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Shifu

Physical attributes Species Red panda Gender Male Height Weight Eye color Blue Fur color Orange-brown and white Skin color Feather colors Scale colors Clothing Orange-brown robe; green shawl Other attributes Age Biographical information Also known as Master Shifu, "Shifu's-An-Idiot" (in "Fluttering Finger Mindslip") Status Living Residence(s) The Jade Palace in the Valley of Peace Occupation Kung Fu Master Grand Master of the Jade Palace Affiliation(s) The Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior Po Family Shirong (father) Tai Lung (adopted son) Tigress (foster daughter) Combat style The Five Animal Styles of Hung Ga Kung Fu Master(s) Oogway Student(s) Tai Lung The Furious Five Po Chronological information Films Kung Fu Panda Kung Fu Panda 2 Shorts Secrets of the Furious Five Kung Fu Panda Holiday Secrets of the Masters TV shows Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness Video games Kung Fu Panda: The Game Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors Kung Fu Panda 2: The Game Books Kung Fu Panda: Art of Balance First appearance Kung Fu Panda Last appearance Voiced by Dustin Hoffman (films & shorts)[1] Fred Tatasciore (video games[2] and TV series)[3]

“	Inner peace... Inner peace...	”
	—Shifu in his meditative stance, Kung Fu Panda

Master Shifu is the deuteragonist in the Kung Fu Panda series. He was the student of the late Master Oogway, and is the trainer to all the greatest warriors in China, including Po (the Dragon Warrior), the Furious Five, and Tai Lung.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early years 1.2 Training 1.3 Arrival of Tai Lung 1.4 In Secrets of the Furious Five 1.5 In Kung Fu Panda 1.6 In Legends of Awesomeness 1.7 In Kung Fu Panda Holiday 1.8 In Art of Balance 1.9 In Kung Fu Panda 2 1.10 In Secrets of the Masters 2 Personality 3 Fighting Style 4 Relationships 4.1 Oogway 4.2 Po 4.3 Tai Lung 4.4 The Furious Five 4.4.1 Tigress 4.5 Mr. Ping 4.6 Taotie 4.7 Junjie 4.8 Yao 4.9 His father 5 Clothing 6 Trivia 6.1 General 6.2 In development 6.3 In popular culture 7 Gallery 7.1 Images 7.2 Videos 8 Quotes 9 References

BiographyEdit

Early yearsEdit

The canonicity of this section is questionable. Information in this section may conflict with previous established canon.

It is known that Shifu departed his family to dedicate himself entirely to the duties of Kung Fu, as he said in Kung Fu Panda Holiday. However, in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Shifu explained that he was left at the Jade Palace as a young child by his father, Shirong. Before this, the two had traveled to other villages to sell fake amulets ever since he was a three-year-old boy. One day, when Shifu was twelve, his father dropped him off at the Jade Palace, promising to return in five minutes. Shifu waited for him until night came, and eventually Master Oogway found him and took him in.

TrainingEdit

As revealed in "Owl Be Back" from Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Shifu underwent training under Oogway's instruction as a member of the former Furious Five—alongside Fenghuang, the owl, later identified as the Dragon Warrior, a rooster, an elephant and a leopard. It is presumed that the Five eventually disbanded and went their separate ways some time after Fenghuang turned to evil and fled after failing to defeat Oogway. According to the audio commentary to the first movie, Shifu might have believed and hoped for a time in his youth that he was the Dragon Warrior. Yet when he learned this wasn't the case, and he believed he had failed his own expectation of himself, he vowed instead that he would bring up and train the Dragon Warrior on his own.

In Art of Balance, it was revealed that after becoming a master, Shifu became overwhelmed by the mass of new responsibilities that was placed upon him. As a result, Shifu became internally unbalanced (or, as Shifu himself stated, "trapped in transition"), and at one point, this resulted in him getting beaten up by a dummy on a rope. The stress soon became too much for Shifu and he removed his master's robe, preparing to quit Kung Fu and return to his old life. However, Oogway stopped him and kindly proceeded to teach him "hing kung", a discipline aimed at balance. Shifu succeeded in this training and learned an important lesson: true balance is attained not by allowing the weight of the world to control you, but by becoming weightless and taking control of the world. Shifu would then go on to teach this discipline to his future student Po.

Arrival of Tai LungEdit

It was presumably some time after becoming a master that Shifu had heard the cries of an infant outside the palace gates, where he discovered an abandoned snow leopard cub in swaddling cloth. He adopted the cub and granted him the name Tai Lung, loving him as if he were his own son and fulfilling the role of both father and teacher. He raised Tai Lung into believing he would become the Dragon Warrior, constantly praising the young leopard's efforts and apparent skill, thus unknowingly boosting Tai Lung's growing pride. When the time came many years later, Shifu presented his prize pupil to Oogway for judgment. The old Master disappointed them both when he said that Tai Lung could never be the Dragon Warrior.

