that now he's an asshole to boot.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tropes V-Z]]
* VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Vault of Heroes]] has shades of this, being an [[ElaborateUndergroundBase underground location]] with [[SceneryPorn epic architecture and statuary]], [[BossRoom lots of space for fighting]], and an impressive name. [[SubvertedTrope However]], not only is the name [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace the exact opposite you would expect]], the place was never intended to be the location for a BossBattle, since it was a hall built to honor fallen heroes and a nexus of holy spiritual energy; it only becomes this trope due to being the place [[spoiler:where [[SealedEvilInACan Oogway imprisoned Heian Chao]]]]. Its choice for the FinalBattle, on the other hand, [[WordOfGod is also a reference]] to [[WhatCouldHaveBeen its original intention as such]] for the movie.
* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: Crane, or from a different point of view, Mei Ling
* ViewerGenderConfusion (lampshaded, [[InvokedTrope invoked]], and parodied): The scroll of the movie's events in which Tigress was a man.
* VillainsActHeroesReact: At first played straight, then later averted. When the BigBad first appears in the story, all of the plot-driven elements come about due to him or his lackeys, with the Heroes either trying to stop him, put an end to his crimes, or protect Tai Lung, Po, and the people of the Valley. But after one too many schemes, before Chao can recover and launch an even worse attack, Shifu decides to be proactive, learn who and what and where he is, and go take him out--and after learning of him from the Wu Sisters, the rest of the Heroes decide the same thing.
* VillainBall: While Chao is usually not found carrying one of these, he does do so in at least one respect: [[spoiler:inflaming Jia's lusts for Tai Lung so that she comes to care for him too much, while at the same time encouraging Monkey and/or Vachir to kill him]]. And he doesn't expect this to cause any difficulties with Jia. Not the smartest move. [[spoiler:[[UnspokenPlanGuarantee Confessing his great plan to Tai Lung in his cell also counts]].]]
* VillainsOutShopping (subverted): What seemed to be the Wu Sisters out for dinner at Ping's restaurant was actually them casing the joint to get info on Po.
* VillainousBreakdown: Xiu at Wu Dan, and you can see every step on the way to it. Heian Chao has one too, albeit more drawn-out: starting from after Chorh-Gom when things start going wrong for him (see DidntSeeThatComing, XanatosGambit, and TakeAThirdOption), [[FromBadToWorse getting worse]] after Tai Lung is exonerated, and culminating when he discovers Po is not only still involved in the battle despite his [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Father]] ultimatum but had also [[spoiler:cleansed the Pool of Sacred Tears]]. Watch Chao go from [[WickedCultured suave, sophisticated]] [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] to psychotic, [[PrecisionFStrike raging]] apocalypse.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Variation A. Tai Lung will not miss an opportunity to snark at, poke fun at, and sometimes even threaten Po with physical harm, and Po just takes it all, except if Tai Lung insults Mr. Ping and his soup or restaurant. On occasion Po does return the teasing and snark right back, but only in a gentle, lighthearted way, naturally.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: Chao, especially when he is possessing someone.
* WeCanRuleTogether: Chao offers this to Tai Lung, but he really needs to work on his sales pitch.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Xun Chao, before [[spoiler:becoming Heian Chao]], wanted to use his mastery of chi [[VisionaryVillain to bring order to China by overthrowing the Emperor]]. To do this, [[spoiler:he needed to [[PoweredByAForsakenChild murder children and absorb their chi]]]]. [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil By the time he tried to follow through with it]], he was quite clearly out of his mind...and thanks to TheCorruption, TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget, and (it's implied) LoveHurts he has dispensed with things such as love, compassion, and [[WhatIsEvil morality]] as [[GoodIsImpotent pathetic]] [[LoveIsAWeakness weaknesses]], instead merely using appeals to them to justify his actions and manipulate others while not even believing in them any more.
* [[WhamEpisode Wham Chapter]]: Chapter 34. Nuff said. Chapter 30 also counts. [[spoiler:The first one is the chapter where Zhuang is murdered, Ping is kidnapped and Po informed of it, and Shifu has his frightening premonition just before the CliffHanger of Tai Lung's arrest. The second starts with Zhuang discovering the blinded Chang and his wife being [[EmotionEater fed off of by Chao]] and warned about Vachir, then has the zombie Anvil of Heaven, the fight with Vachir, the revelation that Monkey was possessed (and DisneyDeath of Mantis), and the stabbing of Vachir that led to the explosion of dark chi and Tai Lung and Tigress falling into the abyss. Whew!]]
* WhatIsEvil: "Cease prattling about morality and ethics, you and I both know those are simply words we use as masks, facades to present to the world to keep the weak and misguided from interfering while we do our work."
* WhatWouldXDo: See the IceCreamKoan above; Tai Lung is very bad at thinking like Oogway. Comes with a bit of ICantBelieveImSayingThis as well, when he finds himself having to ask such a question in the first place.
* WhosLaughingNow: Another motivation for Tai Lung's rampage, besides claiming what he had been led to believe was rightfully his--to get back at [[TooDumbToLive those who had mocked him for not becoming the Dragon Warrior]].
* WhyThankYouX: Oogway pulls this on Shifu late in the story.
* WickedCultured: Until he loses his temper after the failure of his plans, Chao has this trope written all over him.
* AWizardDidIt: Used quite literally to explain and justify such things as [[spoiler:why Tai Lung conveniently forgets about Chao for a while, why the Five become increasingly argumentative, why Mei Ling doesn't tell Crane about her plan to make Tigress jealous, why PoorCommunicationKills, why Tai Lung thinks it's a good idea to reconcile Tigress and Shifu in the middle of a HatePlague]], and so on.
* WizardsLiveLonger: Chao is nine hundred plus years old.
* [[WontTakeYesForAnAnswer Won't Take Yes For An Answer]]: How Po reacts to [[spoiler:Jia revealing she has feelings for him, too]].
* TheWorfEffect: As proof of what a serious threat the villains of the story are--Exhibit A: the Wu Sisters come this close to defeating [[MemeticBadass Tai Lung]] during their first encounter, [[spoiler:nearly kill [[TheChosenOne Po]]]], and do succeed in beating [[ActionGirl Tigress]] the first time they meet her; Exhibit B: Vachir gives an absolute NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to Tai Lung at Chorh-Gom and succeeds in holding Tigress hostage; and just before the FinalBattle, during Heian Chao's series of [[BreakingSpeech Breaking Speeches]] to the kung fu warriors, we see from Tigress's POV just how powerful the shadow mage's chi is, since he comes quite close to breaking [[{{Determinator}} her]]. In the end, though, all of this merely allows for multiple examples of HeroicSecondWind as Xiu is eventually defeated by first [[TookALevelInBadass Po]], then Tai Lung, Vachir is dealt a fatal blow by [[spoiler:Tigress]], and not only is Chao killed, but his army [[spoiler:of demons]] is taken out by the Five, led of course by Tigress.
* WorthIt: Tai Lung, after his toe-touching dare to Po.
* [[WouldntHurtAChild Wouldn't Hurt A Child]]: Brutally averted by Chao. Tai Lung plays this straight after unintentionally averting it during his rampage. As a result it's also a BerserkButton for him if you suggest that he would, as Monkey discovers.
* WronskiFeint: Crane pulls one of these on Heian Chao during the final battle, except with a wall instead of the floor.
* XanatosGambit: Chao, being DangerouslyGenreSavvy, tries pulling one of these off on Tai Lung at Chorh-Gom, figuring that he'll either kill Vachir out of rage and be open to being corrupted, or get killed and serve him as a zombie; either way he would win. Similarly, no matter which way Tai Lung resolved the SadisticChoice which Chao had set up via [[spoiler:the murder of Zhuang]] and the trial, he would gain the snow leopard's service and power, and win...except for [[spoiler:Zhuang's DyingClue]] which Crane found and brought as evidence, and Po [[spoiler:cleansing the Sacred Pool]] along with Shifu's use of Oogway's staff to [[spoiler:free the villagers of their PeoplePuppets DemonicPossession]]. The fact it took so many elements to bring down this second scheme shows just how well-plotted it was, and [[DarkestHour how close]] [[NearVillainVictory it came to succeeding]].
** BatmanGambit: [[DidntSeeThatComing He didn't count on]] [[spoiler:Tigress TakingAThirdOption and stabbing Vachir herself, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood nor did he foresee]] Tai Lung actually ''forgiving'' the rhino, thus letting him [[MercyKill die an honorable death.]]]]
* YinYangBomb: The Wuxi Finger Hold turns out to be a variation of this, since depending on the intent of the user it can either be a force for destruction (as Shifu claimed it was in the movie) or salvation (as when Po used it to take away Tai Lung's rage and insanity, purifying his soul and thus giving him the chance to change and redeem himself). The two are mutually exclusive, since the latter application also repaired the damage to the village...though it did [[spoiler:[[NiceJobBreakingItHero free Heian Chao from Oogway's prison]]]]. It's entirely possible [[IKnewIt the sequels will reveal this is actually the case]], based on what Po did looking and acting nothing like what Shifu described...though if so, the second application will likely be a forced [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascent To A Higher Plane Of Existence]] instead.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: A number of people, but most especially Po and Oogway, insist this is the case whenever Tai Lung is ready to disparage himself and believe he is only and always a villain...and in the end, [[RousseauWasRight they're right]]. This same appeal gets turned back on Po when he starts losing faith in himself [[spoiler:thanks to what he learns about his family]], and Mei Ling most definitely appeals to it in order to [[spoiler:get Jia to finish her HeelFaceTurn]].
* YouAreNotAlone: Mei Ling tells Jia this during the final battle [[spoiler:which is what finally pushes her to complete her HeelFaceTurn]].
