Po Ping

Master Po Ping (aka Po, and originally named Little Lotus) is the main character of the Kung Fu Panda franchise. He is the adopted son of Mr. Ping but the biological son of Li Shan and his wife. Including 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.

Background
Po was born in a remote farming village populated entirely by pandas. There he grew up happily with his biological father Li Shan and his mother, 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 Li 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 gave him a bath, 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 own 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.

As Po grew into his teenage years with a lack of focus and of his father's skill in cooking, which later led to Shifu getting food poisoning after Po prepared a meal for the Jade Palace while his father was away on business. Afterwards, Po began to consider other possible career paths, such as a cleaner, comedian, dancer, or doctor, and made a list of them on a scroll. This scroll later inadvertently ended up in the hands of Tigress, who mistook it for a list made by Shifu of four warriors she was to gather in order to face the villainous Boar. This led to her recruiting Crane, Monkey, Viper, and Mantis, who were quickly dismissed by Shifu who also ordered the evacuation of the valley.

During this time Po revealed to his father that he had caused Shifu's illness, which his father took as good publicity, and was then sent to gather ingredients for meals to be served to the fleeing villagers. From the hilltop his father had specified, Po then watched as the future Furious Five battled Boar, and quickly determined what he wanted to do with his life: practice Kung fu. He later made a set of Furious Five action figures which he treasured for years.

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 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. 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.

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.

Appearance
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 Feast dinner, 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.

Abilities
Po often uses an improvised style when he fights, and is a master (and the creator) of Panda Style. In his fight against 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.

Kung Fu Panda
Po had grown up into an adventurous dreamer who hoped to become a kung fu legend some day, on par with the Furious Five, who 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 some day 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 an unbeatable warrior who would fight alongside them. Po knew, in detail, 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 in order 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, including strapping fireworks to a chair and lighting them in order to lift him up and into the arena, Po was about to give up and go back to work with his father—when the fireworks suddenly 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 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 literally kicking Po out of the palace, was unsuccessful in making him quit.

The Furious Five, with the exception of Tigress, became impressed at Po's fortitude, and came to warm up to to him more in the evening. Mantis and Viper tried helping Po feel better with acupuncture, and Mantis assured him about his own 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 most of them laugh when he did an imitation of 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 shortly 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. 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 by 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, however, 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 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. Though the pack had been chased off, another wolf was still present, and Po 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 his vision, Po went to the noodle shop to seek answers from Mr. Ping. After explaining what he'd seen, he nervously asked him where he came from. Mr. Ping hesitantly admitted the truth that he had adopted him, and then 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 dissatisfied 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.

Some time later, Shifu received a message that Master Thundering Rhino of Gongmen City had been killed by a powerful weapon crafted by Lord Shen, 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 stop 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 and they were subsequently arrested and cuffed, 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 plot 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, with 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 and 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, "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.

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."[17] 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."[18]

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.

Video Games
Po is a playable character in the following video games:
 * Kung Fu Panda
 * Kung Fu Panda 2
 * Kung Fu Panda Showdown of Legendary Legends

Knownable Relatives

 * Mr. Ping's father (Adoptive Grandfather)
 * Mr. Ping's grandfather (Adoptive Great-Grandfather)
 * Mr. Ping (Adopted Father)
 * Li (Biological Father)
 * Po's mother (Biological Mother/dead)
 * Yang (Adopted Uncle)
 * Dim (Cousin)
 * Sum (Cousin)
 * Monkey (Surrogate Brother & Best Friend)

Trivia

 * Po's full name, Po Ping (simplified Chinese: 宝平?; traditional Chinese: 寶平?; pinyin: "bǎo píng"), translates to "precious peace" in Chinese.
 * Po has a special "fighting fist" control that he only uses when he's engaging in kung fu.
 * 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.
 * According to Jack Black, Po is technically the "leader" of the Furious Five, but not a member of the quintet.
 * 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.
 * 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. However, during the credits of Kung Fu Panda 2, young Po is seen in a schoolhouse.
 * Po is allergic to feathers, dust, flowers, and pollen. It is a traditional part of Chinese culture for the son to live with the parents for his entire life and to care for them in old age.
 * Jack Black, Po's voice actor said that Po was one of his favorite roles. Po's voice actor also voiced Lenny in Shark Tale.
 * 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).
 * 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.
 * In the end credits of Kung Fu Panda 2, it is revealed that Po carved his Furious Five action figures himself.
 * 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.
 * In earlier story treatments, Po's adoptive father was going to be Shifu.
 * The "weirdest" animation control was for Po's uvula.
 * Po's cheeks were rebuilt during the first film to allow him to stuff his mouth with more food.
 * 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.
 * 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.

Voice Actors
all information on Po came from http://kungfupanda.wikia.com/wiki/Po
 * Japanese : Tatsuya Yamaguchi (First Film, Secrets of the Furious Five short & Second Film), Setsuji Sato (Third Film), Fuminori Komatsu (TV Series)
 * English : Jack Black (Films & Shorts), Mick Wingert (TV Series & Video Games)