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Xiaolin Showdown

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Xiaolin Showdown
File:T6mxiaolinshowdown-1-.jpg
The main characters, clockwise from bottom: Omi, Raimundo, Clay, and Kimiko.
Created byChristy Hui
Warner Bros. Animation
StarringTara Strong
Grey Delisle
Tom Kenny
Jeff Bennett
Danny Cooksey
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes52
Production
Running time22 minutes approx.
Original release
NetworkWB TV Network (United States dosmetic)
Cartoon Network (worldwide repeats)
ReleaseNovember 1, 2003 –
Present

Xiaolin Showdown is an American animated television series about Omi, a young monk-in-training from the Xiaolin Temple (a name based on the real-life Shaolin Temple) who has been chosen by the Temple's Master Fung along with three other monks from various nations (Raimundo from Brazil, Kimiko from Japan, and Clay from Texas) to find and protect sacred artifacts called Shen Gong Wu from being taken and used by Heylin (forces of evil), predominantly represented by the spirit of the ancient witch Wuya. The use of the artifacts is shown to be usually combined with the use of the martial arts, which are portrayed as evoking internal, mystical powers linked to the classical elements that work synergistically with the Shen Gong Wu. The show makes frequent use of Chinese culture and archetypes despite the international setting — the Xiaolin Temple is in China and the origins of the Shen Gong Wu all seem to be Chinese.

Shen Gong Wu

Main article: Shen Gong Wu

The focus of the series is on collecting the Shen Gong Wu. They are mystical artifacts that have magical powers, activated by an action of will combined with saying the artifact's name aloud.

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 can activate a "Shen Yi Bu Dare," where multiple Shen Gong Wu are wagered. The winner receives their own Shen Gong Wu, the opponent's, and the Shen Gong Wu that was grabbed to activate the challenge. Also, in some cases you can challenge multiple enemies by initiating a "Showdown Trio, Showdown Tsunami, an 8-way Showdown". You can also call for a Cosmic Clash Showdown (this allows the caller to bring more people who didn't touch the Shen Gong Wu into the challenge). The challenge can be anything, but most commonly is some sort of race to the Shen Gong Wu. When the Showdown is called, the world around them warps, and the terrain they are on becomes an extreme extent, such as a mountain side becoming a field of rock pillars, or a snowfield becoming a large snowboarding course. Other contests have been games of tag, basketball, or combat. The challenge officially begins after the change, and when both 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

Main article: List of Xiaolin 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, but when his fellow Xiaolin Dragons are in trouble, he's always there to help them in time of need. Like Raimundo he joined the Heylin side once. His Signature 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's known to get idiomatic phrases messed up, but sometimes says them correctly.
  • Raimundo: The Xiaolin Dragon of wind, Raimundo, may be stubborn but he'll 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 signature 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 Crest of the Condor. He was named team leader in the episode Time After Time, Part 2.
  • Kimiko: Kimiko Tohomiko, the female member of the team, is the Xiaolin Dragon of fire. Kimiko is probably the smartest and most techno-savvy member of the team. Kimiko also changes hairstyles and outfits almost every episode. Her signature Shen Gong Wu is the Star Hanabi, her Wudai Weapon is Arrow Sparrow, and her elemental Shen Gong Wu is Cat's Eye Draco. Has the hottest temper (Generally at even the slightest provocation).
  • Clay: The Xiaolin Dragon of earth, Clay is the team muscle and a home-grown Texan. Clay sometimes speaks in "cowboy slang," and uses metaphors in about every episode. Clay has a sister named Jessie who's an outlaw, leader of the Black Vipers. His signature Shen Gong Wu are the Fist of Tebigong and the Third-Arm Sash, his Wudai Weapon is Big Bang Meteorang, and his elemental Shen Gong Wu is Longhorn Taurus.
  • Dojo: A shapeshifting dragon. The Xiaolin warriors' main mode of transportation and wisdom advisor, Dojo can sense Shen Gong Wu like Wuya. He has previously served master fung, as Omi sees him when Jack sent him back in time to find another puzzlebox to trap Wuya. When Dojo is out of commission, the Xiaolin warriors use an aircraft shen-gong-wu called the Silver Manta Ray, or other various transport shen-gong-wu (e.g. crouching cougar).
  • Master Fung: The Xiaolin Warrior's Master, Master Fung can get mortified by his charges' behavior at times.
  • Master Monk Guan: A Xiaolin Master that has mastered all forms of Tai Chi. He holds the Spear of Guan. He temporarily looks over the Xiaolin Warriors' training. When Omi once used the Sands of Time to prevent Chase Young from getting evil, he saw that Master Monk Guan turned to the Heylin side.
  • Jermaine: A streetwise basketball player from New York that helped Omi obtain the Serpent's Tail. At one time, Jermaine was on the side of the Xiaolin and Heylin at the same time without knowing it. He was once Chase Young's apprentice so he knows many skills like Omi and when he joined the Xiaolin team, he was immediately made a Wudai Warrior.
  • Grand Master Dashi: The Greatest Xiaolin Dragon that ever lived (so far) trapped Wuya in a puzzlebox 1,500 years ago.