* YouAreNotReady: Applies to both Tai Lung and Po, though stated specifically by Oogway as the reason he didn't tell Tai Lung sooner of his destiny. This was also what Oogway told Chao when he wanted [[LifeEnergy the secrets of mastering chi]] so as to [[WellIntentionedExtremist defeat the tyrannical emperor]]; naturally [[{{Pride}} Chao didn't listen]], and [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow the rest]] [[TheDarkSide was history]].
* YouCantFightFate: Played with. Tai Lung eventually learns/remembers that [[spoiler:he had saved a very young Tigress from the ruins of her quake-collapsed house]], suggesting he and Tigress were always meant to be together and be there for each other, but Oogway later states that their romance is something Tai Lung did all on his own. So while there may be no accidents, the future is clearly not set in stone either.
* YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForGood: While no one actually stated the trope name aloud, let alone directly to Chao, Oogway did observe (as did Shifu in his thoughts) that the chi master could have been the best healer in the empire, perhaps even the world, had he stayed on the path of good, and that it was a shame he did not, respectively.
* YouDidTheRightThing: After Chao reveals [[spoiler:that the Wuxi Finger Hold is what freed him]], Viper has to appeal to this trope to help snap Po out of it.
* YouFightLikeACow: Xiu uses this tactic a lot on Tai Lung and Tigress (IsThatTheBestYouCanDo comes up, unsurprisingly), though at times, especially when she is angry or on the verge of losing, this degenerates into TrashTalk. Tai Lung eventually turns it back on her, and to a point so does Po to Jia.
* YouFool: Pretty much the way Chao acts constantly during all his fights.
* YouGotSpunk: Tai Lung certainly admires Tigress's spirit.
* YouHaveToBelieveMe: Shifu makes the mistake of invoking this during Tai Lung's trial. Jia uses it on Mei Ling regarding their father's murder with much more success.
* YouHaveFailedMe (lampshaded and averted): Chun wonders why Chao is okay with them failing to kill Po at Yunxian, until Chao reveals he's surprisingly patient for an insane BigBad. However, he later does consider pulling this, as does Xiu, although the latter borders on YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness.
* YouJustToldMe: Used in humorous fashion early on when Tigress is made to admit to her deep and abiding distrust for Tai Lung by Shifu. Humorous because Tigress acts [[CaptainObvious as if she genuinely thinks anyone couldn't figure out]] her desire to flay the snow leopard [[{{Tsundere}} or at least give him a tongue-lashing]].
* YouKeepTellingYourselfThat: At Chorh-Gom, when Vachir tries taunting Tai Lung that they are NotSoDifferent, the snow leopard furiously goes into a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, denying it via PunctuatedPounding. The rhino's response is this trope:
-->'''Vachir''': Awww, ya made it sound all so noble too, tough guy. I'm really proud of ya. Maybe, if ya keep sayin' it long enough, ya might actually manage to convince somebody besides yourself.
* YouKilledMyFather: Mei Ling's [[ItsPersonal motivation]] in pursuing the Wu Sisters. Turns out his killer [[ManipulativeBitch wasn't the one]] [[{{Frameup}} she thought it was]], but in the end she gets her {{Revenge}}...[[spoiler:albeit indirectly through enabling Jia's HeelFaceTurn]].
* YouShallNotPass: Mei Ling pulls this on the Wu Sisters when they come for Po, though she doesn‘t die in the process. And is of course quite badass while doing it.
* YouWatchTooMuchX: Po's thought regarding Viper, when she decides to use the Truth or Dare game to [[TheMatchmaker help Tai Lung and Tigress hook up]]. A rare example where the genre in question is not that of the work it appears in. (In this case, that she was "reading too many romance novels".)
* ZombieApocalypse: What almost happens when [[spoiler:Chao resurrects the Anvil of Heaven using his dark chi]].
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[[folder: Tropes M-O]]
* MadeOfIron: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] but also partly averted--characters get hurt badly a number of times, take time to recover, and have to be careful about side-effects and after-effects.
* 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?
* MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: How Tai Lung and Tigress celebrate the defeat of Chao. HilarityEnsues.
* MakingASplash: Po's chi ability is water.
* MalignantPlotTumor: What starts out as a story about Tai Lung redeeming himself, making friends, learning to lighten up, and being accepted turns into a battle to take out assassins, a serial killer, and a dark chi wizard threatening all of China.
* MamaBear: Xiulan, though misguidedly so when it comes to protecting Yi from Tai Lung.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Subverted nicely. Not only is Tai Lung an almost forty-year-old virgin, since he never bothered with romance in his single-minded pursuit of the Dragon Scroll, but [[spoiler:he loses his virginity just before the battle at Chorh-Gom...and ''still'' loses to Vachir.]] And after [[spoiler:he and Tigress finally become a couple and start frequently sharing a bed]], he is still only one member of a team that helps save the day. [[spoiler:He does defeat the BigBad, but only with the help of Po and Tigress--so the PowerOfLove and the PowerOfFriendship trump losing your virginity.]]
* MasochismTango: Tai Lung and Tigress, before, during and after they hook up, though they do mellow out plenty after hooking up.
* MasterOfIllusion: Chao uses this ability to [[spoiler:disguise the briefly-possessed Xiu [[LieToTheBeholder as Tai Lung]]]] during the {{Frameup}}.
* TheMatchmaker: Viper. Also Mei Ling to an extent.
* MayDecemberRomance: Tai Lung is almost twenty years older than Tigress ([[spoiler:and Jia is about the same age difference from Po]]). Xiulan is also much older than Zhuang.
* MeaningfulEcho: "You didn't see anything." "Sure did, every last beautiful moment." Also, with original movie dialogue, "If that's the way you want it..." "That's the way it has to be!" [[spoiler:Said by Xiu and Po, of all people.]] And Crane's "Don't mention it. Ever," spoken this time to Tai Lung and in a completely different manner.
** An example where an entire passage of text is echoed--the very opening lines of the fic, where Shifu first visits Tai Lung in his cell, are echoed when he visits him again later [[spoiler:after he's been arrested for murdering Shen Zhuang]]. Considering the second one is an example of whether the snow leopard has truly changed due to the offer made in the first, the parallel drawn is apt.
* MeaningfulName:
** Heian Chao means [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "The Great Dark One."]] He obviously chose it himself.
** Wei Chang means "Large and Smooth," which is clearly meant to be ironic.
** Shen Zhuang means "Robust and Strong".
** Yi means "Gift."
** Xiulan means "Elegant Orchid." Also somewhat ironic.
** Xiu means "Graceful," Chun means "Spring," and Jia means "Beautiful." 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 "Gentle" and "Beautiful". The contradiction between them could not be more obvious.
** [[spoiler:Tai Lung]]'s given name, Qiao Gang, means "Handsome and Unbending". His father's name, Mao, means "Brave or Bold", his mother's, Jian, means "Determined or Resolute", and his brother De, TheCasanova who will go after AnythingThatMoves, has an IronicName meaning "Virtue".
* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Tai Lung to Vachir]]
* MetaphorIsMyMiddleName: Tai Lung uses this early on, in reference to his [[{{Determinator}} tenacity]], though as usual subverted since he notes he doesn't have a middle name.
* MexicanStandoff[=/=]GunpointBanter: The Wu Sisters, when they're holding Ping captive in his kitchen.
* MightyGlacier: Vachir
* MistakenForGay: Near the end, Ping walks in on Tai Lung and Po in a situation that evokes this trope.
* ModestRoyalty: Emperor Chen
* MommyIssues (partially averted): While Wu Qing didn't beat her children, there was more than enough verbal abuse to justify turning out badly.
* MoodWhiplash: Despite some pretty tough things happening overall, everything seems to look hopeful. Then chapter 24 comes by and things get grim. Also, deliberate contrasts between horror and humor are set up in chapters 17 (a fun slumber party scene segues almost immediately into a gruesome murder) and 33, while the trial is followed up by Tai Lung's opium MushroomSamba. And it's all done so well you can't fault any of it.
* MoreThanMindControl: Chao's possession, particularly with Vachir and [[spoiler:Monkey]].
* MrExposition: Oogway
* MrFanservice: Tai Lung, most of the time. [[spoiler:Also Emperor Chen.]]
* MundaneMadeAwesome: The scene where Shifu builds up what Tai Lung's first new lesson will be, only for it to turn out to be repairwork (and the "amazing" weapon being a hammer) definitely partakes of this trope. The fact it's a {{Motif}} for the fic and highly symbolic doesn't hurt.
* MurderTheHypotenuse (averted): Though she threatens it, Jia never takes this option.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Tai Lung's MoralEventHorizon from the movie, rejecting his father's apology and love and almost killing him for the Dragon Scroll, becomes this to him once he's no longer controlled by rage and hatred. To an extent, the rampage itself also becomes this, but it's mostly that act of filial impiety. Another key moment of CharacterDevelopment.
* MyGreatestFailure: Tai Lung speaks of this during the Truth or Dare. Shifu's parenting skills might also count, and Jia considers Wu Xuan's death to be this.
* MySkullRunnethOver: [[spoiler:What happens to Xiu, after she is 'gifted' with Chao's dark chi.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Heian Chao, “the Great Dark One”
* {{Necromancer}}: Chao. Some FridgeBrilliance may apply in precisely how he gained this ability, since when his {{Backstory}} is eventually told, it is revealed that he was once a great healer and, had he stayed on the side of good, could have been the best doctor in the empire. I.e., as a master of ''chi'' he could already manipulate LifeEnergy. May also tie into how he can perform a SummoningRitual.
* NeverFoundTheBody: Tigress points this out regarding [[spoiler:Mantis]]. [[GenreSavvy And she was right]].
* NeverHeardThatOneBefore: Tai Lung to Monkey in the roofing chapter, about "taking a catnap".
* NeverLiveItDown ([[InvokedTrope invoked]] in-story): Played straight at first, but eventually averted. Tai Lung eventually forgives Po for humiliating him, and Tai Lung himself is eventually forgiven for his rampage, but not until after a great deal of time, soul-searching, and grudge-bearing--for the longest time it seems as if the snow leopard will never get over his final battle with Po or acknowledge the panda had done anything worthwhile as a kung fu warrior, and thanks to how terrible his rampage was it seems as if everyone will only remember Tai Lung for that and not any of his heroic deeds which preceded it.
