Xiaolin Showdown
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Xiaolin Showdown | |
|---|---|
 The main characters riding Dojo, clockwise from bottom: Omi, Kimiko, Raimundo, and Clay. |
|
| Genre | Animated television series |
| Running time | 22 minutes approx. |
| Creator(s) | Christy Hui Warner Bros. Animation |
| Starring | Tara Strong Grey Delisle Tom Kenny Jeff Bennett Danny Cooksey Wayne Knight Maurice LaMarche Susan Silo Jason Marsden |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original channel | Kids' WB! (United States domestic) Cartoon Network (worldwide repeats) |
| Original run | November 1, 2003–May 19, 2006 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| IMDb profile | |
Xiaolin Showdown was an American animated television series about Omi, a young orphaned monk-in-training from the Xiaolin Temple (a name based on the real-life Shaolin Temple), street-smart Raimundo Pedrosa from Brazil, high-tech focused Kimiko Tohomiko from Japan, and cowboy Clay Bailey from Texas who have been chosen by the Temple's head monk Master Fung to become the Xiaolin Dragons and to find and protect the sacred Shen Gong Wu, artifacts that possess great magical powers, from being taken and used by the Heylin (forces of evil), predominantly represented by the ghost of the ancient witch Wuya and her protégé Jack Spicer, evil boy genius. The Shen Gong Wu give the user strange, but mostly helpful, powers.
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Shen Gong Wu
The focus of the series is on collecting the Shen Gong Wu, mystical artifacts that have magical powers, activated by an action of will combined with saying the artifact's name aloud. Wuya's activation caused Shen Gong Wu to reveal themselves.
Xiaolin Showdowns
When more than one person grabs a Shen Gong Wu at the same time, a Xiaolin Showdown occurs. Each side wagers a Shen Gong Wu he/she already owns. In some cases, the competitors invoke a Shen Yi Bu Dare, where multiple (usually two) Shen Gong Wu are wagered. The winner obtains all of the Shen Gong Wu fought for, totaling five Shen Gong Wu. In some cases, when more than two people touch a Shen Gong Wu at once, a different kind of Xiaolin Showdown occurs: the Showdown Trio is a three person free-for-all, a Xiaolin Showdown Tsunami is either a two-on-two or a four person free-for-all Showdown, and an Eight-Way Xiaolin Showdown is a four-on-four Showdown. One can also call for a Cosmic Clash Showdown, allowing the caller to bring more people into the Showdown who did not touch the Shen Gong Wu. Generally, the competitors in a Xiaolin Showdown of any type use the Shen Gong Wu that they wagered to compete with. However, there have been instances where a Shen Gong Wu not wagered was used in the Xiaolin Showdown, as in "The Last Temptation of Raimundo" when Wuya used the Shroud of Shadows against the Xiaolin Warriors while she was possessing Raimundo. Such actions are considered cheating.
The challenge in a Xiaolin Showdown can be anything, but most commonly is some sort of race to the Shen Gong Wu. When the Showdown is called, the world warps around the competitors and by-standers, and the terrain they are on becomes an extreme extent, such as a mountainside becoming a field of rock pillars, or a snowfield becoming a large snowboarding course. Some Showdowns have also affected those involved, such as gaining weight for a sumo wrestling showdown. Other contests have been games of tag, basketball, or combat. The challenge officially begins after the change, and when both (or all) combatants yell "Gong Yi Tanpai!" Then the decided contest starts. When one is victorious, the terrain returns to normal, and the winner gains possession of all of the wagered Shen Gong Wu.
"Gong Yi Tanpai!" is a Chinese way of saying "Ready, Set, Go!". Tanpai means "showdown" in Chinese, Gong is Chinese for "begin" as to attack, and Yi means "the" in Chinese, so it literally means "Begin the showdown!"
Characters
Xiaolin Showdown features an extremely large cast, many of whom do not appear for more than one episode.
