History ADifferentLesson / TropesMToZ

* ThouShaltNotKill: Po is the only one to play this straight; he doesn't kill anyone, and this is all but stated to be the reason why he chose to spare Tai Lung's life when subjecting him to the Wuxi Finger Hold. Meanwhile, all the other characters play with this when not outright averting it; Tai Lung refrains from killing only so he doesn't become suspectable to Chao's DemonicPossession, while Viper chooses to spare Chun's life during their fight at Wu Dan as she insists [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim it wouldn't make her any better than Chun or the rest of the Wu Sisters]].

* ThouShaltNotKill: Averted. Though Po still doesn't kill anyone, no one else seems to have this compunction.
* TheThreeFacesOfEve: Because they are inspired by 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 (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 ManipulativeBitch Seductress (though Jia also has aspects of the latter, note the scene where she suggests a bondage threesome with herself, Tai Lung, and Tigress).

* RapeAsBackstory: [[DefiedTrope Defied]] regarding [[PrisonRape Tai Lung's time in prison]]-- while a number of writers (and even fans) have posited the notion that Vachir and/or his men raped the snow leopard while he was in Chorh-Gom, this author refused to go that route (right down to having Tai Lung himself lampshade and mock it, even on a logistics level), instead pointing out what ''else'' can act as sufficient motivation for trauma, angst, and a desire for revenge in this sort of situation.

* RealMenDontCry: Tai Lung tries hard to keep his emotions hidden out of masculine pride and refusal to appear vulnerable. As such, he views crying as a weakness. Of course, as Lung's CharacterDevelopment kicks in, he becomes more willing to be open about his feelings (even if he still tries to remain serious and no-nonsense).

* RelatedInTheAdaptation: In Chapter 20, Mei Ling is revealed to be related to the Wu Sisters. There's no indication thus far that she has any relation to them in canon.[[note]]This likely stems from early concept art for the Wu Sisters, with one drawing of the sisters strikingly resembling Mei Ling.[[/note]]

* MistakenForGay: Near the end of the story, Ping walks in on Tai Lung and Po just as the former is holding out an orange to the latter ([[ItMakesSenseInContext the fruit is used as part of the New Year's festival]], wherein [[ShownTheirWork someone who loves another writes their name on it, then throws it in water to be carried to the deity of love]]). Ping responds, "Son, was there something you wanted to tell me?"

* RealMenDontCry: Tai Lung tries hard to keep his emotions hidden out of masculine pride and refusal to appear vulnerable. As such, he views crying as a weakness. Of course, as Lung's CharacterDevelopment kicks in, he becomes more willing to be open about his feelings (even if he still tries to remain serious and no-nonsense).

* [[RapeAsBackstory Rape Is The New Dead Parents]]: [[DefiedTrope Averted]] regarding [[PrisonRape Tai Lung's time in prison]]--while a number of writers (and even fans) have posited the notion that Vachir and/or his men raped the snow leopard while he was in Chorh-Gom, this author refused to go that route (right down to having Tai Lung himself lampshade and mock it, even on a logistics level), instead pointing out what ''else'' can act as sufficient motivation for trauma, angst, and a desire for revenge in this sort of situation.

** A third example occurs a few chapters earlier, when Tai Lung tells Shifu to start carrying around [[ChekhovsGun Oogway's staff]], Shifu tells him he'd better not think this means he can call him old and crotchety, and the snow leopard blandly denies he had any such intention: because, just like Po and his daring comments to the lousy tipper wolf only being "in my mind", Tai Lung notes to himself he can think whatever he likes "in his head."

* 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 an InUniverse OldShame / PlayedForLaughs variation. 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...[[MirrorCharacter except Tigress]].

* PunchClockVillain: At many times, Chun seems to be an example of this, enjoying being an assassin solely because it's her job. (Noble AntiVillain.) This is helped by the fact she not only [[EvenEvilHasStandards definitely has standards]], but as is revealed once we get in her head (and is explicated further in the vignettes), she fully believes being an assassin can and should be a noble thing where methods most consider unsavory can and often are the only way to end conflict and effect change without lots of bloodshed. So, a combination of NobleDemon and IDidWhatIHadToDo.

** [[spoiler:Tai Lung]]'s given name, Qiao Gang, means "Handsome, Hard, and Unbending". His father's name, 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".

* YouGotSpunk: Although Tai Lung is no longer a villain, his status as an AmazonChaser (as well as DeadpanSnarker and GoodIsNotNice) and Tigress being a fierce ActionGirl causes the snow leopard to greatly admire her spirit (particularly in how she almost beat him at the Thread of Hope, and still continues to stand up to him). As might be expected, when he actually expresses this to her aloud, he means it as a compliment but she takes it as condescension.

