Po (Kung Fu Panda)

**Master Po Ping** (born **Lotus Shan**) is the titular main protagonist of Dreamworks famous series the *Kung Fu Panda* franchise. He is one of Master Shifu's students, Mr. Ping's adoptive son, and Li Shan and his unnamed wife's biological son. He is also the "Dragon Warrior", though he refused to believe it first.

He was voiced by Jack Black, who played Dewey Finn from *School of Rock,* R.L. Stine from the *Goosebumps movie*, Ignacio/Nacho from *Nacho Libre*, and lastly voiced Lenny from *Shark Tale* and Zeke from *Ice Age*.

For video games, *Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness*, and *The Paws Of Destiny*, he was voiced by Mick Wingert.

## Personality

Po is usually easygoing, playful, and cocky like a big kid, as well as rather "fanboyish" when expressing his love for kung fu. In the first film, he is seen as a huge kung fu fan, owning posters and action figures of his favorite warriors, but is himself clumsy, portly, and has low self-confidence, only dreaming he could be a great warrior while feeling stuck in his unfulfilling life at his father's noodle shop. But when given the chance, he is all too eager to learn kung fu the hard way, enduring physical beatings and insults in hopes of changing who he is. After learning that "there is no secret ingredient", Po shows the inner strength to save the Valley of Peace by using his own skills and ingenuity, and in the end, becomes his own hero.

Po possesses a kind and selfless nature, and is generally friendly and laid back. He also has a strong sense of justice, and is willing to risk his life to protect others. His days of learning Kung Fu have allowed Po to mature and grow, though retaining some of his old immature and oblivious side in some situations, Po is able to take things seriously when it is called for, and is not hesitant to accept heavy responsibility, at times taking on more than he can handle. His unlikely triumph as the Dragon Warrior has changed those around him, his simple and good-natured side and vast determination and selflessness going as far as to even being able to show compassion for his enemies, and having never held any grudges. His light-heartedness and humility, great respect for Kung Fu and justice and his loving heart are what mark him as truly worthy of being the Dragon Warrior and allows him to overcome the likes of Tai Lung, Shen and Kai. He is also capable of learning things very quickly with the right motivation, as shown in the first film, and has memorized a vast amount of knowledge about kung fu, even being reliable enough to teach a class on his own.

Po also displays an action-craving attitude along with a natural affinity for humor, and isn't above acting clownish and dishing out quips, even making fun of himself, in order to entertain others. Imaginative and adventurous, he continues to act excitable and marvel over his heroes even after he has become the Dragon Warrior, at times leaving them embarrassed by his behavior. As Po tends to be less serious and disciplined than other masters, he also tends to think more outside the box, and will find different, creative ways to solve a problem if need be. Po has also broken some rules and traditions (as well as still having a habit of breaking physical things), though this is often unintentional. Po's lack of discipline and flippant personality often give him an unintentional advantage over his enemies, since, combined with his appearance, it causes them to disregard him or struggle to take him seriously, so they are often shocked when he proves to be a tenacious and incredibly skilled warrior.

One of the recurring plot lines in the television series is Po's struggle to not let his title affect his ego. Throughout the series, he is shown to have many adoring fans and he welcomes the attention, occasionally to the point that it begins to negatively impact his duties or those around him. Despite this, he also possesses the self-awareness to realize when he has made a mistake, and is willing to accept responsibility for his actions.

Though having grown more confident since becoming the Dragon Warrior, Po nevertheless has moments of intimidation and self-doubt. Even as he tries to talk tough, this boisterous behavior tends to become more comical than threatening, and is perhaps a front for the panda's insecurities. Despite this, Po does have a sense of dignity and defiance, as shown in the first film when he argued with Master Shifu as he tried to leave the palace, and in the second film when he argued with Tigress in order to seek out Shen.

Additionally, in the second film, Po was revealed to be rather stubborn when it comes to admitting his problems, even to his friends, as he developed confusion about his own identity after learning he was adopted by Mr. Ping, and seeing visions of his biological parents. This inner struggle showed that Po tries to stay true to his idea of a strong "hardcore" warrior who is unaffected by emotions. He was also persistent enough to not heed the warning of his friends and endanger himself in order to find answers about his past. However, after finding the truth about what happened to his parents, the panda was able to let go of this dilemma by retaining an appreciation for the life he had led, and achieved inner peace by not letting tragedy define who he was.

In the third film, as Po is continuously pushed to his limits, first by Shifu making him the Master of the Furious Five and then the arrival of Kai and subsequent defeat of most of his friends, as well as having found his biological father and having to please both him and Ping, Po finally starts to reveal how for all his light-heartedness and optimism, he is not without limits. While confident in his fighting ability, Po is forced to reflect inwardly and rely on his mind and spirit in order to fully understand himself and, therefore, master Chi. He approached the challenge enthusiastically and diligently, but learning Li had lied to him in an attempt to protect him, the guilt of failing his friends and master and remorse of having chosen to fall to his father's deceit finally battered Po to his limits: He displayed an uncharacteristically dark side to himself which first manifested in the form of furious bitterness at both his father figures for having clouded his sense of justice, disowning Li as his father and ignoring Ping when he asked him to run away, before soon displaying his self-loathing and immense regret of having failed as the Dragon Warrior by outright lashing out to Tigress and stating he doesn't really know whether he can stop Kai, but he was just so lost in grief and guilt that he believed he just had to do it. It seemed to have had a lasting effect on him in that even after his father redeemed himself in his eyes and Po forgave him, as after learning that the Wuxi Finger Hold doesn't work on Kai normally, he didn't hesitate to use it on himself to forcibly banish Kai along with him to the Spirit World. This along with the fact that Po never tried to give Kai a chance of redemption nor did he show any fear unlike when he normally approached non-serious and even serious situations showed just how deep-rooted the blow of having failed his friends and responsibility as the Dragon Warrior had broke him and how it paved the path to a previously unseen level of darkness inside Po. He seemed to have accepted his fate even after he defeated Kai and showed no interest at first in leaving the Spirit World until Oogway reminded him of his responsibilities. Having accepted fully that he was the Dragon Warrior and Oogway's successor, Po's sense of duty swiftly snapped him out of whatever remained of his dark stupor and he didn't hesitate to return to the real world, afterwards displaying full acceptance of the responsibilities of being both the Dragon Warrior and a master of Chi.