The Xiaolin Side
- Omi: The Xiaolin Dragon of Water, Omi was the first dragon-in-training to train with Master Fung. At times, Omi can be selfish and boastful, but when his fellow Xiaolin Dragons are in trouble, he is always there to help them in time of need. Like Raimundo, he joined the Heylin side once. His preferred Shen Gong Wu is the Orb of Tornami, his Wudai Weapon is the Shimo Staff, and his elemental Shen Gong Wu the Kaijin Charm. Having been raised in a monastery, he is naive about the outside world. He gets idiomatic phrases messed up, from simple changes to lacking no resemblance to the original phrase but sometimes says them correctly. It is a running gag that other characters either correct him or state that his version was not even close to the original. In one situation, Raimundo used Omi's inability to correctly state idioms as an analogy as to how they would defeat Jack Spicer - "What Omi did to that sentence is what we're going to do to you!".
- Raimundo Pedrosa: The Xiaolin Dragon of Wind, Raimundo Pedrosa may be stubborn but he will do anything to protect his friends. He also knows the Heylin since he joined them twice (although once was to get some Shen Gong Wu and the Treasure of the Blind Swordsman back from Hannibal Roy Bean). His preferred Shen Gong Wu is the Sword of the Storm, his Wudai Weapon is the Blade of the Nebula, and his elemental Shen Gong Wu is the Crest of the Condor. He was named team leader in the episode Time After Time (2), the last Xiaolin Showdown episode.
- Kimiko Tohomiko: The Xiaolin Dragon of Fire, Kimiko Tohomiko is the only female member of the team. Kimiko is probably the smartest and most techno-savvy member of the team. Kimiko also changes hairstyles and outfits almost every episode. Her preferred Shen Gong Wu is the Star Hanabi, her Wudai Weapon is the Arrow Sparrow, and her elemental Shen Gong Wu is the Cat's Eye Draco. Not surprisingly, she has the hottest temper (generally at even the slightest provocation).
- Clay Bailey: The Xiaolin Dragon of Earth, Clay Bailey is the team muscle and a homegrown Texas cowboy. Clay sometimes speaks in "cowboy slang," and uses metaphors in about every episode. His large size and sensible demeanor belie his good-humored and gentle nature. Clay has a sister named Jessie who is an outlaw, leader of the Black Vipers. His preferred Shen Gong Wu are the Fist of Tebigong and the Third-Arm Sash, his Wudai Weapon is the Big Bang Meteorang, and his elemental Shen Gong Wu is the Longhorn Taurus.
- Dojo Kanojo Cho: A shapeshifting dragon. The Xiaolin warriors' main mode of transportation and wisdom advisor, Dojo can sense Shen Gong Wu like Wuya. He is normally about one and a half feet long, but when the situation requires it, he can shift into a full-fledged 40-foot dragon. He has previously served Grand Master Dashi, as Omi sees him when Jack sent him back in time to find another puzzle box to trap Wuya. When Dojo is out of commission, the Xiaolin Warriors use an aircraft Shen Gong Wu called the Silver Manta Ray, or the other transport Shen Gong Wu (the Crouching Cougar, the Shen-Ga-Roo, or the Tunnel Armadillo).
- Master Fung: The Xiaolin Warrior's Master, trainer, and guide, Master Fung can get mortified by his charges' behavior at times. He also is nearly always calm, despite the Warriors' behavior and mistakes.
- Master Monk Guan: A Xiaolin Master that has mastered all forms of Tai Chi. He holds the Spear of Guan, a powerful staff. He temporarily looks over the Xiaolin Warriors' training. When Omi once used the Sands of Time to prevent Chase Young from becoming evil, he saw that Master Monk Guan turned to the Heylin side instead.
- Jermaine: A streetwise basketball player from New York that helped Omi to obtain the Serpent's Tail. At one time, Jermaine was on the Heylin side without knowing it, during which period he was once Chase Young's apprentice. He knows as many skills as Omi and when he joined the Heylin team temporarily, he was made a Wudai Warrior by Chase. He has not been seen in the series since.
- Grand Master Dashi: The Greatest Xiaolin Dragon that ever lived (so far) trapped Wuya in a puzzle box 1,500 years ago. He also is the creator of all of the Shen Gong Wu. In "Days Past", he hints as to the fact that Omi will become a Grand Master Xiaolin Dragon one day.
The Heylin Side
- Jack Spicer: The Xiaolin Warriors' biggest and most annoying nemesis, Jack Spicer is most famous for his robotic engineering, long rants, overuse of the word "evil" and his repetitive self-proclamation of "evil boy genius". When affected by returning from the Ying-Yang World without both the Ying Yo-Yo and the Yang Yo-Yo, he becomes so good and full of Pollyannaish optimism that, if anything, he is even more annoying. His preferred Shen Gong Wu is the Monkey Staff. It was the only one that he did not sell to PandaBubba in exchange for robot parts. (It is also the only Shen Gong Wu he is left with at the end of the series).