* NeverMyFault:
-->'''Chao''', ''[[MoralEventHorizon after having killed all his fellow students]]'': No...you don't understand. None of you ever did, or ever will. [[IDidWhatIHadToDo I]] ''[[IDidWhatIHadToDo must]]'' [[IDidWhatIHadToDo do this...it is the only way]]. You...should not have gotten in my way. I...didn't want to kill you, but you had to intervene...yes, it is ''your'' fault, not mine...
* NewEraSpeech: Chao makes one to both Xiu and Tai Lung.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Played with. The revelation that Chao [[spoiler:has [[AnIcePerson power over ice chi]]]], which is both [[{{Foreshadowing}} Foreshadowed]] and makes perfect sense for such a powerful master of chi, ends up not mattering when he has to face [[spoiler:[[RedOniBlueOni the pairing of Tai Lung and Po's Fire and Water chi]]]]. Also, while the protection which Oogway has Shifu set up over the Jade Palace as a barrier between Chao and the Heroes does come out of nowhere, it too ends up being fairly insignificant in the FinalBattle: although it prevents the BigBad from possessing or outright controlling his opponents, he's still quite able to use dark chi to horrific effect on [[spoiler:Tigress and Jia]], as well as strongly influence both [[HotBlooded Tai Lung]] and [[HeroicBSOD Po]]'s emotions. The barrier [[DramaPreservingHandicap only provides the Heroes enough wiggle room to still fight]], with it being the combination of Tai Lung and Po's chi and kung fu [[spoiler:and Tigress [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice throwing]] [[HolyBurnsEvil the Golden Spear]]]] that finally does Chao in. Even [[spoiler:the Urn of Whispering Warriors being able to [[SealedGoodInACan release]] [[BadassArmy the Warriors of Tenshu]]]] and [[spoiler:the Sword of Heroes being able to seal [[SummoningRitual gateways to the underworld]]]], as useful and sudden as these abilities seem to be, aren't precisely played straight, seeing as this [[AuthorsSavingThrow doesn't contradict]] anything revealed by the movie, the KFP website, or ''Art of Kung Fu Panda''.
* NiceGuy: Po, even more so than in the movie.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:Po's usage of the Wuxi Finger Hold also freed Chao.]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Initially, Chao's attempt to use the murder of [[spoiler:Zhuang]] to turn the PeoplePuppet villagers of the Valley against Tai Lung was a [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy brilliant]], if {{Anvilicious}}, scheme which took advantage of the snow leopard being viewed as a CivilianVillain who would NeverLiveItDown. But once the truth comes out who really killed him, and Shifu and Po succeed in freeing the villagers from his control, this same plot is what sways even die-hard haters like Xiulan to Tai Lung's side, and compels Tai Lung and Shifu to seek Chao out in his lair. [[VillainBall Oops]].
* NightOfTheLivingMooks: [[spoiler:You'd think rhino zombies would sound goofy...]]
* NobodyCallsMeChicken: This is Chao's BerserkButton.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Happens twice to Tai Lung, once when his working to [[spoiler:save Po's life]] after the Wu Sisters' attack leads to Tigress and Monkey accusing him of [[spoiler:the panda's murder]], and a far worse one when his deciding to turn back to help Xiulan instead of returning to the palace (and establishing an alibi) gets him locked up and put on trial [[spoiler:for Zhuang's murder]]. Yet Tai Lung doesn't use this as an excuse to fall back on villainy--partly because there's plenty of other good things he does that don't result in bad karma for him, partly because he knows the bad karma is actually being [[EnforcedTrope enforced]] by Heian Chao, and partly because in the end his name is cleared. Zhuang could be said to suffer from this trope too, since [[spoiler:his death comes about due to trying to convince his wife to lay off Tai Lung, and trying to save Ping's life]], but since he still succeeds in clearing Tai Lung's name and [[spoiler:his daughter will be well looked after]] it's debatable whether he views what happens as a punishment--certainly not one to justify refusing to do good deeds.
* NoHardFeelings: Jia tries to pull this trope on Po at Wu Dan. [[TookALevelInBadass Surprisingly, he takes the second option in how to react to it]].
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: [[TookALevelInBadass Po of all people]], as well as Tigress, administer one of these to Xiu at Wu Dan. An even worse one occurs during the final battle, when Tai Lung uses [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome almost every single kung fu technique he knows, in rapid, random succession]], to take Xiu out. Both times, she [[ManipulativeBitch most definitely deserved it]]. Chao also received one at the hands of Po and Tai Lung, while Tai Lung himself received one from Vachir. WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids to the max.
* NoodleIncident: The contents of Oogway's more explicit love letters. Also, the third usage of the Wuxi Finger Hold, which was actually a RuleOfThree[=/=]RuleOfFunny gag and never meant to be explained.
* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: Tai Lung says this about Vachir, when trying to convince himself he'd died during the escape. And of course, it turns out he was wrong. Also, Jia regarding [[spoiler:Po's throat-slicing]] and Monkey regarding [[spoiler:Mantis]].
* NotAGame: Po gets this lecture from Tigress after awakening from a bad injury.
* NotHelpingYourCase: Tai Lung knows better than to resist arrest, let alone kill any of the guards when they try to arrest him for [[spoiler:Zhuang's murder]] (since even without knowing about [[spoiler:the DemonicPossession]] he was well aware [[ReformedButRejected they'd never allow]] him WrongfulAccusationInsurance). He also is lucky enough not to be [[TheCorpseStopsHere found bent over the victim]], nor does he [[BetterManhandleTheMurderWeapon Manhandle the Murder Weapon]] (since it was removed from the scene). However, his later attempt to escape prison (complete with threatening Shifu's life as a hostage) really doesn't do much to prove his innocence (though in his defense he was suffering from SanitySlippage brought on by the trauma of being imprisoned again). And he does have the unfortunate luck of being found by the city guard right as he was [[GetAholdOfYourselfMan trying to calm]] [[spoiler:Xiulan]] down.
* NotMeThisTime: Thanks to being ReformedButRejected, but believed to be a CivilianVillain, Tai Lung gets this several times--first being accused of [[spoiler:nearly killing Po]], then suspected of Vachir's killings around the Valley (something Xiulan is grudgingly forced to admit wasn't him), and finally put on trial for [[spoiler:killing Zhuang]]. This last one, at least, is helped along not only by his former villainy but also by [[spoiler:the authorities and innocent villagers being under DemonicPossession MoreThanMindControl at the time]].
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:Mantis, and even Xiu.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Tai Lung and Vachir. Also, Tai Lung and Chao, at least in {{Backstory}}.
* NotSoStoic: Tai Lung reveals a sense of humor and light-hearted side. [[spoiler:And eventually, so does Shifu.]]
* NotUsingTheZWord: Averted. When [[spoiler:the Anvil of Heaven is resurrected by Chao]], the story and the characters just call them zombies. Shifu does call them "revenants" at one point, [[PurpleProse which is just a fancy way of saying the same thing]].
* NotWhatItLooksLike: Tigress and Viper's apology; also, Tigress [[InterruptedIntimacy walking in on Tai Lung and Jia]]. [[PlayedForDrama Much more seriously and with more dire consequences]], Tigress and Monkey catching Tai Lung literally red-handed, bending over [[spoiler:Po's bleeding, unconscious body]].
* NothingCanStopUsNow: Inverted and averted--it's one of the heroes who says this regarding their chances in the final battle if they all work together, and despite some hairy moments and coming close to losing [[spoiler:Shifu]], the Heroes win.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: What Mei Ling thinks must be responsible for how Jia, of all people, could have killed their father yet still act so ditzy and flighty. She's wrong of course, though Jia may use it somewhat to make people underestimate her.
* ObliviousToLove: Classic example, in both Crane ''and'' Mei Ling. He's an UnluckyEverydude, [[TwiceShy underconfident]], [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe can't believe she would notice him]], and [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy wants his beloved to be happy]]. She's a BrokenBird, and believes he must view her as a RichBitch, [[LikeBrotherAndSister he sees her as a sister]], or he thinks an InterspeciesRomance will never work to explain why he's never pursued her, and so has fallen into AttractivenessIsolation. Add in PoorCommunicationKills, CannotSpitItOut, a HatePlague, shake and stir. [[TropesAreNotBad What makes the plot work]] is how in-character it is (at least on Crane's part, and if the ShipTease of ''Secrets of the Furious Five'' is real then he does seem oblivious to Mei's feelings for him), that it is at least partly justified by [[AWizardDidIt Chao's interference]], and that the resolution is genuinely romantic and sweet, as well as PlayedForLaughs.
* ObviouslyEvil: [[DiscussedTrope Referenced]] by Monkey when he mocks Mantis for not having figured out sooner that [[spoiler:he was under DemonicPossession]]: "I was startin' to think I'd have to hit you over the head with it before ya got the point--[[spoiler:[[BlackCloak wear black all the time]], maybe, [[PoisonIsEvil grow oleander in the garden]], [[NothingButSkulls decorate my room with skulls]]...]]"
* OddFriendship: Tai Lung and Po become friends, as well as Tai Lung and Yi.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Repeatedly used on Tai Lung. Vachir does it with [[spoiler:"Come to Chorh-Gom and face me or I'll keep killing people"]], Xiu does it with [[spoiler:"Join my clan or I'll kill Po"]], and Chao himself does it with [[spoiler:"Join me or I'll kill you and resurrect you so you join me anyway"]]. Averted when Tai Lung refuses the last two.
* OffstageVillainy: While the reader gets to see a number of awful things the Wu Sisters do, a great deal of their history as assassins is left undisclosed. Also, their mother, Wu Qing, is terrifying enough to [[MommyIssues twist Xiu around her little finger]] and disturb the battle-hardened Wu Xuan, but the reader never gets to see exactly what she was truly like or was guilty of.
