Line #41 Main/DragonsUpTheYinYang


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Yin-Yang-Dragon.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:The universal symbols for Awesome Eastern Stuff.]]
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4	In a visual work that features [[CallItKarma East Asian mysticism]] or [[MartialArtsMovie cinematic martial arts]], the odds are very good that there will be a gratuitous appearance of either the ''taijitu'' (known in the west as the "yin-yang" symbol) or an [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Eastern dragon]] (either a Chinese ''lóng'' or a Japanese ''tatsu'') somewhere. Whether it's a rare artifact, a wall-sized scroll hanging in the temple, or a design on the ''sensei's'' (or ''shifu's'') robes, the presence of either or both of these elements serve to remind the audience that ''Awesome Eastern Stuff[[TradeSnark ™]]'' happens here.
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6	Typically, the dragon is used to indicate badassery while the ''taijitu'' indicates mysticism, but many works will wantonly use either or both just for atmosphere. Particularly inane is the depiction of these dragons breathing fire, [[SadlyMythtaken as most Eastern dragons were water spirits]].[[note]]They were river guardians, rain gods, and a few lived in wells. The four most powerful dragons in Chinese mythology are the Ocean Lords of the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern seas. Chinese Dragons can be elementally associated with fire in the EasternZodiac, though.[[/note]] [[ThePointsMeanNothing Bonus points]] [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs if there is an image of a dragon curling]] ''[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs around]]'' [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs a yin-yang]].
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8	For the most part, resemblance to RealLife varies: most Thai and Vietnamese temples are more likely to feature icons of the various [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Buddhas]] instead, but ''Chinese'' temples may really have dragon reliefs sculpted into the wall, pillars and/or the roof and/or a small taijitu sculpted at the top of the main entrance. This is because the ''taijitu'' originated from UsefulNotes/{{Taoism}} - a completely separate religion from Buddhism (though when Buddhism reached China the two were often mixed together) that isn't as widely embraced by Thai or Vietnamese culture, but is widely embraced in Far East Asia. Depending on area, most Asian city folks may go for days without seeing either symbols, and the only dragon one might find in most martial arts schools will be a Creator/BruceLee poster in a corner. Other Asians may see it daily due to the presence of an altar in the home.
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10	On the other hand, there's also a bit of TruthInTelevision involved: the ''taijitu'' '''is''' a symbol rooted in Asian philosophy and religion (if actually very recent -- its most known version was first introduced in the 17th century), and Eastern dragons '''are''' traditional symbols of power and strength. But these two symbols quickly become overused due to SmallReferencePools, hence the trope. It'd be a bit like if a Chinese film studio created a movie set in America that slapped around eagle iconography every ten feet.
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12	Note that this trope does ''not'' apply if the symbols are used in contexts that don't involve martial arts or Asian mysticism. A Chinese restaurant with a dragon motif is not tropeworthy; a Chinese restaurant with a dragon motif run by a secret sect of [[WarriorMonk Shaolin monks]], on the other hand...
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14	Also see EasternZodiac, NationalStereotypes, EverybodyWasKungFuFighting, and OurDragonsAreDifferent. Add in a tiger, and [[TigerVersusDragon you get fun times.]]
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16	----
17	!!Examples:
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19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
22	* Displayed throughout ''Manga/OutlawStar'' by the pirates. Justified, in that their magic is activated by chanting "Eight Trigrams Three Dharma Seals" in Mandarin and have Taoist themes.
23	* ''Toys/BBSenshiSangokuden'' features four factions that draw upon TheFourGods for faction motifs - Shou, represented by Seiryu (the Dragon) have been particularly consistent in sticking dragons on everything. Kyou-I [=F91=] even switches to a dragon motif after leaving Giga, represented by Suzaku (the Phoenix).
24	* The production notes for the animated ''Anime/StreetFighterIITheAnimatedMovie'' point out that, in the original storyboards, Ken and Ryu's [[CombinationAttack dual Hadoken]] used to defeat M.Bison would have briefly shaped a ''taijitu'' upon fusing together.
25	* The Cyber Dragons and Cyberdarks from ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' represent the two halves of the symbol.
26	* Dragon Shiryu from ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' is all about the Chinese dragon motif, to the point of having one as a PowerTattoo. The same could be said for [[Anime/SaintSeiyaOmega his son Ryuhou]]. Both characters are explicitly [[MakingASplash water-elementals]], moreso Ryuhou than his father.