## Biography

### Beginnings

Po was born in a remote farming village populated entirely by pandas. There he grew up happily with his biological mother and father Li, until one day the village was invaded by an evil, power-hungry peacock named Shen, who sought to avert a prophecy by eliminating any threat to his rule.

As his wolf followers slaughtered the pandas and destroyed the village, Po's mother fled with her son, while his father stayed behind to try and fight them off. As the wolves quickly started to close in on her, Po's mother managed to temporarily elude the wolves and found a crate of radishes, which she hid her child in. Mother and son shared one final moment of farewell before his mother caught the attention of the wolves and lead them away from him, sacrificing her life for her son.

The crate Po was in was eventually shipped far away to a village in the Valley of Peace, where the owner of a noodle shop, Mr. Ping, found the baby panda. Though hesitant to get involved at first, the goose felt pity for the infant and brought him inside where he fed him and bathed him, and as he continued to care for him, he grew to love the cub. Eventually realizing that no one was looking for the child, Mr. Ping decided to adopt him, giving him the name "Po" and raising him as his son.

Since then, Po had been happily raised in the noodle shop, learning all he knew as a noodle maker from his adoptive father. Until the events in the second film, Po never questioned Mr. Ping about whether he was adopted, as both father and son shared a deep mutual love and respect. He did, however, carry doubts that they were related.

### *Kung Fu Panda*

Po had grown up into an adventurous dreamer who hoped to become a kung fu legend someday, on par with the Furious Five, whom he idolized. However, he didn't think he could pursue his dream, as he was an out-of-shape panda who worked at a noodle shop, which Mr. Ping enthusiastically expected him to someday run in his place. Though Po showed little interest in continuing this family tradition, he complied, not wanting to let his father down.

At heart, Po was a huge fan of kung fu, as his room was decorated with posters and action figures of the Furious Five, and he would imagine himself as a legendary, unbeatable warrior who would fight alongside them. Po knew, in detail because of this, many things about kung fu, from techniques to various weapons and legends. Although this encyclopedic knowledge showed Po as somewhat of an expert on kung fu, it was only in the form of a fan who fantasized he could be part of it, not as someone who had any real experience.

It was seemingly by mistake, then, that he was chosen to become the Dragon Warrior. Po was ecstatic when he heard of a tournament being held to determine which of the Furious Five would be chosen as the Dragon Warrior, something he declared would be the "greatest day in kung fu history". He abandoned his task of selling noodles to see the tournament, but couldn't make it in time, as the gates closed on him, shutting him out.

After many failed, desperate attempts to get inside and watch the event, Po was about to give up and go back to work with his father—when the fireworks that he had strapped to a chair lit up and shot him into the sky, flying over the arena. Po abruptly landed inside the tournament grounds just as Oogway was about to choose who would be the Dragon Warrior, and Po fell in front of the Furious Five—with Oogway's claw pointed directly at him. Inspired by the panda's sudden appearance, Oogway took this as a sign that the universe had brought them all the Dragon Warrior. Everyone else, including Po, was surprised by this.

The Valley celebrated, and Po was carried (with difficulty) on a palanquin (which he broke through) to the Jade Palace. Po was dropped inside the palace, where he became distracted as he discovered the many legendary kung fu artifacts kept within. After awing at several displays, he was met by Shifu, who had objected that a "flabby panda" couldn't possibly be the Dragon Warrior, and the red panda tried to intimidate Po upon meeting him, insulting his portliness, hygiene, and threatening Po with the potential use of the Wuxi Finger Hold, promising the panda that he would regret ever being chosen.

Shifu afterwards led Po to the challenging Training Hall, where the members of the Furious Five were training. Po, thrilled at being in the presence of the Five (who were all observing him), was nervous but eager to try some kung fu moves. But being an unwary beginner, he was hurtled, burnt, punched, and thrown through the various obstacles. The Furious Five later joked about his incompetence, which Po happened to overhear, making him feel inferior.

That night, after making accidental damages in the student barracks, Po had an awkward conversation with Crane (where Po himself revealed that he didn't think he belonged at the Jade Palace). He was then given a rebuke from Tigress, who told him stern and straightforward, that he didn't belong in the Jade Palace, was a disgrace to kung fu, and should leave by morning. Po, disheartened, retreated to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, upset and overeating, cramming his mouth full with peaches. Oogway, upon finding him, listened to Po as the panda related how he had doubts about ever becoming a kung fu warrior. The tortoise gave him some kindly advice, telling Po that instead of being concerned about what was and what would be, he should focus on the opportunity he had at the moment.

The next morning, Po surprised Shifu and the Furious Five by not only staying, but by arriving first at the training courtyard to practice. Once again, Po was put through a kung fu thrashing, beat up by the Furious Five and Shifu long into the day, but Po showed no signs of pain or indignity, as he was so amazed by the skill he witnessed and only welcomed the privilege to spar with the kung fu masters. This optimism and sheer tenacity at such treatment frustrated Shifu, who, even after kicking Po out of the palace, was unsuccessful in making him quit.

The Furious Five, except for Tigress, became impressed at Po's fortitude and came to warm up to him more in the evening. Mantis and Viper tried helping Po feel better with acupuncture, and Mantis assured him about his small size as a warrior compared to Po's. After inadvertently confirming his suspicions that Shifu was indeed trying to get rid of him, Viper and Mantis explained to Po that the old master was not always so strict. Having overheard their conversation, Tigress shared the story of Shifu's past involving how he had raised Tai Lung, who became evil, and Po was rendered speechless. However, due to an unintentional mistake on his facial nerve by Mantis, he ended up making a spastic expression, which angered Tigress.