* OhCrap: As might be expected, a number of these moments show up:
** Tai Lung, when he first encounters the Wu Sisters.
** Tai Lung again, when Monkey and Tigress discover him [[spoiler:bent over Po's wounded body]].
** Po, Mei, and the Wu Sisters when they find [[spoiler:Monkey]]'s RoomFullOfCrazy.
** Everyone, when they encounter [[spoiler:the zombie Anvil of Heaven]] at Chorh-Gom.
** Tai Lung and Tigress, when Shifu walks in on them in the bedroom.
** Shifu, when he gets told that Tai Lung has been arrested [[spoiler:for the murder of Zhuang]] and again when Oogway's staff lets him see [[spoiler:Chao's possession of the townsfolk]].
** Everyone, when Chao [[spoiler:summons the yaoguai]].
** Monkey, when he sees Po took on Chao on his own.
** And probably the strongest example in the fic, Chao when he sees [[spoiler:the Golden Spear heading right for him]].
* OmnicidalManiac: Both Chao and Xiu.
* OmniscientMoralityLicense: While "there are no accidents," yadda yadda and so on, Oogway admits that he was wrong about many things and he feels more than a bit guilty about how things played out. Still, he did say that he believed everything worked out for the best in the end, and that he knew it would.
* OneDialogueTwoConversations: Crane and Mei. She's trying to explain to him why she is [[spoiler:seemingly pursuing Tai Lung]] and not letting him in on it, he believes she is confessing to [[spoiler:loving Tai Lung in order to help him earn Tigress's acceptance]].
* OneWingedAngel: Chao has such a moment before the end.
* OnlyTheLeadsGetAHappyEnding: Played with. While it is unequivocally true that Tai Lung, Tigress, and Po all get happy endings, so does [[spoiler:Jia]], who while arguably a lead by the end of the story started off as a PunchClockVillain, as do [[BetaCouple Crane and Mei Ling]]. Additionally, Monkey gets to redeem himself after [[spoiler:his stint with DemonicPossession]], and even Chang and Xiulan, despite losing [[spoiler:his son and eyesight and her husband]], find healing and seem to have a brighter future ahead of them, due to Tai Lung's carpentry apprenticeship and [[spoiler:becoming godfather to Yi]], and their families becoming friends.
* OnlyThePureOfHeart: The Golden Spear [[spoiler:which Tai Lung eventually becomes able to wield]].
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The sign that things have reached their DarkestHour would be when Po, ultimate NiceGuy and [[TheChosenOne hero]], not only approaches the matter of facing the Wu Sisters to [[IHaveYourWife rescue his father]] far more [[BewareTheNiceOnes fiercely]] and [[LetsGetDangerous seriously]] than anyone could ever have expected, to the point even Tigress is disturbed, but also [[PrecisionFStrike swears for the first time]] when attacking Xiu. Not coincidentally, [[TookALevelInBadass he's quite badass]] while doing so. Interestingly this is also an in-story example, since the fact he went this far is a matter of some concern for Po, since he believes it's a sign [[spoiler:[[InTheBlood he is just like his highwayman father]]]].
** A more story-wide example of this trope is that thanks to Chao's MoreThanMindControl, the GenreSavvy reader (or character) is able to tell that this is going on whenever someone acts out-of-character. Prime examples would be the way Monkey acts toward Tai Lung (though no one but [[spoiler:Mantis]] figures this out until it's too late), Fu Xiao's personality switch from humble and friendly to arrogant and hateful [[LampshadeHanging which Shifu remarks upon]], and the progress of the HatePlague during Chapter 27 (particularly the usually calm and collected Crane nearly losing it on Tai Lung).
** Lesser examples (though still meaningful): when the [[NothingIsScarier abandoned village of Qinghe]] is discovered, examining the [[spoiler:dug-up graveyard]] causes CovertPervert Mantis to completely go dead serious; and the [[EvenEvilHasStandards reactions of Chun and Xiu]] to [[spoiler:Monkey]]'s RoomFullOfCrazy.
* OperationJealousy: Mei Ling and Tai Lung attempt this to force Tigress to admit her feelings for him. It works, after a fashion, but in the process, thanks to PoorCommunicationKills, Crane first becomes a GreenEyedMonster, then [[ObliviousToLove mistakenly believes their relationship is genuine]] and [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy decides they belong together]].
* OpponentSwitch: Happens on Wu Dan, but subverted in that the switch doesn't instantly result in the heroes' victory (Tigress doesn't even beat Xiu in the end, it's [[TookALevelInBadass Po]], and it's Chun's original opponent, Viper, who takes her out). Also justified in the case of Po and Jia since [[ForcedIntoEvil she really doesn't want]] [[ThePromise to fight him]], and with Po and Xiu since she was focused on her ArchEnemy Tigress at the time and had [[DidntSeeThatComing discounted him]].
* OrcusOnHisThrone (averted): Chao is actually shown doing quite a bit of villainy.
* {{Otaku}}: Po was this in the movie, and still is, though now he's graduated to a Tai-otaku.
* OurLichesAreDifferent: While he has no SoulJar per se and is in some ways more demonic, Heian Chao could be considered a lich by virtue of the dark chi he absorbed [[ImmortalityImmorality keeping him alive indefinitely]], not to mention his [[{{Necromancer}} control over the undead]]. He certainly studied forbidden lore for the sake of power--and when separate from his body cannot be killed.
* OutOfTheInferno: Inversion--via a FlashbackNightmare, this is revealed to be how Tai Lung left his rampage in the village to head for the Jade Palace and steal the Dragon Scroll, disappearing ''into'' the fire. A direct ShoutOut to Sephiroth of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tropes P-R]]
* PaintingTheMedium[=/=]SpoiledByTheFormat: The opening of Chapter 22, wherein Po is using the [[InsistentTerminology action figures]] of himself, Tai Lung, and the Five to act out his wishful thinking of all of them getting along and being close friends (and in Tai Lung and Tigress's case, declaring their love for one another), is [[BaitAndSwitch at first played as if]] it's the actual characters doing so before TheReveal. This is only possible in a textual medium, since in actual animation the truth would have been given away instantly. (WordOfGod has stated, though, that if it were possible to animate the fic, [[TheProducerThinksOfEverything this scene would be done with the 2D animation to achieve the same effect]]--though the sudden appearance of 2D would clue the viewer in that ''some''thing was up...)
* PairTheSpares (partially averted): [[spoiler:Jia is a spare, but Po isn't.]]
* PapaWolf: You don't ever threaten Shifu's children.
* PassThePopcorn: Mantis's reaction to Tai Lung and Tigress's incipient kiss during the Truth or Dare, as well as later when he's spying on them in the bedroom in chapter 24.
* PassingTheTorch: Shifu eventually steps down and gives his position to Tai Lung. (And he in turn inherits Oogway's position.)
* {{Patricide}}: What Mei Ling believes Jia is guilty of. [[{{Frameup}} Actually]] it's Xiu, apparently because she's an AntagonisticOffspring who thinks LoveIsAWeakness that [[MoralityChain is holding Jia back]] from her true evil calling.
* PeoplePuppets: Chao does this literally, both [[spoiler:to the villagers and his former classmates]].
* ThePerfectionist: Tai Lung, and definitely to his detriment since it led to an all-or-nothing mentality that contributed greatly to his rampage (if he cannot master the scrolls perfectly, he cannot become the Dragon Warrior, which then makes him nothing but a poor orphan and his kung fu is all meaningless).
* PetTheDog: Chun and especially Jia got a number of these regarding Po. Chun also reveals she isn't just the EmotionlessGirl she appears when she notes in her thoughts that after discovering some of Vachir/Chao's victims around the Valley rim, she made sure to anonymously report them [[DueToTheDead so they would get proper burials]]. Tai Lung himself had one when it was revealed he not only WouldntHurtAChild but had a soft spot for them, and another when it's revealed he [[spoiler:knows how to play the flute, and does so in honor of Oogway]].
* PlayingPossum: [[spoiler:How Mantis survives his DisneyDeath, via a ShoutOut to ''Secrets of the Furious Five''.]]
* PlayingWithFire: Tai Lung's elemental chi ability, via a nice RetCon of the movie.
* PlotArmor: While most of the good guys get badly hurt, [[spoiler:none of them die]].
* PlotMagnet: Tai Lung
* PoorCommunicationKills: Crane and Mei again, though it is an example in which the lack of communication is actually in-character; it was established in ''Secrets of the Furious Five'' that Crane has confidence issues, and there also seemed to be a ShipTease between him and Mei which he was, of course, [[ObliviousToLove completely oblivious to]]. [[AWizardDidIt It also doesn't help]] when a HatePlague is making everyone suspicious and willing to jump to the wrong conclusions.
** Ironically, a villainous version of this also appears where Chao's RightHandVersusLeftHand policy and Xiu's {{Pride}} and [[EvilCannotComprehendGood belief that Tai Lung could never fall in love]] result in the Wu Sisters not being told exactly what was planned for Tai Lung [[spoiler:via Monkey]] and Chao not being told about Mei Ling or the romance with Tigress.
* PowerOfFriendship: Tai Lung and Po to the max, though Tai Lung and Zhuang also count. And thanks to the nature of the villain's powers and plans, this is played unabashedly--and justifiably--straight. Just like...
* PowerOfLove: Explicitly stated to offer protection to Tai Lung from Chao's dark chi. This also extends to Po and Tigress, possibly others. Ends up saving our heroes at numerous points, most notably at Chorh-Gom.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: While Chao can gain power from anyone's chi, he is made strongest by that of an innocent child.
* PowerTrio: Tai Lung, Tigress, and Po become this by the end of the story. Which, if the surmise on the FridgeBrilliance page is correct, makes this highly appropriate in an archetypal, [[AllPsychologyIsFreudian psychological]] sense. ([[FreudianTrio Id, superego, ego]].) It also acts as a form of AnatomyOfTheSoul, since Tai Lung would clearly be Body, Po is Spirit, and Tigress (despite her temper and ActionGirl nature) is a clever and intelligent fighter and therefore Mind.
