Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight is an American animated CG streaming Tv series, developed by Mitch Watson and Peter Hastings for Netflix. It is the third TV series in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, following Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny. Produced by DreamWorks Animation Television, the series premiered on Netflix on July 14, 2022.
The series features Po preparing to become a knight and also reclaim his lost title. It introduces new characters and abilities through a very finely written plot, laced with slapstick comedy and saved by Jack Black’s comedic timing. Children will enjoy the series the most thanks to the family approach and the action plot reminiscent of some stories from the Marvel converse.
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Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight: Synopsis
The series begins with the introduction of the famous kung fu master panda Po. Po is a true foodie, willing to go on a food adventure across China to serve his palate. After saying goodbye to his father, Mr. Ping, he goes on an adventure and is greeted with respect everywhere as the Dragon Master.
However, everything comes crashing down after his fight with the two main villains of the series, Veruca and Klaus, two weasels who are mages. Po loses his Dragon Master title after he accidentally destroys a village, taking a dangerous weapon and the Gauntlet away from Klaus and Veruca. He eventually loses his weapon and causes mass destruction, leading everyone to avoid him.
He meets the Wandering Blade Knight, who is chasing the villains. Po and Blade form an alliance where Po asks to become a knight. They wander the lands of China to find more holy weapons. However, they lost the Gauntlet again. Veruca and Klaus sail off with the Gauntlet and the fake whip as they go in search of more holy weapons.
The new series seems to deny the very existence of Master Shifu, Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, Crane, and Master Oogway. There is no mention of any of the characters who had a huge influence on Poe and helped shape the warrior he became. Po was a big fan of the five warriors and was also accepted as a good friend. They helped Po whenever he was in trouble and made sure he completed all his work diligently.
Po admired Master Shifu and Master Oogway, who taught him that being a panda who knew next to nothing about martial arts would not hinder his potential if he had the will to learn. They taught him and pushed him to become the best dragon warrior. In “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight”, there is no mention of any of these characters, nor are we told of their whereabouts.
It’s just like they don’t exist. The new characters seem to be taking over the old group, with Wandering Blade having certain Tigress-like characteristics, while Rukhmini seems to share an uncanny resemblance to Monkey and Viper.
The King of China is introduced in the series and appears to be a highly variable individual who shares an uncanny resemblance to real-life political leaders. He is portrayed as greedy and moody and does not care about ordinary people, instead wishing to capture Po. He doesn’t like anyone stronger than him, yet expects Po to save him when he’s in danger.
The creators of Kung Fu Panda have shifted their focus from creating a world that respects the traditions of Kung Fu in China to be closer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe by creating all-powerful weapons and introducing formidable new characters. They appear to include the Gauntlet, which shares similarities with the Infinity Gauntlet from the Avengers story. They incorporated a lot of Avengers character traits into Poe. It’s a little disrespectful to the obvious strengths the franchise already had with previous characters like the Masters and the Furious Five.
If that’s not all, the plot tiptoes around a colonialist approach where England and its ways are celebrated as absolute. Wandering Blade, a knight for England, is subtly introduced as a messenger of colonialism. Po is ready to become her side, which at the same time serves as an incentive for the dialogue of colonialism. Although Po is meant to be a side character in Wandering Blade, he is all too accepting and ready to learn all about knights in the series, detracting from his old Kung Fu training.
They focused a lot on slapstick comedy to break the tension of the shoot. This serves as a letdown as not all of the episodes serve as some sort of progress towards the storyline they are setting up. They hint strongly but do not go through with the decision.
The story of the franchise serves almost nothing and sticks more to fan service. The whole plot simply serves as background to political powers and the changing nature of society. He adopts the same old perspective of delivering the message: “Society remembers bad deeds.
It doesn’t matter if someone has only contributed to society through good deeds; one wrong deed and society turns its back on a person. However, with all the quests, the plot sticks to a more family approach and is aimed at children. Those who were waiting for the series after learning about the return of Jack Black as Po were very disappointed with the plot.
The saving grace of the series was its soundtrack and animation. The art and style of the episodes were created with such vibrancy that it really served as a good front to save the series. The last two episodes were the pillars that held the series together. The fight scenes were an absolute joy to watch.
Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Season 1: Ending Explained: What Happened At The End of The Season?
Although the series was a disappointment for fans following the franchise and mainly served as fan service after the other abysmal series produced in the franchise, the last two episodes of the season proved their worth due to the vivid graphic style. “Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight” Season 1 ends with Veruca and Klaus escaping with the Gauntlet and the fake whip.
They leave to find other weapons. Their motive to bring all other mages back from the dead using all weapons is fueled to power through mammoth quests. Po, Rukhmini, Blade, and Mr.Ping band together with the real Whip, who Rukhmini had to take down Veruca and Klaus and escort back to their prison in England. Po wants his title back; Blade wants to be recognized as a knight to right her wrong.
She wants to avenge her brother’s death and takes responsibility for it. On the other hand, Rukhmini is waiting for adventure and money and is likely to turn against Po if the situation arises. Mr. Ping intends to save his son from the other two as well as the Wicked Weasels.
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