The Shaolin Avengers, also known as Invincible Kung Fu Brothers, is a 1976 Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Movie directed by Chang Cheh, one of the many, many Shaolin-themed movies released by the studios in the late-70s.
Alexander Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan-chun, once again, reprise their roles respectively as Fang Shi-yu and Hong Hui-gan, the two real-life experts and practitioners of the Shaolin arts, who are out to avenge the betrayal of the Shaolin clan by the Wu Tang traitors. In this continuity, Fang Shi-yu and his brother, Fang Hsiao-yu (never mentioned in any other versions) embark on a long and arduous training to avenge their father who's killed by Wu Tang traitors.
Shaolin Avengers contains examples of:
- Action Mom: The Fang brothers' mom, Miao Tsui-fa, is a capable fighter and trainer of the brothers in fighting.
- Alternate Continuity: The movie appears to take place in the same universe as Disciples of Shaolin (also starring Alexander Fu and Chi Kuan-chun) released just a year earlier, reprising their roles from that other film. However the origins of the Shaolin sect is different, and Fu Sheng's character, Fang Shi-yu, is now depicted as having an elder brother which is absent in all other versions.
- Anachronic Order: The movienopens with the heroes battling the Wu Tang's mooks, before flashing back after the opening titles on what happened the previous year. And throughout the movie, the film alternates between the Fang brothers' training and their epic final battle, and then back to them bonding as brothers, and so on.
- Bash Brothers: The Fang brothers, Fang Shi-yu and Fang Hsiao-yu, who banter about during their training and in-between their fights.
- Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: Fang Hsiao-yu doesn't survive the film.
- Canon Foreigner: Fang Shi-Yu's older brother, Fang Hsiao-yu, as portrayed by Bruce Tong, who was made solely for this film. The (alleged) real-life martial artist Fang Shi-Yu doesn't have any siblings, and Fang Hsiao-yu doesn't show up anywhere outside of this film.
- Deliberately Monochrome: The flashback of the Fangs' father, being betrayed and killed by the Wu Dang, is in black-and-white.
- Doomed by Canon: Considering Fang Shi-yu's brother, Fang Hsiao-yu, never appears in any other adaptations revolving around Fang Shi-yu, it's a surprise to nobody that he wouldn't outlive the credits.
- Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting: Every main character is a fighter and a kung-fu expert, befitting the film being one of Chang Cheh's many Shaolin-themed movies.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The two heroes are Shaolin-trained warriors out to avenge their father.
- Good Old Fisticuffs: The Fang brothers both prefer to fight with their bare hands, even if there are weapons available. Unfortunately this trope ends up being proven to be impractical — while Fang Hsiao-yu beats up numerous sword-wielding mooks with his bare hands, one random mook ends up running his sword into Hsiao-yu's side (why he never considered picking up a weapon from a beaten enemy is never addressed).
- How We Got Here: Right at the start of the film, the Fang brothers and their friend, Hong Hui-Gan, are surrounded by hordes and hordes of Wu Tang mooks led by Feng Dao-De, which they proceed to beat up. A few minutes into their fighting, the film then flashes back to what happened a year ago, how the brothers lose their father, and undertook a lengthy training session to avenge him.
- Lodged-Blade Recycling: After Fang Hsiao-yu gets sliced too many times, with a single sword shoved through his guts, he finally, finally pulled the sword out of his midsection and use it to slice up mooks.
- Made of Iron: Fang Hsiao-yu, despite suffering multiple stabs and cuts, and a freaking sword through his torso. His response? Pull out that sword and start hacking away at mooks.
- Red Filter of Doom: Used in several scenes of the film, for instance when a Shaolin senior gets flung to his death, and when Fang Shi-yu kills an elite Wu Tang fighter, with the entire screen tinted red as the onscreen victim collapses and writhes in his death throes.
- Training Montage: The Fang brothers train themselves to improve their fighting skills and to avenge their father. And later, them training their followers.
- Vow of Celibacy: Taken by the Fang brothers, after swearing vengeance against the Wu Dang, where they must never engage in any acts of sex until their father's death is avenged. Because, according to their mother and tutor, "sex is too much of a distraction"...
- You Killed My Father: The Fang brothers swear vengeance on Master Lu Yin-Bu for leading the Wu Dang clan and killing their father.
