Tropes N to Z / Kung Fu Panda 1

Kung Fu Panda Trope Examples
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Never Say "Die": The series all but confirms that Po killed Tai Lung, though he never actually says it. He actually "skadooshed" him. Based on what happened in the end of the movie, this trope isn't far off since we never saw the body. Kung Fu Panda 3 all but explicitly confirms it, since it shows that the Wuxi Finger Hold banishes those who are "skadooshed" to the Spirit Realm.
Never Trust a Trailer: It's an action/comedy, but the trailer puts more emphasis on the "comedy" than the actual movie does.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
- Shifu's paranoia led him to send Zeng to double-check Tai Lung's imprisonment, which ends up providing Tai Lung the feather he uses to escape. As Oogway cautioned Shifu...
  Oogway: One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.
- Going even further, after Tai Lung picks the lock of his restraints, nearly every security measure the rhinos at the prison use to stop him only manages to help him get further. The oversized crossbow bolts they fire turn out to be perfect tools to break the rest of his chains, and then climb the prison walls. The lift mechanism they used to try and strand him down there turns out to still be climbable as well, as they don't cut it higher up, and then their last-ditch dynamite turns out to be the perfect weapon to take out the rest of the rhinos guarding the entrance.The lift itself also acts as an improvised shield from the solid hail of ordinary arrows unleashed as a wave on Tai Lung as he began to jump upwards from the prison bottom.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown:
- During his Training from Hell montage, Po becomes victim to a rapid-fire series of these. Tai Lung also hits him with one, though in every case he's able to come through with little to no damage.
- Tai Lung's escape from Chorh-gom involves him plowing through dozens of guards on his way out.
Noisy Nature: Mantis's combat scenes are accompanied by incongruous cricket-chirps. Mantids aren't crickets, although they're at least in the same infraclass.
"No More Holding Back" Speech: A very short one from Po, at that:
Tai Lung: You... can't defeat me... You're just a big... fat... panda!
Po: I'm not a big, fat panda. I'm the big, fat panda.
The Notable Numeral: The Furious Five, a name given to a group of five powerful kung fu masters.
Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Most of the characters don't sound Chinese. The ones that do are played by Chinese actors, though.
Not Worth Killing: After defeating and immobilizing the entire Furious Five, Tai Lung opts to let them return to Shifu as a form of gloating. He's saving that for the Dragon Warrior.

Oblivious Adoption: At first, the film didn't immediately establish its rules regarding cross-species relationships or breeding that's necessary in a World of Funny Animals setting. However, as the story unfolds it becomes apparent that Po and Ping's relationship is unique and that Po accepts that his father is a goose without question. While the issue is hinted at a few times, and the two sequels revolve around it, the first movie's story deals with it in a Bait-and-Switch manner.
Ping: We are noodle folk. Broth runs deep through our veins.
Po: I don't know Dad. Honestly, sometimes I can't believe I'm actually your son.
Ping: [looking sheepish] Po, I think it's time I told you something I should have told you a long time ago... ... the secret ingredient in my Secret Ingredient Soup.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Since Po arrives just as they shut the gates to the Jade Palace, the tournament to choose the Dragon Warrior is only barely seen by both the audience and Po, but we're told they contain events like Crane vs the Thousand Tongues of Fire or Tigress vs Iron Ox and his Blades of Death.
Oh, Crap!:
- Po's highlighted in slow motion "Oh, crap!" when charged by Tai Lung.
- And Tai Lung's expression when Po reveals he knows how to use the Wuxi Finger Hold, followed by an apprehensive cringe.
- Shifu when Oogway tells him of his vision that Tai Lung will return.
- Even Oogway has a mild example:
  Shifu: It's very bad news...
  Oogway: Oh, Shifu, there is just "news." There is no good or bad.
  Shifu: Master... Your vision... Your vision was right! Tai Lung has broken out of prison! He's on his way!
  Oogway: [freezes in place] That is bad news. [smiles] If you do not believe that the Dragon Warrior can stop him.
- At the last instant of Tai Lung's escape:
  Zeng: Can we run now?!
  Vachir: [tiny voice] Yes.
- Also, at the start of the escape, when Vachir sees that Tai Lung has broken out of his restraints and screams, "OH NO!"
Old Master: Both Oogway and Shifu play the trope straight.