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-proclimation of "evil boy genius". When affected by returning from the Ying-Yang World without both the Ying Yo-Yo and and the Yang Yo-Yo, he becomes so good and full of pollyannish optimism that if anything he is even more annoying.
  • Wuya: A 1,500 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).
  • 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.
  • Tubbimura: Tubbimura is a 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. He is able to take the forms of the Xiaolin Warriors, Master Fung, Jack Spicer, Wuya, and others and is also able to extend his arms and spin his waist.
  • 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).
  • Mala Mala Jong: Mala Mala Jong is a 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 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 a even bigger threat than Jack Spicer, 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 will have enough power to rule the world. Was turned to the Heylin side when Hannibal Roy Bean convinced him to drink the Lao Mange Long Soup.
  • Hannibal Roy Bean: Hannibal is a mutated bean (who for some reason speaks with a Southern drawl) that's 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 Mang Lone Soup.
  • Le Mime: He has the power to make what he imagines or acts out real. Refer to Other Magic Besides Shen Gong Wu.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Techniques learned

  • Dragon X-Kumei Formation — Learned during Xiaolin Apprentice level.
  • 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 — White
    • Kimiko — Red
    • Raimundo — Light Blue
    • Clay — Green
    • In Dragon X-Kumei, Raimundo's color is white, and Omi's is blue, they switched in Wudai Orion.
  • 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, Tornado Strike, Monkey Strike, Tsunami Strike and Wudai Neptune — Water, Ice, Steam (Omi has also learned the very powerful attack, "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, Wudai Fire Shield and Wudai Mars — Fire
    • Raimundo's Moves: Wind, Typhoon Boom, Typhoon Boom Wind, 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're fictional spoofs of real kung-fu attacks.

  • Repel the Beast
  • Monkey Strike
  • Repulse the Monkey (an attack which counters the Monkey Strike)
  • Tiger Instinct, Roaring Phoenix
  • Monkey Reading Shakespeare
  • Spider Doing Hokey-Pokey(never used, only read in book by Dojo)
  • Sparrow Eating Hotdog
  • Grasshopper Doing Dog Paddle
  • Dogs Playing roulette
  • Duck Eating Crackers
  • Horse Drinking Water
  • Cat Playing Fiddle
  • Fox Stomping Grapes
  • Rooster Frying Eggs
  • Monkey Painting House
  • Viper Strike, Cougar Strike
  • Mole Attacking Ox
  • Butterfly Fools Moth on Cyprus Tree
  • Mantis Kick
  • Dogs Playing Poker
  • Pig Eating Sausages
  • Goat Churning Butter
  • Flying Monkey Strike
  • Chimpanzee Shot
  • Leopard Attack
  • Ant Eating Grass
  • Charging Bear
  • Flying Crane Holcano Metro move
  • Plowing Yak

Other Magic Besides Shen Gong Wu

Wudai Weapons (Dispute between Shen Gong Wu or just Magical Objects)

  • 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. 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. Also capable of multiplying for multiple attacks.

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 of this spear. 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 the four Heylins where joined by almost all the evil characters encountered in the series such as Jack Spicer, Vlad and Tubbimura.

The Lao Mang Long Soup: The Lao Mang Long Soup is an ancient Heylin potion that once someone has drunken turns 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 doesn't drink the the Soup everyday he/she will turn into this monster. Apparently, one can also turn into the monster at any moment. Its primary magical ingredient is one whole dragon (known as Long in Chinese), such as Dojo.

A Pebble/Puzzlebox: Any simple pebble in the hands of a great Xiaolin Dragon/GrandMaster can be turned into a magical puzzlebox. The puzzlebox opens up and can retain 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.