* PrecisionFStrike: Po never curses. Never. And when he finally does say a single curse word (Bitch), can of whoop-ass doesn't begin to describe it. 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 of this, 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").
* ThePromise: Early on, Tai Lung wants Tigress to ensure that if he [[ChronicVillainy ever falls into darkness again]], she stop him before he commits another rampage. Naturally, she is quite eager and willing to do so. But when, true to the trope, she faces the prospect of having to keep her word near the end of the story, ironically [[MoralDilemma she is no longer so sure she can do it]] since by then [[{{OTP}} she has come to love him]]. Luckily for her, her resolve is never tested since [[TheMessiah other forces]] [[BigDamnHeroes intervene]].
** Chun and Jia also made one to [[spoiler:Bao]] to look after his son. Thanks to Xiu, they weren't able to keep it until late in the story.
* PsychicPowers: Chao can astral project. This is a key point, since it not only allows him fast travel, the ability to be in two places at once, and is what prevented him from [[AndIMustScream going even more insane while being held prisoner for nine hundred plus years]], [[spoiler:it's how he was able to keep himself fed on chi and alive all that time, and how he visited Tai Lung in Chorh-Gom, corrupting him and influencing his hatred and desire for vengeance]].
* PsychoForHire: Xiu is the most mentally unstable of the Wu Sisters, though technically all of them are for hire.
* PunchClockVillain: At many times, Chun seems to be an example of this, enjoying being an assassin solely because it's her job. (Type I AntiVillain.)
* PunctuatedPounding: Tai Lung, on Vachir
* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: Heian Chao, to Oogway.
* PureEnergy: The Pool of Sacred Tears turns out to be this, as a gathering of holy chi. [[spoiler:Which is thoroughly corrupted by Chao's touch into a terrifyingly demonic force that lets him make PeoplePuppets of the whole Valley.]]
* TheQuietOne: Chun, for much of the story.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Wu Sisters, who are overall pretty effective as opponents.
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Tai Lung has plenty of this towards Oogway and especially Shifu.
* RapeIsTheNewDeadParents: [[DefiedTrope Averted]] regarding [[PrisonRape Tai Lung‘s time in prison]], as well as lampshaded and mocked.
-->'''Tai Lung''': Damn it all, is that all you ''ever'' think about? Why does everything have to be about sex...why does everyone have to jump to the worst possible conclusion? For your information, you witless little stick, that blasted shell on my back made it so no one could get to my arse, even if they wanted to! But that's not the point...the point is, there's [[ColdBloodedTorture a hell of a lot of things that can happen to you]] in a prison with a thousand men and no women, and they don't involve violation!
* 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). [[TropesAreNotBad 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.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Chao never truly died, he was instead sealed, so he was alive all that time.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure[=/=][[TheGoodKing The Good Emperor]]: Emperor Chen, who not only [[spoiler:pardons Tai Lung and Jia, but actually challenges the former to a friendly sparring match and compliments Po's cooking]]. He also trusts the word of Tigress in her letter and believes everything he is told about Chao without batting an eye.
* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Xiu to Tigress in the birch forest. Chao gives a few as well. [[CharacterDevelopment Po]] also gives one, of the "tired of your friend's action/attitude" type, to Tigress.
* {{Reconstruction}}: The author takes a large number of super villain tropes which, by themselves, have either nearly become {{Dead Horse Trope}}s, are usually always subverted and played for laughs, or end up becoming {{Narm}}...and shows just why they were originally so effective and, quite often, scary.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Happens to [[spoiler:Vachir]]. Averted with Tai Lung, who redeems himself but gets to keep on living.
* RedemptionEarnsLife: Arguably, the entire point of the fic is to do this for Tai Lung.
* RedemptionPromotion: Tai Lung still loses in battle often enough to justify needing Po and the Five as his allies, and he has issues with [[HotBlooded controlling]] [[FatalFlaw his temper]] and ([[PersonalityPowers not coincidentally]]) his [[ElementalPowers Fire chi]], but in all other respects he remains as powerful, incredible, and BadAss a fighter as he was when a villain. The fact he isn't maddened or enraged all the time (and has gotten over his FreudianExcuse) also allows him to actually make use of those thousand scrolls he learned, and use them cleverly and effectively. The Fire chi and [[spoiler:the Golden Spear]] also count as power-ups for him. [[spoiler:Jia]], when [[HeelFaceTurn she changes sides]], isn't demoted either, remaining as awesome and skilled in combat as ever, as well as [[TheDogBitesBack helping]] [[InTheBack take out]] [[spoiler:Xiu]].
* RedemptionQuest: Another point to the story.
* RedOniBlueOni: Sort of. Tai Lung is for certain a red...Po isn't an exact blue since he's hardly calm and logical, but he is less emotional than Tai Lung so he counts.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler:Monkey]], though it takes a long time for anybody to notice it. [[spoiler:Later on, the villagers.]] Also, Chao himself.
* ReformedButRejected: Tai Lung is practically the poster boy for this trope. Very, very few villagers are willing to give him a chance.
* ReplacementGoldfish: While this appeared to some degree in the movie as well, the implications of how Tigress was meant to replace Tai Lung in Shifu's eyes are explored more in-depth here, particularly when his return, Shifu's attempts to redeem him, and the subsequent reconciliation lead to her once more feeling pushed aside and forgotten, [[HisStoryRepeatsItself just as she had]] when Po was chosen as the Dragon Warrior. Leads to CallingTheOldManOut.
* TheReveal: Quite a few, like Chao finally revealing his face, and Monkey revealing [[spoiler:he was the possessed one]] in the middle of a very serious situation. Also, finding out who Chao actually was, who Po's parents were, who Tai Lung's were, Mei finding out who really killed her father...
* RhinoRampage: Vachir actually gets to show off this time how BadAss he is...and not only [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown wipes the ground with Tai Lung]], but comes this close to defeating him. [[spoiler:If not for Tigress...]]
* RightBehindMe: Inverted. Shifu is well aware of the fact that Crane is eavesdropping on his and Tigress's conversation; perhaps it's those enormous ears of his...
** A dramatic horror, rather than comedic, version of this occurs at Chorh-Gom, when Vachir forms out of the darkness right behind Tai Lung. Almost, but not quite, an EnemyRisingBehind.
* RightHandVersusLeftHand: Chao chooses not to share with the Wu Sisters the entirety of his plans for Tai Lung or Vachir, and nothing at all about his plans for [[spoiler:Monkey]], partly to keep his cards close to his chest, partly because he believes they will rebel if they learn the full story. He's right, since EvenEvilHasStandards, Xiu is [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]], and none of them would care for being a RedShirt. But keeping things from them ends up biting him in the ass, between PoorCommunicationKills, DidntSeeThatComing, and indirectly encouraging [[spoiler:Jia's HeelFaceTurn]].
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Tai Lung almost goes into one of these during the trial. Po sorta goes into one (though he's not homicidal) against the Wu Sisters later on, particularly Xiu. Tai Lung also almost did at Chorh-Gom, as well as in the final fight with Chao. A chronic problem on his part which Po, thankfully, is able to help restrain somewhat. And when pointed at the right person...
** Also invoked by name when Shifu, after revealing [[spoiler:his ChewOutFakeout was a SecretTestOfCharacter]], claims this is what Mantis would have said he'd do upon discovering Tai Lung and Tigress together.
* RomanticFalseLead: How Crane views Tai Lung, for a while. Unusually, Crane actually ''can'' understand [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim what Mei Ling sees in him]] (partly thanks to his own low self-esteem), thus leading to IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy.
* RomanticRunnerUp: Monkey [[spoiler:to Tai Lung, for Tigress's affections]].
* RoomFullOfCrazy: [[spoiler:Monkey]]'s room.
* RousingSpeech: Tai Lung gives a hell of a one just before the Heroes go to the final battle.
* RousseauWasRight: Oogway fully believed in Tai Lung all along, and that if he could simply be freed of Chao's influence and learn from Po's example, the goodness and heroic nature he once possessed would reassert themselves, as they were who he truly was at heart.
** HobbesWasRight: Ironically, Po thinks this after learning [[spoiler:about his highwayman father Bao]], but despite his ability to be ruthless and fierce in battle, he finds his fears are unfounded and, instead of this being InTheBlood, he too has an [[IncorruptiblePurePureness inner goodness]] and heroic nature.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Mei Ling, since she is descended from the ruling clan of Kunlun Shan and is thus a noble. Also, Emperor Chen, who not only fought on the battlefield for years alongside his men, but who became personally involved in the case of [[spoiler:Po's parents]].
* RuleOfCool: A whole lot, natch. Let's just say it starts simple with Tai Lung being ambidextrous, and it escalates to things such as [[spoiler:an army of ghostly warriors versus an army of demons]], and manipulation of elemental forces. Almost the entirety of the FinalBattle seems to run on this.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tropes S-U]]
* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Zhuang. And it gets to you.]]
* SadisticChoice: [[spoiler:Die for a crime [[ClearMyName you didn't commit]], or go on a second rampage to save yourself, thus [[ReformedButRejected proving everyone right about your unrepentant villainy]] and giving the BigBad the inroads to corrupt and possess you.]] Tai Lung can be very grateful there was a third option.
* SandInMyEyes: Tai Lung and Tigress both use this excuse at different points to conceal their vulnerable sides.
* SatelliteCharacter: Several, though not as many as in most fanfics. The two most obvious would be Zhuang and Xiulan, but although it is true their story mostly revolves around their reaction to Tai Lung and his possible redemption, they also have their own subplots relating to Tigress, Ping, and Chang (another SatelliteCharacter). Also of note is that both Xiulan and Chang are that rare form of the trope, the one full of all-consuming rage, bitterness, vengefulness, and outright hatred.