- Wuya: A 1500-year-old Heylin witch who inspired Jack to partake in the Shen Gong Wu hunt. After being imprisoned in a puzzle box by Grand Master Dashi for 1,500 years, Wuya's physical form was destroyed, but when combining the Serpent's Tail with the Reversing Mirror, Wuya can create a physical form (the Serpent's Tail turns a person intangible and the Reversing Mirror reverses the effects of another Shen Gong Wu, thus giving her a tangible body). She, like Dojo, has the ability to sense a Shen Gong Wu's revealing, although she does not need the Scroll of the Shen Gong Wu to determine what it does. She later gets Raimundo to join her, but he joins back with the Xiaolin later on.
- Katnappe: A crafty cat burglar with many Catwoman references, Katnappe has made numerous appearances in about 4 episodes. Katnappe also has a large collection of cats in her home, including genetically modified kittens that she often uses as weapons/henchmen. However, when she does ally herself with the Heylin, she is not exactly trustworthy or loyal.
- Tubbimura: Tubbimura is an extremely fat ninja who is surprisingly agile and can manipulate his folds of fat like a gelatinous blob. Tubbimura was hired by Jack to retrieve the Sword of the Storm. Tubbimura occasionally does odd jobs for the Heylin whenever possible.
- The Chameleon-Bot: One of Jack Spicer's robots, the Chameleon-Bot is Jack's strongest robot and a master of disguise. It is able to take the forms of the Xiaolin Warriors, Master Fung, Jack Spicer, Wuya, and others and is able to extend its arms and spin his waist. It was originally used to disguise itself as Kimiko so it could steal the Xiaolin's Shen Gong Wu. However, Omi stopped it.
- PandaBubba: A crooked syndicate boss, PandaBubba was planning to use the Shen Gong Wu to take over the world, a plan that didn't go well with the monks and Jack Spicer. He looks like a big panda bear (hence the name). PandaBubba made 2 appearances in the series (Pandatown, & The Return of PandaBubba). He fought Kimiko and Raimundo for Shen Gong Wu but both monks retrieved the Shen Gong Wu back to the Xiaolin side.
- Mala Mala Jong: Mala Mala Jong is a indestructable warrior composed out of the Helmet of Jong, the Third-Arm Sash, the Shroud of Shadows, the Fist of Tebigong, the Eye of Dashi, the Two-Ton Tunic, the Jetbootsu and most importantly, the Heart of Jong, all held together by a field of either fire or plasma. Jong can be summoned at will or automatically summoned every 1,000 years. With the Ring of the Nine Dragons, Mala Mala Jong can split into 4 different beings that made up the Fearsome Four. Since Mala Mala Jong is composed of Shen Gong Wu, he can be controlled through the Emperor Scorpion.
- Chase Young: Introduced in the second season as an even bigger threat than Wuya and Jack together, Chase Young controls an armada of therianthropic warriors (mostly jungle cats) and has the ability to turn into a reptilian creature. Chase rarely uses Shen Gong Wu to battle since he claims it distracts him from honing his martial arts skills. During the second season of the show, he was obsessed with turning Omi to the Heylin side since then he would have enough power to rule the world. He was turned to the Heylin side when Hannibal Roy Bean convinced him to drink the Lao Mang Long Soup.
- Hannibal Roy Bean: Hannibal is a mutated bean that is good at being an outlaw. He possesses the Moby Morpher and travels around on the Ying-Ying Bird. About 1,500 years ago, Hannibal succeeded in bringing Chase Young over to the Heylin side by convincing him to drink the Lao Mange Long Soup.
- Cyclops: He is an enormous, fat, red, and dim-witted giant. Because of his single eye, he has no depth perception, and can be quite clumsy. He can also fire a beam of destructive dark energy from his eye.
- Vlad: A vendor from Russia who joins the Xiaolin Warriors, but he truly had joined with Jack Spicer and he helped steal various unknown Shen Gong Wu. He was seen in the crystal glasses episode along with a couple other episodes.
