Shifu

From Kung Fu Panda Wiki

Species: Red Panda

Combat style: The 'Five Animal Styles' of Hung Gar Kung Fu

Voice actor: Dustin Hoffman

Summary: Master Shifu is the student of Oogway, and the trainer to all the greatest warriors in China, including Tai Lung, the Furious Five, and Po.

Biography

Shifu's early history is unknown at this time. What is known is that he was trained under Master Oogway at the Jade Palace in the art of Kung Fu, and was elevated to the rank of Master in the five animal styles of Hung Gar.

It is assumed that it was sometime after being granted the title of Master that Shifu heard the cries of an infant outside the Palace gates, where he discovered an abandoned Snow Leopard cub in swaddling cloth. He presumably adopted the cub, loving him as if he were his own son; granting him the name 'Tai Lung' and fulfilling the role of both father and teacher. He raised Tai Lung believing he would become the legendary Dragon Warior, constantly praising the young leopard's efforts and apparent skill, thus unknowingly boosting Tai Lung's growing pride. When the time came and Shifu presented his prize pupil to Oogway for judgement, the Grand Master dissapointed them both, saying Tai Lung was not the Dragon Warrior. Feeling betrayed by Shifu's reluctance to speak up in his defense, Tai Lung went on a furious rampage across the Valley Of Peace, ravaging the valley and its citizens before rushing back to the Palace to take the Dragon Scroll by force. Shifu attempted to stop the enraged leopard, but at a crutial moment he hesitated, unwilling to deliver a critical strike against the son he loved. Paying for his hesitation, Tai Lung knocked Shifu aside with a crushing blow to the hip, leaping up towards the Dragon Scroll only to be disabled by Oogway's paralyzing nerve strikes, and immoblizing the leopard. Suffering a shattered right hip and a broken heart, Shifu bowed to the wishes of his Master and oversaw the construction of the Chor Gom Prison in the frigid outskirts of Mongolia, where Tai Lung would spend the rest of his life in payment for his crimes against the Valley Of Peace. Bitter of heart, Shifu left Tai Lung under the watchful eye of Commander Vachir and the Anvil Of Heaven and went back to the Jade Palace, never to see Tai Lung again until a full two decades later.

It is unknown when and where exactly Shifu gained the members of the Furious Five, with the exception of Master Tigress; whom he adopted after being recruited by the matron of the Bao Gu Orphanage to help Tigress overcome her problems with her impatience and seemingly uncontrollable strength. Utilizing domino tiles, Shifu set to work taming the cub's untrained power, attempting to teach her grace and gentleness. Finally it paid off, and young Tigress learned the control she needed to safely interact with the other orphans. When the monthly adoption day came, the adults were still afriad of her and wouldn't take her, much to her dissapointment. It wasn't until the day's end when Shifu appeared once again, taking Tigress with him back to the Jade Palace and starting her training in the Tiger style of Hung Gar Kung Fu. Unwilling to make the same mistake he made with Tai Lung, he became distant and closed off to his students, driving them with vigorous training inside the newly revamped training hall-- the most challenging training hall ever designed so far. His distant attitude upset Tigress, who constantly craved his approval and drove herself to earn it by becoming the unofficial leader of the Furious Five.

Twenty years passed since Tai Lung was put in prison, with the Furious Five gaining great fame across China during that time. The relatively peaceful lull came to a halt when Master Oogway summoned Shifu, saying he had a vision of Tai Lung returning to the valley. In alarm, Shifu sent a messenger goose by the name of Zheng to Commander Vachir, with a letter ordering double security in hopes of preventing the vision from coming true. Oogway announced that it was now the time to choose the Dragon Warrior, and advised Shifu to prepare his students for the tournament that would take place for the purpose.