27	* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' lightly features this in what we know of Xing, a FantasyCounterpartCulture of China. May describes Xingese alkahestry as flowing through the veins of a dragon, while Lan Fan and Fu's masks feature halves of a taijitu.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Comic Books]]
31	* The ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' [[http://www.4thletter.net/2007/10/the-double-dragon-comic-world-war-green-abobo/ comic book series]] used a ''taijitu'' with two stylized dragon heads as its logo. The heroes wore costumes with the logo over their chests and shoulderpads.
32	* One of the members of the DC Comics' super-villain team Helix is Tao Jones, a DragonLady with probability-altering powers; she wears a black evening dress with a red dragon on the front, along with a yin-yang choker.
33	* ComicBook/RichardDragon often wears a jacket that has a large yin-yang symbol with a dragon draped across it on the back.
34	* Marvel hero ComicBook/IronFist has a dragon brand on his chest, acquired when he used his chest to block the dragon's scar and prevent it drawing strength from its mystical heart. It has the wings of an Western dragon but the snakey body of the Eastern type.
35	* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' had The Twin Dragons, a brother-sister martial arts team. Each sibling had a dragon tattooed along one arm; when put together, the two summoned a spiritual dragon to attack their foes.
36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
39	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons'': The wizard Lo Tae Shao is East Asian, and so is his dragon, Shen Zu.
40	* ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'':
41	** The MacGuffin in [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1 the first film]] is the Dragon Scroll, held in the jaws of a ceiling-mounted dragon statue. The ''taijitu'' also appears as the Pool of Sacred Tears, a mountaintop lake which was said to be the birthplace of kung fu.
42	** In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', when Po [[spoiler:catches Lord Shen's final cannon shot and then throws it back at him]], the spinning Po briefly becomes a ''taijitu''. The ''taijitu'' also appears in various background elements.
43	** In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda3'', the ''taijitu'' appears as Oogway's staff, in a painting on a scroll showing Oogway defeating Kai, when Po masters chi and creates a dragon that forms the ''taijitu'', and a lake in the Spirit Realm after Kai is defeated.
44	* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', when the ritual circle is activated, a ''taijitu'' appears inside it, but with a twist: in keeping with the family's AnimalMotif, one side of the symbol is a stylized drawing of a red panda while the other is a stylized drawing of a human.
45	[[/folder]]
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47	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
48	* In ''Film/ShaolinSoccer'', the heroine traces a ''taijitu'' in bread dough when she uses her tai chi skills to make steamed buns. (Everyone seems to forget that tai chi as traditionally practiced ''is'' a martial art, not just something old folks do in parks on Sunday mornings.)
49	* ''Film/KungFuHustle'', the Landlord traces out a ''taijitu'' in the courtyard of Pig Sty Alley when fighting the [[MusicalAssassin Musical Assassins]].
50	** He actually goes one better and traces it out ''[[CurbStompBattle using]]'' [[CurbStompBattle the musical assassins.]]
51	* The ''Film/DoubleDragon1994'' live-action movie has a magical Dragon Medallion that grants great power when the two pieces are put together.
52	* Appears in ''Film/TheKarateKid2010''. As part of Dre's [[NonIndicativeName kung-fu teaching]], Mr. Han takes him up a tall mountain to the Dragon Well, where drinking from it purportedly make one invincible. The well is a shallow fountain with a yin-yang symbol in the center.
53	* In ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'', Scott and his bandmates engage the Katayanagi Twins in a BattleOfTheBands. Fitting their Japanese-Canadian heritage and DualBoss tactics, the Katayanagis use the PowerOfRock to conjure a pair of ethereal ''tatsu'' out of their amps.
54	[[/folder]]
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56	[[folder:Literature]]
57	* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', Rand becomes known as the Dragon Reborn, uses a dragon banner, and gets magical dragon tattoos on his forearms. He also makes use of the yin-yang symbol of the ancient [[MageSpecies Aes Sedai]], since he is a male channeler himself and is allied with channelers of both sexes. The modern Aes Sedai are all-female and only use the female half of the symbol (white, point up).
58	** Which they call the "Flame of Tar Valon". The black piece, called the "Dragon's Fang", is mostly a cross-cultural hate symbol. Various descriptions of these and the (much less known) taijitu suggest that almost nobody sees ''any connection'' between any of the three symbols. This is probably allegorical for the characters' universal tendency to see their personal goals and agenda in isolation from everybody else's (see PoorCommunicationKills).
59	** An important note though, the ancient Aes Sedai symbol lacks the opposite color dots within each half representing harmony of the two parts, another allegory for the conflict between the two sides within the story.
60	* The taijitu symbol features in the Literature/JudgeDee story, ''The Haunted Monastery'', providing the crucial clue to solving the mystery. [[spoiler: The symbol is turned on its side, leading the judge to the door to a secret passage.]]
