Information AboutXiaolin Showdown |
''Xiaolin Showdown'' is an American Animated Television Series that currently airs on Cartoon Network . Set in a world where Martial Arts battles and Eastern Magic are common place, the series follows four young warriors in training that battle the forces of evil. They do this by protecting Shen Gong Wu (ancient Artifacts that possess great magical powers) from villains (witches, mad scientists, evil warlords) that would use them to Conquer The World . Originally airing on the Kids WB! block of programming on WB Network in 2003, the series ran for 3 seasons and 52 episodes. Typical episodes revolve around a specific Shen Gong Wu being revealed which results in both sides racing to find it. Episodes usually reach a head when one good and one evil character must challenge each other to a magical duel called a Xiaolin Showdown for possession of the artifact. BACKGROUND Creation Xiaolin Showdown was created by Christy Hui and co-produced by executive producer Sander Schwartz, supervising producer Eric Radomski and producers Bill Motz and Bob Roth and was developed by Warner Bros. Animation.1 The first episode of Xiaolin Showdown was developed over three years following its conception2 and premiered November 1 , 2003 . Series creator Christy Hui has stated that despite the growing popularity of anime in the United States, she preferred to create a show that was a "fusion of Eastern and Western culture", and this is evident in her work. Xiaolin Showdown shows subtle influences of Eastern art, action, and philosophy but also includes very Western characters and humor.3 Following the success of its first season a second twenty four episode season was ordered and a third after that resulting in 3 seasons and 52 episodes. Despite heavy promotion in other media, including Postopia , a Trading Card Game , and a Video Game , Warner Bros have not shown any signs of broadcasting a fourth season. Cartoon Network is airing the series, but episodes that they claim to be new are solely new to that network, and not the series as a whole. Premise Four young Xiaolin monks, Omi , flashy street smart Brazilian Raimundo , J-pop Technophile Kimiko from Japan, and the kung-fu cowboy Clay from Texas have been chosen by the temple's head monk, Master Fung, to become the Xiaolin Dragons of legend. Their task is to find and protect the sacred Shen Gong Wu from being taken by the forces of evil and put to ill use. The Shen Gong Wu give the user unique supernatural powers, that can be used for good or evil. Plot Summary Fifteen hundred years in the past, evil almost overtook the world. The master Xiaolin Monk Grand Master Dashi was able to suppress each these threats with the use of his magical tools, the Shen Gong Wu. Ultimately he was able to trap the evil Heylin witch Wuya in a small wooden puzzle box which led to 1500 years of peace. In the present day, four young people from across the globe are brought together at the modern Xiaolin temple to prepare for their destined lives as the legendary Xiaolin Dragons. The would be world-conqueror Jack Spicer releases Wuya from her prison, and the Shen Gong Wu begin to reveal themselves to both parties. The story follows the monks as they train and hone their skills, while countering ever greater evil threats. Eventually new enemies surface in the form of Chase Young and Hannibal Bean, who may not be looking for Shen Gong Wu but do have agendas of world domination. CHARACTERS See Also: List of Xiaolin Showdown characters ''Xiaolin Showdown'' features a large cast, many of whom only appear in one episode and occasionally return for Cameos or for single episodes later in the series. While supporting characters are often one dimensional and serve an immediate purpose in the episode in which they appear, main characters are often well developed with strengths and flaws that become present as the series progresses. Main Characters Supporting Characters MYSTICAL ELEMENTS Shen Gong Wu See Also: Shen Gong Wu The focus of the series is on collecting the fictional 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 In ''Xiaolin Showdown'', when more than one person grabs a Shen Gong Wu at the same time, a Xiaolin Showdown occurs. In this namesake competition, 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!" 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. '''. 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 Master 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. 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 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.
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
Heylin Eclipse: An eclipse named after the Heylin Side. It affects some parts of the Heylin Side. Most notably, it affects ''Chase Young''. INFLUENCES Cultural references Taijitu 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 as part of the special animation of martial arts techniques, and when a Shen Gong Wu is used. Forehead dots In Buddhist culture, dots or markings are made on a monks forehead or Brow Chakra to indicate the mystical Third Eye , and symbolizes spiritual wisdom. This marking helps serve as a reminder to the monk to focus their energies toward achieving higher understanding of the world around them. In the series, the dots that appear on the aforementioned characters have never been explained. Several characters are seen with such dots on their forehead. Omi has nine white dots, in three rows of three. Master Monk Guan has six yellow dots, two rows of three standing on the width. 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. Four is considered an Unlucky Number In Chinese Culture because the Mandarin and Cantonese word for four sounds like the word for death. When he left behind his good chi in the Ying-Yang and world was turned to evil, Omi's forehead dots turned into red dots balancing on a corner. 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 them. 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 . Asian culture Fashion The monks in Xiaolin Showdown dress in standard Gi at the temple and various martial arts outfits when using their powers, they also wear street clothes when on the road. In each episode, Kimiko stands out in this area wearing a new colorful outfit in the style of Japanese Street Fashion worn by teenagers that gather in shopping areas like the Harajuku district of Tokyo. This clothing style is displayed in Japanese magazines published under the title FRUiTS , and two collections of this photography have been released in the US by Phaidon Press titled ''FRUiTS'' (2001) and ''FRESH FRUiTS'' (2005). RECEPTION IN OTHER MEDIA Games See Also: Xiaolin Showdown (video game) Konami developed a Xiaolin Showdown video game, that was released on November 10 2006 for 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. REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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