Po later made the Furious Five some noodle soup, which he was praised for, and made them (save for Tigress) laugh when he imitated Shifu—only moments before the master himself appeared. He announced that Tai Lung had broken out of Chorh-Gom Prison and that it was Po's destiny to defeat him, also relaying that Oogway had passed away. Startled and frightened, Po ran off in a panic, only to be stopped short by Shifu, who, despite his prior disapproval, declared that Po was the Dragon Warrior.

Refusing to believe this, Po confronted Shifu on how he'd never believed in him and had been trying to make him quit since his first day, while Shifu reminded Po that he had chosen to stay, despite all the harsh treatment. Po revealed that he had been hurt both inside and out, but had stayed because, to him, it was better than living every day just being himself, and wanted so badly for the kung fu master to change him into something better. When Po questioned Shifu on just how he planned to make him the Dragon Warrior capable of defeating the mighty Tai Lung, the red panda admitted he didn't know, and departed.

Discouraged, Po again fled to food for comfort, and had nearly ravaged the kitchen in the barracks, punching through cupboards and drawers, even doing a perfect split at one point, when Shifu discovered him the next morning. He stood amazed, seeing that the panda had inadvertently showed a knack for kung fu while merely trying to find food in his distressed state. Shifu decided to use this perceived weakness as a teaching tool to motivate and train Po.

Led through the Wu Dan Mountains to the Pool of Sacred Tears, Shifu told Po the origins of kung fu. Po agreed to learn from Shifu, astounded and emotional from finally getting a chance to live his dream. And so began his first serious step in kung fu training. Po was put through various exercises, from push-ups to ten-mile hikes, to balancing soup bowls, defending his own meals from attack, and a game of keep away, using chopsticks and a dumpling as a reward. Through determination, and with Shifu's teaching, Po's senses grew sharper, he became more confident, and in time, had achieved tremendous improvements in body, mind and spirit.

But the Furious Five, led by Tigress, had left to fight Tai Lung on their own. Despite putting up a courageous fight on the Thread of Hope that morning, each of them was overwhelmed by Tai Lung's superior skill, but left alive as a warning. Crane weakly carried his comrades back to the Jade Palace, where Po and Shifu found the rest of the Five all paralyzed, struck by Tai Lung's nerve attack. Seeing his heroes wounded before him, Po was worried about facing Tai Lung himself, but Shifu assured him that he could beat Tai Lung—with the help of the Dragon Scroll.

He retrieved it, giving it to Po and promising him extraordinary powers of sight and sound when he would read it, and feeling "the universe in motion around you". Po opened the scroll, only to find it was nothing but a golden, reflective surface that was completely ‘’blank‘’. This confused and disappointed both him, Shifu, and the Five, leaving Po to believe that he really had been picked to be the Dragon Warrior by accident. With little options left, Shifu told the Furious Five to evacuate the Valley, saying that he would fight Tai Lung himself to buy them all time. They obeyed, Po reluctantly leaving with the others.

The Five split up to escort the villagers out, leaving a dispirited Po to seek out his father. Mr. Ping was glad to see him again, tying an apron around Po and talking to him about future plans for a new noodle shop as they fled with the rest of the Valley. Having come so close at becoming the kung fu warrior he'd aspired to be, and being pulled back into his former life as if nothing had happened, Po unhappily lingered for a moment, his hopes crushed. Mr. Ping tried to assure his son that he still had a destiny at the noodle restaurant. Not encouraged by this, Po remarked that he sometimes couldn't even believe he was the goose's son.

Mr. Ping, taken aback, tried to comfort Po by finally telling him the truth: the secret ingredient of the noodle shop's secret ingredient soup—was nothing. He explained that he never needed to add anything more to ordinary noodle soup. By simply believing it to be special, it became special on its own. Astounded, Po took out the Dragon Scroll, and found himself looking into his own reflection. Mr. Ping's words made the connection, and at last Po understood the meaning of the Dragon Scroll, the secret to "limitless power".

He made his way back to the Jade Palace, climbing the stairs (which exhausted him), and arrived just in time to distract Tai Lung and save Shifu, who was nearly unconscious as a result of his battle with the snow leopard. Facing Tai Lung, Po proclaimed that he was the true Dragon Warrior. Tai Lung laughed at the claim, and Po smugly revealed that he the Dragon Scroll in his possession. This lead to a back-and-forth struggle for the scroll which soon turned into a battle that spread down into the Valley, both Po and Tai Lung trying to get the Dragon Scroll as it fell from place to place.

Po used his creative cunning to keep the scroll away from Tai Lung, even using noodles and a cart propelled by fireworks in the battle, as well as the same maneuvers in his game of "keep-away" with Shifu. Despite his ongoing success, Po finally collapsed when Tai Lung met him with a powerful punch, pummeling the panda to the ground. When Tai Lung finally had the scroll, he was disappointed and stunned when he discovered it was blank. Po, as he was getting up, told him that he hadn't got the scroll's meaning the first time either, and explained that "There is no secret ingredient; it's just you." Infuriated, Tai Lung threw down the Dragon Scroll and struck Po, but his deadly nerve attacks only served to have a ticklish effect on Po, making him laugh.

Again, the two fought, Po besting and outsmarting Tai Lung again and again, developing his own improvised style in the process. Eventually, Po caught Tai Lung in the Wuxi Finger Hold, declaring to have figured out the secret to the mysterious technique on his own, and with the word "Skadoosh" and the flexing of his pinky, Po performed the move, sending a massive golden shock wave throughout the Valley of Peace and beyond and defeating Tai Lung.

When the Furious Five and villagers returned, they watched Po emerge from the haze in silence, and became elated, the villagers cheering for his triumph. Mr. Ping raced to his son, overjoyed and proud of his victory as a kung fu warrior. Tigress stepped forward and bowed to Po in respect, smiling and calling him "Master," and the rest of the Furious Five and the Valley followed suit. Po was modestly pleased, but quickly remembered that Shifu was hurt back at the palace. He rushed back and found Shifu still injured, and told him he had defeated Tai Lung.