  Acting as the announcer on the day of the tournament, Shifu introduced each member of the Furious Five to the crowds that gathered to view the event, unaware that the time of the choosing would be inturrupted by the presence of a young Giant Panda named Po, a noodle maker's son who had accidentally been shut out of the tournement and was looking for any means to get inside the areana to watch. When the panda crashed the ceremony by landing in front of Oogway, just as the Tortise raised his hand to point out the Dragon Warrior, Shifu was outraged. He believed that Oogway was about to point to Tigress, and felt infuriated that a fat panda who appeared seemingly by accident was chosen over his own daughter who he had secretly hoped would be the one to be chosen. He determined that he would prove that Po wasn't the true Dragon Warrior by testing him-- if the panda bowed under the stress and left by the next morning, it would only prove it.  However, Po proved to be enthusiastic and determined, even under Shifu's sharp verbal barbs and his constant bumbling, only serving to make Shifu even more spiteful in the hope that he would discourage Po from staying. It was two days into the test when Zheng arrived back from Chor Gom with ominous news: Tai Lung had escaped and was coming back, just as Oogway had forseen.

Anxious, Shifu sought out Master Oogway under the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, relaying the bad news. Oogway accepted the news calmly, saying he had faith in Po as the Dragon Warrior and quietly admonished Shifu, telling him to be patient and nurture the panda instead of offering harshness. He then stated that his time had come, and that Shifu would have to continue without him. Oogway dissapeared in a shower of peach petels and light as he passed away, leaving Shifu with his beloved peachwood staff and a mountain of a problem to deal with. Realizing that Po was really their only hope in defeating Tai Lung, he went back to the barracks and announced the news of Tai Lung's escape and Master Oogway's passing to the Five and Po-- setting the palace in an uproar over it, causing Tigress and the Five to leave and try to stop Tai Lung on their own while Shifu tried to stop a panicing Po from leaving. The next morning, Shifu came back from his vigil under the now barren peach tree, only to discover that Po hadn't left after all and was currently tearing apart the kitchen and eating everything in sight in his agitation-- and preforming some tricks that should have been beyond the panda's abilities as he tried to reach food that was hidden or out of reach. Realizing that the key to teaching Po was through proper motivation-- food -- he proceeded to take Po to the Wu Dan mountains and started training Po in the art of Kung Fu in an entirely new way, climaxing in a fight of 'keep away' with a dumpling. When Po finally bested Shifu at the game, he knew that Po was ready to recieve the Dragon Scroll and revieve the unlimited power that came with it.

Upon returning to the Jade Palace, Shifu and Po were horrified to find that the Five had been badly beaten by Tai Lung, and were all paralyzed except for Crane, who was left to carry them back home as a warning. After reversing the nerve strike effects on his students, Shifu reassured them all that even though Tai Lung had gotten stronger, as the Dragon Warrior Po would beat him by attaining the power from the Dragon Scroll. Upon opening the scroll, however, it was revealed that it was blank.

With nothing else left to do, Shifu ordered Po and the Five to evacuate the valley, while he would stay behind and hold off Tai Lung long enough to make sure that everyone would be safe, even though he knew that it would most likely cost him his life. Preparing himself, he awaited Tai Lung's arrival, and when Tai Lung arrived the two engaged in violent combat. The battle was evenly matched for a long time, until Tai Lung renewed his vicious attacks on the aging Master, screaming accusations and taunts before demanding to be told of how pround Shifu was of him. Badly wounded and duely defeated, Shifu knew that this was his one last chance at making amends with his former son and student, and apologized; telling him that he was indeed proud of him, and that Shifu's pride had blinded him to what Tai Lung was becoming. After a moment of clear indicision, Tai Lung hardened his heart, proclaimed that he wasn't after an apology-- he still wanted the scroll. Upon seeing the scroll missing, the snow leopard nearly murdered Shifu before the timely arrival of Po saved him. Resting all during the ensuing battle that resulted in Po utilizing the legendary Wuxi finger hold on Tai Lung, Shifu is mistaken by Po as dying, to which he replied that he wasn't dying, but he had merely found peace after confronting his greastest mistakes. In the aftermath of the great battle, Shifu found it in himself to let go of the bitterness, and is slowly but surely opening himself back up to his students while continuing Po's training.

Powers and Abilities

Shifu is an extremely talented warrior, possesing the knowledge of various Kung Fu styles, as well as the mystical Wushi finger hold (which reportedly is the ability to affect a person's Chi and essentially make them implode), and knowledge of paralyzing nerve strikes that block the Chi in an opponent's body and disables them.