10 Best Fights In The Kung Fu Panda Movies

The Kung Fu Panda movies, despite their inherent value as a family-friendly animated series, have some shockingly good fight scenes that deserve more credit. A movie series that features Jack Black as a wisecracking anthropomorphic panda is unlikely to be most moviegoer’s idea of an action movie with amazingly choreographed fights. Yet the Kung Fu Panda series can contend with the best martial arts movies out there, albeit through the medium of 3D animation.

There are several factors that make the fights in Kung-Fu Panda and its sequels so good, despite the movies being softball action films suitable for all ages. For one, it’s easy to tell that the animators studied real martial arts forms closely, keeping the hand-to-hand battles from being formless slugfests and living up to the series’ name. With Kung Fu Panda 4 on the horizon for 2024, it’ll be interesting to see how the series can hope to up the ante on an already impressive collection of superb fight scenes.

10 The Panda Village Fight

Kung Fu Panda 3

In Kung Fu Panda 3, Po is given the thankless task of protecting a village of pandas from Kai’s rampage, hoping to form them into an army capable of standing up to the villain’s Jade Warriors. Po is only able to unlock the potential of the village when he allows them to be themselves, weaponizing their hobbies and habits into powerful martial arts in their own rights. While it is entertaining to see such an intimidating army be defeated by bear hugs, ribbon dancing, and pouty kids, the comedy of the scene does somewhat undermine the seriousness of Kai’s threat, making it a standout fight that still places lower compared to others in the series.

9 Po Vs Tai Lung

Kung Fu Panda

Tai Lung is a ferocious fighter that’s even able to overpower the likes of Shifu and The Furious Five, making Po’s nascent Kung Fu skills seemingly unlikely to stand a chance. But Po is able to prove his mastery and unique skills in this creative final battle, utilizing his weight and supposed clumsiness against Tai Lung. Of course, the infamous Wuxi Finger Hold is a hilarious finishing move that serves as a lovely bookend of just how far Po has come. The series’ first showdown may not even be the best fight of the first film, but it’s still worth mentioning as a satisfying, if a tad overly humorous, villain defeat.

8 The Furious Five And The Masters Team Up On Shen

Kung Fu Panda 2

Shen proved himself as one of the best villains in Dreamworks history in Kung Fu Panda 2, when he takes on not only the entirety of the Furious Five, but the legendary Kung Fu Masters, as well. The pure joy in Po’s face as he takes a slow-motion look at his comrades, thankful to be fighting alongside them, is the cherry on top of an excellent fight in its own right, showing off two generations of the universe’s most elite fighters. Of course, Shen’s underhanded tactics undercuts the climax of the fight somewhat, but it’s still an enjoyable battle up until that point.

7 Kai Assaults The Jade Palace

Kung Fu Panda 3

Kung Fu Panda 3 brought the fights of the series to a new level of spectacle, raising the stakes from smaller groups of martial artists to veritable armies of Jade Warriors. Immediately presenting as threatening from his first appearance, Kai shows off what he’s truly capable of in his assault on the Jade Palace, dismantling the Furious Five and Master Shifu one by one. Seeing Crane and Mantis turned against their former compatriots is nothing short of eerie, and the battle ultimately ending in Kai’s favor definitively sells the fearsome Ox’s threat.

6 Po Vs Kai

Kung Fu Panda 3

Some of the best fights of the Kung Fu Panda are able to not only present entertaining action sequences, but showcase the growth of the characters participating. Po’s final showdown against Kai in Kung Fu Panda 3 is one of the best examples of this, beyond being an ethereal action setpiece that stands out among other fights in art direction and tone. Over the course of the battle, Po establishes himself not only as a powerful Dragon Warrior, but an enlightened Grandmaster in touch with his Chi, overwhelming Kai. While the fight’s more magical nature makes it a tad less exciting as a more esoteric battle, it’s still an undeniably unique scene within the series.

5 Po Vs Shen

Kung Fu Panda 2

Similarly to Po’s battle with Kai, his final showdown with Shen and his cannon encapsulates everything he’s learned up until the final moments of the film. Facing the peacock warlord alone, Po manages to redirect his canon fire much in the same way he did with the dew drop in an earlier scene, driving home the lesson he learned about fostering inner peace. Shen being crushed by his own weapon is a fitting end to the fight, one of the most emotionally significant in the series, if not visually impressive.

4 Kai Vs Oogway

Kung Fu Panda 3

As great as seeing Po master his Chi within the Spirit Realm was, nothing in Kung Fu Panda 3 can compare to finally seeing Master Oogway in action. While the second film gives a small taste of what the master martial artist is capable of in an actual battle, rather than dispensing proverbs, it isn’t until he enters the Spirit Realm that the movies show off what Oogway is really capable of. Not only is the payoff worth it, but the unique, stunning visuals of the fight make it one of the most exciting in the entire Kung Fu Panda chronology.

3 The Musician’s Village

Kung Fu Panda 2

Despite being one of the least important fights in the series in terms of plot and character development, the battle of the musician’s village makes up for its lack of depth with stunning choreography. After a pack of vicious wolf bandits descend on a village of peaceful musicians, it’s up to the Furious Five to clear out the town. The sense of perpetual motion and effortlessly kinetic flow of the action ensures that every character is always doing something, with one unassuming villager even continuing to play music while being moved around and protected by Po. While it’s something of a filler fight, the musician’s village is the real deal in terms of choreography.

2 The Bridge Fight

Kung Fu Panda

The Furious Five’s first encounter with Tai Lung, the bridge fight is a masterclass in pacing and action blocking. Tai Lung effortlessly fends off the five warriors as they approach him one at a time on a rickety bridge over a chasm, clearly enjoying the experience as nothing more than a warm-up despite the obvious unique skill of each fighter. This scene does an amazing job showing off what makes each member of the Furious Five unique while continuing to powerscale Tai Lung, both sides taking as much advantage of the unique environment as possible.

1 Tai Lung’s Prison Escape

Kung Fu Panda

The Kung Fu Panda series has great villains, and always takes the time to sell them as a true threat to the stability of its world. No scene encapsulates this better than Tai Lung’s escape from prison, quickly seizing an opportunity to make short work of an entire army of guards with nothing more than a single goosefeather. Immediately, the danger Tai Lung poses on the world is conveyed as he chews through the ridiculous layers of security surrounding his prison, even after years of confinement. This jaw-dropping action scene is perhaps the crowning jewel of the Kung Fu Panda franchise.