Po/Biography

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In Kung Fu Panda Issue 1

"Po the Inmate"

Po and the Furious Five were led on a tour to evaluate the newly-designed Chorh-Gom Prison, where Po briefly embarrassed the Five by getting stuck in a cell. The new warden, like Vachir, was adamant about the prison's security, and about the added installments. Elsewhere, a rhino guard carelessly swung another onto a lever by accident, which resulted in the prison's mechanisms being triggered and Po, the Five, and the warden were trapped. After the warden tried kicking the door open and passed out, Po and the Five used their kung fu to fight off the Slaying Slicers (swinging, spiked rings) and the Bashing Beam (a gigantic falling mass of wood, which Po and Tigress worked together to hold up while the others reduced it to sawdust with the slicers).

In an effort to help, two guards from another room triggered the Logs of Lamentation to work as stairs for Po and the others to climb, and they did so, each taking turns in carrying and tossing the warden to one another like a hot potato before reaching a platform. However, stepping onto the platform only activated yet another trap as arrows were set off, targeted at them. Having an idea, Po reacted by jumping off, snapping one of the chains that helped hold the logs in the air, and kicking it up to serve as a shield for the arrows. Seeing this was effective, the Five followed his example with success. Po thanked the Five for their help, and a ladder was offered to them from the guards, who were alarmed when they heard a rumbling noise, thinking it was another trap, only to find was Po's stomach growling.

In Kung Fu Panda Issue 2

"Special Delivery"

Po was anticipating a package in the mail, but discovered that it was taken, along with the whole mail cart, by a gang of crows, and that such incidents had been happening a lot recently. To uncover the reason for this, Po had Mr. Ping take out a mail cart, while he hid inside and as expected, the crows appeared, and (with difficulty) carried the cart away. When they reached their destination, Po found himself in a palace surrounded by similar carts full of undelivered mail, and was soon confronted by a fox named Qinchu, the presumably the self-elected official of Mount Penglai. Qinchu told Po that he was trespassing and made no room for argument, declaring that he had worked hard to create order in the city by keeping outsiders out and residents in.

With that, he ordered his crows to throw Po out, and the panda was tossed down Mount Penglai. When he awoke from the painful fall, Po met the former official and his son, who had similarly been thrown down Mount Penglai. Po learned about Qinchu's takeover of the city as well as his goal to find the key to Mount Penglai, which was the reason for the hijacking of so many mail carts, as the key was always passed from one location to another so no one could ever know its exact whereabouts. In his quest for a "paradise" of order and organization, Qinchu aimed to use the key to lock the gates and isolate the city.

After hearing this, Po took action and crashed through the roof of the palace. He faced Qinchu in a showy display, and the fox stood before him unimpressed. After some back-and-forth banter, Po and Qinchu engaged in combat. This resulted in Po kicking Qinchu and throwing him down, where he then trapped the fox in a roll of carpet. He then told Qinchu it was about time he meet his "public", with the palace door opening to reveal many angry citizens of Mount Penglai, including the former-official and his son.

They took Qinchu and carried him away, resolving to have him thrown down the mountain himself. Later, the official's young son came to Po, joyfully showing him an action-figure in Po's likeness. It was the very package that Po had been looking forward to, but he decided instead to let the boy keep it, and then resolved to help deliver the rest of the missing mail.

"Pong"

Po was introduced to a young piglet named Pong, whom Master Shifu brought to Po as his new student. Pong was in awe upon meeting the panda, as he was a big fan of the Dragon Warrior. As Po worked with him in different exercises, Pong demonstrated his hero worship, as he quoted Po, showed excitement by touching the bamboo pole Po touched, was thrilled to be able to watch him sleep (while keeping him up), and used his sweat rag as a napkin. Po, fed up with this extreme behavior, snapped at the young pig to stop obsessing over everything he did and said, which resulted in Pong walking away with tears in his eyes.

Later, Po related the problem to the Furious Five, who were surprised and taken aback, and pointed out Po's similar "obsessive" behavior with them, from making paper maché replicas of them, trying on and ruining their uniforms, to wanting an autograph on a half-eaten dumpling. Po then regretted yelling at Pong, seeing he was only an excited and eager fan just as he himself was. Afterward, he visited Pong in his room and apologized. He explained that nothing was wrong with looking up to someone, but he also wanted Pong to find his own way and "be his own Pong", and the young pig, still a fan, agreed to keep learning from Po.

In Kung Fu Panda Issue 3

"It's Elemental!"