One-Man Army: Tai Lung escaping from prison. He picks the lock of his restraining shackles with a feather, then dodges hundreds of arrows, ballista bolts and explosions. When they destroy the bridge he is on, Tai Lung climbs up the falling debris to get to the top. Finally he fights his way past the remaining rhino guards and sets off an explosion that blows open the main gate. All in under four minutes.
The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Shifu invokes this facing Tai Lung, stating it wasn't between Tai and the Dragon Warrior, but between Tai and himself.
Only Six Faces: Every unnamed character is either a pig, a rabbit, or a rhino, the last of these only appearing as prison guards. There are also some occasional geese. Various species appear mostly as Mooks and other minor characters (wolves, panthers, alligators, boars, at least one buffalo). It's justified, however, in that the developers focused on animals that were native to China.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: During the dumpling fight, Po decides he doesn't need the dumpling he's fought so hard for because he's not hungry and Master Shifu smiles in response; showing Character Development for both.

The Paralyzer: Tai Lung's nerve strike, which he learned from Oogway. Thanks to Po's Kevlard nature, it doesn't work against the Dragon Warrior, only succeeding in tickling him.
Parody Sue: Po's dream as the totally awesome Legendary Warrior.
Peaceful in Death: Played with.
Shifu: ... You have brought peace to this valley. And to me. Thank you. Thank you, Po. Thank you...
Po: No! Master! No, no, no! Don't die, Shifu. Please...
Shifu: I'm not dying, you idiot! Uh... Dragon Warrior. I am simply... at peace.
Pintsized Powerhouse:
- Mantis, who can hold up a rope bridge with Tai Lung AND three of his teammates on it.
- Shifu, who is a red panda and about the size of large cat.
Please Wake Up: "I'm not dying, you idiot!"
Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: Po delivers one before executing The Wuxi Finger Hold on Tai Lung.
Tai Lung: [fearfully] You're bluffing. You're bluffing! Shifu never taught you that!
Po: Nope. I figured it out. Skadoosh.
Pressure Point: Oogway uses this to initially stop Tai Lung in a flashback. In his 20 years in prison, Tai Lung figures out what Oogway did and uses a similar attack against the Furious Five.
Priceless Ming Vase: The Legendary Urn of Whispering Warriors that contains the souls of the entire Tenshu army. Promptly broken by Po.
Pride: Much of the plot originates in this trope.
- Shifu was too proud of Tai Lung. That (along with love for his foster son) is why he wasn't able to see the darkness festering in the latter's heart.
- Tai Lung's Fatal Flaw. Shifu kept telling him he was destined for greatness to the point where Tai Lung came to believe that he and he alone was meant to be the Dragon Warrior and trained hard to make Shifu proud of him. When Oogway decided he was not spiritually fit to be the Dragon Warrior, Tai Lung flew into a rage and laid waste to the Valley of Peace. In the end, Tai Lung is too blinded by his pride to understand the meaning of the Dragon Scroll.
- Commander Vachir, took Shifu's message of greater caution as a slight against his ability to run the prison. He then shows off the prison to Zeng, and accidentally provides Tai Lung with the means for his escape.
- Tigress shows a bit of wounded pride when Po is selected as the Dragon Warrior. She can't believe that someone who is so poorly disciplined could be given such a high honor. This partially leads her to seek out and confront Tai Lung herself, a confrontation that she and her friends prove ultimately outmatched for.
A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Shifu raised Tai Lung as his adoptive son, believing the Kung Fu prodigy to be the destined Dragon Warrior. When Oogway denied the talented warrior the title due to lack of humility and wasn't defended by Shifu, Tai Lung snapped, to put it mildly.

Race-Name Basis: Shifu calls Po "Panda" almost every time they speak. Tigress, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey are only ever referred to as such. It's unclear if they are named because of their species or because it's their Kung Fu style.
Rage Against the Mentor: Happens twice.
- Tai Lung's quest to return to the Jade Palace is to confront Shifu and then take the Dragon Scroll.
- Po also has a moment of this after being chosen to defeat Tai Lung, angrily calling Shifu out on his abuse and insults, while revealing all the hurt and self-loathing he felt for days, even before he came into training with him. He then demands to know from Shifu how to turn him, a worthless nobody, into the Dragon Warrior. When Shifu couldn't answer that question, Po didn't have much to say except to express disappointment in Shifu for treating him like he was nothing.