Shifu weakly thanked Po for bringing peace both to the Valley and to him, afterwards trailing off and closing his eyes, leaving Po to momentarily mistake him as dying, to which Shifu exclaimed he wasn‘t. After a quiet, meditative moment, Po asked him if he wanted to get something to eat. He and Shifu later enjoyed a meal of dumplings at the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, overlooking a new day in the Valley of Peace.

### *Kung Fu Panda 2*

Some time after defeating Tai Lung, Po, cheered on by the Furious Five in the Training Hall, attempted to see how many bean buns he could stuff into his mouth. After reaching forty, he was soon summoned to the Dragon Grotto where he witnessed Shifu meditating. The master then performed a technique that allowed him to catch and guide a falling water droplet upon his paws without breaking it, much to Po's fascination. Shifu specified that he could do this because he'd found inner peace, and that it was the next step in Po's training. Before they could proceed with the lesson, Tigress arrived and told Po that the Musicians' Village was under attack by bandits. Po immediately rose to the challenge and left with the Five.

As Po and the Furious Five fought the invading pack of wolves, they worked together in battle and managed to save most of the metal the wolves were attempting to steal. The pack had been chased off, and the village celebrated their heroes. Suddenly, Po turned to see another wolf still present and prepared to fight him off. But before he could do so, he noticed the symbol on the wolf's armor and received a vision of his mother, which temporarily dazed him long enough to take the wolf's hammer to the face, knocking him down and allowing the wolf to escape.

Not knowing what to make of this vision, Po then went to the Noodle Shop to seek answers from Mr. Ping. After explaining what he'd seen, he nervously asked the goose where he came from. Mr. Ping hesitantly admitted the truth that he had adopted him, and showed him an empty radish crate, telling him the story of how he had found him in it as a baby, and had taken care of him, growing to love him and raise him as his son. Wishing to know more, Po was dissatisifed with what little information he‘d gained. Though his father tried to comfort him, reminding him that he had a good life regardless of how his story began, Po remained troubled with lingering questions about his past.

Soon time later, Shifu received a message that Master Thundering Rhino of Gongmen City had been killed by a powerful weapon that Lord Shen had made, which was capable of making kung fu obsolete. Shifu then told Po and the Five to go to Gongmen City, destroy the weapon, and defeat Shen, though Po was concerned about how they would be able to "stop something that stops kung fu", to which Shifu advised him that anything was possible—if he had inner peace.

Before Po and the Five could leave the Valley, they were stopped by Mr. Ping, who gave Po a backpack full of his favorite foods, paintings of their moments together, and Po's action figures. Fearing for his son, Mr. Ping pleaded with him not to go, but Po remarked that he had to fulfill his duty as the Dragon Warrior, asking rhetorically what he would be if he didn't go to save kung fu. Mr. Ping supplied that he was his son, to which Po merely stared at him, not answering when the goose questioned whether he agreed. Pressed to leave with the others by Tigress, Po said goodbye to the goose and set off on his journey as Mr. Ping sadly watched him go.

They spent several days traveling across China, crossing snowy mountains and huge deserts. One night while sleeping on a river in a small boat, Po had a dream about his parents replacing him with a radish, and woke in distress. He went outside the boat to try and do the technique Shifu had showed him. However, droplets of water kept falling on him, eventually causing him to yell in frustration. Po was then confronted by Tigress, who started to spar with him. Po shared how he had found out that Mr. Ping had adopted him, though tried to shrug off that this bothered him, and complimented Tigress‘ "hardcore" ability to not feel anything, his comment making Tigress pause in thought.

When they arrived at Gongmen City, they found that the wolves that had raided the Musicians' Village had taken over the city, harassing the citizens. Po soon separated from the Five and snuck in with a dragon costume, the Five eventually joining him in his disguise. He eventually found a sheep, who told him that Master Storming Ox and Croc were being kept inside Gongmen Jail. Upon arriving at the jail, Po and the Five burst the masters' prison cell door open. However, the two masters refused to come with them and instead were resilient to stay in their cell, stating that kung fu was dead.

Taken aback by this, Po tried again and again to force them out of their cells, but was unsuccessful, though remained convinced that kung fu still lived. However, before he and others turned to depart, Boss Wolf and two of his wolves found them. Although the two wolves were quickly taken down by the Five, Boss Wolf fled and Po tried to catch him, their battle becoming a frantic chase that led out into the streets, until eventually they ended up in front of Shen's palace, where all of Shen's wolves surrounded them. Po then surrendered, though he stated that he had a plan.

After they were taken up to Shen, Po found a small figurine of the weapon and destroyed it, but his triumph turned to horror when he saw the actual, larger weapon. He met Lord Shen, who laughed at the sight of him in chains, and conversed with the Soothsayer about the panda having had “A lifetime to plan his revenge”. Po began to sense that Shen and the Soothsayer knew something that he didn't, but Shen gave no answers, and ordered Boss Wolf to fire the cannon at him and the Five. When he tried to light the fuse, however, Mantis (who had actually been replaced by Po's action figure of him in a cage when they were captured) was quick to put it out, and attacked Boss Wolf.

Meanwhile, Viper had successfully picked and unlocked Tigress' cuffs, freeing her and the others. Po and the Five then rose to fight, the Five proceeding to destroy the weapon and Po taking on Shen himself. When Po had the chance to fight the peacock, however, he received another vision, this time of Shen, and realized that he had some connection to his past. With Po frozen before the peacock, Shen escaped and the panda and the Five soon found to their horror that ‘’more’’ cannons had been produced. Seeing that they were trapped inside, they made their way up to escape and reached the top of the palace, where they jumped and evaded the fire arrows being shot at them.

They returned to Gongmen Jail, where Masters Storming Ox and Croc asked what was happening. Tigress confronted Po as to why he had let Shen escape, telling him to stay while they went to stop Shen after he didn't answer. After Po made many efforts to leave, only to be stopped by Tigress, he finally told her that Shen knew what had happened to his parents, and that had to know the truth about his past, adding that “The hardcore can‘t understand“. He was then surprised when Tigress unexpectedly hugged him, telling him that she did understand, but didn't want to see her friend die. She then left with the rest of the Five as Po stayed behind.