Legend told of a time when the world would be cast in darkness, and the five elements would assume physical forms to replace the current protectors. One day, a quintet of warriors claiming to be the elements came to the Jade Palace and demanded that Po and the Furious Five step aside and let them enter. Po refused, stood up to "Earth" and called on his comrades to attack. Unfortunately, Po had not informed the Furious Five of the planned attacked beforehand, and so they failed to get the cue. All six warriors were subsequently overwhelmed and captured.

As they were being marched back to the palace, Po and the Five assured the "elements" that they would not get away with this, as Master Shifu was still at the palace. They received a shock when Shifu, rather than attack the warriors, instead greeted them as honored guests. While Shifu continued to voice his praises for the elements, Po and the Five were bound to a post. When "Fire" got close to a questioning Monkey to demand respect, Po smelled a familiar scent. He noted that the flamingo smelled funny, and when Mantis agreed and stated Fire didn't smell like fire, Fire retaliated by shooting a flame over their heads.

At this point, Po realized what the scent was and became suspicious. The panda then told the Five that he had a plan. He used his weight to make the pole that he and the others were tied to come out from the ground, and shifted to hit the five warriors while still tied up. Soon released from the ropes, Po and Furious Five stood to do battle, declaring that they would never let the warriors enter the Jade Palace. "Metal" stepped forward, threatening Po with a giant blade, but was received with a kick in the back of the head by Shifu, who cued his students to attack. While they battled, Shifu told them that he knew he couldn't fight the five warriors by himself, so he had kept the enemy close until the Po and the others were free.

Po then told the others that the five warriors were not the real elements, even though each of them showed a demonstration of their elemental namesakes. Po had recalled the smell from Fire: sesame oil. The group of warriors attacked in response, and the battle resumed, the elements using fire, water, wooden spikes, and a metal sword to aid them as they fought. While battling Fire, he soon discovered the flamingo was indeed carrying a hidden supply of sesame oil to ignite his flames when he snapped a hidden pipe. This confirmed his suspicion that the Elements were imposers. Near the end of the battle, Po and Tigress worked together to take down Fire, "Water" and "Wood" by throwing each one on top of the other and knocking them all unconscious.

Soon all but one of the warriors were brought down, leaving Earth surrounded. When Po told him to reveal the truth, he revealed that they had meant to deceive them so that they would be allowed into the Jade Palace in order steal its priceless treasures. He demanded they stay back, and Mantis then appeared from behind and struck him with a powerful kick, and the tigard^[source?] fell. With the imposers tied up, Po and the Five uncovered how the group had made their "powers" by using sesame oil and hidden containers. Shifu ended with saying Earth was supposedly the "brains" of the operation, as Earth is considered the ultimate element according to the Wu Xing philosophy. Po remarked that the real elements would have been smarter, and would have done better kung fu.

In Kung Fu Panda Issue 4

"Best Friends For Never"

One afternoon, Po was eating in the noodle shop when the bowl of noodles was suddenly shoved into his face. When he recovered, he was shocked to recognize the laughing pig who had played the prank: Heng, his old childhood friend. Though Heng claimed that they had some good times together, Po remembered differently: when they were children, Heng was cruelly competitive towards the panda. When the Furious Five entered the noodle shop to bring Po back to the Jade Palace, Po introduced him to them. The introduction got off to a bad start when Heng misnamed the team as the "Fabulous Five" and attempted to flirt with Tigress, prompting her to floor him after he took her paw.

Some time later, Po and Heng conversed over dinner, during which Heng explained that after learning that Po had become the Dragon Warrior, he decided that he had to see for himself, and pulled out a diagram they had drawn as children of an obstacle course called the Infinite Obsta-Gauntlet Course of Trapishness. Po was stunned to discover that Heng had not only planned the course, but had also built it. Heng then proceeded to challenge Po to a race. Though at first reluctant, Po remembered Heng's past treatment of him and seized the opportunity to finally best him.

Thanks to his kung fu skills, Po maintained a steady lead throughout the course, and relished the fact that he was finally winning. However, during the last run to the finish line, the panda remembered a foot race Heng had won when they were children, and how Mr. Ping had warmly expressed his pride in Po's efforts, while Heng's parents had coldly admonished him for being "slow" despite his win. Po realized that Heng's competitiveness stemmed from a need to prove his self-worth, and in an act of compassion he pretended to trip mere meters from the finish line, allowing Heng to win.