Angered and 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 Jade Palace to take the Dragon Scroll by force. Shifu tried to stop Tai Lung and defeat him, but at a crucial 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, and leaped up towards the Dragon Scroll, only to be disabled by Oogway's paralyzing nerve strikes, and immobilizing him.

Suffering a shattered right hip and a broken heart, Shifu bowed to the wishes of Oogway and oversaw the construction of the Chorh-Gom Prison in the frigid outskirts of Mongolia, where Tai Lung had spent 20 years 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.

In Secrets of the Furious FiveEdit

It is unknown when and where exactly Shifu gained the members of the Furious Five. The exception is Tigress, whom he adopted after being recruited by the matron of the Bao Gu Orphanage to help her overcome her problems with her temper 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 afraid of her and wouldn't take her, much to her disappointment. 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 Ga 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.

In Kung Fu PandaEdit

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 Oogway summoned Shifu, saying that he had a vision of Tai Lung returning to the Valley of Peace. In alarm, Shifu sent a messenger goose by the name of Zeng 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 interrupted by the presence of a portly panda named Po, a noodle maker's son who had accidentally been shut out of the tournament and was looking for any means to get inside the arena to watch. When Po crashed the ceremony by landing in front of Oogway, just as the tortoise 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 "flabby panda" who appeared seemingly by accident was chosen over his own foster daughter whom he had secretly hoped would be the Dragon Warrior.

He determined that he would prove that Po wasn't the true Dragon Warrior by testing him; if he 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 become even more spiteful in the hope that he would discourage Po from staying. It was two days into the test, and the distraught Shifu desperately meditated for inner peace. He was soon interrupted by Zeng, who had just arrived back from Chorh-Gom Prison with ominous news: Tai Lung had escaped and was coming back, just as Oogway had foreseen.

Anxious, Shifu sought out Oogway under the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, relaying the bad news. Oogway accepted the news calmly, saying that 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 disappeared in a shower of peach petals and light as he passed away, leaving Shifu with his beloved peach-wood staff and a mountain of a problem to deal with.

Realizing 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 Oogway's death to the Furious Five and Po. The news instantly set them in an uproar, making Tigress and the other Five leave the palace to try and stop Tai Lung on their own while Shifu attempted to stop a panicking Po from leaving. This led to an argument with Po, who reminded Shifu that he was trying to get rid of him since he arrived. Shifu admitted this, but pointed out that Po had chosen to stay despite this. However, in doing so, Shifu learned that Po had a more profound handicap: He was burdened with a deep self-loathing and considered himself a fat failure. Faced with a student so physically and spiritually burdened, Shifu soon began to share Po's doubts that he could train him into the Dragon Warrior.

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 performing 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 lifted the giant panda's spirits by simply asserting he had faith in him for the attempt. With that accomplished, Shifu 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, and then demonstrated his emotional growth by declining to eat it as a sign of his overcoming his psychological dependence on food, he knew that Po was ready to receive the Dragon Scroll and revive the unlimited power that came with it.

Upon returning to the Jade Palace, Shifu and Po were horrified to find that the Furious 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, the Dragon Warrior (Po) would beat him by attaining the power from the Dragon Scroll. However, upon opening the scroll, it was revealed that it was blank.

With nothing else left to do, Shifu told Po and the Furious Five to evacuate the Valley. He would stay behind and hold off Tai Lung long enough to make sure that everyone would be safe, even though he knew that the price would cost him his life. Preparing himself, he awaited Tai Lung's arrival, and when the leopard showed up, the two engaged in violent combat. The fight 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 proud Shifu was of him. Badly wounded and 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 indecision, Tai Lung hardened his heart and grasped his master by the throat tightly, proclaiming that he wasn't after an apology — he still wanted the scroll. Upon seeing the scroll missing, he nearly strangled and killed 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 was mistaken by Po to be dying, but he had merely found peace after confronting his greatest mistakes. In the aftermath of the great fight, Shifu has found it in himself to let go of his bitterness, and is slowly, but surely, opening himself back up to his students while continuing Po's training.

In Legends of AwesomenessEdit

"The wise and sage master of the Jade Palace, Shifu is the gatekeeper to many of the legendary secrets of kung fu and acts as a mentor to Po and the Furious Five. Whether it be teaching the Five new kung fu moves or guarding the many mystical artifacts within the Jade Palace, Shifu's toughest job has always been keeping his temper in check when dealing with Po's latest misadventures."^[4]

Throughout the series, Shifu is generally enigmatic and calm, but on rare occasions, he shows a playful side. He was seen playing with the action figures of his Kung Fu hero in one episode and also asked Po to teach him how to loosen up in another episode. Shifu was also seen dancing for the first time (which was a plot to take off the chains that Temutai placed on him to prevent his escape).