  Shifu: I DON'T KNOW!! ...I don't know.
  Po: [disappointed] That's what I thought.
Rain of Arrows: When Tai Lung is escaping prison, the guards use this to try and stop him. It doesn't work.
"The Reason I Suck" Speech: Because Po is fully aware that he's not fit to be The Dragon Warrior, his insecurities are bottled up inside him until he has to let them out in a harsh critique of himself. He does this twice to two different characters, one to Oogway when he meets Po under his peach tree and one to Shifu after Po tries to flee from the Jade Palace following the news of Tai Lung's escape.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Oogway is this and a Bunny-Ears Lawyer. He advises Shifu that trying to stop Tai Lung from escaping prison may lead to Shifu causing the escape while showing sympathy about Shifu's anguish. When he chooses Po as the Dragon Warrior, the tortoise goes to comfort the panda after his disastrous first day and encourages him not to give up or worry about his future. Before he dies, Oogway makes Shifu promise to train Po and believe in him.
Redemption Rejection:
- When Shifu apologizes to Tai Lung, telling him that he had always been proud of him, and that pride was what blinded him to what he was becoming, Tai Lung looks genuinely affected... and then the rage returns to his face and he says that he isn't here for apologies: he just wants the Dragon Scroll. That's when the audience realizes that his road to redemption became that much harder.
- It's also implied by directors' commentary that Po trying to help Tai Lung understand the true nature of the Dragon Scroll may have been another chance at redemption, but Tai Lung is so blinded by rage and pride that he doesn't accept that, either.
Repetitive Name:
- Master Shifu. "Shifu" (shīfu) means "master" in Chinese (if you pronounce it correctly, which nobody in the movie does), so this is like calling him "Master Master".
- The same applies to the prison of "Chorh-Gom". So Tai Lung is imprisoned in the prison of Prison.
Replacement Goldfish: Tigress feels overshadowed by Tai Lung, and incapable of taking the place he supposedly had in Shifu's heart. As Secrets of the Furious Five reveal, she was an orphan adopted by Shifu as well, making her Tai Lung's replacement in all aspects. She's wrong at least in the sense that Shifu did a very poor job of expressing his love and approval in time to Tai Lung as well.
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Played with. In the dream introduction, many of the thugs at the inn are Chinese alligators. However Viper of the Furious Five is the nicest member of the group and the first to warm up to Po.
The Resenter: Tai Lung, when he is rejected as the Dragon Warrior despite a lifetime of training for that role.
Rhetorical Question Blunder: Shifu asks who could possibly be worthy of having the Dragon Scroll, the key to limitless power!!! There's a long pause, then Master Oogway says, "I don't know."
Rhino Rampage: Inverted. While Commander Vachir and his guard, the Anvil of Heaven seem to be a good fit for the trope, Tai Lung tears through them so quickly, it's hard to say they ever display anything close to a rampage.
Ridiculously Cute Critter: Baby Tai Lung, young Tigress and Po. Most bunny characters also qualify.
Right Behind Me: When Po impresses the Furious Five with his cooking it leads to a more relaxed atmosphere with the group. A stray noodle on Po's lip that resembles Shifu's mustache leads Po into several unflattering imitations of him with the last naturally being done as Shifu stands behind him in the doorway.
Rousseau Was Right: All three villains in this trilogy have detailed backstories giving them reasons as to why they became bad guys. Everybody is human at heart.
Rule of Symbolism: The Dragon Scroll contains a reflective piece of paper, symbolizing that specialness comes from within. It's quite telling that when Tai Lung looks at it, his response is "it's nothing", which symbolizes that Tai Lung has no real identity beyond his pursuit of the Dragon Scroll and the title of Dragon Warrior.
Rule of Three:
Oogway: There are no accidents.
Shifu: Yes, I know. You've said that already. Twice.
Oogway: Well, that was no accident either.
Shifu: Thrice...
Running Gag: Po's difficulty climbing the long stairway to the temple and falling down it.
Running on All Fours: Tigress, Tai Lung, and Monkey all drop to quadrupedal running at some point in the story.