However, Po later found his own way into the cannon foundry, and eventually found the peacock. They ensued in a battle, the Five struggling against Shen's minions to reach Po while the panda demanded Shen to tell what had happened. The peacock told him with satisfaction that he'd seen his parents abandoned him and that they didn't love him. Taking advantage of Po's shock at hearing this, he revealed one of his largest cannons and fired at the panda. Although Po had shielded himself with a wok pan, the force still shot him out of the factory and into a nearby river, where he drifted unconscious and badly-injured.

After floating down the river, Po was eventually rescued by the Soothsayer, who brought him to a derelict village and healed him. The Soothsayer brought up his troubling visions, and told him how she had long ago foreseen that Shen would be defeated by a warrior of black and white. As Po looked around the village, he saw more flashes in his mind from his past, and even recognized an old burnt panda doll. At the advice of the Soothsayer, Po allowed the visions to come freely instead of fighting them, until his full memory finally came back, and he remembered what had happened.

He saw his parents happily living with him in the village when he was a baby, and saw Shen and his wolves attacking pandas in the village. While raindrops fell as the story flowed through his mind, Po managed to perform the same water drop technique Shifu had demonstrated. He saw that his parents had not abandoned him as Shen claimed, but had both risked their lives to save him, and his mother had hidden him in a crate of radishes before distracting Shen and the wolves to follow her alone. Though saddened at discovering this, Po then recalled all the good memories of his past, as well as the happiness he had in the present. He realized that he had led a fulfilling life since being adopted by Mr. Ping, and, finally knowing who he really was, found inner peace.

Po then returned to Gongmen City, and saw the Furious Five tied up in chains above Shen's fleet, which was just about to leave the city to begin his conquest of China. But Shen noticed the panda, and ordered his wolves to fire at him. Po made it on the boat and attacked the wolves, freeing the Five and fighting alongside them. Later in the battle, Storming Ox and Croc joined in, along with Shifu, who had traveled to the city after sensing Po's near-death-experience. As the battle raged on, Shen managed to take control of a cannon and aimed it Po. Before he fired, however, Tigress pushed Po out of the way, taking most of the impact of the cannon, and she and the other kung fu warriors were blasted into the water.

After surveying the rest of his friends, who were weak and exhausted as they hung on to the wreckage, Po saw to the injured Tigress, and held her paw in concern. Angered at Shen, Po swam to an overturned boat and stood before the entire fleet as the others watched. Shen fired at him once more, and Po, concentrating on inner peace, evaded the cannonball, redirecting it with ease similarly to the technique Shifu had shown when he had guided the water droplet. Shen ordered to fire at him again and again, but Po continued to evade and throw the blasts elsewhere, until he caught one of the cannonballs and struggled with its force. Before releasing the cannonball, he said "Skadoosh", then threw it at Shen, and it collided with his cannon, destroying it and his entire fleet.

Po later found Shen among the remains, and the peacock asked him how he managed to find peace after all he had done to him. Po told him that he had simply left his past behind, and urged Shen to do the same. Shen instead started attacking Po in a rage, with Po evading most of his strikes, until Shen had inadvertently cut loose his destroyed cannon, which then fell on top of him and exploded as Po dived out of range and into the water. After Lord Shen was killed, Po surfaced near the dock and was greeted by Tigress, who then helped him out of the water and complimented his actions as "pretty hardcore". Po then hugged her, shocking her and the rest of the warriors who were watching nearby. Shifu then came and and congratulated Po on achieving inner peace. All of the villagers then cheered as Po and the other masters watched the fireworks display above the city.

Bringing with him two crates of radishes as well as his old panda doll, Po returned home to Mr. Ping, who was dealing with a unsatisfied customer and her son, and was beset with worry for Po. Relieved to see him, he hugged Po happily and asked him if he saved China, to which Po confirmed he had. Po then told him that he had found out about his origins and how he had ended up in the radish basket as a baby. Po declared to Mr. Ping that he knew who he was: he was his son. The two shared a long tearful hug before they went into the noodle shop's kitchen, both insisting to cook for each other.

Meanwhile, far away from the Valley and unknown to Po, his still-living panda father had suddenly become aware that his son was alive, and appeared hopeful as he overlooked the view his small village, inhabited by other pandas.

### Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness

In *Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness*, Po and Monkey are best friends in "Scorpion's Sting." Monkey's mind-controlled to kill Po by Scorpion, but the panda reminds him that they're friends and when that doesn't work, Po then hits him. In "Chain Reaction," Po said that he would like to be friends with Tigress (Kari Wahlgren); he tells her that he "dreamed" of being friends with her since he was five and later, when she goes off on him, he says that she "stinks at the friendship and fun ship." In "Bad Po," it is revealed that Po has a split personality: one is kind, considerate, caring, polite, sensitive, very positive, helpful, hard-working, selfless and compassionate (which makes him "Good Po") and the other one is rude, very negative, lazy, sadistic, unhelpful, heartless, abusive, mean-spirited, selfish, manipulative, mischievous, cruel, uncaring, destructive, misbehaved and devious (which makes him "Bad Po" or "Evil Po"). Both of his personalities have been split when he gets infected by the Mystical Mirror of Yin and Yang. Bad Po blames Good Po for his evil deeds and when one panda gets hurt, the other feels the same. In the end, Good Po makes Bad Po look in the mirror and both pandas are rejoined.

### *Kung Fu Panda 3*

In the third film, Po "must face two hugely epic, but very different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to home." He will additionally reunite with his biological father and travel to a hidden village filled with other pandas, and have the difficult task of training his fellow pandas to fight a new, supernatural threat."

Greatly enjoying his status as Dragon Warrior, Po is stunned when Shifu announces that he is leaving the training of the Furious Five to Po in order to pursue his own studies in the art of controlling Chi. After a miserable first day, Po learns that Shifu knew that such would be the case, but that he knows that new challenges are the only way for Po to reach his full potential. He tells the panda that there's more to being the Dragon Warrior than fighting and running through town giving high-fives. Shifu's words plant the seeds of doubt in Po about his own identity.

