Heartwarming / Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight

Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.

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Ignoring the Downer Beginning of the series, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight is still full of heartwarming moments of friendship and family.

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Season 1

A Cause for the Paws

• The first half of episode 1 is full of happy moments for Po.
  • After three movies facing dangerous foes, Po takes a well-deserved break by going into an eating tour across China.
  • The citizens of China greeting Po as he goes to the first stop of his tour. It shows how beloved Po became across the franchise.
• Mr. Ping reacting with worry for Po, comforting his son after he became a Broken Pedestal to China and lost his title as Dragon Master.
  • Later on, he goes Papa Wolf on Luthera the moment that she gets the upper hand on his son. He and Po then exchange some finger gestures before Po resumes the fight.

The Knight's Code

• Po becoming Luthera's page, the lowest rank of the knights, to prove his compromise in helping her stop Klaus and Veruca. It shows how much of a Humble Hero he truly is to start from scratch.
• Despite the struggles that he's facing, Po is still capable of using inner peace. Using it for the first time since the second movie to cross a river of lava by walking on little platforms.
• Po's relationship with Chuntao borders on Friendly Enemy territory, with both of them sharing pleasantries rather than feeling enmity to each other.
  • The first thing Po does when talking to Chuntao is ask him how his girlfriend is doing. As soon as Chuntao tells Po that she dumped him, Po expresses his sympathies.
  • Chuntao being a Graceful Loser when Po sends him flying while quipping the "friends and family discount" line that Chuntao told him at the beginning of the fight. Chuntao actually compliments Po for making a nice Call-Back as he is sent flying into the sky.
• Po risks his life to save Luthera, which impresses her so much that she makes him her page.

The Lotus

• Po saving the Lotus Village at the beginning of the episode. He may no longer have the title of Dragon Master, but he demonstrates why he earned it by helping and saving innocent people that were wronged by Klaus and Veruca.
• The Lotus Village treat Po as the Dragon Master is sweet. While most of China turned against him for accidentally destroying a village, the Lotus Village still acknowledges Po by his title because they remember all of the good deeds he did across the franchise in protecting his country.
• When Luthera believes that she has Klaus and Veruca trapped in a cage, she unsheathes her sword with the intention of killing them. Po stops her by pointing out that they are already imprisoned. Despite Klaus and Veruca being the reason that he was disgraced, it's clear that Po doesn't want them killed in cold blood.
• Po refuses to break Zhen out of jail because he doesn't want to break the trust of the Lotus Village. In fact, he'd rather help her obtain her freedom via trail. Sadly, Luthera makes him break Zheng out since she's the only person who knows where the weasels went.
• Po initially refuses to fight the Imperial Guard because he doesn't want to further dishonor himself. What gets him to finally fight them? Luthera is losing a fight, and Po hates it when people mess with his friends.
  • Though Po fights the Imperial Guard, he's in full Apologetic Attacker mode as he apologizes for hurting them.
• Zhen helps Po and Luthera escape by using fireworks to distract the Imperial Guard.

The Legend of Master Longtooth

• Po helps a random citizen with his wagon out of kindness.
• Po having fun at a convention, cosplaying as Master Bamboozle.
• Luthera proves that she's a Friend to All Children by letting Rabia touch her sword. Po is impressed, but Luthera tells him that Rabia is a child rather than an enemy.
• Luthera helps Lao to come to terms with his father's death by sharing a story of how she dealt with her brother's death. This causes Lao to move on and help the bears in their adventure. As they leave, Lao promises to share the last comic that his father made with the rest of the world.
  • Just the sweet relationship between Lao and Li Gao. It's clear that Li Gao loved his son based on the picture of them together.
• Wandering Blade opens up to Po by speaking about her brother's death in a confrontation with Klaus and Veruca.
• Luthera defends Rabia from the Forbidden Company by blocking an Acid Attack with her hand. It shows that she has a soft spot for children.

