Something else I like about Shen's writing is that he's clearly delusional - he actually thinks that his parents didn't love him. He really doesn't understand that his actions had consequences regarding their behavior towards him. He really doesn't get it, among other bizarre delusions. When I first saw the film I thought his motives were weak, but now I think the writers were brave enough to write a villain who was scary in part because his motives are illogical.
@@subhasishghosh6924 to each their own, to me I agree with the first guy. a lot of evil people have delusions that feed into their impulses sort of a "justification" in their own head for what they want to do
In the original concept of Shen as a villain, they wanted to lean more into his mental instability as a character but it had to be cut. That and it was supposed to be a big issue that he was albino. The reason he believed he wasn’t loved was because he was so different from a normal child. That and his parents were originally supposed to be a bit neglectful in the original draft too.
Yes because during the final battle, Po’s skadoosh didn’t even end Shen but rather his own carelessness of slashing the ropes of the overturned ship that smashed him. He is WHITE on the outside (physical appearance) & BLACK on the inside (personality)….HE WAS HIS OWN DOWNFALL. He was just too delusional to see that.
@@theelitemanticore151 I heard a theory that Shen cut those ropes on purpose to commit sui**de. He didn't even try to escape from the falling cannon, he just stood there and took it when he closed his eyes. Shen couldn't 'just' kill himself, he was too proud, he had to make it look like an accident.
He did get redeemed. He saw he was in over his head and accepted his death which signifies to allow himself to have peace in his last moments and drop his lust for power. You lose.
@ that’s now what redemption is that’s just acceptance, to be redeemed to us to correct the wrongs you have caused and turn over a new leaf, he did non of that no matter how much Po tried, which is a good thing, it’s nice to have villains who are truly just evil down to the core
Alot of people dont understand that Tai Lung is the same way. Theres a moment with these villains when the object of their hatred tries to get through to them - with shifu it was an apology, with Po it was acceptance. And both villains show an understanding of whats being said, even for a moment. The fact that they choose to continue their tirade is what makes them villains.
Shen's fighting style is pretty emblematic of his approach. An elaborate dance punctuated with weaponry, using his fan tail that would otherwise be used as a display of beauty as a distraction, for concealment and to induce fear in his enemies. Weaponized art.
0:46 - he's a true menace to society. Tai Lung never killed anyone, maybe except for rhinos but still. Kai was stealing chi from kung fu masters but once he's defeated they got back to normal. But Lord Shen, nah, he wants all the smoke
I feel like it was implied that Tai Lung killed people, which is the reason he was locked up. I think the line in the movie was "He laid waste to the village"
@applekingen3581 i SEE WHERE U GUYZ R GOiNG, U DO HAVE AT LEAZT SOMETHiNG OF A POiNT, BUT iT'Z PROBABLY MORE LiKELY HE JUZT PUT A BUNCH OF "PEOPLE" ON STRETCHERZ & A BUNCH OF PROPERTY DAMAGE TO BOOT !! THE 2 HE HATED MOZT AT THAT MOMENT WERE SHiFU & OOGWAY & HE JUZT KNOCKED OUT SHiFU AFTER SHiFU LUNGED AT HiM & DiSREGARDED OOGWAY TO GET TO THE SCROLL. iF ANY DEATHZ OCCURED iT WAZ PROBABLY ACCiDENTAL LiKE FROM FALLiNG OR LAUNCHED DEBRiZ OR SOMETHiNG [NOT YELLiNG, JUZT LiKE TYPiNG iN CAPZ]
@@Marlfox70 i SEE WHERE U GUYZ R GOiNG, U DO HAVE AT LEAZT SOMETHiNG OF A POiNT, BUT iT'Z PROBABLY MORE LiKELY HE JUZT PUT A BUNCH OF "PEOPLE" ON STRETCHERZ & A BUNCH OF PROPERTY DAMAGE TO BOOT !! THE 2 HE HATED MOZT AT THAT MOMENT WERE SHiFU & OOGWAY & HE JUZT KNOCKED OUT SHiFU AFTER SHiFU LUNGED AT HiM & DiSREGARDED OOGWAY TO GET TO THE SCROLL. iF ANY DEATHZ OCCURED iT WAZ PROBABLY ACCiDENTAL LiKE FROM FALLiNG OR LAUNCHED DEBRiZ OR SOMETHiNG [NOT YELLiNG, JUZT LiKE TYPiNG iN CAPZ]
@@rickyronny4019 i SEE WHERE U GUYZ R GOiNG, U DO HAVE AT LEAZT SOMETHiNG OF A POiNT, BUT iT'Z PROBABLY MORE LiKELY HE JUZT PUT A BUNCH OF "PEOPLE" ON STRETCHERZ & A BUNCH OF PROPERTY DAMAGE TO BOOT !! THE 2 HE HATED MOZT AT THAT MOMENT WERE SHiFU & OOGWAY & HE JUZT KNOCKED OUT SHiFU AFTER SHiFU LUNGED AT HiM & DiSREGARDED OOGWAY TO GET TO THE SCROLL. iF ANY DEATHZ OCCURED iT WAZ PROBABLY ACCiDENTAL LiKE FROM FALLiNG OR LAUNCHED DEBRiZ OR SOMETHiNG [NOT YELLiNG, JUZT LiKE TYPiNG iN CAPZ]
As an animation student, I truly love how they designed Shen, and I really think that the decision to make Shen a white peacock adds a few layers to his character. Cause in real life, white peacocks tend to have a harder time finding a mate due to their lack of colors (cuz attractiveness by peacock standards is how colorful and grand your feathers are), so in-universe, Shen could be considered hideous and I think this cements his belief that he is unloved (similar to how a lot men irl think the reason they're single is because of their physical appearance when in reality it's their personality). And from that perspective his obsession with the destructive nature of fireworks could be him wanting to turn something bright and beautiful into something ugly and dangerous to make himself feel better. Another thing to mention is that in Peking Opera, White often is given to characters who are treacherous in nature, further cementing Shen's role as a villain. But then again, this is purely my own observation of Shen's design so please take it with a grain of salt
Shen isn't known for his kung fu skill. However, he's also not the kind of villain who just cowers when straight up fighting is required. He * can * fight. And he's probably better than * most* opponents. He's just not * the * best. If he relied on combat skill alone it would have been a very short movie.
There's also a theory that Tai Lung's family had been killed by Shen too, and the white leopard was also destined for the same path as Po, just that he was raised by the wrong guy.
I think it's possible that in Shen's last moments of the fight, it wasn't just his refusal to give up on his vision, but a final defiance of his fate... Between ultimately losing and falling victim to his destiny, or being proven wrong and submitting to the prophecy, he chose neither, instead deciding to go out on his own terms, by his own hand... To finally take control of his destiny in spite of it...
funnily enough, even going out on his own terms still fulfilled the prophecy, shen's colorscheme and views on the world mirrors po's in that po is black with white details and understands the world is many layers of gray, whereas when is white with black details and has a "with me or against me" mentality to the point where he literally offs his right hand man after he says no, he still was done in by a warrior of black and white, himself.
@@hang_kentang6709 other than Ghengis Kahn, no other genocide in history comes close to Mao (40-80 million), Stalin (20-ish million), and Hitler (20 million, of which the Holocaust victims were 6 million). There were certainly many genocides throughout history, but only Ghengis Kahn (40-60 million) is up there too in sheer scale.