In Kung Fu Panda HolidayEdit

Shifu came by Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop to inform Po that he would be hosting the Winter Feast at the Jade Palace, much to his delight. Po presumed that there would dancing and sun-lanterns at the event, but Shifu corrected him by stating that the feast was traditionally and strictly formal, to which Po quickly agreed. Suddenly, a pig ran up to warn Po that a group of boar bandits were currently attacking the Valley. While Po ran off to help the Furious Five with the bandits, Shifu politely excused himself from Mr. Ping's shop.

Once Po was finished with the bandits, Shifu began to explain to him the myriad of responsibilities and instructions involved with the Winter Feast at the Jade Palace. These burdened Po, but he tried suggesting that he invite his father to the feast, only for Shifu to refuse him, noting how guests were not allowed. Though he could understand wanting to spend a holiday with his father, Shifu reminded Po that he still had his duties as the Dragon Warrior.

When it came to hiring a chef to cater to the feast, Po dismissed them all and failed to convince his father to help. Therefore, Po was left to prepare everything for the feast all by himself. Eventually, he came to enlist the help of the Furious Five in finishing the preparations on time, right up to Shifu's exact specifications. But when Po was finally seated with the other Kung Fu masters at the Jade Palace, he found that he couldn't enjoy the ceremony (as much as he admired the Kung Fu heroes present) and he explained to them his own traditions of having fun with his family. He promptly left the palace to assist his father in cooking at the restaurant. Shifu began to panic that Po would completely skip out on the Jade Palace's formal feast and pleaded somebody to do something; a goose singer amateurishly tried to sing, only making Shifu groan.

The Five and all the other masters, moved by Po's loyalty, made their way to the Noodle Shop to celebrate the holiday with him. Shifu followed them, grumbling about how Po ruined something so perfect. But upon seeing the happy celebration in the shop, Shifu came to appreciate Po's decision, and Po invited him inside, telling him that he was part of his family as well.

In Art of BalanceEdit

Shifu was teaching Po with a dummy hung from a rope when the panda was knocked down, appearing to be distracted. The red panda goes on to ask what was distracting him, and Po responds by saying he had a dream about "another self" who knew his moves before he made them. Shifu ponders about the dream until the next day, when Shifu teaches him balance. He begins by telling him about when Oogway taught it to him.

Shifu goes on to say that they'll be practicing "Hing Kung" which is balancing on fragile objects. Po appeared to be getting better at the art, but still was lacking balance, and at one point was 'flung' into a tree by a vase, much to Shifu's surprise and exasperation. Shifu was also taken aback when he learned that Po mistook him for a raccoon, and eventually decided to call it a day. That night, Po returns to the noodle shop to find his father being held hostage by an antelope named Kuo. Shifu witnesses Po beat the antelope by balancing on the knives Kuo throws at him. After Shifu stops Kuo from making a silent getway (by tossing him into a wall) he congratulates Po on finding inner balance, and informs him of a crisis at Crescent Ridge where the Five needs his assistance. As Po runs off, Mr. Ping asks if he has any interest working at the restaurant, and Shifu responds, "None whatsoever."

In Kung Fu Panda 2Edit

At the beginning of the film, Shifu summoned Po to the Dragon Grotto, where he was seen meditating. Once Po had arrived, Shifu started their lesson off by demonstrating one of Oogway's final teachings about inner peace. By using slow tai chi movements, Shifu took a small water drop that dripped from one of the cave's stalactites and carefully moved it onto the leaf of a nearby plant without breaking the droplet. Po was amazed by this technique, and Shifu stated how inner peace allowed one to do the seemingly-impossible. He continued by explaining how inner peace could be achieved through various ways. He shared with Po that he had learned it through pain and suffering, which he said he endured from the events with Tai Lung and Oogway's selection of Po as the Dragon Warrior, calling it "the worse day of [his] life." But then he added that he eventually came to realize that it wasn't Po that was the problem, but instead within himself. When he allowed himself to come to that realization after Po had defeated Tai Lung, he was able to "harness the flow of the universe" and achieve inner peace. Just as he and Po were about to begin practicing the lesson, Tigress arrived with news of the Musician Village being raided by wolves. Shifu allowed Po to go with the Furious Five and protect the village.

After returning the next day, Shifu read to them a message he received from Gongmen City, stating how Master Thundering Rhino had been killed by a weapon that "breathes fire and spits metal". Shifu immediately feared this was the work of Lord Shen, and that he and his weapon must be stopped or it would be the end of Kung Fu. He then told Po to take the Five and travel to Gongmen City to stop Lord Shen and destroy the weapon. But when Po hesitated, asking Shifu how Kung Fu could stop something that stopped Kung Fu, Shifu again reminded him that "anything is possible when you have inner peace." And with that, Po left with the Furious Five.