The Gateway to the Desert

• Though brief, the friendship between Po and Weimin was endearing before they became enemies,
  • Weimin actually sympathized with Po regarding the way Luthera treated him, even lecturing him about one-sided friendships.
  • For his part, Po felt sympathy over Weimin being looked down at the Forbidden Company, inviting the Komodo dragon to his journey to clear his name.
• Luthera's first appearance in the episode has her feeling guilty about abandoning Po in the previous episode. It's clear that, in spite of her mission, Luthera didn't like abandoning her comrade.
• The interaction between Klaus and Veruca reveals that Klaus spent 15 years trying to break Veruca out of jail. Though Veruca doesn't appreciate it for how long it took for Klaus to set her free, it's clear that Klaus worked very hard to protect his sister.
• The interactions between Luthera and Rabia.
  • Luthera tells Rabia to enjoy her childhood rather than engage in quests. She even tells her that she learned that lesson from her brother.
  • Rabia leading Luthera to the Spice Market, as she wants to compensate Luthera for saving her life from the Forbidden Company.
• The citizens of the Spice Market help Klaus when he's choking. It's a Wounded Gazelle Gambit from the weasels, but it's clear that the citizens wanted to help Klaus.
  • The fact that this is one of their most used gambits implies that Klaus always gets help from people when he's choking. It shows that people are willing to help when others are in danger.
• Po saves Luthera from being killed by Veruca, and later Klaus saves Veruca from being captured by Po. It's clear that the members of both sides care about their loved ones by being quick enough to rescue them.
• Po reconciles with Luthera after she left him in the previous episode. By the end of the episode, the two continue their quest to recover the Whip of Endless Flame.
• Rabia settles her debt with Luthera for saving her in the previous episode by saving her and Po from Colin.
• The end of the episode shows Rabia reuniting with her parents after a dangerous day.

The Lost City

• The flashback scenes with Alfred, Luthera's late older brother, showing what a Cool Big Bro he was to Luthera as a child.
  • Both of them have Affectionate Nickname for each other. Alfred calls Luthera Lulu and Luthera calls him Alfie.
  • Alfred telling Luthera to enjoy her childhood. Though she was unable to do so because of his death scarring him, she developed a soft spot for children, as seen with her relationship with Rabia.
  • Alfred respecting his sister's desire to be a knight by giving her tests, beaming with pride with her successes.
• Apparently, Colin gave Rabia a lollipop despite interrogating her. It's clear that he at least wants Rabia to be in a good mood while she speaks.
  • Rabia refuses to speak by annoying Colin so that he won't find Po and Luthera. When he threatens her parents, she draws him a map. Though Colin is confused, Rabia confidently tells him that her map will get him there, as if believing that she saved her parents without betraying Po and Luthera.
• Po and Luthera's bonding activities. Po shares wisdom quotes from his favorite Kung-Fu master and Luthera teaches him about astronomy while they stargaze.
• Veruca threatens Colin with her Wugao Gauntlet the moment he threatens Klaus. It's clear that she's got a Big Sister Instinct hidden behind her madness.

The Last Guardian

• Po's flashback scenes with Mr. Ping, starting from him being a baby to being a grown-up. It's clear how much Po loves his father and is afraid of being permanently separated from him.
• Rukhmini's moss people were made to keep her company in the thirty years she was trapped. Her best friend is a moss that she named Diya. Come season 2, and we find out that Rukhmini's best friend is named Diya.
• Po has an hallucination of Mr. Ping, who reassures him over his fear of letting him down and never returning home if he fails the mission. Mr. Ping then helps Po escape by suggesting that he uses the Wugao Gauntlet on his thumb to escape.
• Though part of it is due to pragmatism, Klaus heals Colin's leg with a Healing Potion after the latter fell down a hill.
• The episode ends with Klaus and Veruca leaving the desert. Veruca comforts Klaus as the two of them start looking for a healer.

