Chao

**Master Chao** is a character in the Nickelodeon television series *Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness*. He serves as the hierarch of the Sacred Onyx Council. His first appearance was in the episode "Sight for Sore Eyes", where he and fellow master Junjie visited Shifu to determine his qualifications as the master of the Jade Palace. He later appeared in other episodes such as "Kung Shoes" and "Five is Enough". He is a former student of Oogway and an extremely skilled kung fu master.

## Biography

### In *Legends of Awesomeness*

In the episode "Sight for Sore Eyes", Masters Chao and Junjie visited Shifu at the Jade Palace to determine his qualifications as Master. He, Shifu, and Junjie soon proceeded to perform the ceremonial sparring, with Po secretly watching under Junjie's request, until Junjie attempted a Golden Lotus Clap on Shifu. Chao and Shifu turned away just in time while Po ended up being blinded. Chao was shocked that Junjie would use such a dangerous technique during the sparring, but ultimately let it slide.

After it was revealed that Po had watched the sparring after he botched up a traditional group technique performed with the Furious Five. Chao was displeased that Po disobeyed Shifu's orders, believing that an undisciplined student is the fault of an unqualified master and ended up replacing Shifu with Junjie, unaware that the entire event had been orchestrated by the fox in order to take the title of Master of the Jade Palace for himself.

When Chao returned some weeks later to check up on Junjie, he discovered the truth after overhearing Junjie's intentions in his confrontation with Po and confronted the fox. Junjie had been prepared for this, and though Chao managed to catch the first dart that was fired at him, more caught him in the back and incapacitated him. He and Po were imprisoned in the same cell as Shifu by Junjie's "new Furious Five". Chao was shocked and greatly impressed when Po performed the Golden Lotus Clap to free himself from his restraints, despite having only seen it being used once, completing changing his original impression of the panda.

After Po freed Shifu and Chao and defeated Junjie, Chao gave Shifu his job back and commended Po for doing the right thing despite the risk, admitting that he had learned an important lesson about doing the right thing over sticking to tradition, while Junjie and his minions were taken to Chorh-Gom Prison. Before their departure, Junjie, who was chained, attempted to suck up to Chao once again, only for the lizard to kick them down the stairs as a bit of revenge for shooting and imprisoning him.

He returned to the Jade Palace in "Kung Shoes", when Po successfully performed the impossible Three Needles Trick that was required to reach the rank of Celestial Phoenix, and Shifu invited Chao to see for himself. Excited to witness an event he had been waiting for his entire life, Chao watched as Po performed the trick right in front of him, and was so awed he fainted twice. After Po performed a series of needle tricks that impressed everyone present, Chao decided that he had earned the title of Celestial Phoenix. He and Shifu informed the panda that this would mean leaving the Jade Palace and travelling the world to teach his newfound wisdom to others, to Po's dismay. All the glowing praise ultimately forced Po to admit the truth: his mastery of the needle trick was because of a pair of magic shoes he had acquired. Chao and the others had a secret of their own: they knew about the shoes all along, having learned about them from Mantis, and the whole evening was set up to teach Po a lesson about the need for training and to guilt him into telling the truth.

With that, Shifu requested that Po take the shoes off, but as Po had recently discovered, the shoes were alive and they swiftly took control of Po's body. A battle ensued as the others tried to get the shoes off, and Chao's attempt to stealthily approach the shoes was unsuccessful. Po was eventually able to remove the shoes and destroy them, but this only caused the shoes to multiply and take control of everyone present, Chao included. Po finally defeated the shoes by knocking them off his friends and luring them into the moon pool where the water, the shoes' weakness, destroyed them. Before Chao departed the next day, Shifu thanked him for his assistance, but Chao merely replied that it was exciting to see someone perform the Three Needle Trick, even if it was because of the magic shoes.

Chao appeared as a cameo in "Present Tense", as he attended the Winter Festival.

Chao returned again for the Tournament of the Sun Pennant in "Five is Enough" along with the Onyx Masters, who would be competing against Po and the Furious Five. When both teams got into an argument and Shifu scolded them for their behaviour, Chao told the red panda to relax as the younger students were just letting off steam, and asked Shifu if he remembered what that was like. Shifu replied that it had been a long time since he was that young. After a short conversation about how everyone gets older, Chao gave Shifu a gift from the emperor: a pair of oversized glasses, to the red panda's irritation and embarrassment when he twice walked into objects due to refusing to wear them. After Shifu excused himself, Chao sent the others to get ready, while he spoke to Po about a personal matter. They went behind a tent where it was private, where Chao discussed a large, rusty wok with Po. It is agreed that the wok is too old and rusty and must be replaced. Unfortunately Shifu had been inside the tent at the time and heard everything, and assumed they were talking about replacing *him*.

Right as the tournament was about to begin, Shifu, taking on the attitude of a youngster, appeared to join Po's team and participate in the tournament himself. Chao was shocked and unsure about this, as the tournament was for the young people, but agreed at Po's insistance. As the race for the pennant began, Chao went into the tent remarking on how strange the village was and was ambushed by Pai Mei, an old enemy of Shifu desiring revenge. To keep Chao from getting in the way, Pai Mei knocked the lizard unconscious and set off after Shifu's team. Despite being injured in the assault, Chao recovered just enough to track down Po and the Five after Shifu had seperated from them and warn them about the rogue master. They rushed to aid Shifu just as Pai Mai attacked, and eventually he was defeated. Back in the village, Chao gently chided Shifu for thinking that he would replace him just because of his age: with age comes wisdom. In response, Shifu admitted that he had let his imagination run away with him, but assured Chao that if he should ever change his mind, old warriors such as himself were a force to be reckoned with, though his argument was somewhat tarnished when he once again walked into a post due to not wearing his glasses.

## Personality

Chao is usually calm and collected, holding to the ways of the Sacred Onyx Council in which he is a member. He seems strict about upholding the rules, traditions, and honor of Shaolin kung fu, willing to denounce Shifu as the master of the Jade Palace, hearing no excuses for the events leading to it, as per the rules.

Though stern, Chao possesses the abilities of a wise leader, finding out himself that Junjie's flattering behavior towards him was a deception in order to gain power, and the old lizard was also humble enough to admit that doing the right thing was sometimes more important than following the "old rules". Chao also seems to make grand entrances by having a gong sound whenever he appears, occasionally sounding the gong himself.

Later on in the series, it seems he has become more mellowed out, and often humorous.