Later, while meditating in the grotto again, Shifu sensed something was wrong and nearly collapsed just after Po had been blasted back in Gongmen City. Though he wasn't seen doing so, he traveled to the city and convinced Masters Storming Ox and Croc to leave their cell and help Po and the Five fight against Lord Shen and his forces. All three Kung Fu masters did so, and with their help, Po and the Five were able to fight off a good majority of Shen's forces. But their success convinced Lord Shen to ruthlessly fire one of his cannons at the wreckage of boats the masters had created, which exploded everything and everyone in front of him. The masters were all left floating on pieces of the remaining wreckage in the harbor, all hope seemingly lost. Shifu saw Po climb up onto a piece of floating timber and face Shen's fleet, seemingly trying to sacrifice himself to save his friends.

He was then astonished when he saw that Po was instead using the movements of Master Oogway's teaching of inner peace to catch Shen's cannonfire and redirect it back towards his fleet. After Po defeated Shen, he congratulated Po on finding inner peace "at such a young age", which he added sourly. But Po then told him he had a great teacher. He then attempted to hug Shifu, only for him to mysteriously reappear behind him. Shifu and the other masters stayed for the city's celebration and watched as fireworks decorated the golden sky.

In Secrets of the MastersEdit

Presumably checking on the new Masters' Council exhibit before opening, Shifu found that Po had broken in early with Tigress and Mantis. Excusing the two Furious Five members, he assigned Po the task of repaving the ceiling the panda had broken to get in.

PersonalityEdit

Master Shifu was seen as a loving father and devoted teacher to a young Tai Lung when the cub first showed up. But, after Tai Lung broke his heart, he became distant, a strict and mean taskmaster, and somewhat heartless. It wasn't until Po saved his life and brought the old master peace that he began to let go of the past and open up to his students once again by defeating Tai Lung. This includes Tigress, whom he adopted as his foster daughter at the Bao Gu Orphanage after teaching her self-control.

He also appears to have a bit of a devious side backed up by a cruel sense of humor. This shows numerous times during Po's initial training as Shifu seems to take delight in trying to drive the bumbling panda away, slowly turning up the heat with every challenge he gives Po and chuckling to himself all the way through.

Shifu also often exhibited sarcasm. This is seen when he rebukes the Furious Five to be "doing well if they were trying to disappoint him" when they failed to defeat him in a training session earlier in the film, and when he says to Po regarding the existence of a "Level Zero" when Po failed at his first day of training.

He was also very objective in terms of obedience to his master, following closely Oogway's every word. He exhibited this when he did nothing regarding his master's rejection of his beloved student Tai Lung as the Dragon Warrior, and also when he was forced to fight (albeit half-heartedly) Tai Lung when he tried to get the Dragon Scroll for himself. This seemingly strong sense of obedience and objectivity proved to be one of his strongest characteristics, as when he decided to believe and train Po to become the Dragon Warrior due to Oogway's final instructions.

Meditative, perceptive, and creative, Shifu approached Kung Fu and teaching with dynamism. These traits effectively enabled him to see the key to training Po, as seen when instead of reprimanding the latter regarding his "food outbursts", he simply used this knowledge to develop Po's instinctive "food skills" into tremendous Kung Fu strength, thus paving the way to defeat Tai Lung and ultimately lending a hand in bringing peace to himself.

Despite his former hard heart, Shifu does have a sense of humor. Such as in the credits, he is seen laughing at the way Tigress was acting, seeing she seemed to have tried Po's cooking, and had a noodle hanging on her lip. He even was able to chuckle at the name that Taotie gave to Crane when he was brainwashed, which was "El Storko".

Since the events of the first film, Shifu seemed to be a much warmer and more understanding master. He was beginning to show a bit of a gentler nature reflecting that of Oogway's. His attitude had also changed drastically towards Po — while Po's antics still befuddle and frustrate him, he seems to have faith in the panda and a growing confidence in his abilities after underestimating him so many times. For instance, in Secrets of the Furious Five, he assigned Po to teach him the introduction to Kung Fu, expecting him to struggle at such a mature task, only to find the panda excels at it. Furthermore, Shifu was shown in the holiday special when he assigned Po to host, cook for, and basically direct the preparation for the refined Winter Feast, and exhibited great pride in him when the task was done.

He still seems to struggle a bit with the mention "illusion of control". He wants everything to run perfectly for the Feast, seemingly adamant that the duties and traditions of Kung Fu are above all others in a warrior's life. And, just when Shifu is praising Po on such exemplary preparation for the Winter Feast, he is beyond shocked when the panda suddenly takes his leave. This is followed by a moment of panic that the smooth course of the evening has been disrupted, and the evening is seemingly ruined. It isn't until he goes down to the noodle shop and sees the joyous gathering for himself that he comes to appreciate Po's unorthodox decision.

Yet, while still holding firm to the (formal) traditions of the feast, Shifu's devious side is still apparent — this time, in favor of aiding Po rather than torturing him. This shows when Shifu prompts Po to recite the opening words of the Creed of the Masters, to which Po couldn't bring himself to do from the guilt of leaving his father. Shifu then quietly mentions to him that he had a feeling he would forget the words, so he wrote them on Po's napkin.