A Thread in the Dark

• There is something endearing about watching a younger and saner Veruca enjoying the Lunacy magic she had to control plants, even thanking them for their service.
• Po cheers up Luthera when she's feeling doubts over her ability to capture Klaus and Veruca, reassuring her and training alongside her for their fight with the weasels.
• The flashback scene showing Klaus rescuing Veruca after fifteen years. He is tired and the other mages died, but he was going to rescue his beloved sister. And he did, giving Veruca a gentle smile as he extended his hand to her.
• Veruca recovers her connection to the moon when her brother Klaus is in danger. Her Big Sister Instinct causes her to recover the magic she lost after years of imprisonment.
  • Klaus' giddy expression when he sees that Veruca recovered her powers. He's clearly happy to see his sister at her peak again.
• Luthera uses the Kung-Fu move that Po taught her to defeat Veruca and disarm her of the Wugao Gauntlet. The episode ends with Luthera promoting Po to squire and then having a friendly spar with him.
• An evil version, but Veruca promising Klaus that she will help them escape now that she recovered her connection with the moon.

Slow Boat to England

• Mr. Ping stands up to the Emperor of China, refusing to betray Po and preferring to be gruesomely killed than doing so.
• Though the two are about to separate after capturing the weasels, it's clear that Po and Luthera don't want to separate. Po actually goes as far as to trick Luthera into going to the Moon Festival to have her stay in China for a little longer.
• While traveling by boat, a friendly old rabbit refers to Po as Dragon Master, apparently not minding that Po is a criminal now.
• Po and Luthera enjoying the Moon Festival together. While Po did trick Luthera into coming, it's clear that he wanted Luthera to spend one more day in China having fun.
• The fight at the end of the episodes have small Pet the Dog moments that makes it more emotional than it should be.
  • Po tries to have a Heroic Sacrifice when held down by Veruca, as he doesn't want the weasel siblings to have two Tianshang Weapons. As he is held hostage, he apologizes to Luthera for tricking her, acknowledging that what he did was not befitting for a friend.
  • Veruca once again shows her Big Sister Instinct when Luthera tries to kill Klaus by preparing to kill Po.
  • Luthera tells the weasels where to find the Whip of Endless Flame to prevent Po from dying. Despite the setback, she is willing to hunt after them again with Po's help, much to his joy, as he is happy to have more adventures with Luthera.

The Knight's Fall Part 1

• Po referring to Luthera by her full name and title when talking to the Emperor of China. The look on Luthera's face shows how touched she is that Po addressed her with her knightly titles.
  • In the following conversation, despite the Emperor being skeptical of Po, he tells him that he should trust Luthera, saying that he trusts her with his life.
• Po and Mr. Ping reuniting in jail. After many episodes of separation and misadventures, it feels nice to see father and son reunited.
  • Po venting about Luthera lying to him about being a knight. Despite only meeting the bear when she attacked Po, Mr. Ping feels sympathy for Luthera, telling Po that maybe the situation with her is more complicated than it looks.
• Mr. Ping acting like a fanboy to Rukhmini, addressing her as the Raider of Raipur shows that he has some of his son's tendencies to admire warriors and their deeds.
• Po and Mr. Ping teaming up against Klaus and Veruca.
  • The end of the fight with Po getting strength at the sight of his father, boasting that he doesn't need his Dragon Master title because he knows who he is.

The Knight's Fall Part 2

• The episode opens with Mr. Ping nursing Po and then giving Luthera the What the Hell, Hero? for lying to Po and endangering him.
• Luthera opens up about her past regarding her brother's death. This convinces Po and Mr. Ping to forgive her.
• Alfred's last moments with Luthera.
  • He tells her that he named his Cool Sword Luthera's Shield because his sword was meant to protect her like a shield.
  • Before leaving to face Klaus and Veruca, he gives Luthera a kiss to the forehead.
  • Alfred pulling a Heroic Sacrifice to save his sister from Klaus, which gets him killed by Veruca.
• Mr. Ping's participation in the episode. His fatherly love allows him to contribute to Po and Luthera's journey.
  • He uses his snow sledding skills to help Po catch up to Rukhmini, Klaus, and Veruca.
  • He hits Klaus with snowballs to prevent him from killing Po.
  • Finally, he joins Po's team to recover the Tianshang Weapons to protect his son.
• Po agrees to date Veruca, whom he considers an Abhorrent Admirer since they met, under the condition of her not killing Luthera. Veruca refuses, but it's clear that Po was willing to date a woman who scared him for the sake of his friend.
• Po saves Luthera's life by preventing her from being impaled in the back by Veruca. Immediately afterwards, he gets a hug from Luthera in gratitude for saving her life.