Techniques learned
- Wudai Orion Formation — like Dragon X-Kumei, but they appear in a monochromic color with colored outlines. Learned during Wudai Warrior level.
- The Monks and The Color of their Outlines:
- Omi — Blue (Dragon X-Kumei); White (Wudai Orion)
- Kimiko — Red
- Raimundo — White (Dragon X-Kumei); Blue (Wudai Orion)
- Clay — Green
- In Dragon X-Kumei, Raimundo's color is white, and Omi's is blue, but they switched in Wudai Orion (with Raimundo's outline as light blue).
- Wudai Iron Palm — A combined Wudai attack that has only been used once. The details of this attack are very vague, but it seems that this technique increases their power and strength to the point that they can break rocks with their bare hands.
- Omi's Moves: Water, Tsunami Strike (later changed to Tornado Strike), Monkey Strike, Wudai Neptune — Water, Ice, Steam (Omi has also learned "Heylin Power - Tsunami Strike -- Water" and "Heylin Power - Tsunami Water Blade -- Ice" while on the Heylin side). In 'The Emperor Scorpion Strikes Back', Omi does the 'Monkey Strike' against The Fearsome Four.
- Kimiko's Moves: Fire, Judolette Flip, Torrent of Fire (used at the beginning of 'The Life and Times of Hannibal Roy Bean' against Wuya), Wudai Fire Shield and Wudai Mars — Fire
- Raimundo's Moves: Wind, Typhoon Boom, One-Eyed Wind (used at the end of 'Saving Omi' to attack Chase Young), Wudai Star — Wind.
- Clay's Moves: Earth, Seismic Kick and Wudai Crater — Earth.
It is also noted that during the episode Wu Got The Power, Omi temporarily learned the Wudai Crater - Earth, Wudai Star - Wind, and Wudai Mars - Fire techniques, while using the Longhorn Taurus, Crest of the Condor, and Cat's Eye Draco, respectively. Doing this caused him to have a surplus of elemental energy, which was worn down later in the episode. Omi now only retains his Water techniques.
It is assumed that anybody using one of the Elemental Shen Gong Wu is capable of using its respective Wudai Technique, though this has not been confirmed, as Omi is the only warrior to date who has worn one other than his own, the Kaijin Charm.
Other techniques
These are fighting techniques, used mostly by Chase Young and Omi. They are fictional spoofs of real kung-fu attacks.
- Repel the Beast (used by Master Monk Guan)
- Monkey Strike
- Repulse the Monkey (Used to counter Monkey Strike)
- Tiger Instinct, Roaring Phoenix
- Monkey Reading Shakespeare
- Spider Doing Hokey-Pokey (Never used, only read in book by Dojo)
- Sparrow Eating Hot Dog
- Bee Stinging Flower
- Grasshopper Doing Dog Paddle
- Dogs Playing Roulette
- Duck Eating Crackers
- Horse Drinking Water
- Cat Playing Fiddle {a spoof of hey didle didle}
- Fox Stomping Grapes
- Rooster Frying Eggs
- Monkey Painting House
- Viper Strike
- Cougar Strike
- Sparrow Eating Dirt
- Mole Attacking Ox
- Butterfly Fools Moth on Cyprus Tree
- Mantis Kick
- Dogs Playing Poker (spoof on a famous painting)
- Pig Eating Sausages
- Goat Churning Butter
- Flying Monkey Strike
- Chimpanzee Shot
- Leopard Attack
- Ant Eating Grass
- Charging Bear
- Plowing Yak
- Horse Skipping Pebble
- Duck Flipping Burgers
- Eagle strike
- Leopard Strike
- Cow Eating Eggs
- Chimp Yanking Chain
- Viper Striking Rat
- Cheetah Leaping Tree
- Bear biting Moose
- Wolf Attacking Ox
- Monkey Tree Assault
- Flying Crane Volcano Masher Move (Used only by Master Fung)
Other Magic Besides Shen Gong Wu
Ancient Scroll of the Shen Gong Wu: This magical scroll that Dojo was entrusted with guarding for 1,500 years contains information on every Shen Gong Wu including the magical powers a specific Shen Gong Wu possesses and how it can be used with other Shen Gong Wu. The Scroll itself is magical because on the section for each Shen Gong Wu, there is an unexplained animation of figures showing how the specific Shen Gong Wu is used.
