The Kung Fu Panda series will return after a whopping 8-year hiatus from the big screen with the release of Kung Fu Panda 4 on March 8, 2024. Po and his friends will return for another martial arts adventure, which all add to their previous conflicts against Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and Kai.

With the likes of Master Shifu, Master Oogway, and the Furious Five added into the mix, there are a lot of proficient combatants in the series. Since it’s been quite a while since the most recent release, it’s best to get a recap of every main character’s skills and abilities to understand who’s the greatest fighter among them.

Furious Five (Excluding Tigress)

The Furious Five are considered the protectors of the valley when the series begins, although they’ve all been handily defeated by the main villains, except Tigress. Monkey, Crane, Viper, and Mantis all work very well as a unit, where each one ensures their opponents have no room to counter.

However, they generally rely on Tigress’ instructions and can be clueless without them. When it comes to martial arts abilities, Viper’s speed, Monkey’s agility, Crane’s flight, and Mantis’ strength are their main factors. The four are certainly more capable than the average fighter but are a notch below the main ones.

Tigress

Kung Fu Panda generally comes under the best movies starring Angelina Jolie, with Tigress standing out from the rest of the Furious Five. Tigress’ skills have been relatively uneven since she’s been defeated by the likes of Shen and Kai but has always bested Po.

That mainly comes down to Po not really wanting to hurt Tigress, but it’s also clear she’s a cut above the rest based on pure skill. Tigress has the ability to turn an opponent’s offense against themselves and can withstand greater damage. She generally loses when her opponents outweigh her in terms of power, which isn’t something a character can easily learn.

Lord Shen

As one DreamWork's best villains, Lord Shen’s agility was off the charts when he was first introduced, capable of using his feathers to deadly effect. Shen could pierce his opponents in a quick fashion due to how fast he could draw his feathers, although it was shown that combatants like Po could counter it.

Shen was also more reliant on the use of his weapon rather than engaging in close combat, which makes it difficult to see Shen trouble more powerful opponents. He was a deadly fighter in general but the lack of accessing actual powers keeps him lower than certain others.

Master Shifu

Master Shifu doesn’t have the strength many others have, but he makes up for it through the use of clever tactics. Shifu can outwit his opponents by going for their weak spots, such as exploiting Po’s initial lack of quickness and Tai Lung’s tendency to go for power moves instead of defense.

Shifu has been primarily seen in his older age during the series, so he’s not been at his peak. It’s easy to understand that he was a bigger deal during his youth, but Shifu’s unlocking of inner peace and knowledge of martial arts still make him a threat when the time calls for it.

Tai Lung

Kung Fu Panda 4 is one of the exciting Dreamworks projects to look forward to due to the possibility that Tai Lung might return. The original villain managed to defeat all the Furious Five and even Shifu, with the character’s fighting still shown to be destructive and fierce for most of his opponents.

Tai Lung could incapacitate his enemies by going for their pressure points, in addition to possessing superhuman levels of strength that could destroy the environment. He ended up losing to Po because the latter was basically the anti-Tai Lung, in that his physique was immune to Tai Lung’s attacks. Tai Lung was also implied to have lost to Kai in the Spirit Realm and originally lost to Master Oogway.

Master Oogway

Master Oogway was a Kung Fu Panda character most interested in the universe’s signs than fighting due to the wisdom he’d collected. However, he was in a league of his own, as seen when he instantly defeated Tai Lung when everyone else had lost to him.

Oogway’s fighting skills were showcased in Kung Fu Panda 3 when he fought on equal grounds against Kai, solidifying him as one of the most powerful beings in the series. He only lost to Kai due to willingly giving away his chi, as Oogway knew that Po was the chosen one to defeat the villain.

Kai

Kai was the greatest threat anyone has seen in the series, having taken over the Spirit Realm by defeating the likes of Oogway and Tai Lung, following which he managed to defeat Po before the latter unlocked his powers of possessing chi.

Kai’s use of the jade blades made it nearly impossible to get a hit on him, as the villain had an incredible range in his attacks. His superhuman strength and durability meant those who did manage to land an offense didn’t make much of a dent. His main weakness was against those who possessed chi, with Kai losing once Po was able to make use of his own.

Po Ping

As the series' main protagonist, Po has taken down the biggest opponents out there. Po bested Tai Lung, using his physique and mastery of the Wuxi Finger Hold; he defeated Lord Shen by uncovering the secret of inner peace and also beat Kai by mastering his chi.

Po has been shown to lose to Tigress and Shifu mainly because he’s not a threat to his allies. But the protagonist has always turned it up a notch against the villains. Po has mastered every fighting style there is, and his natural inclination toward chi enabled him to become the Dragon Warrior.

NEXT: 9 Burning Questions That Kung Fu Panda 4 Needs To Answer