Season 2

The Liar and the Thief

• Rukhmini's joy at returning to India. After being trapped inside a rock monster for 30 years, she is happy to return to her homeland.
• Po using the panda rolling technique that he learned to save energy. Mr. Ping and Rukhmini try it because it looks fun. And then Luthera does it, laughing happily as she rolls down a hill.
• Rukhmini talking about her friend Diya wistfully. It's clear that she missed her best friend to the point of naming a miss shrub after her during her captivity.
• The tour montage across India featuring Po, Mr. Ping, and Luthera. It's more sweet because Luthera is enjoying herself as a tourist.
• Po asks Mr. Ping to talk to Luthera, as he assumes that there is something wrong with her based on her upbeat personality. Despite Mr. Ping feeling uncomfortable talking to her, he agrees to do so.
  • Mr. Ping's talk with Luthera helps her realize that she no longer needs to restrain herself with her knight code.
• Diya being a doting mother to Padma despite her daughter's clumsiness breaking a lot of dishes in her restaurant.
• Despite wanting Rukhmini away from her and her new life, Diya still shows that she considers Rukhmini her best friend.
  • She is genuinely happy when Rukhmini reveals that she discovered the Whip of Endless Flame.
  • She also reveals that she intended to give Rukhmini the pendant of Master Mastodon as soon as she returned to India.
• Po wants Luthera to pursue her dream of being a knight, reacting with dismay when she throws away the knight code that she used as a guideline to being a knight. It's clear that Po doesn't want Luthera to give up on her dreams.

One Last Job

• Though Diya is happy to participate in another heist, she tells Rukhmini that she won't endanger Padma's future. As such, she will pretend not to know the group if they get caught.
• Jayesh, despite being the main antagonist of this arc, treats Luthera with genuine kindness, showing her his collection of relics because of her honesty. He is genuinely disappointed upon finding out that Luthera was trying to steal from him.
• Klaus and Veruca reuniting with the Dark Mages is endearing to watch, particularly Klaus' delight upon seeing that his friend Nigel survived.
• Rukhmini being genuinely impressed when Po manages to navigate through a security system.
  • Though Po reaches the end, he is unable to grab the pendant. This causes Mr. Ping to throw his chopsticks at Po to successfully steal the treasure.
• Jayesh helping Padma stand up after she trips. It shows that he has some sort of affection for his betrothed.

Doom and Groom

• Jayesh looks smitten when holding Padma, to the point of having hiccups.
• Though Luthera wants to abandon Rukhmini for getting them arrested, Po is against it as he considers her a valued member of the team.
• Nigel showing Klaus and Veruca the new home of the Dark Mages, New England.
  • Klaus being genuinely delighted at seeing his fellow Dark Mages enjoying the paradise that they intended to create in England, unlike Veruca, who is seething with rage.
  • Klaus attempts to comfort Veruca, telling her that the Dark Mages didn't abandon her on purpose, reminding her that it took him fifteen years to find it.
• Despite Diya betraying her, Rukhmini still crashes the wedding because she doesn't want Diya to lose her restaurant to Jayesh.
• Though Kyle didn't choose to be The Archmage of the Dark Mages, it's clear that he cares about his kind, as he refuses to give the Wind Helmet to Veruca because that will mean the death of their people due to starvation.
  • Klaus tries to defuse the fight, as he doesn't want to fight Kyle or endanger his fellow mages.