Sanity Has Advantages: One of the reasons Po holds his own against Tai Lung so well in their fight is because he is absolutely obsessed with getting the scroll, even to the point of ignoring Po if he sees an opportunity to obtain the scroll instead, and Po takes full advantage of this.
Saved for the Sequel: It looks like we're going to find out about Po's origins toward the end of the first movie, but then that turns into The Unreveal. It's part of the premise of the sequel.
Saying Sound Effects Out Loud: "Sha-fa-fooie!" and "Ska-doosh."
Scary Black Man: Michael Clarke Duncan makes Vachir sound like one, yet ironically, he appears to be a white rhino.
Scenery Porn: The backgrounds and the environments of the movie are exceptionally lavish for a DreamWorks film.
Schmuck Bait: A minor example with the Sword of Heroes, so sharp that you can cut yourself from just looki-OW!
Secret Ingredient: The "Secret Ingredient Soup" doesn't have one — the only secret ingredient is its maker's skill, and his customer's belief that there is something special and secret in its creation.
Seemingly Profound Fool: Discussed when it turns out the Dragon Scroll is actually blank:
Po: Okay. So like, Oogway...was just a crazy old turtle after all?
Shifu: No, Oogway was wiser than us all.
Po: Oh, come on! Face it, he picked me by accident!
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Master Shifu causes this after he hears from Oogway that Tai Lung will return. He sends a goose messenger to have Tai Lung's prison guards doubled, but the goose's mere presence provides a feather that allows Tai Lung to escape. Oogway even cautioned Shifu, "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it."
Self-Insert Fic: Po's Dream Sue has him buddies with his heroes, the Furious Five.
Shaped Like Itself:
- Chor-Ghom essentially means: "the prison of Prison".
- We also have "Master Shifu," which means "Master Master".
Shell Game:
- Used for a Visual Gag during the dumpling fight. Shifu hides a dumpling under an overturned bowl, then twirls the three bowls at blinding speed using his chopsticks. Po upturns the right bowl to free the dumpling.
- During his climactic fight with Tai Lung, Po does the same trick while standing on a pair of bamboo poles, with the Dragon Scroll hidden amongst some woks. This time however, Tai Lung is having none of it, and unleashes a strike that blows away all the woks simultaneously, revealing the scroll.
Shoo Out the Clowns: Inverted for the final battle. After Shifu and Tai Lung's dark and serious duel in the rain, the sun rises and Po appears at the top of the steps, panting for air. That's when the real Final Battle begins, demonstrating that a story's climax can be hilarious and awesome at the same time.
Shout-Out:
- The group known as the Furious Five is named after the hip-hop group of the same name.
- The scene stated in Right Behind Me above is built around a not-at-all-hidden Hidden Mickey.
- The expression of eastern philosophy done by the Dragon Scroll (being a blank, reflective piece of paper) is almost identical to the Book of Enlightenment (with each page containing a single circular mirror that reflects the reader) in the 1978 film Circle of Iron.
- After Tai Lung discovers that the Dragon Scroll is blank, in the ensuing fight Po steps on Tai Lung's feet after blocking his attacks. This is a nod to Kung Fu Hustle where Sing stomps on the baddies's feet. A lot.
- Oogway's paraphrase is from Alice Morse Earle:^note
  "The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present."
- The fight over a dumpling, with chopsticks, between Po and Shifu, to a similar fight with chopsticks in The Fearless Hyena.
- Monkey occasionally fights with a Martial Arts Staff. His brother is named Wukong. The Chinese classic Journey to the West has a trickster monkey god/legendary figure who fights with the As-You-Will Staff named Sun Wukong.
Shown Their Work:
- The producers depicted the beauty of ancient China so well that the Chinese themselves had official conferences to explore why they can't make animated films about themselves like this. The third film's production was moved to a new division of DreamWorks Animation in China (specifically, "Oriental DreamWorks" in Shanghai) with the specific intention of showing them how to make films like this.
- The film features only species that exists/existed in China. Even the crocodiles, or more precisely Chinese Alligators, and rhinoceros (Javan Rhinoceros. Shifu's a Red Panda. Tai Lung is a Snow Leopard. Tigress is a South China Tiger.)