Heng was ecstatic and slightly humble in his victory, but then revealed that due to the funds required to have the course built, he had lost his home and his money. Shocked, Po demanded why Heng would do such a thing, and the pig explained that when he learned that Po had become the Dragon Warrior, he became obsessed with proving that he could still beat him. Po told Heng that he didn't have to prove anything, and admonished him for treating everything as a competition. Realizing that Po was right, Heng bid him farewell, only to be stopped by the panda, who had an idea to help Heng get his home back.

And so, with the help of the Furious Five and Mr. Ping, they converted the obstacle course into a kid-friendly playground which promoted kung fu training. With the new course proving a lucrative success, Po told Heng that he would get his old house back in no time. Heng revealed that he wasn't going back to his old home, but was intending to buy a mansion even bigger than Po's. Po reminded him that he lived in the Jade Palace, with Heng asking him if it was for sale, much to the panda's annoyance.

"Let The Fur Fly"

One day, Po was summoned from the Noodle Shop to the Jade Palace for an emergency: Tigress had fallen seriously ill from the poison-tipped blade of a bandit's sword. Master Shifu explained that the only cure for the poison was the rare botongy plant, found only in the Forest of Isolation. The rest of the Furious Five weren't allowed to accompany Po, as it was against everything the forest stands for. Though initially reluctant to venture alone, being told that Tigress would not recover without his help convinced Po to agree to make the journey.

After a long journey through many hazardous locations, Po finally reached the Forest of Isolation, which was full of sticky mushrooms. Po quickly discovered the botongy plant, but was confronted by the Chinese Pangolin, the guardian of the forest. In reference to the Pangolin's claims that the greatest offense is a defense, his body was covered in plates, making physical blows useless and painful.

Po persisted, striking the Pangolin all over while drenching him in sticky mushroom goop. The arrogant Pangolin stood completely still during this, and questioned Po over his apparently futile attempts. Po explained that he had no intention of letting Tigress down, and that his blows were meant to disguise his true intentions; the Pangolin then grew aware that the sticky mushrooms in his plates had immobilized him. After commenting that the greatest offense was actually the ability to problem-solve, Po departed with the botongy plant.

Back at the Jade Palace, Shifu explained to Po that thanks to the botongy plant, Tigress was recovering. However, no matter how many times Shifu tried to explain, Tigress seemed convinced that the source of her illness was actually food poisoning from the dumplings Po had dropped some time ago. This resulted in a furious Tigress bursting from her room and chasing Po, who stated that he should have stayed in isolation.

In Kung Fu Panda Issue 5

"Discipline and Disorder"

At the beginning of the story, Po and Tigress were being chased by assassins in the Forbidden Forest. Their differing ideas over how to deal with the situation were complicated by the fact that they were stuck together with a Chinese finger trap, which frequently put them at odds with each other, particularly when Tigress attempted to use one of the flying arrows to cut through the finger trap, to which Po panicked and yanked it and Tigress away at the last second, as it was aimed to his foot. In exhausted despair, Po exclaimed that their being stuck together was tearing them apart.

The cause of their predicament had happened two days prior, when Shifu sent them on a mission to Wu Zhu Village on the other side of the Forbidden Forest, which was under threat from the warlord Mei. The two warriors traveled to the village and confronted Mei and her soldiers the next day. However, Mei's ability to suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke enabled her to outsmart Po and Tigress, and eventually put them in the finger trap, forcing them to flee.

Back in the present, Po and Tigress attempted to find a hiding spot, but were eventually forced to confront the pursuing soldiers. They attempted to fight them separately in their own way, which again was disastrous, and were only saved when Po accidentally yanked Tigress over a cliff and into the rapids below. After they emerged exhausted from the river, the two realized that they were failing because they both kept thinking that their way was best, and were working against each other instead of with each other. With that, they pushed their fingers together within the trap instead of pulling them apart, and were immediately released. Now free, Po and Tigress returned to the village and take Mei down.

They arrived just as Mei was forcing the mayor to sign a document giving her total control of the village. Shocked that they managed to escape her finger trap, Mei ordered her soldiers to attack. By combining their combat techniques, Po and Tigress effortlessly defeated them, leaving Mei to combat the two warriors alone. When her bladed fans and melee attacks failed, the fox resorted to her disappearing technique. However, Po could smell the egg rolls she had eaten on her breath, and swiftly knocked the warlord out. As Mei was taken into custody, Po and Tigress departed, with Tigress complimenting Po on his work and stating that she would stick with him any day.