I think the greatest thing that sets Shen apart from other mustache twirling villains is that his plans don't bring him happiness or satisfaction. On the surface, he looks like any other generically evil baddie, checking off all the boxes, except one: the sense of joy most cartoon villains take in their roles, marked by their signature laughs. Shen is never happy, he will never be happy, and he knows it. He recognizes his own evil, he's recognized it since he first saw it in his parents' eyes, but by then he felt what he'd done had already put him beyond redemption, this was who he was, so now he's given himself entirely to seeking some vain fulfilment to fill the hole left by his parents' approval. Taking his father's throne wasn't enough, and he admits that even conquering China won't be enough, but he feels incapable and undeserving of the love of others, so like so many real people who spend their lives chasing money, sex or drugs because they've got nothing else, he keeps on conquering. Even when his army and weapons are destroyed, clearly defeated, he doesn't see a point in living and goes to his grave resigned to his evil nature. Kung-Fu Panda 2 takes such a simple and overused archetype, and without changing any of the bones, somehow infused it with completely new life.
Not 100% sure, but I think that was a materials science/metallurgy issue in real history. Harder to make a small barrel strong enough to withstand the explosive pressure than a cannon, which isn't intended to be as portable.
@@512TheWolf512 Moreso he was working off of what he had available, fireworks, and making them into weapons. Making large canon balls en mass to blow away armies versus creating little wooden sticks that shoot and take out maybe one person at a time when they have bows and arrows to serve that purpose already shows that the cannons were far more practical for him to focus on.
@@512TheWolf512 Actually if you pay attention to the film, you can see in the background handheld cannons. Shen had not invented muskets but they were next on the chopping block for sure.
While I do like Tai Lung a little more, Shen is one of the best Dreamworks villains and best villains ever. He is the perfect example of how to write a villain who is a lunatic. As for another villain you could cover, I'd like to see an analysis of Lotso from Toy Story 3. Also, Kung Fu Panda 2's opening is my favorite opening to any movie ever.
Hey, remember when so-called "kids movies" used to be compelling, emotional, dark and artistic? Really wish Kung Fu Panda 3 and 4 were like that. Because, newsflash - Kids ARE able to appreciate good writing and tone
@@maninanikittycat4238 I still believe that the third movie killed three major points of the franchise... 1. The third movie establishes that pandas are inherently masters of Chi, and that's the reason why Oogway chose him.... 2. The third movie (And a cliffhanger ending of the sequel, that was leading up to it) say that a lot of Pandas survived, and barely even aknowledge what Shen did, making his impact far less meaningful to the narrative. 3. Po's biological father returns, and takes the spotlight away from Po, who forgot his lesson from the second movie, and keeps neglecting Ping
@@almas4663imagine still hating on the third movie. Absolutely corny. Man the third movie is just more lighthearted, aside from that it still honors that legacy and plots established in the first two films
"You think knowing will heal you, fill some crater in your soul? Well heres your answer... your parents didn't...love you..." that line is Lord Shen projecting his own beliefs onto Po
I love how every year or so someone comes out to talk about just how great of a character Shen is. I still hold that he's one of my favorite villains in all of media, and it certainly helps that Gary Oldman's such an amazing actor.
Personally i belive the black and white warrior was a reference to yin and yang and how he will fall to a warrior who has found balance within themselves. Not the literal colors. Second i think in shens way the last fight with po was hin findind peace. He realized he was betond redemption and didn't deserve it. So instead of subjecting himself to the inevitable trials and shame tgat was to come if he surrendered he decides to go out on his own terms. That is why he fought at the end, he knew he was going to loose but chose to go out fighting and to in a way die at the hands of po. Nit to reject redemption but to face his fate and death on his own terms with his idea of honor.
One person pointed out that in the end Shen...just sorta lets it happen. Remember this is a guy that jumped like 40 feet onto a cannon. We have no reason to believe he couldn't dodge the cannon that was going to fall on him. Instead he just closes his eyes and excepts his fate
19:33 The flame-shaped blade bears a striking resemblance to a flamberge (which it honestly could be). The curved shape of the flamberge’s blade is thought to help slow down and deflect oncoming strikes. Make of this as you will.
I think some of the adjectives you were looking for in the first minute or two to summarize Lord Shen may be "unnerving," or "unhinged." One can see it in his eyes, and it is that hint of madness which (for me) really elevates both his character and his menace.
I loved shen and this movie is near damn perfect, but the one thing that pissed me off the most is that he's fighting Ox, Rhino, and Croc, and he's doing fine but gets PUSHED and they're all "You are no match against our Kung Fu." Like bro was doing fine in a 2v1 but that one push from the hammer ends the fight???
To be fair, that one push snapped all the knives Shen was holding. Rhino saw that and was like “lol what else you got?” But it was still stupid and cocky of him to assume the fight was over, and so he got his “parting gift”
I kinda picture Shen as a glass cannon; he can definitely deliver a punch but can’t take one in return. If Shen was focused on kung-fu/hand-to-hand, the movie would’ve been much shorter lol
With a character like Shen, they committed such an atrocity that they believe they're not redeemable. Only path before them is to move forward, and finish what they started, otherwise all the damage they caused, the deaths, the terror, would have been for nothing. I like how in the film he is always spending so much time trying to convince himself, more than those around him. Even his final conversation with the Soothsayer, he wasn't really talking to her anymore by the end, but himself. Though I do like the fact he lets her go. Being she was likely the closest thing to family he had left.
Another interpretation of the Shen's death I found in other videos was that at the end, when he saw the canon coming to crush him, he accepted it because it meant he had caused his own death instead of Po, thus that in his mind, he had beaten the prophecy and taken charge of his destiny.
After finishing the video I can tell i really liked the video about this fav Villain of mine. But as long as i understood the monographic approach of the video using the magnifying lens one one specific aspect, I'd have liked some min dedicated on the hysterical comedy that surround him. He is so fascinating to me, cause he was able to make me burst out laughing WHILE being freaking terrifying.
Hey I just realized that only the second movie has Po fighting with the Furious 5. In kfp1, the F5 fight Tai Lung separately, and in Kfp3, the 5 get turned in to Jombies. I liked how they worked together for most of kfp2.
Lord Shen is one of my favourite Dreamworks villains, I haven't liked a Dreamworks villain that much until the Wolf from Puss on Boots: The last wish, he's Iconic to me {When Kung Fu panda 2 came out I thought Lord Shen was female} I dunno why. Anyway that was the same time a Dog we had ran away and we never saw him again. That's off topic though. Lord Shen and his _G e n o c i d e_ was terrifying but he was so coop, amazing villain
So how about I insert here a real world example that reflects this general mindset? Once upon a time there was a failed Austrian painter, who was "evil" because he wanted justice for what was done to him and his country by... I think I made my point clear. Even _if_ literally every single member of that species had involvement in what was done to your genocidal villain, the messaging is still extremely dubious and trust me, if that's not the intended interpretation, I doubt a lot of people will give you the benefit of the doubt on that one, and if it is, then, uh...
@@Dawid23_Gamer that's... why they're written as evil and needing to be stopped... did you miss the evil part of the description from the writer there? I want to read it
@@kyze8284 well, the quotation marks probably made them think that the evil was supposed to be sarcastic/ ironic, rather than that the character is really evil.