- The Furious Five and Po are shown performing the specific style of Kung Fu that matches their species. Tigress uses Tiger-style Kung Fu, Monkey uses Monkey-style, Po uses Bear-style and so on. To take it further, as each of the five are training in the temple, there will be a Freeze-Frame Bonus scene that shows an iconic stance or movement of that style. For example, Monkey flies through a hoop in a straight leg kick that exactly matches the iconic flying kick of Monkey style.
- When Tai Lung berates Shifu and says he "trained until [his] bones cracked!" This is not an exaggeration; but an intense training method where some martial artists hit things until their bones crack, specifically to have the cracks fill up with bone, making them harder overall.
- In the final battle, Po uses Dragon Style, fitting with his "Dragon Warrior" status. This style uses stances and attacks from all of the other animals. Po uses Tigress-style punches, Mantis-like dodges (when possible) and Monkey-like agility. Dragon style also uses a lot of low-high-low style attacks to keep opponents off balance, as the Dragon is thought to be masters of all elements (i.e., the sea, or low attacks to the legs and feet, coupled with the heavens, or high attacks to the head.)
Sickening "Crunch!": Po tricks Tai Lung into biting his own tail, which is complemented with an audible crack sound.
So Proud of You: Facing certain death at the paws of Tai Lung, Shifu unwinds enough to tell Po and the Furious Five that he's proud to have been their Master.
Spare a Messenger:
- After his One-Man Army rampage through the thousand guards of his Tailor-Made Prison, Tai Lung encounters the Sole Survivor, a duck messenger sent by Master Shifu, seizes him by the neck and... in the smooth, cultured rumble of Ian McShane, tells the duck to fly back to his master and inform him the real Dragon Warrior is coming home.
- Tai Lung immobilizes the Furious Five with his unstoppable nerve-strike, but allows Crane to fly them back to the Valley of Peace in order to intimidate the Dragon Warrior. Po is already scared as it happens, but not deterred.
Spell My Name with a "The": "I'm THE big fat panda!"
Start of Darkness: Tai Lung's fall from grace is narrated by Tigress.
Stealth Hi/Bye:
- Po pulls one on Master Shifu after being told that he'll have to face Tai Lung all by himself and bolts out of the palace running toward the stairs. After realizing Po is gone, Shifu's reaction is priceless.
- Shifu waits for Tai Lung on the palace stairs only to have him appear after a flash of lightning. It's implied Shifu knew Tai Lung was nearby and intentionally closes his eyes for a moment to invite the encounter.
Stepping Stones in the Sky:
- Tai Lung's prison break involves the usage of huge arrows and then falling stalactites to propel himself upwards towards the exit.
- When Po is chasing the Dragon Scroll that has just flown off the roof of a collapsing building, he uses roof tile fragments to propel him upwards toward the Scroll.
Stepping-Stone Sword: Tai Lung, with giant crossbow bolts that he kicks into the wall.
The Stinger: The final shot of the film after the credits is Po and Shifu sharing a quiet moment with some dumplings — and a peach tree beginning to grow where Shifu and Oogway had buried the pit.
Stock Scream: The last Rhino Guard on the bridge makes a Wilhelm Scream as Tai Lung throws him into another guard.
Stop Hitting Yourself: Viper briefly uses this tactic against Tai Lung, coiling around his wrist and neck and forcing him to hit himself in the face.
Super-Senses: Shifu, presumably a riff on his large ears.
"Super Sentai" Stance: The Furious Five often pulls dynamic group poses of this nature.
Super-Strength: Much of the cast. Especially Mantis, who can lift Po and holds onto the rope bridge single-handed while his cohorts fight Tai Lung.
Supreme Chef: According to the Furious Five (sans Tigress of course, who appears to be eating tofu instead) Po makes "amazing" noodle soup. It comes with being the son of a restaurateur and noodle maker.
Sweet and Sour Grapes: Master Shifu administers a kung fu test during a meal where he challenges the glutton Po to steal the last steamed bun from him. When Po finally manages to get the bun, he shrugs and tosses it back. "I'm not hungry." This is the best outcome because not only has his kung fu skill advanced but he has conquered his tendency to gorge when he is upset.
Sympathy for the Devil:
- Even after Tai Lung has beaten him, Shifu acknowledges that he is proud of Tai Lung and his love blinded him from what his demanding training was turning Tai Lung into and apologizes.
