Po

**Master Po Ping** (known simply as **Po**, and originally named **Little Lotus**[1]) is the main protagonist of the *Kung Fu Panda* franchise. He is the adopted son of Mr. Ping and the biological son of Li Shan and his wife, as well as one of Master Shifu's students at the Jade Palace. He is also the foretold Dragon Warrior of legend, and a master of the Panda Style of kung fu.

Originally born in a farming village to his birth parents, Po was separated from his family as a result of a massacre. He was eventually found by Mr. Ping, who adopted him, hoping for Po to inherit the family noodle shop some day. However, Po was drawn to kung fu, and his unwavering enthusiasm led him to be chosen as the Dragon Warrior, after which he began training under Master Shifu. Though clumsy and unaccepted at first, Po persevered, and fulfilled the destiny of the Dragon Warrior by defeating Tai Lung and discerning the Dragon Scroll, proving himself as a hero to everyone, including himself.

## Personality

“*There is no secret ingredient. It's just you.*”
—Po, *Kung Fu Panda*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 having 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 Peaceby 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. Though immature and oblivious 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. 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 below 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.

Though Po tries to balance both sides of his busy life—that of his family with Mr. Ping, and his duties as the Dragon Warrior—this is at times difficult for him. Po tries to live up to the expectations of others, even agreeing with them half-heartedly in some matters, as shown in the first film by his deference to work in a noodle shop, being unwilling to disappoint his father. However, this desire to please does not prevent Po from eventually being honest about his own wishes. And despite his deep reverence for kung fu and his fellow warriors, Po is willing to put family ahead of his responsibilities as Dragon Warrior, even if it means passing on prestigious events and disappointing those who count on him, as shown in *Kung Fu Panda Holiday*.

One of the recurring plot lines in the television series is Po's struggle to not let his title effect his ego. Throughout the series, Po 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, Po 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 Shifu as he attempted 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.

Po has hardly changed since his days before learning kung fu, but his unlikely triumph as the Dragon Warrior has changed those around him. Simple, good-natured, and fueled by determination, Po doesn't seem to hold grudges, even against those who doubt him or treat him with contempt, and is selfless when it comes to protecting those in need, even being able to show compassion for his enemies. Po is much like the opposite of the foes he faces, such as Tai Lung, Shen, and Kai, in that he shows light-heartedness and humility instead of arrogance and desire for more power. It is these qualities, as well as his great respect for kung fu and his loving heart, that mark Po as the Dragon Warrior, able to defeat such villains when no one else could.

## Fighting style

“*My fist hungers for justice!*[stomach belches]*That was my... fist.*”
—Po, *Kung Fu Panda 2*

> Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy and study kung fualongside the Furious Five, Po began training under Master Shifu. But it was soon apparent that the traditional styles of kung fu aren't a good fit for a six-foot-two-inch, 260-pound panda. Shifu discovers that for Po to become the Dragon Warrior, he must embrace Po's inherent panda nature and exploit his physical attributes... including his generous belly and rear end. In the end, Po created his own style that uses his perceived weaknesses as his strengths.[4]
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Po often uses an improvised style when he fights, and is a master (and the creator) of Panda Style. In his fightagainst Tai Lung in the first film, Po was able to use his bulky physique to block the snow leopard's nerve attacks, his portliness making him incredibly resistant to severe physical hits, allowing Po to take Tai Lung's strength and use it against him. Additionally in the second film, Po took a near-direct hit from one of Shen's largest cannons (using only a wok to shield him), and still managed to survive.

Po would also use anything in the surrounding area to his advantage, such as when he confused Tai Lung by using makeshift stilts to mix up pots and pans which hid the Dragon Scroll, and when he used fireworks to allow him to reach the scroll before his opponent. Po has also demonstrated some skill in the use of various weapons. In *Kung Fu Panda 2*, Po was shown using a sword against Shen's wolves by using metal musical instruments; combined with his recently-acquired acrobatic skills, he held his own and overwhelmed them by use of an apparent technique of spinning on top of his head. Similarly, Po managed to throw a tuning fork at Shen and nail him to the wall without injuring him.

Despite his size, Po has shown to be extremely agile, able to hold his own against a master as swift as Shifu during training. Furthermore, once he achieved "inner peace", Po was able use the same water drop catching technique as Shifu demonstrated in order to redirect Shen's cannon fire against his armada, and was later able to dodge Shen's strikes in a one-on-one confrontion.

In fighting alongside the Furious Five, Po has come up with a few techniques of his own. He demonstrated a "Feet of Fury" technique, at which he rapidly kicked at his opponents. He has also learned to work with the members of the Five and perform attacks with them, such as when he and Tigress did a "Double Death Strike" against their opponents.

One of Po's most astounding skills is his quick learning speed; he grasps various kung fu techniques over an incredibly short span of time, whereas others would spend years perfecting such skills. This has amazed his friends and foes alike. In just a manner of days with the right motivation, Po was able to grow proficient enough to match kung fu masters like Shifu and Tai Lung, and achieved inner peace at a very young age. Throughout *Legends of Awesomeness*, Po has also been shown performing powerful kung fu techniques after seeing them only once or simply reading about them. He also invented a few types of fighting styles by himself.

Despite Po's physiological limitations, he is extremely quick & agile, being able to overpower & go toe-to-toe with some of the greatest threats he has ever faced, such as Tai Lung or Shen or even the supernatural entity, Kai. Like any Giant Panda, Po's physiology is also extremely durable, being able to take a powerful blows from Tai Lung, with only minor injuries. He even withstood a hit from Shen's biggest Cannon, with only some injuries & went into a temporary comatose state for a short time. His greatest showcase of durability was when he managed to take a focused strike from Kai, a being who has supernatural strength with only some bruises. His physiology is also immune to any stun-based attacks, making Tai Lung's special attacks pointless against him.