@@kyze8284 did you miss the quotation marks around the word "evil", which one can reasonably interpret as the author trying to say the villain's motivations aren't actually evil? I'll be plain with you, this has fascist vibes from where I stand, but I'm holding off judgement until the OC responds. Not judging the book by its cover, or something
Shem could also be a play on how sone say albino animals that act in a more vindictive/evil compared to other animals maybe? Like a lil thing that adds to his behavior
I'm really happy to see a long anlaysis of this underrated villain ! And I love that you pointed out the fact that all he wanted in the end was peace, when most people only see him as a purely evil being that kills because he can.
Despite yes. Lord Shen being weaker than most of the other villians (Except the chameleon cause damn shes pathetic-) what is really good about him is that he is very tactical and talented as before master thundering rhino joins into the fight shen is able to fight on the other two and only retreated to his weapon when he started fighting.If shen wasn’t so blinded by his rage and changing his fate he would truly be an unstoppable villian in my eyes.
Horror movies use the element of unknown as a tool for making a terrifying opponent/villain. What if, instead of understanding the motivations of the main antagonist, you could make them more mysterious and unpredictable.
Still can't believe Dreamworks literally showed racial genocide on screen in an animated film. Dreamworks really knows how to convey mature themes in their stories.
When you brought up the “Warrior of black and white” I was like “Omg” because I realized that the only person who can truly destroy him is himself. Po just happened to be another warrior who happens to be black and white with parallels that made Shen learn this lesson the hard way and bringing the prophecy to fruition.
I like the interpretation of how Shen was his own warrior of black and white that would defeat him. But there is another interesting take on his defeat which I've seen toting about on the Internet a few times! That being that, if the red disqualifies him as the warrior of black and white, then in a way, he actually did change his fate. Because he closed his eyes and accepted his death, he was able to take it away from Po, and thusly avoided the prophecy. Yes he still died, but by his own hands instead.
i literally love shen and i love kung fu panda 2 for being able to dive into deeper waters thats not usually for kids. ptsd, genocide, the clear delusion shen suffers from- it’s literally amazing 😭 shen is such a well written character. and the fact he didn’t get “redeemed”, EVEN when the main character tried. he’s up there with the top villains, i love him
Shen didn't avoid the falling canon because he wanted to get away from the prophecy. By dying on his own terms, he did escape his path of being defeated by Po. In a way, by stopping to fight and dying, he did step off the path of destruction that would bring the prophecy to its end.
Shen's amazing character design was helped in no small part by Gary Oldman's outstanding vocal performance. I love Gary Oldman in the heroic roles he's done for Harry Potter and the Dark Knight Trilogy, but it was really cool to see him return to his roots in a villainous role. And he totally nails it!
Whilst all the Kung Fu Panda villains are some of the best from Dreamworks' villainous lineup, including the Chameleon, Shen stands out as the best because he's the only one who's actually evil, not a tragic villain. He truly believed that his parents didn't love him because they banished him. To the contrary, his attempt at genocide was a crime worthy of execution, but they spared him because they loved him so much. Shen's so blinded by rage that he allows his past to determine who he is, something that Po could've done when he discovered the truth, thus reinforcing Shen as a representation of Po's fear of the past turned into welcoming it
Tai Lung and Kai became villains because of their past. But Lord Shen became a villain for his future. I really like when villains are unredeemable, their selfishness is something more people should adapt for antagonists.
I'm glad Shin got the opportunity to prevent his prophecy from coming true when in a lot of media, especially Greek myths, the protagonists basically does everything in their power to avoid their prophesized demise and even the soothsayers tell him that he can change his fate before it's too late. Oedipus never got such a privilege, his and his parents' prophecy were confusing as all hell. Oedipus didn't even know that he was marrying his own mother, he thought that his adopted parents were his real parents.
I kinda like also that the villains of all three (good) movies kinda already succeeded before they were killed. Tai Lung wanted revenge and destroyed the village once, but he couldn't get revenge by killing Oogway because he was already dead, or by killing Shi Fu, although he came very close. Shen already had wiped out like 95% of panda population in the area and was in control of all of his parent's kingdom (or whatever), and he has all of those cannons and an entire army behind him, he just doesn't get all of China before he dies. And Kai did succeed. He got all of the masters in the spirit realm (he defeated Tai Lung, just a fun fact I love), he even got Oogway probably because he didn't really put up a fight and just let Po deal with it. Then, he gets every Kung Fu master in the normal world apart from Tigress, and he even gets Po, so he did succeed, and he wasn't even defeated (not in combat at least), if he hadn't sucked up Po he probably could've just gone back and continued with Po being stuck dead, and Po couldn't have been 100% certain that his Chi would be too much for Kai, so he was taking the risk of creating the most powerful villain ever, and that was, in my opinion, just up to pure luck. Also with Po basically being a Kamikaze and killing himself and Kai, Kai kinda won the physical fight, because otherwise the fight would've ended very differently.
When I was little, I felt like I didn't deserve redemption while most cartoons I watched redeemed their villains. So I thought that I'm worse than them. But one evening I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 on TV(I had DVD of the first film's begining 2D sequence, once saw the film fully) and, oh boy, I felt for Lord Shen. Like "I'm different from my family like him! I'm bad like him! I don't WANT redemption like him!" Now I see how flipped up that mindset was, but Lord Shen and later another villain helped me get through that phase. If not for them, I would still be permanently in it. Soooo... Lord Shen is the best:)
I do feel a bit bad that Shen's interest in pyrotechnics wasn't fostered in some productive way, like how dynamite was originally made for construction & mining purposes. Hell, even just "defending the city" could be a good outlet if he really wants to make weapons!
I think another good example would be Handsome Jack..... specially considering we get to see how he got to be like that first hand we see him at the start of the pre-sequel as a bit of a jerk, but generally a good guy..... through the course of the game we see him get back stabbed, betrayed, and generally hurt, slowly causing him to see everyone as his enemy.... eventually growing into the confidant, quick witted, and worryingly charismatic, psychopath he is in Borderlands 2
For like 5 years I thought this Peacock was an elderly woman, then after a while just a woman with a weird voice, like 2 years ago I realized somethin different 😐
I still remember when i watched kung fu panda 2 as a kid, i found it so good i cried, looking back now who knows how many years later, i can see why i cried
Completly unrealated: every time I look at shen, and remeber this takes place in China, I keep thinking it's some kind of parallel for Japan as Gonmen is an island, described to be far away and also because of Shen's design.
Shen was the star of Kung Fu Panda 2. Evil and despicably cruel, even to his own forces, yes. But so well written and voice acted that he dominated the story. This is why I like KFP 2 best of all four of the movies. None of the other villains can hold a candle to the sheer presence he exuded. Even when he was being totally trolled by the soothsayer, he was so unstably evil that a part of you would cringe, waiting for his reaction. Also, the climatic fight between Po and Shen was brilliantly choreographed. The end of it where Shen just suddenly accepted his end rather than fight any further was an incredibly powerful moment.
6:02 wait this seems too familiar... is this a religious inspiration? prophet moses perhaps? because in some islamic sites it says that: pharaoh gets a prophecy that says some boy from the same bloodline as moses' will be his downfall and pharaoh orders to start killing the boys in that bloodline... in this case pandas and then moses' mother hides and leaves moses for him to be safe
so? my point still stays right? i mean when i said "some islamic sites" or gave an example with prophet moses i was just giving an example im not gonna write a whole list of them obviously. i was just telling what i found. yeah sure there may be the same thing in lots of religions but that doesnt really change my point. im just thinking of reasons you wrote this comment but only thing that come into my mind is that you were worried about if i was thinking of promoting islam. im not. if that wasnt your point i dont know what is. either way your comment is kinda pointless and irrelevant.