- When Tai Lung beats Po and obtains the Dragon Scroll, he's heartbroken on seeing that the scroll is blank. Po empathizes since he didn't understand it at first either and offers Tai Lung a chance at redemption by explaining the meaning to him..

Tailor-Made Prison: Tai Lung's prison was built specifically to hold just him.
Take It to the Bridge: The fight between the Furious Five and Tai Lung takes place on a long rope bridge that is eventually cut off and used to restrain Tai Lung and kill him by using the momentum to smash him against a mountain. Except Tai Lung manages to survive, and swings over to his destination and frees himself anyway.
Tastes Like Friendship:
- While the Furious Five have differing levels of animosity toward Po essentially taking their chances at being the Dragon Warrior, they (aside from Tigress) start to bond after Po cooks his dad's noodle soup for them. They start off genuinely interested in Po's story as he's cooking, find him an amazing cook after trying it, and start laughing and joking with each other.
- The Stinger has only Po and Master Shifu sharing a bowl of dumplings. As well as a Call-Back to their epic dumpling fight, it shows how the often harsh and grumpy Old Master has lightened up and accepted Po not only as the Dragon Warrior but as a friend.
Teeth Flying: After Po hits "a little harder" the child-training dummy, it bounces back against him with enough force to make him lose a tooth.
The Tell: During a conversation with Po underneath the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom:
Oogway: You eat when you're upset.
Tempting Cookie Jar: Master Shifu discovered Po's latent martial arts talent when he incited Po to steal Monkey's cookies on the storage room's top shelf. The panda climbed up ten feet in a second and did a perfect split without even realizing.
Tempting Fate:
- Yup, Vachir taunting Tai Lung about someone else becoming the Dragon Warrior won't have any consequences at all. Now, how did that go again?...
- When Zeng returns from witnessing Tai Lung's escape, Shifu says he's glad someone has turned up with good news. It's not.
- When Tai Lung finally meets Po, he makes fun of Po's girth and asks if the only move he knows is sitting on his opponents. And of course, several seconds later, as they careen down the stairs, Po's giant butt smashes down on Tai Lung's head (in slow motion). Po actually continues to seat-slam Tai Lung several more times throughout the fight.
  Tai Lung: What're you going to do, big guy? Sit on me?
  Po: Don't tempt me.
- And then Po's girth is helpful in another way, as it prevents Tai Lung from using his paralyzing nerve strike.
That's Gotta Hurt: Most of the Five have this reaction when Po gets knocked into the advanced training areas and is badly beaten and burned.
This Cannot Be!: "You...You cannot defeat me!... You're just...a big... fat... panda!".
This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Played with. Oogway says only the Dragon Warrior (i.e. Po) can defeat Tai Lung but no one else believes this. Later Shifu changes his mind and tells the Furious Five not to fight Tai Lung. They ignore him and fight him anyways. Later Shifu himself tries fighting him, assuming from the blank scroll that is what Oogway meant. Ultimately, Po does fight Tai Lung by himself but only because everyone else has already tried.
Tiger Versus Dragon: The tiger in Chinese culture is the representation of hard power, bulldozing through their opponent. The Dragon is soft power, and derives their fighting ability through patience and wisdom. Tigress is shown always ready to step forward and strike out and even asks to take the fight out to Tai Lung before he reaches the Valley. Po has more patience and even takes the time to figure out how to do the Wuxi Finger Hold all by himself.
Took a Level in Badass: The point of the movie is Po becoming someone badass enough to defeat Tai Lung.
Touch of Death: The Wuxi finger-hold. As the third movie reveals, it sends mortals to the Spirit Realm.
Training from Hell: Before Shifu's Character Development, he's tough on the Five and trained Tai Lung to the brink. When he realizes Po can't do the same routine, he smirks: "There is now a level zero." Made worse by the fact that Shifu had no intention of seriously training Po and just wanted to discourage him. His real training is less dangerous.
Training Montage: Naturally. Shifu starts training Po using food as an incentive. At first, Po can barely do situps or fend off Shifu from stealing his lunch. Then he starts doing poses and pushups on his own and actually puts up a fight when he tries to get noodle soup the second time.
Tree Buchet:
- One of Po's failed attempts to get into the Jade Palace to watch the tournament. He's too heavy for it to work, then the tree shoots out from his grasp, springs back and hits Po on the head.