In Kung Fu Panda Issue 6

"The Slow Fast"

One day, Po and the Furious Five were meditating while Shifu explained to them the concept of fasting. However, while the Five had successfully cleared their minds, Po was daydreaming about food. Shifu informed Po that while his kung fu skills had grown, so had his weight, and that he needed to discipline himself. The red panda then ordered him to fast for the next twenty-four hours, and the panda ran off in horror, with Mantis and Crane betting as to how long Po would last, while Tigress remarked that she believed Po could do the full twenty-four hours.

Meanwhile, Po fled in terror, first seeing his reflection in a pond morph into food, and ran into the forest in an attempt to escape temptation. However, he then walked into a berry bush, resulting in berries falling into his mouth that he avoided swallowing. Po then decided to sleep out the rest of the fast, but his snores shook the watermelon tree he was sleeping under, causing a watermelon to fall into his mouth. By spitting it out, he accidentally knocked the watermelon tree by doing so, and had to flee from the falling fruit. He then came to a nearby stream to take a drink, only to run away screaming after remembering that fasting involved avoiding food and drink.

Po managed to escape the forest, but his relief was short lived when he found himself in the Annual Dumpling Festival. Desperate, the panda resolved to take a vow of silence for the rest of the fast to keep any more food from going into his mouth. At that moment, a gang of bandits interrupted the Dumpling Eating Contest, and decided to take all the food, as well as the the prize for the contest, the golden dumpling. Though rendered speechless because of his vow of silence, Po took on the bandits. However, since weapons were not allowed at the festival (a rule the bandits broke), Po struggled to fight them, until he eventually defeated them and forced them to flee by using the enormous variety of food around him as improvised weapons.

With the bandits gone, the grateful citizens rewarded Po with the golden dumpling, but the mute panda gave them a note, explaining that he could not accept it because he did not and would not partake in the eating contest. Just then, Shifu and the Furious Five arrived, and Shifu informed Po that the fast was completed, and commended the panda for achieving discipline. Immediately after this, Po scarfed down all the dumplings and won the contest. Bemused, Shifu stated that he may have spoken too soon.

In Art of Balance

"The Art of Balance"

Po facing "himself"

Po had a dream about him and the Furious Five in a battle, but in the dream he was attacked by a sinister version of himself, and was soon awoken to find himself in the noodle shop with his head in a bowl of soup. Mr. Ping noticed his son's exhaustion, and Po replied that he wasn't yet used to the busy life he now had working in the restaurant and being the Dragon Warrior. Later on, he trained near the Jade Palace with Shifu, and was subsequently hit by the dummy he was fighting. Shifu questioned Po on why he was distracted, and Po told him about his dream, leaving Shifu to ponder.

Later, Po stumbled upon Kuo, who claimed to be a fan of Mr. Ping and his cooking skills. Seeing that the restaurant was packed, Kuo offered to help for free, Po hired Kuo on the spot, glad for the extra help. When Kuo entered the kitchen, he impressed Mr. Ping with his chopping skills, and asked the goose how to create the right consistency for the "Dragon Warrior's Soft Crunch Noodles". Mr. Ping humbly replied that it was a secret, after which Kuo stared angrily at him as he walked away.

Po practicing "Hing Kung"

At training the next day, Shifu explained to Po how Oogway had helped him find balance by learning Hing Kung, which appeared be a way to balance on fragile objects. After many failed attempts, Po gradually grew better, though still had not obtained perfect balance.

Kuo throwing knives at Po

Po returned to the shop to find Kuo holding Mr. Ping captive, demanding Po for his recipes and sharing how he'd failed in his own restaurants because of Mr. Ping's. Po tried to reason with Kuo, telling him that he had let his misfortunes imbalance him, though this resulted in Kuo angrily throwing a bundle of knives at the panda. Po then dodged and leaped, appearing to trod upon the knifes in the air. He then delivered a kick to Kuo, and then freed Mr. Ping, who thanked Po for saving him. Shifu then prevented Kuo from escaping, knocking him out, and then congratulated Po on finding his balance, as he had solved the problem he made as Po by being the Dragon Warrior.

"The Dragon Chef"

Mr. Ping was sick from the "goose flu", leaving Po to take care of the restaurant all day. Because of the overwhelming amount of customers, he enlisted the help of the Furious Five. Though the kung fu quintet tried to serve successfully, they failed to bring customers their food, instead getting it all over them. Soon, Mr. Ping recovered in time to help, cooking with incredible ease and speed. Po and the Five praised him, regarding him as the "Dragon Chef".