@@Spicy_pie you put down only one as a point of inspiration, even though it’s a Chinese soothsayer, and China has about 2 other religions, one of them (Daoism) going hand in hand with fortune telling, which is what the soothsayer is doing. Trying to make a pointless comparison between a soothsayer/ fortune teller in Chinese religion and culture as the goat is in KFP2 and a prophet from Islam (or Abrahamic religion in general) show a lack of understanding on how the two work. It would’ve made far more sense to talk about Chinese soothsayers rather than try and make a distinction to one religion specifically when it holds little to no inspiration in KFP in general, and then going as far as to make a comparison to Moses even though his role was very different to that of the Soothsayer in KFP
I watched a few of your videos and this was the 3rd one I've seen. You've got yourself a new subscriber. I will be back to binge watch more of your videos soon :D
Please do Syndrome next. Syndrome has so much more behind his story that a lot of people overlook. When he was a kid, he looked up to superheroes. However, his idol, Mr. Incredible pushed him away when he wanted to help him. This made him feel like he wasn’t accepted by the supers, and that the supers were only doing their jobs for fame. Flash forward to after supers are forced to live normal lives, Syndrome plans on getting revenge by testing the supers. He sends out fake news towards supers, giving them the opportunity to take down a killer robot that he created, letting them escape society and live the lives they once had. But it’s a trap. Syndrome is testing to see which supers are willing to accept their new lives, and which supers aren’t. Those who have accepted, like Elastagirl, aren’t targeted by Syndrome. But Mr. Incredible and Frozone are because they still do hero duty behind the scenes. Syndrome hates the supers because the supers hate society, they hate living like normal people because their powers have made them prideful. Syndrome’s goal is to one day sell his inventions so that everyone can be super, and when everyone’s super, no one will be. He’s tired of celebrity fame and attention that the supers had given themselves, and any super who is trying to reclaim that status is led into his trap and killed. How to write a just villain: Syndrome.
I personally like the take that the prophesy was about Shen destroying himself as it perfectly fits with his consistent self destructive tendencies. He's the one actively taking the path that will lead to his ruin. I like how it shows that in the end we are all ultimately the ones in charge of our own fates.
Video ideas for you: ▪︎Writing a wanne be villain(example: Dr Doofensmirtz, giovanni potage or sir pentious) ▪︎Writing a broken pedestal(example: The villain of coco) ▪︎Writing a affable evil villain(example: david xanatos) ▪︎Writing faux affably evil villain(example: frieza or alex delarge) ▪︎Writing a delusinal villain(example: emperor belos) ▪︎Writing a manipulative villain(example: Bill cipher) ▪︎Writing a oblivious villain(example: The collector)
his og backstory was that his parents actually did hate him because he was born as an albino. that wouldve made his fall even more tragic. He wasnt misunderstood he was truely unloved and had no one to guide him away from the dark path.
Also we need to remember that shen was a really sick child with a passion for wepons, so the profecy was a strike for him, he batteled death his whole life and than hes toled that his passion is the problem and lead to his death
At 23:42 - That clip of DBZ was the moment Vegeta chose to take his chance for redemption, leading to his ultimate sacrifice. He was hugging his son for the first time in his life, but then swiftly knocked him out so Piccolo could take Trunks and Goten to safety. Showing this portion of DBZ where Vegeta accepts redemption does conflict with your argument of having the villain reject it. Aside from that, excellent video.
Something else I like about Shen's writing is that he's clearly delusional - he actually thinks that his parents didn't love him. He really doesn't understand that his actions had consequences regarding their behavior towards him. He really doesn't get it, among other bizarre delusions.
When I first saw the film I thought his motives were weak, but now I think the writers were brave enough to write a villain who was scary in part because his motives are illogical.
Eh not really. Shen realised he was always in the wrong, he just refused to change paths because he knew it was too late
@@subhasishghosh6924 to each their own, to me I agree with the first guy. a lot of evil people have delusions that feed into their impulses sort of a "justification" in their own head for what they want to do
In the original concept of Shen as a villain, they wanted to lean more into his mental instability as a character but it had to be cut. That and it was supposed to be a big issue that he was albino. The reason he believed he wasn’t loved was because he was so different from a normal child. That and his parents were originally supposed to be a bit neglectful in the original draft too.
Even as a kid, I was always fascinated by Shen as a villain; he was one of my top favourites alongside Joker from Dark Knight
Hey be careful when using the word Delusional it's psychological term. I would say his more of Denial or entitled
The best thing is that Lord Shen was defeated by warrior in black and white - himself. He was responsible for his own downfall
Yes because during the final battle, Po’s skadoosh didn’t even end Shen but rather his own carelessness of slashing the ropes of the overturned ship that smashed him. He is WHITE on the outside (physical appearance) & BLACK on the inside (personality)….HE WAS HIS OWN DOWNFALL. He was just too delusional to see that.
@theelitemanticore151 Yes. Also there is Black on his tail feathers
@@theelitemanticore151 I heard a theory that Shen cut those ropes on purpose to commit sui**de. He didn't even try to escape from the falling cannon, he just stood there and took it when he closed his eyes. Shen couldn't 'just' kill himself, he was too proud, he had to make it look like an accident.
@@theelitemanticore151 say that again
The fact he didn’t get redeemed even when the main character tried is already a shining gem for a ACTUAL villain
He did get redeemed. He saw he was in over his head and accepted his death which signifies to allow himself to have peace in his last moments and drop his lust for power. You lose.
@ that’s now what redemption is that’s just acceptance, to be redeemed to us to correct the wrongs you have caused and turn over a new leaf, he did non of that no matter how much Po tried, which is a good thing, it’s nice to have villains who are truly just evil down to the core
Alot of people dont understand that Tai Lung is the same way. Theres a moment with these villains when the object of their hatred tries to get through to them - with shifu it was an apology, with Po it was acceptance. And both villains show an understanding of whats being said, even for a moment. The fact that they choose to continue their tirade is what makes them villains.
Shen's fighting style is pretty emblematic of his approach. An elaborate dance punctuated with weaponry, using his fan tail that would otherwise be used as a display of beauty as a distraction, for concealment and to induce fear in his enemies. Weaponized art.
0:46 - he's a true menace to society. Tai Lung never killed anyone, maybe except for rhinos but still. Kai was stealing chi from kung fu masters but once he's defeated they got back to normal. But Lord Shen, nah, he wants all the smoke
I feel like it was implied that Tai Lung killed people, which is the reason he was locked up. I think the line in the movie was "He laid waste to the village"
@@Marlfox70yeah it was implied but not downright emphasized and shown like Shen
@applekingen3581 i SEE WHERE U GUYZ R GOiNG, U DO HAVE AT LEAZT SOMETHiNG OF A POiNT, BUT iT'Z PROBABLY MORE LiKELY HE JUZT PUT A BUNCH OF "PEOPLE" ON STRETCHERZ & A BUNCH OF PROPERTY DAMAGE TO BOOT !!