The Puzzle Box: Any simple pebble in the hands of a great Xiaolin Grand Master Dragon can be turned into a magical puzzle box that can trap any person inside and reduce them to a ghost. According to Dashi, the box will only open when the person who needs to open it, opens it. There have been two puzzle boxes in the history of Xiaolin Showdown, and both were used to trap Wuya within them. The first was used by Dashi 1500 years ago in the first Xiaolin Showdown, and Raimundo used the second after Omi went into the past to retrieve the second puzzle box from Grand Master Dashi.
Le Mime's Tricks: The French mime in Like a Rock!, Le Mime, uses real mime tricks to lure and capture enemies. Hired by Jack Spicer in an attempt to get the Fist of Tebigong.
Spear of Guan: The Spear of Guan is a jagged spear used by Master Monk Guan and given to Omi and Raimundo. There is a whole room full of these spears. It appeared many times. However, it was only Heylin in 'Time after Time' where Monk Guan became evil aided by Wuya, Chase Young and Hannibal Roy Bean. Soon almost all the evil characters encountered in the series such as Jack Spicer, Vlad and Tubbimura joined the four Heylin warriors.
The Lao Mang Long Soup: The Lao Mang Long Soup is an ancient Heylin potion that once drunk turns the person to the Heylin Side. The user of the Soup trades their soul for eternal youth. Once the user has traded their soul and has been placed on the Heylin Side, they become a form of a monster. If the user does not drink the soup everyday, he/she will turn into this monster. Apparently, one can also turn into the monster at any moment. Its ingredients are a cup of wheat grass juice, a tablespoon of salt, a pinch of dried frog, and, of course, one whole dragon (known as Long in Chinese), such as Dojo. The alternate form's appearance varies from person to person. This fact is shown in "Time After Time (2)": while Chase Young turns into a lizard, Master Monk Guan becomes an insect-lizard-like creature.
Heylin Seed: A puny seed that holds a huge and powerful plant (which Jack named Gigi). It almost destroyed the world 1500 years ago. Raimundo later defeated it, in a Xiaolin Showdown, and destroyed it, using the Moonstone Locust, the only Shen Gong Wu that can be used against it.
Heylin Comet: A special comet that will affect the Shen Gong Wu, giving the Wu a mind of its own. It was shown by Raimundo after he came back from his hometown in Brazil after saving it, and after removing the Sword of the Storm, he was unable to take the Golden Tiger Claws off.
The Year of the Green Monkey: One special year is made for the power of monkeys, green monkeys. Their power is ripe and terrible. It happened once in the show so far in The Year of the Green Monkey where Jack (using the Monkey Staff and the Tongue of Saiping) commanded them to attack the Xiaolin Temple.
The Bird of Paradise: The Bird of Paradise is a bird that rumors say can crush buildings and do other terrible things. It appears not as a bird, but as an old lady who cannot sing very well. The Bird has a lot of mastered ability. When the Monks reach her, they are given true inner-powers.
- Moving Trees & Fire-breathing Squirrels: Some of the guardians of the Bird of Paradise. The Moving Trees attacked the Monks and Jack as they moved through the Valley of Death. The Moving Trees resulted in revealing Clay's incredible Earth Wudai Powers. The Fire-breathing Squirrels attacked the Monks as well and kept Jack captive in a nest. Considering Omi's one fear is of squirrels he mostly stayed out of the battle but when Kimiko was in danger, he put his fears aside. The Squirrels revealed Kimiko's burning Fire Wudai Powers. The result of the flames set on the trees around revealed Omi's magnificent Water Wudai Powers combined with Raimundo's 'breezy' Wind Wudai Powers.
- The Leaf: The Leaf was the key to getting the Bird. By being put in water, the leaf points the direction of the Bird. Usually Omi was the one to use the Leaf with his Water Powers. The Leaf also seems to have feelings of its own.
The Ying-Ying Bird: Hannibal Roy Bean's bird. It can travel in and out of the Ying-Yang World at will. It sometimes changes into a parrot for cover.
Wudai Weapons
- Omi — Shimo Staff, a staff which changes into other weapons at will.
- Kimiko — Arrow Sparrow, a purse-like object which carries metal, flaming sparrows that can be thrown and will blow up in a fiery explosion.
