List of Kung Fu Panda Characters - Po

Po Ping is the titular protagonist of the Kung Fu Panda franchise. He is a giant panda who was improbably chosen as the Dragon Warrior, champion of the Valley of Peace in the first movie. Although highly doubted as such, the giant panda proved himself worthy as a formidable warrior in unexpected ways. The adoptive son of Mr. Ping, a goose who owns a noodle restaurant. Po is one of Master Shifu's students, the prophesied Dragon Warrior, and the warrior of black and white (as revealed in Kung Fu Panda 2).

In the first movie, Po is shown to be living with his father Mr. Ping and working at his noodle restaurant, dreaming of a life as a celebrated kung fu master. However, because of his excessive weight and work fueling a crippling self-loathing, he cannot achieve this dream. However, to his surprise, he is chosen to be the legendary dragon warrior seemingly by accident: when having arrived late to the Dragon Warrior's selection ceremony, his attempts to get over the Palace walls to see the event results in him conspicuously crashing into the middle of the crowd and being picked as the new Dragon Warrior. He is also shown to be battling terrible self-loathing, but this appears to be neutralized as he defeats Tai Lung (the main antagonist). He is capable of impressive feats when motivated by food (which Shifu actually uses to train him).

In the second movie, Po is shown to have had a traumatic childhood, with his mother being killed saving him, and his father being separated from him during a panda genocide led by Lord Shen. This is why, at first, he seemed unable to achieve inner peace. After being told by the Soothsayer that it is not the past that shapes the person, however, he realizes that he has led a happy and fulfilling life despite his tragic upbringing.

Po is often flustered and clumsy, but generally laid back and easy going. While he seems childish and overenthusiastic at times, he has a deep appreciation of the martial arts in all its aspects. As a result, Po is a formidable warrior who is not only capable of teaching the discipline's philosophical and physical elements, but is also able to learn traditional techniques quickly with the right instruction while developing powerful innovations.

In Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Po is shown to be helping Master Shifu and the Furious Five into defending the Valley of Peace from villains of different kind. All the while, Po makes mistakes, learns lessons, learns more about the history of Kung Fu, and meets famous Kung Fu masters like him.