When he returned to the noodle shop to play with his action figures while bathing, Po is caught in the act by Mr. Ping, who could tell that something was bothering him. Po soon opened up about his insecurities about being a teacher and whether he was still the Dragon Warrior. Mr. Ping only caught the first half and became excited, knowing that it puts Po in a higher position to expand their franchise.

Then suddenly, a pig burst in, announcing that a stranger was beating Po's dumpling eating record. Po went to the restaurant to investigate and was surprised to see the challenger to be another panda. The panda introduced himself as Li Shan and stated he was looking for his son. Both pandas were slow on the uptake until the assembled crowd groaned and Po and Li warmly embrace each other. Though a jealous Mr. Ping attempts to dispute whether Li was actually Po's biological father, the pandas ignored him as Po learned how to belly gong. Li then shared with Po that learned of his survival via "a message from the universe", and that there was a secret village of pandas.

The pair spend some time goofing off in the Jade Palace, before being discovered by Shifu and the Five. After they identified Li as his father, Shifu suggested that Li observe Po teach a class. Thankfully for Po, they then heard a bell signalling that the valley was under attack by strange monsters made out of jade, whom Po and Monkey quickly dub jombies. Po then recognized their attackers as Masters Badger Twins and Porcupine, who were supposed to be deceased. As the fight moved to the floor of the noodle shop, Po used his "Dumplings of Doom" technique so he and his friends could subdue the jombies. An ominous voice then spoke from the creatures, identifying himself as Kai, vowing to take their chi, before the jombies turn into jade statuettes and flew off.

Returning to the Jade Palace, Shifu found an obscure scroll, revealing that Kai was once a comrade of Oogway's five hundred years. Po became deeply interested in the tale when it mentioned that pandas were once great practitioners of chi, who taught Oogway the art, but Kai abused the power to take chi from others, leading to Oogway banishing him to the Spirit Realm. The tale ended stating that only a true master of chi could defeat Kai, which Po assumed Shifu qualified, but was told otherwise. Li then stated that he could teach him, but to do so, Po had to come with him to the secret village to rediscover the true meaning of being a panda. Believing his father's arrival was a sign from the universe, Po agreed to accompany him.

Journeying to the panda village with Li Shan - and being accompanied by Mr. Ping - Po meets other pandas, including his cousins Dim and Sum and the ribbon dancer Mei Mei, and learns more about his mother. However, when Tigress arrives with word that the other masters have all been defeated and turned into jombies by Kai, Po is dealt a second unpleasant surprise: his father has been lying to him about knowing how to control Chi out the misguided belief he was protecting his son. Angered, Po resolves to take Kai head on, but Tigress insisted that Kai couldn't be beaten in a head-on fight, so Po insisted on using the Wuxi Finger Hold instead. However, Tigress poked the holes in his plans by reminding that Kai sees through the eyes of his jombies, making it impossible to sneak up on him. They are then approached by Li, Mr. Ping and the other pandas, who volunteer to stand with him and learn kung fu to fight Kai. Po is initially hesitant, but when Li claimed that they could learn to be like Po, he then realizes what Shifu tried to help him learn: that in teaching others he needs to help them become their best selves, not duplicates of their teachers. He thus set about helping the pandas become kung fu warriors in their own way, and soon his "army" faced off with Kai's force of jombies.

Po's plan worked to perfection, until he learned the unfortunate truth: the Wuxi Finger Hold was ineffective against Spirit Warriors like Kai. However, Po then hit upon an alternative strategy, and used the hold on himself while grabbing Kai in order to send them both to the Spirit Realm. Furious, Kai began to steal Po's Chi as he had the other masters', but Po then received unexpected aid: the villagers and Tigress unlocked the power of their chi and in so doing helped Po master his own. With his new power, Po manifests his chi in the form of a dragon, while acknowledging that as the son of a panda, the son of a goose, a student, and a teacher, is what makes him the Dragon Warrior, and fought Kai again. After destroying his two jade swords, Kai swore to take Po's chi even if it took him another five hundred years, to which Po only mocked him, provoking him into attacking. Po then willing gave his chi to Kai, overloading him with power, destroying him and freeing the masters he had captured, including Oogway.

The battle having knocked him out, Po was roused by Oogway, who was pleased with how much Po had matured. He revealed that he was the one who sent Li the "universe mail". He also revealed that reason why he chose Po as Dragon Warrior was because when he first laid eyes on him, he saw the future of kung fu in Po, as well as the pandas who taught Oogway chi in the past, making Po the perfect embodiment of the yin-yang and Oogway's true successor. Oogway then presented Po with a Yin-Yang staff. Though Po was hesitant to take it, he accepted after Oogway mentioned he possessed a bigger staff. After fencing with his new staff, Po asked Oogway what was going to happen next. The tortoise then seemed to vanish in a cloud of petals, making Po panic, only to discover that Oogway wasn't going anywhere, as he was already home. After being told that he could decide whether or not to return, Po was able to use his chi to return to the Physical Realm. Having emerged triumphant, Po was happily embraced by his fathers and fellow masters. As he greeted Shifu, the latter expressed his pride that the student had finally become the teacher, but got caught off after noticing Po's new staff. Po explained that it was a gift from Oogway, to Shifu's annoyance, before asking if Po could teach him.

Po and his extended family all return to the Valley of Peace, where they continue practicing their chi, as Po proudly gazes upon his legacy in the spot where his journey began.

## Personality

Po is usually easygoing, playful, and cocky like a big kid, as well as rather "fanboyish" when expressing his love for kung fu. In the first film, he is seen as a huge kung fu fan, owning posters and action figures of his favorite warriors, but is himself clumsy, portly, and has low self-confidence, only dreaming he could be a great warrior while feeling stuck in his unfulfilling life at his father's noodle shop. But when given the chance, he is all too eager to learn kung fu the hard way, enduring physical beatings and insults in hopes of changing who he is. After learning that "there is no secret ingredient", Po shows the inner strength to save the Valley of Peace by using his own skills and ingenuity, and in the end, becomes his own hero.