- Raimundo — Blade of the Nebula, a blue, jagged version of the Sword Of The Storm which turn into powerful nunchaku and can be used to throw the opponent around. It is also used to make Raimundo fly by creating a tornado.
- Clay — Big Bang Meteorang, a bronze boomerang so extremely powerful it is able to cut through anything. It is also capable of multiplying for multiple attacks.
Heylin Eclipse: An eclipse named after the Heylin Side. It affects some parts of the Heylin Side. Most notably, it affects Chase Young.
Mala Mala Jong: A supposedly "invincible" demon warrior made completely out of Shen Gong Wu. The Xiaolin Side has defeated Mala-Mala Jong 2 times, on separate occasions. It will come together when: The Heart of Jong, Two-Ton Tunic, Helmet of Jong, Jetbootsu, Fist of Tebigong, Third-Arm Sash, are in a certain order, OR the Shen Gong Wu come alive with a mind of their own, pulling themselves together, to form Mala-Mala Jong. It is also notable that when a majority of Shen Gong Wu have revealed themself, Mala-Mala Jong will be made up of more Shen Gong Wu than normally needed, and also can make up the Fearsome Four when a majority of Shen Gong Wu have revealed themself. Mala-Mala Jong can also absorb and/or use other Shen Gong Wu, besides the ones it is made up out of.
The Fearsome Four: A group of 4 supposedly invincible demon warriors, and when brought about, that are supposed to signal the end of the world. They are manipulated from Mala-Mala Jong, when a majority of Shen-Gong Wu have revealed themself. Their Helmet of Jong is replaced with a Wushu helmet. The Fearsome Four can be controlled using the Emperor Scorpion.
Xiaolin Stages (So Far)
Monk - Others living at the Xiaolin Temple. May or may not have magical powers like the Dragons. They are seen using bows, fire arrows, and spears (or halberds) against Mala Mala Jong on his first attack on the temple.
Dragon-in-training - Not capable of a lot of power, just using one's element to boost attacks.
Xiaolin Apprentice - Capable of bigger amounts of power; using elements with a corresponding attack and Shen Gong Wu. At the Apprentice level, the Warriors gain a new type of ability - the Dragon X-Kumei Formation - that can multiply their 'Apprentice Powers'. Identified by a blue sash.
Wudai Warrior - Capable of huge amounts of strength and power; using elements with attacks, weapons, and power-ups or enhancers. In addition, a special form is acquired which could be called a Wudai or Orion form, allowing the user to boost his or her elemental power. The look of this form is pretty much a black silhouette of the person with a colored outline, the color connected to the element (Blue-Raimundo, Red-Kimiko, Silver-Omi, and Green-Clay). Identified by an aqua sash. This form makes its debut in season three and it seems the user can change into it via the Orion Formation. Though in the Episode Dream Stalker, Raimundo is the only one to change into it without the formations help, but it is most likely that he was able to since he was fighting in his dream world, and just about anything can happen there.
Shoku Warrior - Is the leader of the Xiaolin group and is the one who makes all the decisions. Further abilities are unknown. Raimundo is promoted to this level at the end of the episode "Time After Time (2)". A black robe and a golden sash identify this level.
Master - Master Fung's stage. He has probably mastered half of a Master Monk.
Master Monk - Has mastered all tai chi forms. The only known individual of this level is Master Monk Guan.
Grand Master - The ultimate stage of the Xiaolin. Not fully explained, but a Grand Master Dragon is so extremely talented they can turn a pebble into a puzzle box capable of trapping a certain Heylin witch, but this is only one of many unknown abilities. The only known individual of this level is Grand Master Dashi, who lived more than 1,500 years ago.
Symbolism in Xiaolin Showdown
Forehead dots
Several characters are seen with having mysterious dots on their forehead. Omi has nine white dots, in three rows of three. Master Monk Guan has six, two rows of three standing on the width; his are yellow. One of the elder monks in the Xiaolin Temple had the same pattern as Master Monk Guan, as seen in the episode with the Sapphire Dragon. When Master Monk Guan showed Omi the scroll that showed a large shadow along with a goat-demon enslaving Chase Young to evil, the shadow had four dots as a square in his debut.