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63	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
64	* Wrestling/RobVanDam typically has a dragon and a yin yang symbol on his singlets.
65	* Wrestling/SuYung has a singlet with a yin yang on top of two dragons.
66	* Dragon Galatico of the Bolivian New Extreme Order has yin yang symbols all over his ring gear.
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69	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
70	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', at one point, made heavy use of the yin yang as an [[OurElvesAreDifferent Eldar]] symbol.
71	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': The empire of Grand Cathay is a FantasyCounterpartCulture to Imperial China. It is ruled by a family of immortal {{Weredragon}}s who are worshipped as living gods by their human subjects, and as a result eastern dragon iconography is everywhere in the country. The ''taijitu'' is also present, with Cathayan society, spiritualism and even military tactics based around maintaining harmony between yin and yang.
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74	[[folder:Theater]]
75	* The title and logo of Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's ''Theatre/{{Dralion}}'' -- because the show focuses on Asian acrobatic disciplines. Specifically, as per the East-meets-West concept, the title and the creature derived from it that appears in the show is a portmanteau of "dragon" (East) and "lion" (West). (This [[FridgeLogic doesn't make sense]] once you remember that lions have also been invoked in eastern culture. For example, many Chinese restaurants will have two stone lion guardians at the front door.)
76	* Appears in the Act II ''divertissements'' for ''Theatre/TheNutcracker''.
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79	[[folder:Video Games]]
80	* Both the dragon and the ''taijitu'' show up in ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' at various points; the dragon is even in the logo.
81	** Also, Liu Kang can transform into a dragon as a fatality.
82	* ''VideoGame/Onmyoji2016'': The main character Seimei is an ''onmyōji'' (lit. yin-yang priest) and in later levels he has a dragon aiding him in battle.
83	* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'''s primary use of the ''taijitu'' is with Reimu, who uses the Hakurei Yin-Yang Orbs as her AncestralWeapon.
84	** In addition, dragons are said to be among the highest class of youkai, and it's said that one appeared in the sky the day the Great Hakurei Border was erected.
85	** A popular [[WildMassGuessing crack theory]] is that lazy gatekeeper Meiling (notably one of the ''very'' few characters whose exact species is not identified; she's simply called a youkai, which in Gensokyo amounts to a catch-all for anybody who's not a human or a god) is a Chinese rainbow dragon or ''hong'', due to her surname being Hong and her use of rainbow-themed spellcards. ZUN has [[ShrugOfGod declined to comment]].
86	* ''{{VideoGame/Stranglehold}}'' has a giant jade dragon statue in Wong's chamber where the final showdown takes place.
87	* The ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' video games have nothing to do with dragons, but included gratuitous dragons in their logos and promotional images.
88	* The UsefulNotes/NintendoDS video game ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden: Dragon Sword'' has various dragon-themed {{MacGuffin}}s, including Dragonstones, the Eye of the Dragon, and the eponymous Dragon Sword. Further, the Eye of the Dragon is a jewel shaped like half of the ''taijitu''
89	** The main character's name, Ryu, means "dragon" in Japanese. If you play the modern games with the Japanese language track you'll hear the word "ryu" constantly, what with his name, and the Dragon Sword, and the Dragon Clan, and...
90	* In ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', the levels in Chun-Nan (the NoCommunitiesWereHarmed counterpart of China) are named "Dragon Road", and the daytime version features long statues of dragons for Sonic to run along the backs of. Some of the nighttime stages have them too, but not in as large a quantity.
91	* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' (which, of note, is an Asian-themed game, complete with a Qing Empire {{Expy}} as the EvilEmpire) has this in ''spades''.
92	** The two playable dragons Ryu and Fou-lu [[spoiler: who are actually part of the same dragon god but [[LiteralSplitPersonality were split due to a summoning accident]]]] are explicitly "yin" and "yang" themed (despite most of their forms resembling Western dragons); most other dragons in the game are MixAndMatchCritters of lung/mireu/tatsu and other creatures...or, often, [[{{Planimal}} mashups]] of Eastern dragons and ''plants''.
93	*** The yin-yang theming goes to the point of Ryu PlayingWithFire whilst Fou-lu is MakingASplash, Ryu [[spoiler: awakening in a desert at midday]] whilst Fou-lu [[spoiler: awakens at night in a verdant forested ruin]], and even with Fou-lu looking quite a bit more [[{{Bishounen}} Biseinen]] than Ryu--explicitly setting Fou-lu up as the "yin" and Ryu as the "yang" in a remarkable case of having ShownTheirWork.
94	*** The manga adaptation [[http://80.manmankan.com/200906/569/19027/09611631087146.jpg even had an explicit reference to this trope]].