Although he had been elevated to Oogway's position as spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, Shifu was a few steps shy of enlightenment. Though he tried his best, he strained under the pressure and responsibilities of stepping into such big shoes. Sometimes, Po's antics could still send his old master searching for calm in a cup of hot tea and a meditative chant of "Inner peace... Inner peace..."^[5] Regardless, since Shifu's final confrontation with Tai Lung, he has shown to have become emotionally healthier, so as indicated by his straightened posture and his more serene attitude after years of bitterly hunching over when on his feet.

Fighting StyleEdit

Small, fast, and cunning, Master Shifu is an extremely talented warrior. As the master of the Jade Palace, Shifu's abilities could possibly rival those of his own master Oogway, who was considered by many to be the greatest master in Kung Fu history. Shifu's first loss to Tai Lung was due to the fact that he couldn't bring himself to hurt his former adopted son. Although Tai Lung defeated him a second time during their rematch, it was through considerable effort that Shifu was able to hold him off long enough for Po to arrive and defeat him. Tai Lung was the only known Kung Fu practitioner who has defeated Shifu in battle.

Although he is small, Shifu is a powerhouse, moving faster than any challenger. In the first film, Shifu was able to simultaneously fend off the entire Furious Five without any effort. His ability came from focus and precision, exerting maximum force with minimal effort. The smaller the move, the more devastating it could be.

Shifu was trainer to all the great warriors in the land. Possessing the knowledge of many Kung Fu styles (his signature move of the mystical Wuxi Finger Hold and paralyzing nerve strikes that blocks the chi in an opponent's body and disables them), Shifu was a force to be reckoned with. Shifu's elusiveness borders on the mystical. He is capable of appearing where he's least expected within the blink of an eye.^[5]

Shifu was seen walking with a slight limp, due to his trying to stop Tai Lung's first attempt at taking the Dragon Scroll. It was shown in the first film that Tai Lung broke Shifu's right leg, or possibly his hip. This caused permanent damage to Shifu, proven by his limp. However, Shifu has been seen kicking with this leg in battle often and does not seem bothered by this.

Shifu was also known for his amazing sense of hearing, possibly due to his large ears. In the first film, he was able to hear Po ransacking in the barracks kitchen all the way from the Peach Tree Hill.

Though the Wuxi Finger Hold is Shifu's signature move, he has never been seen fully using it, only having readied it once as a warning to Po. However, a common move Shifu has involves leaping up at his attacker and rapidly kicking them, and while they are recovering, grabbing the attacker and flinging them away. He did this twice in the first film, when he sparred with Po and when he fought Tai Lung.

RelationshipsEdit

OogwayEdit

Oogway took Shifu in and raised him from the age of 12 when Shirong left him on the steps of the Jade Palace after falsely promising to come back in 5 minutes.

Shifu was a very loyal student to Oogway, whom he greatly respected as both a mentor and a friend. In general, Shifu was dedicated to his master and rarely argued with his wisdom, no matter how eccentric it might have seemed to him. However, they disagreed on who the Dragon Warrior should be. On the day of the tournament when the Dragon Warrior was to be chosen from among the Furious Five in the first movie, Oogway told Shifu that the chosen one would not only bring peace to the Valley, but to Shifu as well. When the time came for the choice to be made, Shifu thought that Oogway was going to choose Tigress until Po fell in front of her. Oogway took this as a sign from the universe and named Po the Dragon Warrior. Shocked, Shifu argued that Po's arrival was all an accident, but Oogway replied, "There are no accidents."

Unable to go against Oogway's wishes directly, Shifu tried scaring Po off in the hope that Oogway would choose one of his students instead. But Po didn't leave, and Oogway still didn't change his mind. Things went from bad to worse when Shifu learned that Tai Lung was free and coming for revenge. Oogway, however, encouraged Shifu that Po could defeat Tai Lung if he would believe in him. Shifu promised that he would try, and sensing his time had come, Oogway handed Shifu his staff before he ascended into the Heavens. Shifu kept the staff, as well as his promise. He trained Po and soon came to believe he really was the Dragon Warrior. And after Po defeated Tai Lung, Shifu saw that Oogway's prophecy about him had come true.

PoEdit

In the first film, Shifu disliked Po until realizing his true potential. Shifu believed that Po becoming the Dragon Warrior was an accident and did everything in his power to get rid of him. But no matter how much Shifu insulted or intimidated him, Po still stuck with his training. Before Oogway told him to believe in the panda, Shifu basically tortured Po by forcing him to go through several brutal training matches with the Furious Five and himself, in an attempt to scare him off, becoming more and more infuriated when his attempts failed. Ironically, when Po did run away after learning that Tai Lung had escaped, Shifu stopped him after Oogway had told him to believe in Po before passing away.