Po possesses a kind and selfless nature, and is generally friendly and laid back. He also has a strong sense of justice, and is willing to risk his life to protect others. His days of learning Kung Fu have allowed Po to mature and grow, though retaining some of his old immature and oblivious side in some situations, Po is able to take things seriously when it is called for, and is not hesitant to accept heavy responsibility, at times taking on more than he can handle. His unlikely triumph as the Dragon Warrior has changed those around him, his simple and good-natured side and vast determination and selflessness going as far as to even being able to show compassion for his enemies, and having never held any grudges. His light-heartedness and humility, great respect for Kung Fu and justice and his loving heart are what mark him as truly worthy of being the Dragon Warrior and allows him to overcome the likes of Tai Lung, Shen and Kai. He is also capable of learning things very quickly with the right motivation, as shown in the first film, and has memorized a vast amount of knowledge about kung fu, even being reliable enough to teach a class on his own.

Po also displays an action-craving attitude along with a natural affinity for humor, and isn't above acting clownish and dishing out quips, even making fun of himself, in order to entertain others. Imaginative and adventurous, he continues to act excitable and marvel over his heroes even after he has become the Dragon Warrior, at times leaving them embarrassed by his behavior. As Po tends to be less serious and disciplined than other masters, he also tends to think more outside the box, and will find different, creative ways to solve a problem if need be. Po has also broken some rules and traditions (as well as still having a habit of breaking physical things), though this is often unintentional. Po's lack of discipline and flippant personality often give him an unintentional advantage over his enemies, since, combined with his appearance, it causes them to disregard him or struggle to take him seriously, so they are often shocked when he proves to be a tenacious and incredibly skilled warrior.

One of the recurring plot lines in the television series is Po's struggle to not let his title affect his ego. Throughout the series, he is shown to have many adoring fans and he welcomes the attention, occasionally to the point that it begins to negatively impact his duties or those around him. Despite this, he also possesses the self-awareness to realize when he has made a mistake, and is willing to accept responsibility for his actions.

Though having grown more confident since becoming the Dragon Warrior, Po nevertheless has moments of intimidation and self-doubt. Even as he tries to talk tough, this boisterous behavior tends to become more comical than threatening, and is perhaps a front for the panda's insecurities. Despite this, Po does have a sense of dignity and defiance, as shown in the first film when he argued with Master Shifu as he tried to leave the palace, and in the second film when he argued with Tigress in order to seek out Shen.

Additionally, in the second film, Po was revealed to be rather stubborn when it comes to admitting his problems, even to his friends, as he developed confusion about his own identity after learning he was adopted by Mr. Ping, and seeing visions of his biological parents. This inner struggle showed that Po tries to stay true to his idea of a strong "hardcore" warrior who is unaffected by emotions. He was also persistent enough to not heed the warning of his friends and endanger himself in order to find answers about his past. However, after finding the truth about what happened to his parents, the panda was able to let go of this dilemma by retaining an appreciation for the life he had led, and achieved inner peace by not letting tragedy define who he was.

In the third film, as Po is continuously pushed to his limits, first by Shifu making him the Master of the Furious Five and then the arrival of Kai and subsequent defeat of most of his friends, as well as having found his biological father and having to please both him and Ping, Po finally starts to reveal how for all his light-heartedness and optimism, he is not without limits. While confident in his fighting ability, Po is forced to reflect inwardly and rely on his mind and spirit in order to fully understand himself and, therefore, master Chi. He approached the challenge enthusiastically and diligently, but learning Li had lied to him in an attempt to protect him, the guilt of failing his friends and master and remorse of having chosen to fall to his father's deceit finally battered Po to his limits: He displayed an uncharacteristically dark side to himself which first manifested in the form of furious bitterness at both his father figures for having clouded his sense of justice, disowning Li as his father and ignoring Ping when he asked him to run away, before soon displaying his self-loathing and immense regret of having failed as the Dragon Warrior by outright lashing out to Tigress and stating he doesn't really know whether he can stop Kai, but he was just so lost in grief and guilt that he believed he just had to do it. It seemed to have had a lasting effect on him in that even after his father redeemed himself in his eyes and Po forgave him, as after learning that the Wuxi Finger Hold doesn't work on Kai normally, he didn't hesitate to use it on himself to forcibly banish Kai along with him to the Spirit World. This along with the fact that Po never tried to give Kai a chance of redemption nor did he show any fear unlike when he normally approached non-serious and even serious situations showed just how deep-rooted the blow of having failed his friends and responsibility as the Dragon Warrior had broke him and how it paved the path to a previously unseen level of darkness inside Po. He seemed to have accepted his fate even after he defeated Kai and showed no interest at first in leaving the Spirit World until Oogway reminded him of his responsibilities. Having accepted fully that he was the Dragon Warrior and Oogway's successor, Po's sense of duty swiftly snapped him out of whatever remained of his dark stupor and he didn't hesitate to return to the real world, afterwards displaying full acceptance of the responsibilities of being both the Dragon Warrior and a master of Chi.