** 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. Xuan's name, meanwhile, means either "High" or "Chosen", which fits his background as nobility in Kunlun Shan, but also applies to his being an Imperial bodyguard, his being Chen's close personal friend (and Yong's), and his place in the backstory for how he acts as a role model and inspiration to Mei, Jia, and even Chun to some degree.

* 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, raging apocalypse.

* 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 quite the [[VillainousBreakdown understatement]].

** 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 [[BreakingPointProfanity 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, because he believes it's a sign [[spoiler:[[VillainousLineage he is just like his highwayman father]]]].

* BreakingPointProfanity:
** 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, 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").

** 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, because he believes it's a sign [[spoiler:[[VillainousLineage he is just like his highwayman father]]]].

* 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, 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").

* 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.

* 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]] the [[VillainousBreakdown understatement]].

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

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

* {{Tsundere}}: Tigress is a quite intense example of the Harsh Tsundere; while she is generally cold, aloof, and fierce with others, [[DefrostingIceQueen her opening up to and getting to know Po during the first movie has softened her a fair degree]] so that now she more comes across as a GrumpyBear...''except'' when dealing with the snow leopard, who even when she isn't suspecting him of foul play and being a FalselyReformedVillain is constantly treated with nasty, vindictive, malicious insults as well as violence when she feels the occasion warrants it. And as she starts falling for him (and realizes it) this behavior becomes even more pronounced. Once she isn't able to deny the truth any more, and the two of them are able to declare their love and become a couple, she finally mellows out and becomes sweeter (well, for her), but there are still times when Tai Lung is able to set off her trigger, to his great regret (and fervent intention to avoid in future). The snow leopard himself is a male example, though also a JerkWithAHeartOfGold (he's fairly harsh, dismissive, and even cruel at first to almost everyone, with a heart that's genuinely capable of warmth and affection as he works to redeem himself, but his attitude toward Tigress remains the same as hers toward him until he too finally softens and relaxes as they draw closer).

* YouGotSpunk: Although Tai Lung is no longer a villain, his status as an AmazonChaser (as well as DeadpanSnarker, GrumpyBear, and GoodIsNotNice) and Tigress being a fierce ActionGirl causes the snow leopard to greatly admire her spirit (particularly in how she almost beat him at the Thread of Hope, and still continues to stand up to him). As might be expected, when he actually expresses this to her aloud, he means it as a compliment but she takes it as condescension.

* StartOfDarkness: Not only does Oogway tell Shifu a fairly-detailed rendition of the reasons for Chao's descent into villainy near the end of the story, he actually shows him a {{Flashback}} vision raised from the very walls of the Jade Palace. Although the turtle reveals that he was APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil and thus [[FallenHero was once an honorable kung fu warrior]], the vision in question only shows his BloodbathVillainOrigin in which he ended up slaughtering [[WouldHurtAChild all the child students]] [[spoiler:[[KillEmAll as well as]] his fellow masters and [[KickTheDog former friends]]]].

* 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]].

* StealthHiBye: Late in the story, Shifu is searching the scroll room at the Jade Palace for information on Heian Chao. Oogway's ghost appears and points out to him which scroll he should read, causing [[DelayedReaction the red panda to absentmindedly thank him]] before doing the requisite DoubleTake. What makes this funnier (and even more in character) is that considering their personalities, it's highly like the turtle pulled this sort of thing on Shifu even when he was alive.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Aside from the experiences of Xiulan and Chang noted under LaserGuidedKarma which can seem like this [[note]](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)[[/note]], 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. [[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]] for us [[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]] fairly often [[ShownTheirWork 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 shown more insight into him and that general.

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

* SickeninglySweet: Tai Lung is enheartened by his welcome back to the Jade Palace after accepting Shifu's deal...and realizes that his optimistic thoughts are far too saccharine and over-the-top:

* TastesLikeDiabetes: Referenced InUniverse, though ''very'' obliquely, when Tai Lung is so heartened by his welcome back to the Jade Palace after accepting Shifu's deal...and realizes that his optimistic thoughts are far too saccharine and over-the-top:
-->''He had never been a morning person, never would be, but something about this morning seemed full of hope and new promise.''
-->''He'd remember those thoughts much later, and between smacking his forehead hard and laughing mockingly at himself would wonder exactly how much sugar the panda had put in his bean bun dough...and how he possibly could have kept from gagging on it.''