Soon after, Shifu discovered that the best way to teach Kung Fu to Po was to use food as motivation. During an intense period of training in the Wu Dan Mountains, they formed a bond, and by the time they returned to the Jade Palace, Shifu believed that Po was ready to receive the Dragon Scroll. But when the scroll turned out to be blank, he was unwilling to send Po to fight Tai Lung, who has escaped from prison recently.

Shifu ordered Po to evacuate the Valley with the Furious Five while he fought Tai Lung himself. Even though Po was afraid Shifu would be killed, he did as he was told, but once he realized the true secret of the Dragon Scroll, he returned to the palace just in time to save Shifu's life. After Po defeated Tai Lung, Shifu found that the Dragon Warrior had indeed fulfilled Oogway's prophecy to bring peace to the Valley, and to him.

They now stand as good friends, with only the occasional quarrel. Though Shifu has accepted Po, he continues to show some impatience with the panda, and later stated in Kung Fu Panda 2 that the day Po was chosen as Dragon Warrior was the worst day of his life, and that "nothing else came close" (though this was likely an exaggeration). However, Shifu also noted that Po had not been the real cause of his turmoil, but his own expectations and presumptions. He also appeared to be slightly jealous that Po had mastered inner peace at such a young age, though he was deeply impressed at Po's incredibly swift mastery of such serenity and how he used it to defeat Lord Shen.

Tai LungEdit

Shifu's first student — both his greatest success and worst mistake — was Tai Lung. Shifu found him as a cub, raised him as his son, and trained him in Kung Fu. During all this time, Shifu expressed nothing but love and pride in his student, not realizing that he was creating a monster until it was too late. When Tai Lung was denied the Dragon Scroll, Shifu had to stop him from taking the scroll by force, but could not bring himself to harm him. Tai Lung, however, did not hesitate to shatter Shifu's hip. He was halted by Oogway's nerve strike attack, and Shifu was forced to put Tai Lung in prison for the rest of his life.

For the next twenty years, Shifu was tormented by the memory of Tai Lung and tried not to repeat the same mistakes with his other students. Then one day, Oogway told Shifu that he had seen a vision foretelling Tai Lung's return. Shifu took steps to prevent this, but it was all in vain as Tai Lung broke free of his prison and set out once more to take the Dragon Scroll. This time, Shifu did not hesitate to face Tai Lung in combat, but he was no match for his opponent's rage. Even when Shifu broke down, admitted his mistakes and apologized for them, Tai Lung still demanded the scroll and would've killed him for it if Po hadn't arrived in time.

The Furious FiveEdit

The Furious Five were trained by Shifu as his students. Each of them attained the rank of master and won many battles, but none of them could win the one thing they all wanted: Shifu's approval and love. After his failure with Tai Lung, Shifu became a harsh and strict teacher to prevent history from repeating itself, but this only made his students feel inferior (as well as greatly pressured) and he drove them to try even harder to please him. They even went so far as to confront Tai Lung together, only to be defeated. It was then that Shifu showed emotional attachment to the Five and concern for their well-being. When he ordered them to evacuate the Valley, they were willing to do so, and it was at this time that Shifu admitted he was proud of them all.

TigressEdit

When Tigress was very young, she was adopted by Shifu. As her new fatherly figure — and possibly the only person unafraid of her and who hadn't regarded her as a monster — she was always eager to please him. But Shifu's stern and bitter personality disheartened her, always making her feel like her efforts weren't enough. She worked hard at her Kung Fu training to make him proud, and perhaps wished to become the Dragon Warrior herself as a means to do so. Though she failed in achieving the title, and in defeating Tai Lung, Shifu declared he was proud of all his students, including Tigress, before parting with them on what they thought would be their last meeting.

Tigress obeyed his orders to evacuate the Valley without question, even in knowing her master and foster father would likely lose his life. At the end of the first film, however, Shifu finally accepted her after he had attained inner peace due to Po's efforts of defeating Tai Lung. A scene during the end credits showed Tigress at the kitchen table with a noodle dangling from her upper lip, imitating Shifu in the similar way Po had done in the first film, and the red panda was seen to be laughing at the display.

Mr. PingEdit

Shifu once needed to see Po on the account of the Winter Festival at the Jade Palace. Mr. Ping tried to tell Shifu that they where decorating the noodle shop, but Shifu appeared not to have heard this. Before he and Po headed over to the Jade Palace, Shifu briefly said his farewells to Mr. Ping. Later on, Shifu had seen Mr. Ping's noodle shop and everyone having a good time at it. After being persuaded by Po to enter, Mr. Ping greeted him by saying, "It's good to see you, Master Shifu."