The Pinging

• It's more saddening than heartwarming, but Kyle and Klaus try to stop Veruca from fighting him for the Wind Helmet.
  • Kyle proposes Veruca to join New England to live in peace as he doesn't want to fight the weasels.
  • Klaus proposes to let Kyle keep the helmet and return when they have the other three weapons so that New England can keep thriving.
• Po refusing to fight against Master Mastodon when he possesses Mr. Ping. As far as Po is concerned, his father is the only person that he refuses to fight.
  • Mr. Ping resists the possession of Master Mastodon to protect Po. He then tells Po not to feel guilty for endangering as Mr. Ping was aware of the risks when he started the adventure.
• Master Mastodon shows some hints of being a Well-Intentioned Extremist rather than a murderous ghost.
  • He is enraged when Rukhmini uses the Whip of Endless Flame against him, angrily telling her that the whip belongs to Master Longtooth. Even in death, Master Mastodon values his True Companions and doesn't want their legacy to be tarnished.
  • Despite wanting to kill Po, Master Mastodon relents when Po tells him about Klaus and Veruca trying to steal all four of the Tianshang Weapons. This convinces the ancient spirit to spare Po.
• Diya reveals that she had Padma marry Ramesh to recover the town for their people. Rukhmini is overjoyed.
  • Diya and Rukhmini give each other a goodbye hug, with Diya asking Rukhmini to return home soon.

Master Mastodon

• Master Mastodon fondly recalling Master Snail as a Worthy Opponent in spite of their fight ending with Mastodon slicing Snail in half.
• The frogs being hospitable to Po and his friends despite a terrible first impression when they caught Po eating their stolen crops.
• Luthera volunteers the group to fight against the scorpions to compensate the frogs for eating their crops.
• Master Mastodon apologizes to Po at the end of the episode, stating that he is not the perfect warrior that he read about in the comics. Understanding Mastodon's plight, Po tells him to start over as equals.
• Po makes up a new code book for Luthera to make up for the Knight's Code that she threw away. Luthera appreciates the gesture and names it the Dragon Knight's Code Book.

Hide the Lightening

• Po tries to convince Luthera not to fight against the Protector for the Storm Wheels, believing that they should ask them nicely.
• The Protector's clearly Loved by All in Tikal, since they have stories where they randomly save people from danger.
• How does Po gets the Protector to come? He pretends to be attacked by the scorpions, causing the Protector to appear.
• Po comforts Luthera when she's feeling down about her predicaments. He even makes a new rule in the Dragon Knight's Code Book stating that dragon knights don't quit.
• Rukhmini developing a new found respect when Mr. Ping tells her his past as a pirate. She even agrees to keep his past a secret from Po to protect him.

The Beast

• The Blood Boys being a Sibling Team with all three of them hugging and piling on each other.
• B'ah is full of these moments.
  • On his first appearance, a bodyguard gives him a cup of cocoa to drink and he makes the entire audience fawn at him with his cute appearance.
  • His older brothers welcome him to the team, happy that he gets to play with them for once.
  • Po actually goes out of his way to protect B'ah from Luthera, especially after finding out that the Blood Boys need to talk with Zuma to save their dying farm.
  • Luthera snaps out of her Beast personality because of B'ah being adorable, having good sportsmanship, and not minding Luthera's treatment of him.
  • B'ah comforting his brothers after their elimination, promising that they can try again next time.

An Uphill Battle

• Luthera being happy to have an audience with Queen Zuma because it reminds her of home. She even jokes that she is the fanciest when Rukhmini tease her about it.
• Zuma being welcoming to the Dragon Knights, even having a dance party for them winning the tournament.
• Mr. Ping convinces Master Mastodon to save Po and their friends from Klaus and Veruca.
  • While saving the group, Master Mastodon asks Master Longtooth to guide his hand when he uses the Whip of Endless Flame.
• Akna saving the Dragon Knights from Klaus and Veruca.