95	** The NPC dragons themselves are merged with classical elements of the Eight Trigrams (to an extent, anyways)
96	** Speaking of ''taijitu'' and the Eight Trigrams, the end stage of the game involves your character fighting his Yin-half on a stage in which is drawn the "Static Heaven" ''bagua'' pattern from feng-shui practice that is ''heavily'' implied to be an imperial summoning circle of some sort.
97	** Not only does ''IV'' have the recurring trope of TheHero being ''named'' Ryu[[note]]meaning "Dragon"[[/note]], Fou-lu in part of the game uses the name Ryong[[note]]''Korean'' for "Dragon"[[/note]] or Ron[[note]]The Japanese rendering of the Chinese "Lung", again, meaning "Dragon" -- cref. Shenron Gundam from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing''[[/note]] depending on [[DubNameChange if you're playing in Japanese or not]].
98	** If the supplemental material in [[AllThereInTheManual the artbook]] is to be noted, there's even more references. [[spoiler: The empire that summoned Fou-lu is the Muuru Empire[[note]]a Japanese rendering of ''mireu'', the Korean "kun reading equivalent" for the hanja normally rendered as "ryong"; it's the Korean equivalent of "tatsu" versus "ryuu" in Japanese[[/note]], among others.]]
99	** An example included in the artbook involves a combination of a ''taijitu'', a design consisting of apparent Eastern dragons, ''and'' the bonji (Japanese Buddhist variation of Sanskrit) rendering of "Om" combined in a design on the back of Fou-lu's clothes.
100	** Explicit mention is made that the dragons in this world are [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]] and that they tend to "catch others in their path", similar to the concept of Dragon Lines. (There is a lot of gratuitous Taoist, Buddhist, and even some pre-Taoist shamanist imagery in ))this game, all of it [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic Deeply Mystical]].]
101	* The Dragon Clan of ''VideoGame/BattleRealms'' feature these heavily. The Serpent Clan, being an offshoot of the Dragon Clan, have their more insidious variation.
102	* Surprisingly Averted in ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', for all of its Chinese influences. There are no ''taijitu'' symbols anywhere, and the only dragon you see is at the end of the game, and it's not exactly a symbol of badassness. [[spoiler: Quite the opposite in fact. The Water Dragon has been trapped in stone and cut open, to endlessly bleed water. It asks you to ''kill it'' so that it can be reborn.]]
103	* The Tao Dragon legendary Pokémon of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' follow the ''taijitu'' theme: The white one (Reshiram) is exclusive to ''Black Version'', the black one (Zekrom) is exclusive to ''White Version'', and the grey one, Kyurem, represents ''wuji'' (void, or absence of Tao). The three form a FireIceLightning theme, with Reshiram as fire, Zekrom as thunder, and Kyurem as ice.
104	** Additionally, in the Japanese versions, Reshiram is known as the White Yang Pokémon while Zekrom is classified as the Black Yin Pokémon (the same way Pidgey's species is classified as Tiny Bird Pokémon).
105	** Flip flopped in the sequels-Reshiram is in ''White 2'', Zekrom in ''Black 2''.
106	* In ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'', Ryuji, the sole Asian challenger to Travis, is able to create an eastern dragon from his sword made of electricity and lasers. It is possible that Dark Star from the original ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' follows this too, as he used the same weapon, but his continent of origin is left unaddressed.
107	* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'''s Litchi Faye-Ling has a lot of Yin-Yang motifs, her emblem has a Yin-Yang, one of her hairpin is based on a Yin-Yang and in some of her win poses, she's making out a dragon-like motif out of her hand.
108	* Hanzo from ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' has a close relationship with dragon motifs: not only does he have a dragon tattoo across his chest and arms, his ultimate attack summons two spectral dragons. His brother Genji also has a dragon motif: when using his ultimate, his sword is briefly surrounded by a dragon. Not only do they have the SiblingYinYang dynamic, but their short film "Dragons" has them represented as two dragons forming a Yin-Yang pattern.
109	* Planet Harukotan from ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'' is a planet with a civilization that resembles feudal Japan, and two clans of oni-like beings, the white-themed Xironians and black-themed Quronians, at war with each other. The ''taijitu'' is [[http://www.bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Planet-Harukotan.jpg formed from the planet's white and black clouds]]. While there are dragons in this game, as well, they are more western-themed (hulking four-legged terrestrial creatures, as opposed to the long and slender flying bodies like eastern dragons).
110	* While not concentrated on a single character, the Chinese Pantheon in ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'' has the elements of the trope spread into it, there are the representatives of the Yin-Yang symbol, Hou Yi and Chang'e (yes, they actually got associated with those elements in their default myth) and a very Chinese dragon in form of Ao Kuang.