In the Legends of Awesomeness episode "Master Ping", Shifu wholly welcomed Mr. Ping as a guest to the Jade Palace on account of his demolished noodle shop, despite Po's qualms. However, once he overstayed his welcome and caused all sorts of chaos about the Palace, he declared to Po that the old goose must instead take up residence at a boarding house in the Valley. It became evident at this time, however, that Shifu felt relatively horrible about kicking Mr. Ping out, and in turn helped Po and the Five rebuild the noodle shop.

TaotieEdit

In Legends of Awesomeness, it was revealed in "Sticky Situation" that Shifu used to be very good friends with Taotie. While Taotie wasn't very good at doing Kung Fu, Shifu was an extremely skilled fighter. This made Taotie become very jealous of Shifu, and his dismissal from the Jade Palace caused him to go insane and build a giant new machine to destroy Shifu.

JunjieEdit

In Legends of Awesomeness, it is shown that Shifu, Junjie, and Chao trained together under Master Oogway at the Jade Palace. When the time came, Shifu was chosen instead of Junjie to be the master of the Palace. Chao and Junjie left for the Sacred Onyx Council, but Junjie held a powerful grudge against Shifu for being chosen.

He has tried multiple times to destroy Shifu and take over the palace. His first try was in "Sight for Sore Eyes", when Junjie tricked Po and caused him to fail his and the Five's performance on the Seven Forms. Chao, believing Shifu wasn't responsible as a master, dismissed him. Junjie took control, banishing the Five and Po and capturing Shifu upon his return, intending to destroy him. He was stopped by Po and sent to Chorh-Gom Prison with his leopard followers.

In "Ghost of Oogway", he returned disguised as Oogway's ghost, causing tension between Po and Shifu to the point where Shifu left the palace. Junjie returned to take the palace once more, but Shifu returned to stop him. In the battle, it was Po that finally beat him (though by accident). It is presumed that Junjie and his followers were once again sent to prison.

YaoEdit

Shifu is quite possibly Master Yao's most loyal fan, and reveres him deeply. In "My Favorite Yao ", the red panda gets into a tizzy when Yao is brought into the Valley for a visit and - despite insisting to his students that he must be left alone in his box - can't resist breaking that very rule to see his hero. Shifu is refered as the name "Fuzzy" by this master. Once this results in Yao gallivanting around the Valley, Shifu does everything in his absolute power to keep him safe and within sight with Po's help after asking for it meekly. He is even willing to let go of his dignity enough to dance when he finds out how much it means to Yao, and promises the goat master that he will follow his teachings to live every day to its fullest.

His fatherEdit

Shifu was abandoned by his father as a child, and has had a history of being conned by him and played as a "sucker" whenever his father returned to the Jade Palace to visit. When he appeared in Legends of Awesomeness Shifu ordered him to leave, still upset about the past as well as Shirong's habit of making up words. However, after some convincing from Po, Shifu let him stay for one night, but warned Po and the Furious Five to keep their precious valuables safe.

Later when Shirong was found gone, Shifu did not believe he was kidnapped, thinking it was simply another con. Regardless, he chose to rescue him. Before he left, Po gave him a special locket which belonged to Shirong, which held inside a picture of Shifu as a child. When he went to rescue his father, Shifu found out it was indeed a con, but intended for Po. At first, Shirong left his son to be Tong Fo's prisoner, but came back to save him, the two fighting side by side.

After returning to the palace, Shirong remarked that he was correct all those years ago when he left Shifu, as it was a better home than any he could have offered, though Shirong added that he also left him because he "was a jerk". Shifu then handed the locket to his father and revealed that he changed the picture with one of him and his father together as adults. They hugged each other and Shirong departed, but when Po said he got all his coins back from Shirong, Shifu was surprised, and checked his coin purse. He saw that his father stole all his money, as he would expect him to do, and Shifu smiled as he watched him go.

ClothingEdit

Shifu is most often seen wearing a reddish-burgundy robe with a brown-colored sash. The robe has golden wave designs on the silver cuffs, as well as oval patterns on the back of the sleeves. The simplistic design of the robe is said to resemble dedication to a simple lifestyle.^[6] He also wears closed-toed sandals, traditional Shaolin leg wraps around his ankles and lower legs, and a ring-like item that holds together his small goatee.

According to The Art of Kung Fu Panda, the colors Shifu wears of white, orange, and brown are symbolic of honor, energy, and dedication — a mirror of Shifu's traits.^[7]

In Kung Fu Panda Holiday, Shifu wears a silver shawl with faint snowflake designs laced into it. This garment goes over his regular clothing and is kept closed by a golden clasp. Shifu also wears a hat similar to the others at the palace feast.