Omi also has three rows of three red dots balancing on a corner, when he turned evil and left behind his good chi in the Ying-Yang world, they became a diamond shape. When Omi turned into a cat, the essence of Omi made Chase Young stronger, which is how he got his dots. However, when the Xiaolin Warriors defeated him in the showdown, Omi got his dots back and Chase Young lost his.
In the series, the dots that appear on the aforementioned characters have never been explained. However, they are most likely the representing of a warrior's chi, but only the most powerful warriors (or only the warriors destined for greatness) will have these dots.
Four is considered an unlucky number in Chinese culture because the Mandarin and Cantonese word for four sounds like the word for death. Continuing with this numerological interpretation, the Mandarin and Cantonese word for three sounds like the word for life. In addition, to a Buddhist monk, three represents the Three Jewels.
The Taijitu
A stylized taijitu (more commonly known as the yin-yang) can be seen in nearly every episode, as yin and yang are important beliefs in Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The taijitu can be seen primarily in the center of the Reversing Mirror, but it has also shown up as a crater on the moon, in clouds, and many other places.
Overall Showdown record
Out of all Xiaolin Showdowns fought in this show as of episode 52, (regular showdowns, generic Xiaolin Showdowns, Shen Yi Bu Dares and All-Ins, Trios, Tsunamis, and Cosmic Clashes) the Xiaolin side has the better record over the Heylin with an astonishing 42 wins to the Heylin's 11. But to balance it out, while the Xiaolin warriors have won many of the Showdowns, the Heylin side (Jack Spicer specifically) has stolen many of the Shen Gong Wu back (only to lose it later in Showdowns). Battles between sides are not counted.
Cancellation
Despite being a popular show, Warner Bros has not showed any signs of having a fourth season of Xiaolin Showdown. Some fans believe that there will be a fourth season, as none of the main antagonists have met any sort of final defeat, as well as mentions of Raimundo's duties as leader only beginning, the open-ended amount of Shen Gong Wu, and it was promoted as a season finale, not a series finale. However, the close-ended finale to the third season, a musical number, a great battle, and the majority of the Shen Gong Wu held by the side of the Xiaolin gives some closure to the series. It is said that the third season ended without a cliffhanger because of the writers' lack of knowledge as to whether or not the show was renewed for another season.
There were also tie-ins with other companies, such as Post cereal's Postopia.com tie-in, in which there are "sneak peeks" for new Shen Gong Wu (Fifi-Xiaogo and Genie Moo) that may appear in the fourth season also Shen Gong Wu from the Trading Card Game, should it be made.
Despite all of the updates to the series outside of the television medium, Xiaolin Showdown has been cancelled, production ceased as it reached 52 episodes, a common number for Kids WB! original series. Cartoon Network is currently broadcasting episodes, calling them new, although they have already aired on Kids WB! and are solely new to Cartoon Network.
Voice actors and their roles
- Tara Strong Omi
- Jeff Bennett — Clay Bailey, Cyclops, Master Monk Guan, Heylin Plant (Gigi)
- Tom Kenny — Raimundo Pedrosa, Vlad, Grand Master Dashi, Hannibal Roy Bean
- Grey DeLisle — Kimiko Tohomiko, Dyris
- Wayne Knight — Dojo Kanojo Cho
- Rene Auberjonois — Master Fung (Season 1)
- Maurice LaMarche — Master Fung (Seasons 2 and 3), Tubbimura, Raksha
- Susan Silo — Wuya
- Danny Cooksey — Jack Spicer
- Jennifer Hale — Katnappe
- Kevin Michael Richardson — PandaBubba
- Jason Marsden — Chase Young
Games
Konami is developing a Xiaolin Showdown video game, that is dated to release on November 10, 2006 to PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, and Nintendo DS.
DVD release
A Season One DVD has been released. It is a 2-disc set, and has special features on disc 2, but the only features are trailers for other shows/movies.
See also
External links
- Official Site for Xiaolin Showdown
- Official Site for Xiaolin Showdown TCG (licensed by Wizards of the Coast)
- Xiaolin Showdown at TV.com
 Xiaolin Showdown |
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| Characters |
| Omi | Raimundo | Kimiko | Clay | Dojo Jack Spicer | Wuya | Chase Young | Hannibal Roy Bean |
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| Shen Gong Wu |
| Season One | Season Two | Season Three |
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| List of episodes Trading Card Game | Video game |