- Tai Lung does this with a huge crossbow bolt embedded in the floor to give him initial thrust for his Stepping Crossbow Bolt scene.
- Tai Lung cops a tree in the face when Po uses this technique against him once they've fallen to the bottom of the temple steps.
True Companions: Even though Shifu forbids the Furious Five from engaging with Tai Lung, Tigress goes off by herself to stop him. The rest of the Furious Five quickly catch up with her to say they're coming with her. Tigress gives them all a quick smile as they run along the rooftops leaving the valley of Peace.
Twitchy Eye: Mantis does a variant with one of his antennae when he and the rest of the Furious Five first meet Po:
Po: You're so much bigger than your action figures... except for you Mantis — you're about the same.
Mantis: [twitches one of his antennae]
Two Girls to a Team: Tigress and Viper of the Furious Five, nicely averting The Smurfette Principle. For bonus points, they're a Tomboy and Girly Girl respectively.

Underestimating Badassery:
- Vachir well and truly thought that the defenses of his prison would be enough to keep Tai Lung trapped. To make a long story short, they weren't.
- Tai Lung, in turn, also underestimates Po on account of his weight and his species to his own detriment.
Unimpressive Progress Reveal: One scene has Po climbing the stairs to the temple with his noodle cart in tow. The scene cuts to the sun overhead shifting in the sky, then back down to Po who collapses exhausted on the stairs. Then the camera zooms out and reveals he's made it up about a dozen steps. He makes much faster progress when he leaves the cart behind.
Unlocking the Talent: Shifu believes Po is a worthless martial artist at first, especially when he sees how poorly disciplined and comes in at level 0. When he is forced to believe in him and train him as the Dragon Warrior because of his promise to Oogway, it occurs to him the problem may actually be his own fault. He begins training Po in a way that works, and Po goes from a lazy, self-loathing panda to a competent kung-fu fighter in very little time.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Vachir's own arrogance in the security of his prison leads to Tai Lung escaping. When Vachir boastfully slaps Zeng on the back, it causes a feather to fall loose that allows Tai Lung to free himself from his shackles.
- Shifu sent Zeng to check on Tai Lung in the prision.

Verbal Backspace: Shifu shows he's still got some of his old grumpy self.
Po: No Master Shifu, don't die!
Shifu: I'M NOT DYING YOU IDIOT... err, Dragon Warrior.
Victory by Endurance: Po's main method of fighting against Tai Lung is to let Lung merely tire himself out with his fruitless attempts at injuring him, unable to paralyze Po due to his excess body fat and having every direct attack bounce back at him.
Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: Downplayed. While the "Valley of Peace" is not a Sugar Bowl world, it does represent the calm tranquility of Chinese rural life. Tai Lung's escape casts a pall of dread over the valley as they await his return. Notably, his background music and motifs are dramatic and in a minor key.
Villainous Breakdown: Tai Lung's composure really starts to fall apart once he sees that Po has the Dragon Scroll he so coveted. Instead of fighting intelligently and using the environment to his advantage, like he did in every fight before, he single-mindedly pursues the scroll, losing more and more of his composure, as Po takes every advantage of Tai Lung's lack of focus. It culminates when he finally obtains the Dragon Scroll and finds it to be blank. He rejects the lesson of the Scroll that Po explains and lashes out in rage at Po. When he discovers his pressure point attack has no effect on Po, it causes him to throw all semblance of strategy and martial arts mastery out the window, and even after getting beaten and barely able to get up and stumble around, he just keeps rambling and trying to attack Po.
Villain Respect: Tai Lung is impressed by how well the Furious Five fight against him on the bridge. He admits that Shifu taught them well, before showing them he learned Nerve Attacks.
Visual Pun:
- As part of his Calling the Old Man Out, Tai Lung asks Shifu who was it that told him he was destined for greatness and pushed him to train brutally for that purpose. Shifu, while deflecting a sword attack, sees his reflection in the blade.
- Oogway is carrying a lantern with him when he meets Po at the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. After dispensing some advice, he walks away, but leaves the lantern behind with Po. In other words, Oogway enlightened him.

Walking Shirtless Scene: Po and Tai Lung go without any upper garments the entire film.
Wax On, Wax Off:
Shifu: When you focus on kung fu, when you really concentrate... you stink. But perhaps that is my fault. I cannot train you the way I have trained the Five. I now see that the way to get through to you is, with this.