* SayMyName: Happens a lot. An amusing variation is a RunningGag of a character being snapped out of a {{Flashback}} by their name being called.
* SealedEvilInACan: Chao. [[spoiler:Also, the yaoguai, though they seemed to be a RedHerring earlier in the story.]]
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Very much Tai Lung's attitude at not receiving the Dragon Scroll. Somewhat justified by him believing that earning it [[WellDoneSonGuy would make Shifu proud of him]], and that after having been led to believe that he would be the Dragon Warrior, the people of the Valley resumed [[BullyingADragon taunting and rejecting him]] [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer for being an orphan trying to rise above his station]].
* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:Shifu's 'confrontation' with Tai Lung and Tigress after catching them in a compromising position.]]
* {{Seers}}: Meditating allows Shifu, [[LegacyCharacter like Oogway before him]], to have [[MySignificanceSenseIsTingling visions and premonitions of the future]]. The one depicted in-story, aside from being [[RuleOfSymbolism ominous]], [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight portentous]], and [[PropheticFallacy vague]], is also enough to nearly make him [[FaintingSeer pass out]].
* SeeYouInHell: Variation: Tigress tells Chao to 'drop dead', to which he replies, "I already tried that and it didn't agree with me."
* SelfDisposingVillain: Or at least, [[PlayingWithATrope Villain-Disposing Villain]]. But while what happens to Xiu ([[spoiler:ConvenientComa]]) is [[DevourTheDragon thanks to Chao]], it would never have occurred if she hadn't gotten DrunkOnTheDarkSide and begged Chao to [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor give her his power]]. Though Po [[SpannerInTheWorks interfering with the transfer]] may also have had something to do with the results.
* SelfParody: The action figures scene, which makes fun of both certain elements of Taigress fics and Tai Lung redemption fics as well as the author‘s own fic. An in-story example would be one only mentioned in passing: in the Truth or Dare, when asked to praise Po, Tai Lung adds in an extra of himself speaking of Po when he faced the Five on the bridge and [[LargeHam hams it up for good measure]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Po and Tai Lung, respectively.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: It's a good idea to keep a dictionary open in another tab while reading this. That said, the...uncommon words are used correctly, and in almost all cases are actually more of a precise fit than their everyday equivalents. In-story, this also applies to Chao's speech patterns [[FridgeBrilliance because he's from an earlier time]].
* ShamingTheMob: Subverted. Shifu and Mei Ling each try this, but thanks to [[spoiler:Chao's chi manipulation]], no one listens to them.
* ShipperOnDeck: Viper and Mei Ling, with Po to some degree later on.
* ShootTheRope: Variation, as [[JustInTime just when Tai Lung is about to be hung]], [[spoiler:Crane flies in and cuts the rope]].
* ShoutOut: Far too many to count, whether to movies, books, video games, or other fics.
** One particularly interesting one is a sort of meta ContinuityNod ShoutOut: the corruption of [[spoiler:the Sacred Pool]] and its cleansing which bookend Tai Lung's arrest and trial are ''both'' mirrors of Disney's ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''--the corruption is an almost direct parallel to Chernabog's shadowy takeover of the town to resurrect the dead in ''Night on Bald Mountain'', while the cleansing uses imagery quite similar to the Sprite's restoration of the land in the ''Firebird Suite''.
* ShownTheirWork: The author did some serious and extensive research on ancient China.
* ShutUpHannibal: Some truly epic ones happen during the final battle, particularly the ones given by Mantis and Po. Tai Lung gets a pretty good one in his prison cell too.
* ShutUpKiss: Mei Ling to Crane. [[spoiler:Jia almost does so to Po as well.]]
* ShuttingUpNow: Crane, during the Truth or Dare.
* SignOfTheApocalypse: When both Tai Lung and Tigress agree on something (in this case, that the Truth or Dare game is a bad idea), everyone is shocked and stunned, and Po comments in his thoughts, "Should I be [[TotalEclipseOfThePlot checkin' the almanac for an eclipse]]? Or lookin' out the window for [[CometOfDoom a red comet]]?"
* SlapSlapKiss: Aside from [[MasochismTango the overall progress]] of Tai Lung and Tigress's relationship, this actually happens literally during Tigress and Tai Lung's confrontation in the cave.
* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: In grand kung fu tradition (see ''BigTroubleInLittleChina''), the fic begins with the comedy (and action) seen in the movie, then gradually introduces horror elements as the BigBad and his lackeys become more prominent in the story. MoodWhiplash is also deliberately invoked a few times (the Truth or Dare immediately followed by the first murder victim being found, Shifu catching Tai Lung and Tigress in bed and Tai Lung fetching birth control bookending [[spoiler:the corruption of the Sacred Pool by Heian Chao]], the MushroomSamba following the trial). But in the end, the comedy mostly acts as effective breather moments between the most terrifying horror scenes, and taking over again completely once the BigBad is defeated. Overall it seems mostly balanced rather than one or the other dominant.
* SlouchOfVillainy: Chao, in the Vault of Heroes.
* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped ([[InvokedTrope invoked]] in-story): While just about everyone gets to do this in the end, 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. Also, when the time comes for Tai Lung to realize and accept [[spoiler:that 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]], this fact is ground in for him by [[spoiler:Po's fur colors]].
** In addition, any number of times the point was 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.
* SoProudOfYou: Occurs a number of times, though the most notable would be [[spoiler:Po's letter from his biological father]].
* SpannerInTheWorks: Shen Zhuang. Not only does he rescue Tigress and prevent the Wu Sisters from killing Ping, but [[spoiler:his rescue of the Weis deprives Chao of power at a crucial moment, allowing Vachir and Monkey to be defeated and freed, respectively]]. And all without him even knowing he was doing it...[[spoiler:save for [[DyingClue leaving a message behind to name his killer]], which most certainly ruined Chao's plans.]]
* SpitefulSpit: Zhuang does this to Xiu [[spoiler:when she, possessed by Chao and [[{{Glamour}} made to look like]] [[LieToTheBeholder Tai Lung]], [[KilledOffForReal kills him]]]].
* SquishyWizard: Averted, since Chao [[spoiler:can heal himself of any injury so long as he has dark chi to draw upon]], and is a skilled and powerful kung fu fighter in his own right.
* StartOfDarkness: Chao again, and he went at it all-out from the get-go.
* StayInTheKitchen (averted): Not only does Tai Lung (wisely) never expect this of Tigress, but when Crane and Mei Ling get together, he follows her on a kung fu adventure across the empire. (This is contrary to some of the men Mei has known in the past, who were threatened by her ActionGirl status.) And Po, of course, is the one who will stay in the kitchen when he isn't being the Dragon Warrior.
* StealthPun: From the scene at the apothecary:
--> '''Ning Guo''': Really? Well, nothing to be ashamed of, sonny, happens to all of us at the worst of times, doesn't mean anything about your masculinity. I could give you my own special brew...''a certain weed I mix with something fresh from yours truly''... [[spoiler:Ning Guo is a ''goat''.]]
* StormingTheCastle: The good guys do this first in Chorh-Gom, and later down in the Vault of Heroes.
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: At one point, to keep someone from knowing what he actually had on his mind, Tai Lung says, [[NotSoDifferent just like]] [[{{Foil}} Po]], "What was I thinking about? Er...noodles."
** Another form of this crosses with SpeakInUnison when Tai Lung, [[MushroomSamba doped up on opium]] and fresh off his KangarooCourt, near-execution, sees Po after the latter has returned from a major fight on Wu Dan [[ItMakesSenseInContext draped in unconscious snow leopardesses]]: "What happened to ''you''?"
* StrawNihilist: Chao definitely has [[{{Pun}} shades]] of this.
* SummoningRitual: Chao does this [[spoiler:with the demons]].
* SuperPowerLottery: Chao (which is rather unsurprising for a BigBad). He is a BodySnatcher and can create PeoplePuppets due to DemonicPossession; [[PsychicPowers can astral project]] and [[VillainTeleportation travel]] via means of a [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace shadow]] [[DarkWorld world]]; can incite a HatePlague and use MoreThanMindControl to influence others; has powers over [[CastingAShadow darkness and shadow]] as well as some ability with illusion; and can both [[{{Necromancer}} raise the dead]] and [[SummoningRitual summon]] [[spoiler:demons]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] due to being a KungFuWizard and master of ''[[LifeEnergy chi]]'' (which could be used for anything related to life, the soul, or the mind, as well as perception thereof), as well as using BlackMagic to extend his life and generally discovering [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Things Man Was Not Meant To Know]].
* SurpriseWitness: [[spoiler:Ning Guo]] acts as this--not at Tai Lung's [[KangarooCourt trial]], but his execution, although by that point his words are only an additional confirmation rather than the linch-pin since [[spoiler:Crane]] had already brought [[DyingClue the evidence]] [[ClearTheirName to exonerate the snow leopard]] and Shifu had [[spoiler:exorcized the PeoplePuppets of the village so that they could actually listen]].
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: How Po attempts to convince [[spoiler:Jia]] he wasn't about to declare his love for her...
* SweetTooth: Tai Lung. He doesn't like to admit it, but he'll blissfully chow down on any sweets he can get his paws on.
* SympatheticMagic: Chao does this with Tai Lung's fur.
* TakeAThirdOption: Chao [[XanatosGambit arranged things]] so that either Tai Lung would be captured, [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured]], killed, and/or corrupted back into a villain by Vachir, or he would in turn kill Vachir and [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim become just like him]] thanks to RoaringRampageOfRevenge, ThouShaltNotKill, and JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope rendering him susceptible to DemonicPossession. Instead, Tai Lung does the right thing [[spoiler:after Vachir is freed by Tigress fatally injuring him, by both [[RedemptionEqualsDeath granting him forgiveness]] and a MercyKill]]. Cue BigNo and VillainousBreakdown.
* [[TakingTheBullet Taking the Knife]]: Tai Lung does this for Tigress when [[spoiler:Monkey]] tries to kill her.