Because Shifu has stepped up and taken over Oogway's old position as Master and spiritual adviser of the Jade Palace, he is seen wearing a jade green shawl kept closed by a golden clasp with an insignia on the back, much like his silvery winter shawl, and similar to one that Oogway wore before his passing. The sleeves of his standard burgundy robe appear to have been re-sewn with the same jade material in place of the silver. His belt also has been replaced with jade material and golden lining. The addition of this green wrap adds the symbolism of wisdom and peace to Shifu's aforementioned color scheme.^[8]

TriviaEdit

GeneralEdit

• Shifu's name is, appropriately enough, the English approximation of the Chinese word for "master" (simplified Chinese: 师傅^?; traditional Chinese: 師傅; pinyin: shīfù).
• In Kung Fu Panda World, Shifu reveals that he had once mistaken sneezing powder for hair growth potion, probably meaning that he is losing fur.
• In the prequel comic Art of Balance, it is revealed that Po mistook Shifu for a raccoon. After Shifu corrected him Po asked if being a red panda meant that they were related, to which Shifu replied; "At best, distantly."^[9]

In developmentEdit

• Early in story development, Shifu was created as a red panda because he was Po's adoptive father.^[7]
• According to a video interview, Shifu had a nose more like that of a realistic red panda early in character development. Upon seeing the design, Shifu's voice actor Dustin Hoffman determined that he didn't like it, and Shifu was redesigned with his final, smaller nose.^[source?]
• Shifu was originally designed to be much older, possessing a more exaggerated hump, a wrinkled face, and jagged teeth. His age was ultimately reduced a bit to allow the character more activity.^[source?]
• At one point in the production of Kung Fu Panda 2, character designer Nicolas Marlet also designed red foxes to serve as part of the population of China. They were eventually taken out because of their "slight resemblance to Master Shifu."^[10]

In popular cultureEdit

• Spoof characters of Shifu and Po appeared in the MAD episode "Are You Karate Kidding Me?" as school bullies who pick on Dre Parker. Shifu doesn't talk in the episode, and thus, he has no voice actor.^[11]

GalleryEdit

ImagesEdit

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VideosEdit

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QuotesEdit

"Well done, students — if you were trying to disappoint me." —Shifu to the Furious Five after a training session, Kung Fu Panda "You know the hardest part of this? The hardest part... is cleaning up afterwards. (chuckles)" —Shifu to Po when first holding him in the Wuxi Finger pose, Kung Fu Panda "There is now a Level Zero." —Shifu to Po after watching him fail the training course, Kung Fu Panda "I have always been proud of you. From the first moment I've been proud of you. And it was my pride that blinded me. I loved you too much to see what you were becoming, what I was turning you into. I'm... I'm sorry." —Shifu to Tai Lung, Kung Fu Panda "Each generation teaches the next one, and so the art of Kung Fu lives on in you and now in these, uh... delightful children." —Shifu to Po, Secrets of the Furious Five "You are not a monster... you're just a little girl." —Shifu to young Tigress upon first meeting her, Secrets of the Furious Five

"Teaching Kung Fu is an art that takes years to master. Do not be disappointed if you have failed." —Shifu to Po, Secrets of the Furious Five "What goes on in your head I really don't always understand, but what goes on in your heart will never let us down." —Shifu to Po, Kung Fu Panda Holiday Shifu: "Po, the day you were chosen as Dragon Warrior... was the worst day of my life. By far. Nothing else came close. It was the worst, most painful, mind-destroying, horrible moment--" Po: "Okay!..." Shifu: "--I had ever experienced. (shivers) But once I realized the problem not you, but within me, I found inner peace and was able to harness the flow of the universe." —While speaking to Po in the Dragon Grotto, Kung Fu Panda 2 "If you are truly at peace, you can do anything." —Shifu, Kung Fu Panda 2 "Remember, Dragon Warrior: Anything is possible when you have inner peace." —Shifu to Po, Kung Fu Panda 2

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ReferencesEdit

Kung Fu Panda franchise
Media Feature films Kung Fu Panda  •  Kung Fu Panda 2 Shorts / Specials Secrets of the Furious Five  •  Kung Fu Panda Holiday  •  Secrets of the Masters TV Series Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness Video games Kung Fu Panda: The Game  •  Legendary Warriors  •  Kung Fu Panda 2: The Game Books The Art of Kung Fu Panda  •  The Art of Kung Fu Panda II  •  Art of Balance  •  Kung Fu Panda Comic #1  •  Kung Fu Panda Comic #2  •  Kung Fu Panda Comic #3  •  Kung Fu Panda Comic #4
Characters Main Characters Po  •  Master Shifu  •  Tai Lung  •  Master Oogway Furious Five Master Tigress  •  Master Crane  •  Master Monkey  •  Master Viper  •  Master Mantis Other Characters Mr. Ping  •  Zeng  •  Commander Vachir
Cast Main Characters Jack Black  •  Dustin Hoffman  •  Ian McShane  •  Randall Duk Kim Furious Five Angelina Jolie  •  David Cross  •  Jackie Chan  •  Lucy Liu  •  Seth Rogen Other Characters James Hong  •  Dan Fogler  •  Michael Clarke Duncan

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