The Bird of Paradise: The Bird of Paradise is actually not at all a bird, but an old lady who cannot sing very well. The Bird has a lot of mastered ability. Rumor says it that the Bird can crush buildings and do other terrible things, but when the Monks reach her they are given true inner-powers.

The Ying-Ying Bird: Hannibal Roy Bean's bird. Can travel in and out of the Ying-Yang World at will. Sometimes changes into a parrot for cover.

Heylin Seed: A puny seed that holds a huge and powerful plant named (by Jack) Gigi. Almost destroyed the world 1500 years ago.

Heylin Eclipse: An eclipse named after the Heylin Side. Affects some parts of the Heylin Side. Most notably it effects Chase Young.

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 taking off 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. Happened once in the show so far in The Year of the Green Monkey where Jack used them to attack the Xiaolin Temple.

Le Mime's Mime Tricks: The french mime in Like a Rock!, Le Mime, uses real mime tricks to lure and capture enemies. Hired by Jack Spicer in attempt to get the Fist of Tebigong.

Xiaolin Stages (So Far)

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. In the Apprentice form the Warriors gain a new type of ability - the Dragon X-Kumei Formation - which can multiply their 'Apprentice Powers'.

Wudai Warrior - Capable of huge amounts of strength and power; using elements with attacks, weapons, and power-ups or enhancers. Also a special form is acquired which could be called a Wudai or Orion form,it allows the user to boost his or her elemental power. The look of this form is pretty much a black sillouete of the person with a colored outline, the color connected to the element (Blue-Raimundo, Red-Kimiko, Silver-Omi, and Green-Clay). 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/Leader - Is the leader of the Xiaolin group and is the one who makes all the decisions. Further abilities are unknown at the moment. Raimundo is promoted to this level at the end of the episode "Time After Time (2)".

Master - Master Fung's stage. 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 Xiaolin Dragon - 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 1500 years ago.

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 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, that's how he got his dots. But when the Xiaolin Warriors defeated him in the showdown, Omi got his dots back and Chase Young lost his.

In the series, these 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 word for four sounds like the word for death. Continuing with this numerological interpretation, the Mandarin word for three sounds like the word for life. Also, to a Buddhist monk, three represents the Three Jewels.

But in the episode "The Dream Stalker" the dots seemed to be able to sense the coming of danger and a creature. And in the Showdown of the Monks vs. the Fearsome Four, the dots are seen to give off light, since the showdown was in darkness, the Four easily found Omi, and he needed to wear Clay's hat to hide himself.

Overall Showdown record

Out of all Xiaolin Showdowns fought in this show as of Ep. 313, (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. Dashi's challenge to Omi was not counted, nor was Raimundo's against Omi, both because they were technically fought between one side. Another showdown that is ruled out is the one where Jack Spicer fought the Chameleon-Bot. Like the aforementioned Raimundo vs. Omi match, the Xiaolin Dragons all thought that they had one person on their side; Raimundo was actually on the Xiaolin Side, and Chameleon-Bot, who was masquerading as Kimiko, was truly on the Heylin Side.

Season 4 debate

Despite being a very popular show, Warner Bros is not showing any signs of having a fourth season of Xiaolin Showdown. One major argument that supports the "No Season 4" theory are the events within the Season 3 finale. However, it is likely that a fourth season can come into existence, as in the first episode, Wuya told Jack that there were hundreds of Shen Gong Wu, and so far, only 75 have been revealed. This could mean the series is not yet over. In addition to that, the lineup for fall after the anime shows like Pokémon and Viewtiful Joe are cut from the station still shows Xiaolin Showdown there. Furthermore, 65 episodes is generally considered a desirable number for syndication, suggesting that another 13 episodes may be made to reach that number.

Voice actors and their roles

Games

Konami is developing a Xiaolin Showdown video game, that is dated to release in November 2006 to PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox and Nintendo DS.

Home video

Warner Home Video is currently preparing a DVD for Xiaolin Showdown. Rather than a single-disc DVD best-of, the 2 disc DVD will contain the entire 13-episode first season, set for release on August 8, 2006. No bonus features have been revealed at this point. Source: TVShowsOnDVD.com

Movie?

If the card game and Season 1 DVD sell well, then a movie is possible. It is very likely that if a movie is made for Xiaolin Showdown, it will be a straight to video/DVD release and/or an airing on Cartoon Network. Other Kids WB shows that were made into movies of similar types were Batman Beyond and ¡Mucha Lucha!.

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to Xiaolin Showdown.
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