THE 2 HE HATED MOZT AT THAT MOMENT WERE SHiFU & OOGWAY & HE JUZT KNOCKED OUT SHiFU AFTER SHiFU LUNGED AT HiM & DiSREGARDED OOGWAY TO GET TO THE SCROLL. iF ANY DEATHZ OCCURED iT WAZ PROBABLY ACCiDENTAL LiKE FROM FALLiNG OR LAUNCHED DEBRiZ OR SOMETHiNG [NOT YELLiNG, JUZT LiKE TYPiNG iN CAPZ]
@@Marlfox70 i SEE WHERE U GUYZ R GOiNG, U DO HAVE AT LEAZT SOMETHiNG OF A POiNT, BUT iT'Z PROBABLY MORE LiKELY HE JUZT PUT A BUNCH OF "PEOPLE" ON STRETCHERZ & A BUNCH OF PROPERTY DAMAGE TO BOOT !!
THE 2 HE HATED MOZT AT THAT MOMENT WERE SHiFU & OOGWAY & HE JUZT KNOCKED OUT SHiFU AFTER SHiFU LUNGED AT HiM & DiSREGARDED OOGWAY TO GET TO THE SCROLL. iF ANY DEATHZ OCCURED iT WAZ PROBABLY ACCiDENTAL LiKE FROM FALLiNG OR LAUNCHED DEBRiZ OR SOMETHiNG [NOT YELLiNG, JUZT LiKE TYPiNG iN CAPZ]
@@rickyronny4019 i SEE WHERE U GUYZ R GOiNG, U DO HAVE AT LEAZT SOMETHiNG OF A POiNT, BUT iT'Z PROBABLY MORE LiKELY HE JUZT PUT A BUNCH OF "PEOPLE" ON STRETCHERZ & A BUNCH OF PROPERTY DAMAGE TO BOOT !!
THE 2 HE HATED MOZT AT THAT MOMENT WERE SHiFU & OOGWAY & HE JUZT KNOCKED OUT SHiFU AFTER SHiFU LUNGED AT HiM & DiSREGARDED OOGWAY TO GET TO THE SCROLL. iF ANY DEATHZ OCCURED iT WAZ PROBABLY ACCiDENTAL LiKE FROM FALLiNG OR LAUNCHED DEBRiZ OR SOMETHiNG [NOT YELLiNG, JUZT LiKE TYPiNG iN CAPZ]
"He has something far more dangerous, far more lethal.
A weapon that destroys Kung Fu."
Shen:*GUN*
@@justkevinorsomethin I was expecting some mystical chi vampirism with that description, so it was kind of funny.
For his neutral special he wields a gun.
@@Mabra51 *_For Lord Shen's final smash.._*
*_he wields a cannon._*
he does have a gun
Dawn of firearms, death of melee
Shen rolled up to the imperial palace and went "parry this you filthy casual"
And then Po does! Still a cinematic masterpiece
As an animation student, I truly love how they designed Shen, and I really think that the decision to make Shen a white peacock adds a few layers to his character. Cause in real life, white peacocks tend to have a harder time finding a mate due to their lack of colors (cuz attractiveness by peacock standards is how colorful and grand your feathers are), so in-universe, Shen could be considered hideous and I think this cements his belief that he is unloved (similar to how a lot men irl think the reason they're single is because of their physical appearance when in reality it's their personality). And from that perspective his obsession with the destructive nature of fireworks could be him wanting to turn something bright and beautiful into something ugly and dangerous to make himself feel better. Another thing to mention is that in Peking Opera, White often is given to characters who are treacherous in nature, further cementing Shen's role as a villain. But then again, this is purely my own observation of Shen's design so please take it with a grain of salt
White is also the color of death in some cultures so it made sense too.
yappuchino 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Yooo you're so right, that's cool
Great analysis and insights! Really added more value to the character and his design!
@@Botmatics sorry.. you're **NOT** a sigma
Shen isn't known for his kung fu skill. However, he's also not the kind of villain who just cowers when straight up fighting is required. He * can * fight. And he's probably better than * most* opponents. He's just not * the * best. If he relied on combat skill alone it would have been a very short movie.
There's also a theory that Tai Lung's family had been killed by Shen too, and the white leopard was also destined for the same path as Po, just that he was raised by the wrong guy.
The problem with that is that Tai Lung is clearly much older than Po, meaning that he would have already been an adult by the time of Shen's genocide.
I think it's possible that in Shen's last moments of the fight, it wasn't just his refusal to give up on his vision, but a final defiance of his fate... Between ultimately losing and falling victim to his destiny, or being proven wrong and submitting to the prophecy, he chose neither, instead deciding to go out on his own terms, by his own hand... To finally take control of his destiny in spite of it...
funnily enough, even going out on his own terms still fulfilled the prophecy, shen's colorscheme and views on the world mirrors po's in that po is black with white details and understands the world is many layers of gray, whereas when is white with black details and has a "with me or against me" mentality to the point where he literally offs his right hand man after he says no, he still was done in by a warrior of black and white, himself.
"how to write a genocidal villain?"
WW2 historians: WELL...... THERES A FEW WAYS....
WW2? im sure the list extends far beyond that, and way after that.
@@hang_kentang6709 I bet you're fun at parties
@@hang_kentang6709we love the smart comments
@@hang_kentang6709 other than Ghengis Kahn, no other genocide in history comes close to Mao (40-80 million), Stalin (20-ish million), and Hitler (20 million, of which the Holocaust victims were 6 million). There were certainly many genocides throughout history, but only Ghengis Kahn (40-60 million) is up there too in sheer scale.
@@TheBestMonkey358 He isn't wrong. There's a lot of contenders for that villain role.
I think the greatest thing that sets Shen apart from other mustache twirling villains is that his plans don't bring him happiness or satisfaction. On the surface, he looks like any other generically evil baddie, checking off all the boxes, except one: the sense of joy most cartoon villains take in their roles, marked by their signature laughs. Shen is never happy, he will never be happy, and he knows it. He recognizes his own evil, he's recognized it since he first saw it in his parents' eyes, but by then he felt what he'd done had already put him beyond redemption, this was who he was, so now he's given himself entirely to seeking some vain fulfilment to fill the hole left by his parents' approval. Taking his father's throne wasn't enough, and he admits that even conquering China won't be enough, but he feels incapable and undeserving of the love of others, so like so many real people who spend their lives chasing money, sex or drugs because they've got nothing else, he keeps on conquering. Even when his army and weapons are destroyed, clearly defeated, he doesn't see a point in living and goes to his grave resigned to his evil nature. Kung-Fu Panda 2 takes such a simple and overused archetype, and without changing any of the bones, somehow infused it with completely new life.
if Shen was actually smart, he'd arm his army with muskets, instead of relying on a single cannon
If he succeeded he may have invented muskets shortly after, but using metal and fireworks it made it much easier to make many canons.
Not 100% sure, but I think that was a materials science/metallurgy issue in real history. Harder to make a small barrel strong enough to withstand the explosive pressure than a cannon, which isn't intended to be as portable.
@@Eloraurora he wasn't smart enough to figure that out
@@512TheWolf512 Moreso he was working off of what he had available, fireworks, and making them into weapons. Making large canon balls en mass to blow away armies versus creating little wooden sticks that shoot and take out maybe one person at a time when they have bows and arrows to serve that purpose already shows that the cannons were far more practical for him to focus on.