## Powers & Skills

* **Martial Artist:** Thanks to his tough training under Shifu's teachings, Po displays mastery over kung fu & is very adaptive with his combat skills, creating new techniques to defeat new foes. He is also proficient with various weaponry & even tools. Po in particular, is so talented in kung that it's shown to be able to learn legendary and complicated kung fu techniques in a short period of time, whereas most masters and practitioners of kung fu had to train years to learn them.
* **Kung Fu Techniques**: Po has easily mastered various techniques from legendary masters.
	+ **Feet of Fury:** Po kicks multiple enemies in mid-air in rapid succession.
	+ **Wuxi Finger Hold:** A chi-based move that can send mortals to the Spirit Realm that involves the user holding an opponent's finger between his or her own index finger and thumb, pinky held upright. By flexing one's pinky, the target's chi is presumably affected so greatly that it causes a brilliant, rippling shockwave of energy that extends for miles around. Po refers to this as his "best" move. He even figures out how to utilize the move to bring immortal foes to the spirit realm by using the move on himself.
	+ **Thundering Wing Hammer:** A special and difficult kung fu technique dubbed as one of the Twelve Impossible Moves. The Thundering Wind Hammer is done by rapidly spinning around, suddenly stopping, and then placing one's palm out towards the target. A ball of energy shoots out from the palm and flies toward the target, blowing it back on impact.
	+ **Mongolian Fireball:** A special and difficult kung fu technique dubbed as one of the Twelve Impossible Moves. The Mongolian Fireball is done where the user goes into multiple stances, and then brings their hand close together vertically. After this, a large fireball forms between their hands and slowly moves forward, sucking nearby objects in. The fireball then gets shorter until it disappears, leaving only a cloud of dust behind.
	+ **Golden Lotus Clap:** A technique that involves the user announcing the words "Golden Lotus Clap", and then clapping their hands together. A golden mist erupts from the hands and then causes blindness to the target, which the move can also reverse.
	+ **Fluttering Finger Mindslip:** Po swirls his hand to the left, then to the right, then flutters his fingers in a twisting motion. This technique causes temporary paralysis short-term memory erasure. When used repeatedly on one target, their memories will begin to deteriorate on their own until they can't even remember how to breathe.
	+ **Chao Wa Punch Kick:** Po punches the mid area of the opponents body and then kicks, the strike of the Chao Wa Punch Kick causes immobilization of the body, meaning that it is possibly a nerve attack technique.
	+ **Wings of Light:** An advanced kung fu technique that allows Po to fly with wings made of light. This is one of the Five Mystic Kung Fu Secrets master Yao possesses.
	+ **Silken Moon Touch:** Through self-invoked silence and an immense amount of focus, Po concentrates all of his power into a single finger and touches the opponent, releasing a large pulse with a temporary after-effect of turning day into night.
* **Intelligence:** By the end of *Kung Fu Panda 3*, he became wise enough to understand Oogway's sayings & words of wisdom, effectively becoming a Kung Fu teacher and chi master. Po is also very smart when it comes to combat and kung fu, always coming with an new strategy or way to defeat his foes.
* **Panda Physiology:** His natural physiology is so durable that he is immune to nerve attacks & most forms of physical harm. He took a hit from Shen's explosive cannon, with only moderate injuries & fell into a short coma. He can even use his weight to intimidate his foes, via sitting on them
* **Chi-Based Powers:** He also has mastery over chi, using it to enhance his physical attributes, levitate or instantly heal others & himself as well. His chi mastery was so strong that he was capable of overpowering Kai, a demonic chi-powered spirit warrior.
	+ **Hero's Chi:** It revealed in *Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness* episode Enter the Dragon that after Oogway died Po was given a special kind of chi which was called the Hero's Chi. With the Hero's Chi Po has increased Kung fu skills, could fly, and fire blast of energy out of his stomach which allowed him to face against the demon dragon Ke-Pa. The Hero's Chi was also connected to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom and a small peach tree sapling, which re-energized and enhanced his Hero's Chi, allowing him to destroy Ke-Pa and his demons once and for all. Po can releases chi using the Hero's Chi imparted upon him by the universe upon Oogway's passing, in the form of a radiant blast from a part of his body.
* **Enhanced Strength:** Due to his weight and size along with his kung fu training, Po possess an incredible physical strength that makes him an dangerous opponent in hand-to-hand combat, he is able to send flying and lift enemies far more weight and taller than him. However, Po's strength seems to not match with other kung fu masters (like Tigress).
* **Enhanced Speed:** Despite his size and weight, Po is amazingly fast (though not the fastest character in kung fu panda), in combat, Po is able to perform kung fu moves and techniques with amazing speed and coordination and can dodge or counter attacks even from an entire army of enemies attacking him at the same time.
* **Enhanced Agility:** Po is incredibly agile and fast as an kung fu master, he is shown to perform incredible maneuvers and jump at high heights with no issue. Po is able to keep with Shifu, the five furious and others kung fu masters in terms of agility and athleticism.
* **High Durability/Pain Tolerance:** Through the films and TV series, Po is able to survive a lot of punishment, both physical and mental, even before receiving formal training in kung fu he was able to restore himself from many injuries and wounds. While incredible durable, Po's still able to feel pain, but is able to ignore it and keep fighting for long periods of time with no issue.
* **Adaptive Combatant:** Po is an amazingly clever genius in combat, whenever he faces an new opponent he is always able to adapt to his environment and learn/find new ways to defeat his enemies, even learning new and difficult kung fu techniques in a short amount of time. Po is also not above using the environment, his size, weapons or improvising in order to win a fight if he needs it.
* **Cooking:** Raised as a son from a long line of noodle makers by Mr. Ping, Po is a talented noodle maker and an excellent chef, having worked in his father's restaurant for years. He knows how to chop up items rapidly and with precision.

## Trivia

* Steve Carell, Zach Galifianakis, Seann William Scott, Ed Helms, Ricky Gervais, Jason Segel, Rob Schneider, Adam Sandler, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Bradley Cooper, Chris O'Donnell, Ethan Hawke, Cillian Murphy, Adrien Brody, Ed O'Neill, Nathan Lane, Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Perry, Michael Richards, Thomas Lennon, Steve Zahn, Lewis Black, the late Robin Williams, Richard Kind, Jonathan Ward and Phil Collins were considered for the role of Po. According to Animator - Steven Pierre Gordon, Ben Rush, Theodore Ty, Kathy Zielinski (showreel) - Steve Carell was originally cast for the role of Po.
* Po was originally called Marv, according to Carlos Grangel and Nico Marlet (character design).
* Po made an appearance on the game show *Jeopardy!*.
* In the video game adaption of the first film Po knows some fighting skills even before becoming The Dragon Warrior and carries some of them over even after being trained by Shifu possibly being used as foreshadowing him becoming The Dragon Warrior.