The Mad Scientist

• Akna reveals that her Scorpions were made to steal the crops for her dying village. Even then, she only stole the necessary crops to survive without endangering the other neighbor village.
• Akna's flashback sequence, especially with her surprise friendship with Alfred.
  • Before being a scientist, she was a toy maker. It's clear that she loved to make children smile.
  • Alfred was looking for the Storm Wheels. But when he found out Akna's village in danger, he teamed up with her against Zuma to recover the rain that she stole from them.
  • Akna uses the Storm Wheel that she stole from Zuma to save Alfred's life.
  • Before Alfred left, Akna made him a plush rabbit for Luthera as a souvenir. She made it because Alfred always talked about Luthera.
• Po stopping Luthera from ambushing the weasels because he doesn't want their village to be destroyed as collateral damage since they have two Tianshang Weapons now.
  • Likewise, Pelpel refuses to give up Po and Luthera despite barely knowing them.
• Zuma confronts Klaus and Veruca to save Pelpel. While she does betray him when he finds out that she was the Protector, it was clear that she intended to save him before Veruca unmasked him.
• Po saves Pelpel from his fall. This, coupled with Zuma leaving him to die, convinces Pelpel to join in with Akna to stop Zuma.
• Po intends to follow Luthera to capture Klaus and Veruca now that they no longer possess the Tianshang Weapons, stating that a knight needs her squire. Luthera refuses, pointing out that the village needs Po more than she does. Luthera then promises Po that she will be alright as she chases after Klaus and Veruca.

Apok-ta-pokalypse Now Part 1

• Though they feel awkward around each other, Pelpel and Akna are working together to fight Zuma.
• Po fights against Master Mastodon to learn his lightning powers since he doesn't want Mr. Ping to die fighting Zuma. The fights ends with Po exorcising Mastodon of Mr. Ping's body.
• Despite years of wanting revenge against the weasels, Luthera spares Klaus' life since she no longer wants to be held back by her desire to kill him and Veruca.
• Luthera hugs Po after her dramatic figh with the weasels. Upon revealing that she didn't kill Klaus and Veruca, Po smiles happily, glad that Luthera didn't kill anyone.
  • Briefly, but when Luthera hugs Po, he assumes that it's a traumatized hug. It's clear that, even if he didn't agree with Luthera's choice to kill the weasels, he would have still comforted her if she did kill them.

Apok-ta-pokalypse Now Part 2

• Master Mastodon comforts Po when the latter is unable to participate in the fight with Zuma. He gives Po two bowls of soup (the first one drank immediately by Po) so that he can see the fight.
• Pelpel tells Zuma to hand over the Tianshang Weapons as he doesn't want a war to happen.
  • Later on, Pelpel protects the citizens of Tikal from being accidental killed by Zuma's guards.
• After Master Mastodin is defeated by Zuma, Po takes control of his body. He tells Mastodon to use the soup so that he can recover hope.
• Po tries to convince Zuma to pull a Heel–Face Turn in their fight, pointing out that she did good things as the Protector.
• Luthera and the others keep fighting against Zuma to honor Po's death. Master Mastodon is impressed and Po is proud of his team.
• Master Mastodon pulls a Heroic Sacrifice by letting his soul be absorbed in the Storm Wheel, allowing Po to recover from the death.
• After Po defeats Zuma, Akna secures Zuma's body when the temple is falling. Despite subjecting her village to drought and famine, Akna doesn't want Zuma to die.
• The citizens of Tikal make Pelpel their new leader because he cares about the people.
• Akna joins the Dragon Knights in their adventure. She even made a coffin on which to store the Tianshang Weapons.
• The group sailing to England with the intent of destroying the Tianshang Weapons to honor Master Mastodon's sacrifice.

Epic Lunar New Year

• The sheer episode itself counts as heartwarming. Po and the Dragon Knights are just enjoying the Lunar New Year rather than fight against threats. It's a nice relaxing episode after the many misadventures that they faced in the previous episodes.

Season 3

The Dragon Knights (Part 2)

• When her soul is freed from Alfred's control, it appears Veruca has found peace in death as she no longer behaves like that murderous weasel she at life, even helping her brother to tap into his elemental powers so that he can summon the Tianshang Warriors, so they can destroy the very weapons she was after when alive.
• After all the times he’s offered forgiveness to people he had every right to despise - such as Tai Lung and Shen - only to have them immediately throw it in his face and force him to end them, Po has finally managed to get not just one, but two of his foes - Klaus and Alfred - to turn away from evil. Both people end up being nothing short of vital to saving the world in the end. He never gave up on being an All-Loving Hero, and it finally paid off.