@@512TheWolf512 Actually if you pay attention to the film, you can see in the background handheld cannons. Shen had not invented muskets but they were next on the chopping block for sure.
While I do like Tai Lung a little more, Shen is one of the best Dreamworks villains and best villains ever. He is the perfect example of how to write a villain who is a lunatic. As for another villain you could cover, I'd like to see an analysis of Lotso from Toy Story 3. Also, Kung Fu Panda 2's opening is my favorite opening to any movie ever.
Kids movie: opens with description of genocide
@@bradleyadams5252 It's not like it actually shows anything really graphic.
I think Lotso did something right(or wrong) because everytime I see or hear that name, I get a bit uneasy.
@@ojeritoayala Very true.
Lotso is 100% up there. One of the best portrayals of a mob-boss I've ever seen.
Hey, remember when so-called "kids movies" used to be compelling, emotional, dark and artistic?
Really wish Kung Fu Panda 3 and 4 were like that.
Because, newsflash - Kids ARE able to appreciate good writing and tone
I felt like the third movie had a satisfying ending but we don't speak about KFP 4
@@maninanikittycat4238 I still believe that the third movie killed three major points of the franchise...
1. The third movie establishes that pandas are inherently masters of Chi, and that's the reason why Oogway chose him....
2. The third movie (And a cliffhanger ending of the sequel, that was leading up to it) say that a lot of Pandas survived, and barely even aknowledge what Shen did, making his impact far less meaningful to the narrative.
3. Po's biological father returns, and takes the spotlight away from Po, who forgot his lesson from the second movie, and keeps neglecting Ping
There are still dark, compelling "kids movies." The Spiderverse movies, Puss in Boots 2, etc. KFP 3 and 4 definitely aren't examples though
@jumpydashgd4699 Both Spider-Verse and Puss In Boots are primarily bright and colorful kiddish slop with a lot of pretentious stuff.
@@almas4663imagine still hating on the third movie. Absolutely corny. Man the third movie is just more lighthearted, aside from that it still honors that legacy and plots established in the first two films
Lord Shen is definetly the best DreamWorks villain! His wicked nature and motives are just so intriguing and makes him such a compelling character....
Gotta ignore the 4th instalment of the franchise though
John Mullaney's villain in Puss in Boots is on the same level as shen
@@bbbk123 no(friendly)
"You think knowing will heal you, fill some crater in your soul? Well heres your answer... your parents didn't...love you..." that line is Lord Shen projecting his own beliefs onto Po
I love how every year or so someone comes out to talk about just how great of a character Shen is. I still hold that he's one of my favorite villains in all of media, and it certainly helps that Gary Oldman's such an amazing actor.
I would nickname him the feathered Herod the Great as he had a lot of babies killed because of a bruised ego and paranoia
Thats a good parallel
The scene where shen defeats the kun Fu masters is literally the call a ambulance but not for me meme
This was one of my favorite villains just by his looks, emotions and his feather blades.
Personally i belive the black and white warrior was a reference to yin and yang and how he will fall to a warrior who has found balance within themselves. Not the literal colors.
Second i think in shens way the last fight with po was hin findind peace. He realized he was betond redemption and didn't deserve it. So instead of subjecting himself to the inevitable trials and shame tgat was to come if he surrendered he decides to go out on his own terms.
That is why he fought at the end, he knew he was going to loose but chose to go out fighting and to in a way die at the hands of po. Nit to reject redemption but to face his fate and death on his own terms with his idea of honor.
Shen has always been a really neat villan to me because it makes me realise how emotion can really drive a person.
One person pointed out that in the end Shen...just sorta lets it happen. Remember this is a guy that jumped like 40 feet onto a cannon. We have no reason to believe he couldn't dodge the cannon that was going to fall on him. Instead he just closes his eyes and excepts his fate
The real warrior that was meant to defeat Shen was Master Zebra. He was just late to the fight
0:38 and certainly the hardest to draw
19:33 The flame-shaped blade bears a striking resemblance to a flamberge (which it honestly could be). The curved shape of the flamberge’s blade is thought to help slow down and deflect oncoming strikes. Make of this as you will.
Ah yes, I was just needing a genocidal villian to write about
I think some of the adjectives you were looking for in the first minute or two to summarize Lord Shen may be "unnerving," or "unhinged." One can see it in his eyes, and it is that hint of madness which (for me) really elevates both his character and his menace.
I loved shen and this movie is near damn perfect, but the one thing that pissed me off the most is that he's fighting Ox, Rhino, and Croc, and he's doing fine but gets PUSHED and they're all "You are no match against our Kung Fu." Like bro was doing fine in a 2v1 but that one push from the hammer ends the fight???
To be fair, that one push snapped all the knives Shen was holding. Rhino saw that and was like “lol what else you got?” But it was still stupid and cocky of him to assume the fight was over, and so he got his “parting gift”
I kinda picture Shen as a glass cannon; he can definitely deliver a punch but can’t take one in return. If Shen was focused on kung-fu/hand-to-hand, the movie would’ve been much shorter lol
Lord Shen my goat, and I barely remember Dreamworks movies
With a character like Shen, they committed such an atrocity that they believe they're not redeemable. Only path before them is to move forward, and finish what they started, otherwise all the damage they caused, the deaths, the terror, would have been for nothing. I like how in the film he is always spending so much time trying to convince himself, more than those around him. Even his final conversation with the Soothsayer, he wasn't really talking to her anymore by the end, but himself. Though I do like the fact he lets her go. Being she was likely the closest thing to family he had left.
I honestly don't think that Shen cutting the ropes was an accident.
On one hand, anger can be really blinding.
On the other, that same anger could've sparked the idea of "I win or I die".
Yeah, that's what always gets me. He chose to die it wasn't an accident.
Another interpretation of the Shen's death I found in other videos was that at the end, when he saw the canon coming to crush him, he accepted it because it meant he had caused his own death instead of Po, thus that in his mind, he had beaten the prophecy and taken charge of his destiny.
it feels good finding channels before they blow up i definitely see this channel reaching a million+
He should make a video on how NOT to write a villain, it would bring extra knowledge to the platform
Really curious. I liked each analysis you did til now, and this is one of my favorite villains
After finishing the video I can tell i really liked the video about this fav Villain of mine. But as long as i understood the monographic approach of the video using the magnifying lens one one specific aspect, I'd have liked some min dedicated on the hysterical comedy that surround him. He is so fascinating to me, cause he was able to make me burst out laughing WHILE being freaking terrifying.
if i had to compare Disney with their arch rival dreamworks. i would say shen is the dreamworks claud frollo
Exactly
Hey I just realized that only the second movie has Po fighting with the Furious 5. In kfp1, the F5 fight Tai Lung separately, and in Kfp3, the 5 get turned in to Jombies. I liked how they worked together for most of kfp2.
Lord Shen is one of my favourite Dreamworks villains, I haven't liked a Dreamworks villain that much until the Wolf from Puss on Boots: The last wish, he's Iconic to me {When Kung Fu panda 2 came out I thought Lord Shen was female} I dunno why. Anyway that was the same time a Dog we had ran away and we never saw him again.
That's off topic though. Lord Shen and his _G e n o c i d e_ was terrifying but he was so coop, amazing villain
Shen = she?
6:27 there were a lot more than just 1 panda left.
If anything, Shen did a _really_ bad job at genociding pandas, when you consider the 3rd movie.