* TakingYouWithMe: Tai Lung tries to invoke this with Vachir, but fails.
* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Occurs a number of times, but most notably during the final moments of the battle with Vachir.
* TalkToTheFist: Tai Lung uses this on Chao, in a very nice ShutUpHannibal moment.
* TellMeAboutMyFather: Both Tai Lung and Po get to say this. One is quite happy with what he learns, the other...[[BrokenPedestal isn't]]. [[spoiler:And it's not who you think.]]
* TemptingFate: [[spoiler:Monkey really should have listened to Po, and not mentioned the possibility of spirits taking him over the night of the Ghost Festival...]] Crane also skirts the edges of this trope when, right before Chao first leaves Chorh-Gom to implement his plans, the bird almost thinks to himself the old Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times".
* ThatManIsDead: Chao to Shifu during the final battle. Three guesses which way he says the trope name.
* ThirteenIsUnlucky: Despite the story taking place in ancient China, Chapter 13 is when the Wu Sisters are first introduced and the BigBad's villainy is made clear. [[SubvertedTrope On the other hand]], this same chapter also includes one of the most touching and heartwarming moments in the story between [[HeterosexualLifePartners Po and Tai Lung]], and Tai Lung having something of a MeetCute with [[spoiler:his past cub self]] to reassure him he still has goodness in him.
* ThisCannotBe: Chao several times (especially [[spoiler:his death scene]]). Also Xiu at Wu Dan.
* ThisIsReality: Spoken by Tai Lung to convince Po they are truly facing someone like Chao.
* [[ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself This Is Something He's Got To Do Himself]]: Tai Lung views dealing with Vachir this way.
* ThisIsWrongOnSoManyLevels: Very much the reaction of everyone to seeing the contents of [[BrainBleach Oogway's more explicit love letters]].
* ThouShaltNotKill (averted): Though Po still doesn't kill anyone, no one else seems to have this compunction.
* ThroughHisStomach: Apparently this is one of the ways in which Po succeeds in befriending Tai Lung. Let the HoYay commence.
* TinkleInTheEye: Though not actually in the eye, this otherwise happens when Tai Lung, [[CrowningMomentOfFunny conscripted into helping Tigress at the day care]], has to do the dreaded [[TheDiaperChange Diaper Change]]--from [[LaserGuidedKarma a red panda cub, no less]].
* TitleDrop: Technically the title is dropped right in the fic's opening blurb ("Can a father undo his past mistakes? Perhaps, if the snow leopard can be taught...A Different Lesson"), but it is properly referenced at least three times in the fic itself--the first time during the training on Wu Dan where it emphasizes what Tai Lung has to do differently and how he should view the world and his place in it if he wants to be a hero, the last time at the very end when he is reflecting back on everything he's gone through. The second time, in a sinister variation, is spoken by the BigBad, implying [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow what he will offer]] if Tai Lung [[WeCanRuleTogether joins him]].
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Despite no one ever coming out and saying it, some might consider [[spoiler:Zhuang]] to be this, considering he has a number of GaryStu traits (though thankfully not fully becoming one due to not taking over the story), he has next to no flaws, and it is his death, among other things, that galvanizes Po to fight the Wu Sisters, sends Tai Lung on his RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Xiu and Chao, and even gets Xiulan and the rest of the Valley's support behind Tai Lung [[NiceJobFixingItVillain once it comes out who really killed him]]. The trope is still played with at least, since he does not get a long, drawn-out death scene (though there is a MeaningfulFuneral and a DeadPersonConversation before he moves on to the next life--albeit for Tai Lung's ears alone) and the BigBad not only doesn't reflect on it, he dismisses him as [[TrashTalk a mere peasant]] whose death was LaserGuidedKarma for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and [[ButForMeItWasTuesday a simple byproduct]] of his plan to TakeOverTheWorld.
* TookALevelInBadass: At a certain point, Tai Lung shows that when cool and collected, he could defeat Po, probably easily at that. But after some time, lessons and new tricks from both Shifu and Tai Lung, combined with Po's natural talent, and... well, let's just say you also don't want to see an angry panda.
* TooSlow: Pulled on Tai Lung by Xiu at Yunxian.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Tai Lung absolutely adores candy and desserts of any kind, though he's very secretive and does not like people to know about it. This is further explored in one of the sequel vignettes, where Tai Lung buys the best confections that the store owner can provide, and it's all treated in a way that [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything makes them look like they're smuggling and buying illegal substances]].
* {{Troperiffic}}: And [[TropesAreNotBad deliberately so]], by WordOfGod.
* TrueCompanions: Tai Lung eventually learns to see everyone in the Jade Palace as this.
* TryingToCatchMeFightingDirty: Xiu epitomizes this trope. 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]].
* TryNotToDie: Tigress uses a snarkily dry variation of this in Chorh-Gom after having saved Tai Lung from falling off a collapsing bridge; because of the SlapSlapKiss, MasochismTango [[BelligerentSexualTension nature of their relationship]], this rather than the usual plaintive, emotional version makes sense--for them, this ''is'' a heartfelt prayer to come back to each other.
-->'''Tigress''': Try not to fall again...I might not be there next time to catch you.
* {{Tsundere}}: Tigress to the max, Type A. Tai Lung is both a male one and a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
* TwiceShy: Crane and Mei Ling are kept from hooking up for the longest time because of this.
* UnluckyEverydude: Crane
* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Subverted. Shifu tells Tigress and Tai Lung exactly what he intends to do to stop Vachir. Despite this, the plan itself works perfectly--Vachir just happens to survive it is all. Also, despite Chao telling the Wu Sisters his plan for Tai Lung and the Five, it comes very close to working with only [[spoiler:Oogway's protection]] preventing it. However, it is later played straight when Chao tells Tai Lung what he intends for him to do as his servant, which of course never comes to pass.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Aside from the way this already applies to him in the movie, the scene where Tai Lung and the others discover the portrait of him as an adorable cub in Oogway's room is the OldShame[=/=]PlayedForLaughs variation of this trope. Except that instead of Tai Lung bemoaning the ruining of his VillainCred, he's attempting to head off BadassDecay. Despite the fact he remains a badass for the rest of the story, amusingly, no one seems to believe him when he calls his cub self a hellion...[[NotSoDifferent except Tigress]].
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Chao uses this as his reason (excuse!) for murdering his friends and a group of children. Later on he still has it, just that now he's an asshole to boot.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tropes V-Z]]
* VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Vault of Heroes]] has shades of this, being an [[ElaborateUndergroundBase underground location]] with [[SceneryPorn epic architecture and statuary]], [[BossRoom lots of space for fighting]], and an impressive name. [[SubvertedTrope However]], not only is the name [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace the exact opposite you would expect]], the place was never intended to be the location for a BossBattle, since it was a hall built to honor fallen heroes and a nexus of holy spiritual energy; it only becomes this trope due to being the place [[spoiler:where [[SealedEvilInACan Oogway imprisoned Heian Chao]]]]. Its choice for the FinalBattle, on the other hand, [[WordOfGod is also a reference]] to [[WhatCouldHaveBeen its original intention as such]] for the movie.
* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: Crane, or from a different point of view, Mei Ling
* ViewerGenderConfusion (lampshaded, [[InvokedTrope invoked]], and parodied): The scroll of the movie's events in which Tigress was a man.
* VillainsActHeroesReact: At first played straight, then later averted. When the BigBad first appears in the story, all of the plot-driven elements come about due to him or his lackeys, with the Heroes either trying to stop him, put an end to his crimes, or protect Tai Lung, Po, and the people of the Valley. But after one too many schemes, before Chao can recover and launch an even worse attack, Shifu decides to be proactive, learn who and what and where he is, and go take him out--and after learning of him from the Wu Sisters, the rest of the Heroes decide the same thing.
* VillainBall: While Chao is usually not found carrying one of these, he does do so in at least one respect: [[spoiler:inflaming Jia's lusts for Tai Lung so that she comes to care for him too much, while at the same time encouraging Monkey and/or Vachir to kill him]]. And he doesn't expect this to cause any difficulties with Jia. Not the smartest move. [[spoiler:[[UnspokenPlanGuarantee Confessing his great plan to Tai Lung in his cell also counts]].]]
* VillainsOutShopping (subverted): What seemed to be the Wu Sisters out for dinner at Ping's restaurant was actually them casing the joint to get info on Po.
* VillainousBreakdown: Xiu at Wu Dan, and you can see every step on the way to it. Heian Chao has one too, albeit more drawn-out: starting from after Chorh-Gom when things start going wrong for him (see DidntSeeThatComing, XanatosGambit, and TakeAThirdOption), [[FromBadToWorse getting worse]] after Tai Lung is exonerated, and culminating when he discovers Po is not only still involved in the battle despite his [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Father]] ultimatum but had also [[spoiler:cleansed the Pool of Sacred Tears]]. Watch Chao go from [[WickedCultured suave, sophisticated]] [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] to psychotic, [[PrecisionFStrike raging]] apocalypse.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Variation A. Tai Lung will not miss an opportunity to snark at, poke fun at, and sometimes even threaten Po with physical harm, and Po just takes it all, except if Tai Lung insults Mr. Ping and his soup or restaurant. On occasion Po does return the teasing and snark right back, but only in a gentle, lighthearted way, naturally.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: Chao, especially when he is possessing someone.
* WeCanRuleTogether: Chao offers this to Tai Lung, but he really needs to work on his sales pitch.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Xun Chao, before [[spoiler:becoming Heian Chao]], wanted to use his mastery of chi [[VisionaryVillain to bring order to China by overthrowing the Emperor]]. To do this, [[spoiler:he needed to [[PoweredByAForsakenChild murder children and absorb their chi]]]]. [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil By the time he tried to follow through with it]], he was quite clearly out of his mind...and thanks to TheCorruption, TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget, and (it's implied) LoveHurts he has dispensed with things such as love, compassion, and [[WhatIsEvil morality]] as [[GoodIsImpotent pathetic]] [[LoveIsAWeakness weaknesses]], instead merely using appeals to them to justify his actions and manipulate others while not even believing in them any more.