In *Kung Fu Panda 3*, Po was shown the power of chi by Shifu, who was able to use it to make a flower bloom. Eventually, Po confronted the supernatural warrior Kai, who was stealing chi from kung fu masters and turning them into jade zombies that would become his minions. Po eventually ended up bringing the both of them into the Spirit Realm, where he was able to use the power of chi himself, so proficiently that he was able to form a dragon-shaped embodiment of light around himself. Aided by his friends and family, Po was able to gather enough chi to overpower and destroy Kai and return to the mortal realm, having once again demonstrated how swiftly he can learn a new skill.

Like Kai, Po is now technically a "Spirit Warrior" himself, having been sent to the Spirit Realm and made his way back to the physical world. And similarly to Kai, this could mean that Po is now impervious to certain kung fu techniques, such as the Wuxi Finger Hold.

## Clothing

Po wears a simple pair of burlap pants that consists of patchwork done in different colors, which occasionally sags down Po's waist. He also wears a striped red-and-gold strap around his waist, wraps around his ankles, and sandal-like shoes.

In *Kung Fu Panda Holiday*, Po's casual winter clothes consisted of a red snow hat with yellow-dotted black stripes and a yellow scarf. At the Jade Palace's formal Winter Feastdinner, Po wore his same pants, but with a tall dark coronet-like hat on his head and a large dark cape around his neck.

At one point in *Kung Fu Panda 2*, he also wore a small straw hat for a short time when he went to confront Shen's fleet in Gongmen City.
In *Kung Fu Panda 3*, Po is shown in a new outfit that appears to match his fur, with a white robe that has black trimming, and long, black sleeves trimmed with gold. With this he wears a long gold cape, a red sash across his waist, and a straw hat. This appearance greatly resembles that of the dream Po from the first film, and only appears when Po is in the Spirit Realm. While there, Po was also eventually given a special staff by Oogway himself.

## TMNT X Pokemon

Po likes training with the Turtles to improve his fighting style. He's best friends with Mikey and the two would often work together while screaming Mikey's catchphrase "Booyakasha!"

## Trivia

### General

* Po's full name, Po Ping (simplified Chinese: 宝平?; traditional Chinese: 寶平?; pinyin: *"bǎo píng"*), translates to "precious peace" in Chinese.[24]
* Po has a special "fighting fist" control that he only uses when he's engaging in kung fu.[25]
* When the real Po is first seen in *Kung Fu Panda*, he is shown upside down. This was meant as a visual motif, as Po is also shown upside down in the final scene of the film.[26]
* According to Jack Black, Po is technically the "leader" of the Furious Five, but not a member of the quintet.[27]
* Po's favorite Furious Five member is Tigress, despite the fact that she showed considerable disrespect and disgust at him throughout most of the first film.[26]
* In the first film, Po mentions that he has "no claws", but he does appear to have them, albeit stubby ones.
* According to *Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness*, Po never went to school as a cub.[28] However, during the credits of *Kung Fu Panda 2*, young Po is seen in a schoolhouse.
* In an interview with "Po" for *Scholastic News Online*, Po shares how Crane told him the giant panda is called a "large bear-cat" in China. This actually comes from the literal translation for "giant panda" in Chinese (traditional and simplified Chinese: 大熊貓?; pinyin: *dà xióng māo*).[29]
* In the opening sequences of the first film (during Po's dream), he rapidly kicked his enemies in mid-air. This move was used for real by Po during the first fight scene in *Kung Fu Panda 2*, calling the move "Feet of Fury".
* In *Kung Fu Panda 2*, when Po supposedly fit forty bean buns in his mouth, there were actually only nine.[30]
* In the end credits of *Kung Fu Panda 2*, it is revealed that Po carved his Furious Five action figures himself.

### In development

* Earlier versions of Po's character had him not as a fan of kung fu, and he was "rather hateable and stupid and dead-end". However, Jack Black's performance helped to change and define Po's personality as more of a vulnerable kind instead.[24]
* In development, Po went through a variety of origins. Among these were living in a panda village with his mother, working in a chime factory, and being an indentured servant to Mr. Ping.[26]
* In earlier story treatments, Po's adoptive father was going to be Shifu.[24]
* The "weirdest" animation control was for Po's uvula.[25]
* Po's cheeks were rebuilt during the first film to allow him to stuff his mouth with more food.[25]

### In popular culture

* Baseball player Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants is nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda."
* As a tribute to the star of the films, a newborn giant panda cub in Zoo Atlanta—the only one born in the U.S. in 2010—was named Po. Jack Black was present for the naming of the newborn cub.[31]
* A spoof character of Po, known simply as "Kung Fu Panda", appeared in the 2008 parody film *Disaster Movie*.
* Spoof versions of Po have appeared in the Cartoon Network TV series *MAD* in the episodes "Are You Karate Kidding Me?", "TwiSchool Musical/Avenger Time", "Kung Fu Blander", and "PO-blivion". Po was voiced in all episodes by Brian T. Delaney[32], who had also voiced Mantis in the first *Kung Fu Panda* video game.
* Po made short appearances at the 2011 *Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards* on April 2, 2011, in which he interrupted the show and eventually annoyed the host, his voice actor Jack Black. This was done as a tribute to one of the show's sponsors, *Kung Fu Panda 2*.