Michael Jackson: "It don't matter if you're black or white."
Po: "Hold my tea."
Lord Shen is my favourite villain of Dreamworks, he is the definition of pure evil
I've been thoroughly enjoying your videos. I'm glad I found your channel!
I’m writing a genocidal villain who is “evil” because he wants justice for what was done to him by that species
So how about I insert here a real world example that reflects this general mindset?
Once upon a time there was a failed Austrian painter, who was "evil" because he wanted justice for what was done to him and his country by...
I think I made my point clear. Even _if_ literally every single member of that species had involvement in what was done to your genocidal villain, the messaging is still extremely dubious and trust me, if that's not the intended interpretation, I doubt a lot of people will give you the benefit of the doubt on that one, and if it is, then, uh...
@@Dawid23_Gamer that's... why they're written as evil and needing to be stopped... did you miss the evil part of the description from the writer there?
I want to read it
@@Dawid23_Gamer Stop ascribing your real world beliefs to fantasy, little nazi boy.
@@kyze8284 well, the quotation marks probably made them think that the evil was supposed to be sarcastic/ ironic, rather than that the character is really evil.
@@kyze8284 did you miss the quotation marks around the word "evil", which one can reasonably interpret as the author trying to say the villain's motivations aren't actually evil?
I'll be plain with you, this has fascist vibes from where I stand, but I'm holding off judgement until the OC responds. Not judging the book by its cover, or something
Shem could also be a play on how sone say albino animals that act in a more vindictive/evil compared to other animals maybe? Like a lil thing that adds to his behavior
I'm really happy to see a long anlaysis of this underrated villain ! And I love that you pointed out the fact that all he wanted in the end was peace, when most people only see him as a purely evil being that kills because he can.
Isn't it ironic that Lord Shen died to his own creation? 🔥
Despite yes. Lord Shen being weaker than most of the other villians (Except the chameleon cause damn shes pathetic-) what is really good about him is that he is very tactical and talented as before master thundering rhino joins into the fight shen is able to fight on the other two and only retreated to his weapon when he started fighting.If shen wasn’t so blinded by his rage and changing his fate he would truly be an unstoppable villian in my eyes.
The fact that Gary Oldman didn't remember voicing Shen is funny to me
my chaotic character literally just has a mental disorder, no idea what to add to that.
Favorite design and concept for a villain
If you think about it, the peacock’s train feathers are for attraction and intimidation. Intimidation being one of his plans of attack.
You gotta do Kai now, as a way to write a supernatural villain
Yessir. He definitely has a supernatural villain
Horror movies use the element of unknown as a tool for making a terrifying opponent/villain. What if, instead of understanding the motivations of the main antagonist, you could make them more mysterious and unpredictable.
Still can't believe Dreamworks literally showed racial genocide on screen in an animated film. Dreamworks really knows how to convey mature themes in their stories.
Then you haven’t seen Hunchback of Notre Dame
@spaztastic7393 I haven't actually : P
Well, there’s a video about the movie’s villain on this channel already: Claude Frollo. You might as well watch it, or the movie
When you brought up the “Warrior of black and white” I was like “Omg” because I realized that the only person who can truly destroy him is himself. Po just happened to be another warrior who happens to be black and white with parallels that made Shen learn this lesson the hard way and bringing the prophecy to fruition.
I like the interpretation of how Shen was his own warrior of black and white that would defeat him. But there is another interesting take on his defeat which I've seen toting about on the Internet a few times!
That being that, if the red disqualifies him as the warrior of black and white, then in a way, he actually did change his fate. Because he closed his eyes and accepted his death, he was able to take it away from Po, and thusly avoided the prophecy. Yes he still died, but by his own hands instead.
i literally love shen and i love kung fu panda 2 for being able to dive into deeper waters thats not usually for kids. ptsd, genocide, the clear delusion shen suffers from- it’s literally amazing 😭 shen is such a well written character. and the fact he didn’t get “redeemed”, EVEN when the main character tried. he’s up there with the top villains, i love him
Shen didn't avoid the falling canon because he wanted to get away from the prophecy. By dying on his own terms, he did escape his path of being defeated by Po. In a way, by stopping to fight and dying, he did step off the path of destruction that would bring the prophecy to its end.
Except, he was still defeated by a warrior of black and white. Himself. At the highest level, he was his own downfall.
"Flame-shaped blade" the word you're looking for is flamberge.
Shen's amazing character design was helped in no small part by Gary Oldman's outstanding vocal performance. I love Gary Oldman in the heroic roles he's done for Harry Potter and the Dark Knight Trilogy, but it was really cool to see him return to his roots in a villainous role. And he totally nails it!
Then you probably didn’t experience him as Sgt Reznov in COD WAW
8:42 " Please, Leave my house " xDD
Whilst all the Kung Fu Panda villains are some of the best from Dreamworks' villainous lineup, including the Chameleon, Shen stands out as the best because he's the only one who's actually evil, not a tragic villain. He truly believed that his parents didn't love him because they banished him. To the contrary, his attempt at genocide was a crime worthy of execution, but they spared him because they loved him so much. Shen's so blinded by rage that he allows his past to determine who he is, something that Po could've done when he discovered the truth, thus reinforcing Shen as a representation of Po's fear of the past turned into welcoming it
Tai Lung and Kai became villains because of their past.
But Lord Shen became a villain for his future.
I really like when villains are unredeemable, their selfishness is something more people should adapt for antagonists.
I'm glad Shin got the opportunity to prevent his prophecy from coming true when in a lot of media, especially Greek myths, the protagonists basically does everything in their power to avoid their prophesized demise and even the soothsayers tell him that he can change his fate before it's too late. Oedipus never got such a privilege, his and his parents' prophecy were confusing as all hell. Oedipus didn't even know that he was marrying his own mother, he thought that his adopted parents were his real parents.
As a genocidal villain, I can confirm he is excellently written. Very accurate.
I kinda like also that the villains of all three (good) movies kinda already succeeded before they were killed. Tai Lung wanted revenge and destroyed the village once, but he couldn't get revenge by killing Oogway because he was already dead, or by killing Shi Fu, although he came very close.
Shen already had wiped out like 95% of panda population in the area and was in control of all of his parent's kingdom (or whatever), and he has all of those cannons and an entire army behind him, he just doesn't get all of China before he dies.
And Kai did succeed. He got all of the masters in the spirit realm (he defeated Tai Lung, just a fun fact I love), he even got Oogway probably because he didn't really put up a fight and just let Po deal with it. Then, he gets every Kung Fu master in the normal world apart from Tigress, and he even gets Po, so he did succeed, and he wasn't even defeated (not in combat at least), if he hadn't sucked up Po he probably could've just gone back and continued with Po being stuck dead, and Po couldn't have been 100% certain that his Chi would be too much for Kai, so he was taking the risk of creating the most powerful villain ever, and that was, in my opinion, just up to pure luck. Also with Po basically being a Kamikaze and killing himself and Kai, Kai kinda won the physical fight, because otherwise the fight would've ended very differently.
When I was little, I felt like I didn't deserve redemption while most cartoons I watched redeemed their villains. So I thought that I'm worse than them.
But one evening I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 on TV(I had DVD of the first film's begining 2D sequence, once saw the film fully) and, oh boy, I felt for Lord Shen.
Like "I'm different from my family like him! I'm bad like him! I don't WANT redemption like him!"
