Tai Lung

**Tai Lung** is the main antagonist of *Kung Fu Panda*. He was the adoptive son and former student of Shifu, as well as a powerful master of the Leopard Style of kung fu.

Trained by Shifu at the Jade Palace, Tai Lung was raised under the impression that he was to become the Dragon Warrior. However, after he was denied the title by Oogway, Tai Lung revealed his true dark nature by rampaging the Valley, resulting in his twenty-year incarceration. After breaking out of prison, he sought to claim the Dragon Scroll and take his place as the Dragon Warrior once again. However, despite being a warrior of great skill, strength, and determination, Tai Lung finally met his match when he was defeated by Po, the true Dragon Warrior.

## Personality

As an adult, Tai Lung was shown to be dark, dangerous, and arrogant. However, in the past when he was raised and trained by Shifu, he seemed to be a happy, energetic cub with much talent and dedication to the arts of kung fu and was viewed as a kung fu prodigy in the eyes of his loving father and master. Over the years, Tai Lung grew to into a strong and fierce warrior, having achieved much as a student, even mastering all one thousand scrolls of kung fu.

However, his ultimate goal was to be the Dragon Warrior and be handed the Dragon Scroll, which he firmly believed was his destiny. However, at the moment when Shifu presented him to Oogway, the old master indicated Tai Lung was not the one, much to their shock. Expecting Shifu to speak for him on his behalf, he received an emotional blow when his master made no attempt to protest and Tai Lung saw this as an act of betrayal. It was this double rejection that revealed the darkness in Tai Lung's heart, expressed in pure rage as he attacked and ravaged the Valley of Peace and later ruthlessly struck Shifu aside when he tried to stop him from taking the Dragon Scroll by force.

Tai Lung's seething rage and fury did not fade, even after spending twenty years in prison. However, though he was shown to be patronizing and brutal to anyone standing between him and the Dragon Scroll, it is possible he had no intent to hurt anyone as he was never shown to take a life (though he did came close to kill Shifu by strangling him). He was also revealed to have worked hard in everything he did to make Shifu proud and was shown to hesitant after hearing Shifu's sincere apology to him, though he hardened his heart as he still wanted the Dragon Scroll. Another example of his vulnerable side was also shown when Tai Lung expressed clear fear and desperation after finally being beaten by Po.

Overall, Tai Lung is a portrait of someone whose pride and ambitions went too far, driving him to violently lash out and try to take what was not his, harming anyone who stood in his way, including the very person whom he wanted to please in the first place. His eventual downfall came from his denial and his underestimation of Po, as well as his failure to accept that the secret to true power simply comes from within.

## Trivia

* Tai Lung become *Thomas and Twilight Sparkle's Adventures of Kung Fu Panda* where he teamed up with The Devious Claw of Evil.
* Tai Lung will get revenge on Thomas, Twilight and their friends in Thomas and Twilight Sparkle's Adventures Series. He'II also joined forces with Po's other enemies, Lord Shen and Kai as well.
* Tai Lung is a snow leopard, which, in the wild, is a predator of both the giant panda and the red panda.

## Gallery

Tai Lung as an infantTai Lung as a cubTai Lung's defeatTai Lung in Mr. Ping's nightmare in Kung Fu Panda HolidayTai Lung in a flashback in "Legends of Awesomeness".Tai Lung as one of Kai's amulets.Young Tai Lung training with ShifuTai Lung confronting Shifu for the first time in twenty yearsTai Lung suffocating ShifuPo about to use the Wuxi Finger Hold on Tai Lung