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| “ | So, that is his name... Po. Finally! A worthy opponent! Our battle will be legendary! | „ |
| ~ Tai Lung's most famous quote. |
| “ | All I ever did, I did to make you PROUD! Tell me how PROUD you are, Shifu! Tell me! TELL ME! | „ |
| ~ Tai Lung expressing desperate acceptance. |
| “ | See you on the other side, Dragon Warrior. | „ |
| ~ Tai Lung thanking Po while taking the Chameleon with him to the Spirit Realm. |
Tai Lung is the central antagonist of the Kung Fu Panda franchise serving as the main antagonist of the 2008 computer-animated martial arts comedy Kung Fu Panda, and a supporting character in Kung Fu Panda 4.
He is the first student, former adoptive son, and archenemy of Master Shifu, who acknowledged him of being the Dragon Warrior and eventually became evil when Master Oogway refused to give him the position, witnessing Shifu, not protesting against his denial; feeling abandoned and unworthy.
Eventually, Tai Lung was imprisoned in the Chorh-Gom prison, serving a life sentence there, but when Oogway finds an unlikely candidate for the Dragon Warrior role, Tai Lung escapes from his imprisonment to receive the dragon scroll and achieve his vengeance.
He was voiced by Ian McShane.
His Evil Rankings[]
Debated Validation[]
- Once coming outside of prison with victorious results, he is grateful to Zeng, Shifu's messenger, for supposedly helping him escape (as the rhino captain did not notice that he knocked one of Zeng's feathers out, thus being used as a picklock by Tai Lung) but it is unknown if he spared him out of pragmatisum or if it was him genually being grateful towards Zeng.
What Makes Him Heinous?[]
Background/In General[]
- Upon not being selected as the Dragon Warrior, he furiously went on a rampage across the Valley of Peace (likely killing some of the residents), thus becoming greatly feared throughout the land.
- When he attempted to take the dragon scroll by force, he shattered Shifu's hip and grievously injured him without regret.
- While Lord Shen and Kai are more heinous, they have more resources as Shen has an army and Kai has supernatural abilities while Tai Lung only has himself and his Kung-Fu skills.
- Although he has a bunch of comedic moments, he is still taken seriously in-universe.
Kung Fu Panda[]
- While escaping from prison, he murdered or badly injured many of the rhino guards there, before throwing a bomb at them that blasted most of them off the ledge where the entrance to the prison was kept.
- When he encountered the Furious Five, he fought them before paralyzing them all painfully with a nerve attack Shifu had taught him, only letting them live so they can send a message to Shifu and Po.
- He intended to exact his revenge on the Valley, with Crane saying that "he'll destroy everything and everyone", leading Shifu to evacuate the Valley to protect them from Tai Lung's rage.
- He fought Shifu to take the Dragon Scroll, brutally beating him, and when Shifu apologized for turning him into a monster and abandoning him, Tai Lung didn't accept his apology and instead strangled him and tried to kill him with his claws.
- When he found out that Po had the Dragon Scroll, he fought Po to take it, and when he found out that the Dragon Scroll is blank, he once again rejected his chance at redemption.
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness[]
- Despite his death, his legacy lived on, with everyone in the Valley of Peace remembering him both in fear and in hatred.
- He is indirectly responsible for Hundun's villainy as after his defeat, Chorm Ghom Prison was shut down and he was deserted by his family and friends, making him want revenge on the Dragon Warrior (Po) for defeating him.
- His nephew Peng was searching for him and told Po about it, much to the panda's shock and horror. When Peng found out that Po (for good reasons) sent him in the Spirit World, he attempted to kill the panda to avenge Tai Lung.
- This makes Po regret ever sending Tai Lung to the Spirit Realm, despite having every good reason to do so.
- When Peng learns that Po was telling the truth about how evil Tai Lung was, he quits Kung Fu, thinking that Kung Fu turns people evil.
Kung Fu Panda 4[]
- Refuses to help Po defeat the Chameleon, instead pointing out how useless he is and that Oogway committed a mistake by choosing him as the Dragon Warrior, even mocking him as he gets beaten by the Chameleon.
What Makes Him Inconsistent?[]
- He is too tragic and sympathetic to be Near Pure Evil; he was abandoned as an infant cub and was raised by Shifu, who influenced incredible expectations and inflicted harsh training until his bones cracked. Due to never humbling him or noticing he obtained darkness in his heart, this is what influenced Tai Lung to become determined to be the Dragon Warrior. Unfortunately, Oogway doesn't select him as such.
- He also developed insecurities, due to never believing in himself and feeling like the dragon scroll is the only way he can feel loved and worthy. When Shifu does nothing to support him against Oogway's denial, this infuriates him because of the harsh circumstances he went through, yet feels abandoned and useless.
- When Shifu apologized for his actions, Tai Lung hesitated to finish him off (momentarily touched by his words) and expressed sadness before he hardened his heart again.
- Even Tigress and Viper felt sorry for him when his backstory was brought up to Po.
- He is ultimately a scapegoat; he is subjected to many brutal slapstick comedy moments during his battle with Po that reduce him to a scrambling mess to the point where his death comes off as very pitiable along with being a damned soul.
- Even being in the Spirit Realm didn't keep him from being a scapegoat. As shown from Kai's jade amulets on him, he was one of the masters that Kai took his chi from, transforming into him into one of his jade amulets, thus making this a fate worse than death.
- His time in the Spirit Realm had apparently conditioned him and made him more honorable.
- When brought back by the Chameleon with the Staff of Wisdom, he expressed doubt that Po, whom he still regarded as an idiot, would actually give it to her willingly. He also declined her request of teaching her his Kung-Fu skills and instead chose to go back to the Spirit Realm, (not even taking his revival as a chance for revenge) and would have if the Chameleon hadn't closed the portal.
- When expressing his doubt to Po of Oogway's choice in him, there is no indication that he still believes he should have been the Dragon Warrior.
- He was practically neutral while watching Po and the Chameleon's fight.
- After Po defeats the Chameleon, Tai Lung finally acknowledges him as the true Dragon Warrior and gives him a respectful bow, showing that he now has respect towards his former archenemy. Willingly returning to the Spirit Realm, (which he now considers his home) he also takes the Chameleon with him, saving China from her threat. Tai Lung also promise to Po that he will see him in the other side.
Trivia[]
- It's possible that Tai Lung was less heinous in the original Kung Fu Panda screenplay than in the finished product, as his rampage over the Valley of Peace was only added once the crew realized that the test audiences related and sympathized too much with him, leading them to add the rampage into the story to make him more villainous.
- Tai Lung is the only Kung Fu Panda character to be Inconsistently Heinous.
- He is also the only main villain from the movies to not be Near Pure Evil, unlike his successors Lord Shen and Kai the Collector.
External Links[]
- Tai Lung on the Villains Wiki
- Tai Lung on the DreamWorks Wiki
- Tai Lung on the Kung Fu Panda Wiki
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 Inconsistently Heinous
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Animated Features Live-Action Features Animated Television Fanon See Also | ||
 Inconsistently Heinous
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Animated Features Live-Action Features Animated Television Live-Action Television Fanon See Also | ||