Now I see how flipped up that mindset was, but Lord Shen and later another villain helped me get through that phase. If not for them, I would still be permanently in it. Soooo... Lord Shen is the best:)
I do feel a bit bad that Shen's interest in pyrotechnics wasn't fostered in some productive way, like how dynamite was originally made for construction & mining purposes. Hell, even just "defending the city" could be a good outlet if he really wants to make weapons!
I think another good example would be Handsome Jack..... specially considering we get to see how he got to be like that first hand
we see him at the start of the pre-sequel as a bit of a jerk, but generally a good guy..... through the course of the game we see him get back stabbed, betrayed, and generally hurt, slowly causing him to see everyone as his enemy.... eventually growing into the confidant, quick witted, and worryingly charismatic, psychopath he is in Borderlands 2
Master Rhino: "You are no match for our kung fu..."
Shen: "I agree, but this is." *Pulls out a glock*
For like 5 years I thought this Peacock was an elderly woman, then after a while just a woman with a weird voice, like 2 years ago I realized somethin different 😐
It would also be cool that the vilian actually tries to redeem himself, but due to his past, he ultimately dies
Funny at the beginning of the video, my first thought was "but doesnt he fit the bill for the prophecy?"
I still remember when i watched kung fu panda 2 as a kid, i found it so good i cried, looking back now who knows how many years later, i can see why i cried
Completly unrealated: every time I look at shen, and remeber this takes place in China, I keep thinking it's some kind of parallel for Japan as Gonmen is an island, described to be far away and also because of Shen's design.
I just noticed that! And how Shen looks like the rising sun flag and knowing what the Japanese Empire did in China… I get chills
Shen was the star of Kung Fu Panda 2. Evil and despicably cruel, even to his own forces, yes. But so well written and voice acted that he dominated the story. This is why I like KFP 2 best of all four of the movies. None of the other villains can hold a candle to the sheer presence he exuded. Even when he was being totally trolled by the soothsayer, he was so unstably evil that a part of you would cringe, waiting for his reaction. Also, the climatic fight between Po and Shen was brilliantly choreographed. The end of it where Shen just suddenly accepted his end rather than fight any further was an incredibly powerful moment.
6:02 wait this seems too familiar... is this a religious inspiration? prophet moses perhaps? because in some islamic sites it says that: pharaoh gets a prophecy that says some boy from the same bloodline as moses' will be his downfall and pharaoh orders to start killing the boys in that bloodline... in this case pandas and then moses' mother hides and leaves moses for him to be safe
Bro, prophets, soothsayers and the likes are present in almost EVERY religion, and such ways types of prophecies are also present in most religions
so? my point still stays right? i mean when i said "some islamic sites" or gave an example with prophet moses i was just giving an example im not gonna write a whole list of them obviously. i was just telling what i found. yeah sure there may be the same thing in lots of religions but that doesnt really change my point. im just thinking of reasons you wrote this comment but only thing that come into my mind is that you were worried about if i was thinking of promoting islam. im not. if that wasnt your point i dont know what is. either way your comment is kinda pointless and irrelevant.
@@Spicy_pie you put down only one as a point of inspiration, even though it’s a Chinese soothsayer, and China has about 2 other religions, one of them (Daoism) going hand in hand with fortune telling, which is what the soothsayer is doing. Trying to make a pointless comparison between a soothsayer/ fortune teller in Chinese religion and culture as the goat is in KFP2 and a prophet from Islam (or Abrahamic religion in general) show a lack of understanding on how the two work. It would’ve made far more sense to talk about Chinese soothsayers rather than try and make a distinction to one religion specifically when it holds little to no inspiration in KFP in general, and then going as far as to make a comparison to Moses even though his role was very different to that of the Soothsayer in KFP
I watched a few of your videos and this was the 3rd one I've seen. You've got yourself a new subscriber. I will be back to binge watch more of your videos soon :D
"Lord Shen has made a weapon that spits metal and breaths fire" I really love this description of a gun or a cannon.
Please do Syndrome next.
Syndrome has so much more behind his story that a lot of people overlook.
When he was a kid, he looked up to superheroes. However, his idol, Mr. Incredible pushed him away when he wanted to help him. This made him feel like he wasn’t accepted by the supers, and that the supers were only doing their jobs for fame. Flash forward to after supers are forced to live normal lives, Syndrome plans on getting revenge by testing the supers. He sends out fake news towards supers, giving them the opportunity to take down a killer robot that he created, letting them escape society and live the lives they once had. But it’s a trap.
Syndrome is testing to see which supers are willing to accept their new lives, and which supers aren’t. Those who have accepted, like Elastagirl, aren’t targeted by Syndrome. But Mr. Incredible and Frozone are because they still do hero duty behind the scenes.
Syndrome hates the supers because the supers hate society, they hate living like normal people because their powers have made them prideful.
Syndrome’s goal is to one day sell his inventions so that everyone can be super, and when everyone’s super, no one will be. He’s tired of celebrity fame and attention that the supers had given themselves, and any super who is trying to reclaim that status is led into his trap and killed.
How to write a just villain: Syndrome.
I personally like the take that the prophesy was about Shen destroying himself as it perfectly fits with his consistent self destructive tendencies. He's the one actively taking the path that will lead to his ruin. I like how it shows that in the end we are all ultimately the ones in charge of our own fates.
Po wasnt just embracing his past, he was seeking it, fighting to find it, there was nothing to embrace if he didn't ran after it
18:51 maybe both?
"Its a gift. A parting gift, in that it will part you". That was a savage line.
I think the thing that I liked the most is the contrast and parallels between shen and po and how their pasts are linked together
Video ideas for you:
▪︎Writing a wanne be villain(example: Dr Doofensmirtz, giovanni potage or sir pentious)
▪︎Writing a broken pedestal(example: The villain of coco)
▪︎Writing a affable evil villain(example: david xanatos)
▪︎Writing faux affably evil villain(example: frieza or alex delarge)
▪︎Writing a delusinal villain(example: emperor belos)
▪︎Writing a manipulative villain(example: Bill cipher)
▪︎Writing a oblivious villain(example: The collector)
Uh, Alex Bateman is a biologist. Did you mean Patrick?
@@InkyBlitz Oops, I actually meant Alex from clockwork orange
his og backstory was that his parents actually did hate him because he was born as an albino. that wouldve made his fall even more tragic. He wasnt misunderstood he was truely unloved and had no one to guide him away from the dark path.
Shen is basically revers zuko also he is so hateful he advances society just to take revenge
16:25 also Tai-lung... there comes a theory that Shen also genocided his species too
Also we need to remember that shen was a really sick child with a passion for wepons, so the profecy was a strike for him, he batteled death his whole life and than hes toled that his passion is the problem and lead to his death
Lord Shen believes that Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves
Being voiced by the legendary Gary Oldman certainly helps
Kung-fu panda 2 is the best out of the 4 in my opinion.
I guess you could say that Lord Shen was a bit too cocky.
At 23:42 - That clip of DBZ was the moment Vegeta chose to take his chance for redemption, leading to his ultimate sacrifice. He was hugging his son for the first time in his life, but then swiftly knocked him out so Piccolo could take Trunks and Goten to safety. Showing this portion of DBZ where Vegeta accepts redemption does conflict with your argument of having the villain reject it.
Aside from that, excellent video.
favorite villain of all time