Summary
- Kung Fu Panda 3 introduces a new villain, General Kai, who steals Chi from kung fu masters (living or dead).
- Po must travel to the hidden panda village and learn to master Chi in order to defeat Kai.
- The film reveals that Master Oogway chose Po to be the Dragon Warrior because he knew that pandas held the key to mastering Chi.
Kung Fu Panda 3 continues Po’s story, giving him new abilities and ending the story in a way that sets up the next King Fu Panda 4. The 2016 film picks up with the revelation that an old friend of Master Oogway, General Kai, has spent the last 500 years in the spirit realm stealing the Chi from deceased kung fu masters. At the beginning of Kung Fu Panda 3Kai confronts Oogway, captures his Chi in the form of a jade stone, and uses it to break free into the Mortal Realm, where he sets off to steal the Chi of other kung fu masters, including the Dragon Warrior.
Back in the Valley of Peace, many changes occur simultaneously for Po. Master Shifu announces his retirement and passes the teaching role to Po, a panda named Li Shan appears and reveals that he is Po’s biological father , and Kai’s jade zombies mount their attack on the valley. To defeat Kai, Po must learn from the pandas how to master Chi., which means traveling far to the hidden panda village in the mountains. However, there, Li Shan reveals that his people have forgotten how to harness Chi, meaning Po is completely unprepared for the end of Kung Fu Panda 3 when Kai arrives at the village with the Chi of all the kung fu masters, ready to claim Po’s as well.
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How Po defeated Kai in the ending of Kung Fu Panda 3
When Po realized that he could not learn the art of controlling Chi from his father, he was ready to give up all hope. He had no idea who he really was – the role of Dragon Warrior always seemed to have been given to him by accident, and he was even stuck between whether he was the son of a panda or a goose. No matter who he was or how he would stop Kai, Po knew he couldn’t save the world alone. So he turned to the panda community, and even though they didn’t know how to fight, he taught each of them to use their unique strengths to their benefit. It was the same lesson Po learned in the first Kung Fu Panda movie: a person’s true self is the secret ingredient.
Ultimately, this was the secret to mastering Chi. Like everything the characters in Kung Fu Panda 3 Having identified who they truly were and what that meant for their strengths, they gained the ability to give their Chi to others (rather than taking it as Kai had done). When Kai and Po returned to the Spirit Realm, leaving behind only a pile of petals.The pandas channeled their Chi from the Mortal Realm directly to Po.. The Dragon Warrior allowed Kai to steal this massive amount of Chi and, combined with everything the villain had already taken, it proved too much for him to handle. Kai was destroyed and all the stolen Chi was chosen by the spirits and mortals it belonged to.
Oogway told Kai at the start of Kung Fu Panda 3 that the more Chi he took, the less he would have. In the end, the villain’s defeat proved Oogway right.
Po’s Sacrifice and Kai’s Return to the Spirit Realm Explained
The key to defeating Kai in King Fu Panda 3 brought him back to the Spirit Realm, but it was not an easy task. Initially, Po had planned to use the Wuxi Finger Hold (which he had used on Tai Lung in the first one Kung Fu Panda movie). However, the villain revealed that a technique like the Wuxi Finger Hold only worked on mortals. It seemed for a moment that all was lost. However, just before Kai stole his and everyone else’s Chi, Po wrapped his arms around the villain and performed the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself.
As a mortal, Using this deadly technique on himself meant Po was sent to the spirit realm., and as he held Kai, the villain was transported there as well. It was a selfless sacrifice that Po had no intention of returning from: he just wanted to get Kai somewhere where he couldn’t hurt his friends again. This inspired Po’s fathers and the other pandas to embrace their authentic selves and send their Chi to the Spirit Realm, in the hopes that it would help Po. All of this was possible because of the example and sacrifice of the Dragon Warrior.
Kung Fu Panda 3 reveals that Master Oogway knew the importance of pandas (and Po) all along
After defeating Kai, Po regained the spirit of Master Oogway, whose Chi the villain had stolen at the beginning of Kung Fu Panda 3. It was revealed earlier in the film that Oogway and Kai had been great comrades around 500 years before the events of Kung Fu Panda, but their friendship fell apart when Oogway learned the power of Chi from the pandas. Kai became jealous and wanted to take Chi from others rather than giving it away. Oogway was forced to fight his old friend to stop him, but when he sent Kai to the spirit realm, he knew that would not be the end of his friend’s evil journey to obtain Chi.
When Po and Oogway met in the Spirit Realm all those years later, the kung fu master revealed that he knew that Po being a panda was no coincidence. Since the pandas held Chi’s secrets and the threat of Kai persisted even after his death, wise Oogway understood that he had chosen Po in the first case. Kung Fu Panda film according to which everything ultimately depends on the ancient knowledge and abilities of pandas. Since the secret of Chi revolved around a person embracing their true self, and the Dragon Warrior’s only true power was to be enduringly authentic, Po and his unlikely species were the answer. This is why at the end of Kung Fu Panda 3, Oogway passed his Yin and Yang staff to Po, the new master of Chi..
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How Kung Fu Panda 3 prepares for Kung Fu Panda 4
Despite Po’s sacrifice at the end of Kung Fu Panda 3, he was allowed to return to the Mortal Realm after his conversation with Oogway. He, Shifu, the Furious Five, and all the pandas returned to the Valley of Peace, and Po taught everyone how to master Chi. Ultimately, despite his fears of not being a good teacher, the Dragon Warrior was perfect for the job. It had taken him years to accept himself for who he was, so he was uniquely qualified to see a person’s true value – his own secret ingredient – no matter what they were. In this way, THE Kung Fu Panda the films have come full circleresolving Po’s story with a neat and tidy arc.
However Kung Fu Panda 3 certainly could have been a satisfying ending for the franchise, the door was still open for Kung Fu Panda 4. The themes of Po’s story have always revolved around personal growth, meaning that the Dragon Warrior’s story is never truly over. KYoung Fu Panda 4 sees Po learn that he must move beyond the role of dragon warrior and achieve the kind of spiritual peace and wisdom that Oogway possesses. In addition, the sequel sees the return of some of THE Kung Fu Panda the greatest villains of cinema, a reminder that the threat is never really gone for good. Of course, the lessons Po learned at the end of Kung Fu Panda 3 are there to help him on his way.
Kung Fu Panda 3
DreamWorks’ 2016 computer-animated film Kung Fu Panda 3 brings back Jack Black’s Po, Dustin Huffman’s Master Shifu, and the Furious Five in battle against supernatural warrior Kai (JK Simmons). Bryan Cranston appears as Po’s father, Li Shan, and Randall Duk Kim returns as Grand Master Oogway.
- Release date
- January 29, 2016
- Director
- Jennifer Yuh, Alessandro Carloni
- Cast
- Seth Rogen , Jack Black Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan Dustin Hoffman, JK Simmons, David Cross, Angelina Jolie Kate Hudson, Brian Cranston James Hong
- Rating
- PG
- Duration
- 95 minutes
- Writers
- Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
- Budget
- $145 million
- Studio(s)
- 20th century
- Distributor(s)
- 20th century