* [[WhamEpisode Wham Chapter]]: Chapter 34. Nuff said. Chapter 30 also counts. [[spoiler:The first one is the chapter where Zhuang is murdered, Ping is kidnapped and Po informed of it, and Shifu has his frightening premonition just before the CliffHanger of Tai Lung's arrest. The second starts with Zhuang discovering the blinded Chang and his wife being [[EmotionEater fed off of by Chao]] and warned about Vachir, then has the zombie Anvil of Heaven, the fight with Vachir, the revelation that Monkey was possessed (and DisneyDeath of Mantis), and the stabbing of Vachir that led to the explosion of dark chi and Tai Lung and Tigress falling into the abyss. Whew!]]
* WhatIsEvil: "Cease prattling about morality and ethics, you and I both know those are simply words we use as masks, facades to present to the world to keep the weak and misguided from interfering while we do our work."
* WhatWouldXDo: See the IceCreamKoan above; Tai Lung is very bad at thinking like Oogway. Comes with a bit of ICantBelieveImSayingThis as well, when he finds himself having to ask such a question in the first place.
* WhosLaughingNow: Another motivation for Tai Lung's rampage, besides claiming what he had been led to believe was rightfully his--to get back at [[TooDumbToLive those who had mocked him for not becoming the Dragon Warrior]].
* WhyThankYouX: Oogway pulls this on Shifu late in the story.
* WickedCultured: Until he loses his temper after the failure of his plans, Chao has this trope written all over him.
* AWizardDidIt: Used quite literally to explain and justify such things as [[spoiler:why Tai Lung conveniently forgets about Chao for a while, why the Five become increasingly argumentative, why Mei Ling doesn't tell Crane about her plan to make Tigress jealous, why PoorCommunicationKills, why Tai Lung thinks it's a good idea to reconcile Tigress and Shifu in the middle of a HatePlague]], and so on.
* WizardsLiveLonger: Chao is nine hundred plus years old.
* [[WontTakeYesForAnAnswer Won't Take Yes For An Answer]]: How Po reacts to [[spoiler:Jia revealing she has feelings for him, too]].
* TheWorfEffect: As proof of what a serious threat the villains of the story are--Exhibit A: the Wu Sisters come this close to defeating [[MemeticBadass Tai Lung]] during their first encounter, [[spoiler:nearly kill [[TheChosenOne Po]]]], and do succeed in beating [[ActionGirl Tigress]] the first time they meet her; Exhibit B: Vachir gives an absolute NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to Tai Lung at Chorh-Gom and succeeds in holding Tigress hostage; and just before the FinalBattle, during Heian Chao's series of [[BreakingSpeech Breaking Speeches]] to the kung fu warriors, we see from Tigress's POV just how powerful the shadow mage's chi is, since he comes quite close to breaking [[{{Determinator}} her]]. In the end, though, all of this merely allows for multiple examples of HeroicSecondWind as Xiu is eventually defeated by first [[TookALevelInBadass Po]], then Tai Lung, Vachir is dealt a fatal blow by [[spoiler:Tigress]], and not only is Chao killed, but his army [[spoiler:of demons]] is taken out by the Five, led of course by Tigress.
* WorthIt: Tai Lung, after his toe-touching dare to Po.
* [[WouldntHurtAChild Wouldn't Hurt A Child]]: Brutally averted by Chao. Tai Lung plays this straight after unintentionally averting it during his rampage. As a result it's also a BerserkButton for him if you suggest that he would, as Monkey discovers.
* WronskiFeint: Crane pulls one of these on Heian Chao during the final battle, except with a wall instead of the floor.
* XanatosGambit: Chao, being DangerouslyGenreSavvy, tries pulling one of these off on Tai Lung at Chorh-Gom, figuring that he'll either kill Vachir out of rage and be open to being corrupted, or get killed and serve him as a zombie; either way he would win. Similarly, no matter which way Tai Lung resolved the SadisticChoice which Chao had set up via [[spoiler:the murder of Zhuang]] and the trial, he would gain the snow leopard's service and power, and win...except for [[spoiler:Zhuang's DyingClue]] which Crane found and brought as evidence, and Po [[spoiler:cleansing the Sacred Pool]] along with Shifu's use of Oogway's staff to [[spoiler:free the villagers of their PeoplePuppets DemonicPossession]]. The fact it took so many elements to bring down this second scheme shows just how well-plotted it was, and [[DarkestHour how close]] [[NearVillainVictory it came to succeeding]].
** BatmanGambit: [[DidntSeeThatComing He didn't count on]] [[spoiler:Tigress TakingAThirdOption and stabbing Vachir herself, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood nor did he foresee]] Tai Lung actually ''forgiving'' the rhino, thus letting him [[MercyKill die an honorable death.]]]]
* YinYangBomb: The Wuxi Finger Hold turns out to be a variation of this, since depending on the intent of the user it can either be a force for destruction (as Shifu claimed it was in the movie) or salvation (as when Po used it to take away Tai Lung's rage and insanity, purifying his soul and thus giving him the chance to change and redeem himself). The two are mutually exclusive, since the latter application also repaired the damage to the village...though it did [[spoiler:[[NiceJobBreakingItHero free Heian Chao from Oogway's prison]]]]. It's entirely possible [[IKnewIt the sequels will reveal this is actually the case]], based on what Po did looking and acting nothing like what Shifu described...though if so, the second application will likely be a forced [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascent To A Higher Plane Of Existence]] instead.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: A number of people, but most especially Po and Oogway, insist this is the case whenever Tai Lung is ready to disparage himself and believe he is only and always a villain...and in the end, [[RousseauWasRight they're right]]. This same appeal gets turned back on Po when he starts losing faith in himself [[spoiler:thanks to what he learns about his family]], and Mei Ling most definitely appeals to it in order to [[spoiler:get Jia to finish her HeelFaceTurn]].
* YouAreNotAlone: Mei Ling tells Jia this during the final battle [[spoiler:which is what finally pushes her to complete her HeelFaceTurn]].
* YouAreNotReady: Applies to both Tai Lung and Po, though stated specifically by Oogway as the reason he didn't tell Tai Lung sooner of his destiny. This was also what Oogway told Chao when he wanted [[LifeEnergy the secrets of mastering chi]] so as to [[WellIntentionedExtremist defeat the tyrannical emperor]]; naturally [[{{Pride}} Chao didn't listen]], and [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow the rest]] [[TheDarkSide was history]].
* YouCantFightFate: Played with. Tai Lung eventually learns/remembers that [[spoiler:he had saved a very young Tigress from the ruins of her quake-collapsed house]], suggesting he and Tigress were always meant to be together and be there for each other, but Oogway later states that their romance is something Tai Lung did all on his own. So while there may be no accidents, the future is clearly not set in stone either.
* YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForGood: While no one actually stated the trope name aloud, let alone directly to Chao, Oogway did observe (as did Shifu in his thoughts) that the chi master could have been the best healer in the empire, perhaps even the world, had he stayed on the path of good, and that it was a shame he did not, respectively.
* YouDidTheRightThing: After Chao reveals [[spoiler:that the Wuxi Finger Hold is what freed him]], Viper has to appeal to this trope to help snap Po out of it.
* YouFightLikeACow: Xiu uses this tactic a lot on Tai Lung and Tigress (IsThatTheBestYouCanDo comes up, unsurprisingly), though at times, especially when she is angry or on the verge of losing, this degenerates into TrashTalk. Tai Lung eventually turns it back on her, and to a point so does Po to Jia.
* YouFool: Pretty much the way Chao acts constantly during all his fights.
* YouGotSpunk: Tai Lung certainly admires Tigress's spirit.
* YouHaveToBelieveMe: Shifu makes the mistake of invoking this during Tai Lung's trial. Jia uses it on Mei Ling regarding their father's murder with much more success.
* YouHaveFailedMe (lampshaded and averted): Chun wonders why Chao is okay with them failing to kill Po at Yunxian, until Chao reveals he's surprisingly patient for an insane BigBad. However, he later does consider pulling this, as does Xiu, although the latter borders on YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness.
* YouJustToldMe: Used in humorous fashion early on when Tigress is made to admit to her deep and abiding distrust for Tai Lung by Shifu. Humorous because Tigress acts [[CaptainObvious as if she genuinely thinks anyone couldn't figure out]] her desire to flay the snow leopard [[{{Tsundere}} or at least give him a tongue-lashing]].
* YouKeepTellingYourselfThat: At Chorh-Gom, when Vachir tries taunting Tai Lung that they are NotSoDifferent, the snow leopard furiously goes into a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, denying it via PunctuatedPounding. The rhino's response is this trope:
-->'''Vachir''': Awww, ya made it sound all so noble too, tough guy. I'm really proud of ya. Maybe, if ya keep sayin' it long enough, ya might actually manage to convince somebody besides yourself.
* YouKilledMyFather: Mei Ling's [[ItsPersonal motivation]] in pursuing the Wu Sisters. Turns out his killer [[ManipulativeBitch wasn't the one]] [[{{Frameup}} she thought it was]], but in the end she gets her {{Revenge}}...[[spoiler:albeit indirectly through enabling Jia's HeelFaceTurn]].
* YouShallNotPass: Mei Ling pulls this on the Wu Sisters when they come for Po, though she doesn‘t die in the process. And is of course quite badass while doing it.
* YouWatchTooMuchX: Po's thought regarding Viper, when she decides to use the Truth or Dare game to [[TheMatchmaker help Tai Lung and Tigress hook up]]. A rare example where the genre in question is not that of the work it appears in. (In this case, that she was "reading too many romance novels".)
* ZombieApocalypse: What almost happens when [[spoiler:Chao resurrects the Anvil of Heaven using his dark chi]].
[[/folder]]