[pulls out a bowl of dumplings]
Po: Oh great, 'cause I am hungry!
Shifu: [laughs and pulls the bowl away] Good. When you have been trained, you may eat.
Weapon Twirling: Master Shifu twirls his chopsticks before his awesome fight with Po for the last dumpling.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: No actual biological sons, but if you count adopted examples and master/student relationships, there are several. Shifu to Oogway. Tigress, Po, and Tai Lung (each in different ways) to Shifu. Po even wants to prove himself to Ping in the sense that he can be more than a good cook.
What the Fu Are You Doing?: Po, in the first parts of the movie. While he actually does know what he's doing, as he's a fanboy who obsessively researches the subject of kung fu, he's too uncoordinated and out of shape to pull off the advanced techniques that more experienced masters can do.
When He Smiles: Mentioned by the Furious Five; they say that Master Shifu used to be nicer, and he even once smiled. Po can't quite believe it and he's amazed when Shifu actually gives him one Smile of Approval after another during his real training regimen.
When You Snatch the Pebble: The ending of Po's Training Montage has Shifu serve Po a bowl of dumplings and tell him that he's free to eat — only to repeatedly snatch them as Po tries to eat them, eventually going through ten in just two seconds. It's after a few dumplings that Po realizes his training isn't over just yet, resulting in a Fight for the Last Bite.
Shifu: You are free to eat.
Po: AM I?!
Shifu: ARE YOU?!
Where Did We Go Wrong?: Shifu adopts a child at this doorstep, loves him, and rears him as his son. Said son turns evil, badly injures him, and get locked up in jail. Shifu spends the next twenty years blaming himself for how Tai Lung turned out.
Wok Fu: At the end, Tai Lung throws Po into an empty restaurant during the final battle, and as a result the panda throws several woks at the snow leopard, puts the Dragon Scroll under one of them, and swaps them around so that Tai Lung will get the wrong one.
World of Funny Animals: It's a world of Chinese Folklore and Kung Fu Masters inhabited by funny, civilized animals but zig-zagged all over the place. Some animals are mostly anthropomorphic like Po, Tigress, Shifu, or Oogway. Others are not like Mantis, Viper or Crane. Because everyone is sapient, Vegetarian Carnivore is enforced and most meals involve soup, noodles, and tofu. Birds run the gamut from Ping who can deftly wield a knife with his Feather Fingers, to Crane whose wings function like wings and uses his talons to pick things up.
Worst Aid: Mantis tries to help treat Po's injuries with acupuncture. The problem is that Po's — "fur" as Mantis corrects him — obscures his chi points, so he ends up stopping Po's heart and triggering his facial nerves instead. Po's obscure chi points become a Chekhov's Gun when it turns out Tai Lung can't find them either, so he can't paralyze Po with a nerve attack.
Worthless Treasure Twist: Played straight not once but twice: the 'secret ingredient' is nothing at all, and the scroll detailing the ultimate technique is blank. In both cases, it's not the secret that's valuable, it's the journey and growth needed to earn the secret that really ends up being useful.
"For something to be special, you just have to believe it to be special."
Worthy Opponent:
- Tai Lung clearly expects Po to be one of these, and he is very displeased when Po does not seem to meet his expectations.
- After the fight at the bridge, he acknowledges the Furious Five as such.
  Tai Lung: Shifu taught you well.
Wrecked Weapon: Shifu reacts with appropriate shock when Master Oogway's staff is broken during the fight with Tai Lung.
Wuxia: An Affectionate Parody.

You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When Shifu at the Pool of Sacred Tears asks Po if he wants to learn kung fu, his response to the panda impassioned "Yes!" says that he knows Po can be trained after all.
You Can't Fight Fate: Oogway has a vision that Tai Lung will return, which prompts Shifu to take actions that facilitate Tai Lung's escape. This is noted by Oogway, who points out that "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it" when Shifu sends Zheng off.

Zerg Rush: Realizing they can't defeat Tai Lung one-on-one, the Furious Five sans Mantis hit him with a series of attacks on the bridge and wrap him in the ropes. After he manages to cross anyway and defeat them, he commends them for the effort.

Kung Fu Panda 1 / Tropes N to Z

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