Tai Lung

Tai Lung is best described as a warrior whose pride and ambition led him down a dark path. As a young cub, he was promising in the art of Kung Fu and had a close bond with his master, Shifu who in his eyes was his true father. However, as he grew older and more skilled, he became overconfident, prideful, and vain, until he believed that it was his destiny to receive the Dragon Scroll and become the Dragon Warrior. However, while approached by Oogway, the elderly turtle saw darkness in his heart and didn’t see him as worthy enough to be the Dragon Warrior. After Shifu neither said nor did nothing after hearing this, Tai Lung considered this an act of treachery and his pride was replaced with anger. Tai Lung went on the warpath across the Valley of Peace, laying waste to everything in his path and chose to take the Dragon Scroll by force. Resenting on Shifu for not defending him, he aggressively ambushed his old master and father-figure when the latter, who was hesitating, opposed him.Subdued by Oogway and remaining in jail for two decades did not soothe his loathe and fury. Instead, he became even more determined that he was the Dragon Warrior, even telling Zeng he was "the real Dragon Warrior" after he got away, even though one was chosen already. Tai Lung retains his pridefulness and aggression; he couldn’t believe for one second that Po, an overweight panda, could be the Dragon Warrior which ironically was a factor in his defeat. Despite his heartless and insensitive exterior, Tai Lung is naturally unassertive and insecure as well, so he never believed in himself to start with, and needed the Dragon Scroll to believe so. Whilst fighting Shifu at the Jade Palace, he hollered at his adoptive father that all he ever did was only to make him proud, indicating that despite nearly two decades of alienation between the two Tai Lung still wants his old master's approval. Even after hearing Shifu's confession that he was constantly proud of him and made an apology for letting it blind him to what he became, Tai Lung finally saw that Shifu still cared for him, but still he hardened his heart as he wanted the Dragon Scroll.Many years after his defeat, Tai Lung continues to view Po as an unworthy fool for being chosen by Oogway as Dragon Warrior, though no longer covets the title for himself anymore, showing that he let go of his obsession. Other than that, Tai Lung retained his pride, refusing to share his own talent in Kung Fu with anyone, especially when he quickly deduced that the Chameleon only wanted to use him. His defeat after the Chameleon stole his Kung Fu made Tai Lung bitter and he later viewed Po more as a disappointment for losing the Staff of Wisdom to the Chameleon, which let her steal the other Spirit Warriors' Kung Fu. But once Po and Zhen successfully defeat the Chameleon and restore his Kung Fu, Tai Lung finally sees the panda as worthy of Oogway's choice as the Dragon Warrior and respectfully bows before him, something he has never before been able to do because of his own past selfishness. Tai Lung even admits that Oogway was wise to pick Po as a worthy successor, which comes to show to he has finally developed a certain respect toward Po; he even considered the Spirit Realm as his new home as he personally requested Po to send him and the other spirit warriors back to the Spirit Realm. Even before leaving while taking the Chameleon to make her pay for her crimes, Tai Lung happily bids farewell to Po, promising to meet him in the Spirit Realm when he dies. This comes to show that Tai Lung has abandoned much of his pride and selfishness to posthumously become a better person in spite of his notorious crimes. Thus ironically Tai Lung has finally achieved his life long goal of becoming a Dragon Warrior in his own way.

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