111	* ''VideoGame/SuperFighter'': While Kim Tai Chi doesn't have any Dragon designs on him, he does have two taijitus, one tattooed on his head and another on his chest harness. It's justified in that UsefulNotes/{{South Korea}}'s (where he's from) flag features the taijitu on it (though with a red and blue version instead of the usual black and white), and thus can also be considered a sort of [[WearingAFlagOnYourHead display of patriotism]].
112	* In ''VideoGame/{{Unavowed}}'', there is "The Dragon Tree" restaurant in the Chinatown chapter has two Chinese dragons coiled around the pillars of its front entrance. [[spoiler:There's also a reason they're called the [[MeaningfulName Dragon Tree]] -- their patron spirit, the Ba Jiao Gui, is a huge spirit dragon summoned via its connection to a banana tree in the Huangs' rooftop garden, which can be summoned once every decade or so in order to grant [[MundaneUtility winning lottery numbers]].]]
113	* Dragons and dragon symbolism abound in the fourth ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' ExpansionPack, the East Asia-themed ''Mists of Pandaria.''
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116	[[folder:Web Video]]
117	* The taijitu is briefly mentioned at the beginning of WebVideo/{{Vsauce}}'s "What's the Brightest Thing in the Universe?" video. It's brought back again at the end, linking it to the fact that the brightest things in the universe come from the darkest things (quasar-forming black holes), and that the brightest cities have the darkest skies due to the city lights drowning out the light of the stars. The video itself ends with a depiction of a black hole consuming a star and creating a quasar, before a border circle appears to form a proper taijitu.
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120	[[folder:Western Animation]]
121	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
122	** The Moon and Ocean Spirits, Tui and La, are shown as a pair of black-and-white koi fish who constantly follow each other in a pond near the North Pole. This is used to represent the gravitational gyrations of the moon and the tide, on which waterbending is based. [[spoiler: Plot-critical because one of the Fire Nation generals wants to kill the Moon Spirit to permanently weaken waterbenders.]]
123	** The original firebenders, who are [[spoiler: a red and blue dragon. They're supposedly extinct, but Aang and Zuko are fortunate enough to discover that this is a falsehood deliberately spread for the sake of the majestic reptiles.]] Again, meaningful because proper firebending requires a careful balance of passion and control, which [[spoiler: Zuko uses to regain his firebending after he loses his drive to kill Aang.]] (At the time of the series, the Fire Nation teaches a corrupted version of firebending based on anger and aggression, which is far displaced from the original art.) [[spoiler: Aang also learns that firebending isn't just about destruction, which is critical because he swore he would never firebend again, after he accidentally hurt Katara.]]
124	* ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo'' features twin kung fu rabbits, so (naturally) it uses the ''taijitu'' in the logo.
125	* The brothers in ''WesternAnimation/DoubleDragon1993'' could put on dragon masks to turn into the Double Dragons of the title. They also sported dragon tattoos across their chests and trained in the Dragon Dojo.
126	* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'': The protagonist is a VoluntaryShapeshifting dragon and part of a worldwide league of dragons. The logo, of course, includes a dragon silhouette.
127	** Yin and Yang became an issue in the episode where Jake learned about his duplication powers.
128	* The protagonists in ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' are the Xiaolin Dragons, and the show has a dragon as a principle character, who is a Sizeshifter to become their primary means of transport.
129	* ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheDragon'': Ang's power-band has a dragon symbol, which also appears behind him in the TransformationSequence. The BigBad is the Master of Darkest Yin, who wears an outfit with the dark half of the Yin-Yang symbol.
130	* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' features a dragon as the main antagonist (Shendu), features the dragon on one of the twelve talismans and said talisman appears on the main logo for the series. Did we mention that the main characters are Chinese in ancestry?
131	** Also, the last talisman to make a debut had Yin and Yang based powers.
132	* The later seasons of ''WesternAnimation/{{Detentionaire}}'' had a yin-yang symbol that is actually ''made up'' of two Tazelwurms, a red one and a blue one, who, while not technically dragons, do look quite similar. This symbol can be found in places such as the back of a book on magic and on a pendant the Serpent, a martial arts expert, wears.
133	* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', Marinette's costume as Dragon Bug, when she wields the Ladybug and Dragon Miraculous in tandem, has a swirling asymmetrical design that resembles the curvature of a taijitu. The [[TransformationTrinket Miraculouses]] are Chinese in origin, and Marinette herself is half-Chinese.
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Context Main / DragonsUpTheYinYang