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| You can chain my body, but you will never chain my warrior spirit! |
| —Crane, Kung Fu Panda 2 |
Master Crane is a member of the Furious Five and a master over the Crane style of Hung Ga Kung Fu.
Biography
In Secrets of the Furious Five
Crane as a janitor at the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy
Po told the rabbit children how Master Crane used to be the janitor at the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy, where everybody (even the strict teacher of the academy) looked down upon him due to his particularly skinny build. However, one night, the top student of the class, Mei Ling, had observed the skills which Crane used to tidy up the place every night. Impressed by his speed and accuracy, she convinced Crane to try out for the school. Even though his nerve faltered at first, Crane accidentally wandered into the obstacle course and quickly found a way to surpass it, passing with flying colors.
It is presumed Crane eventually left the Academy to train at the Jade Palace under the instruction of Master Shifu. He then soon joined with his other fellow students in forming the Furious Five and became a master over the Crane style of Hung Ga Kung Fu.
In Kung Fu Panda
Master Shifu and the Furious Five training outside the Training Hall
Crane was first seen in the training scene where the Five attempt to ambush Master Shifu. When Shifu evaded them completely, he said he was disappointed, pointing out the problems in each of the Five's attack strategy; he told Master Crane he needed to have greater height before attacking.
Master Crane and the other Five at the Dragon Warrior Tournament
He was next shown in the Dragon Warrior Tournament. As he flared his wings, he caused a gust of wind to slam shut the window Po had been looking through. As the first to showcase of power, he was to dodge the "Thousand Tongues of Fire" — rockets that would be hurtling toward him. Crane gracefully managed to dodge the rockets. After the others had performed (aside from Master Tigress), he lined up with the rest of the Five when Master Oogway announced that the Dragon Warrior was among them. He was just as surprised as the rest when a chubby panda named Po fell out of the sky and landed in front of Master Oogway's pointing claw.
Crane training on the Jade Tortoise
After the tournament, the Five made their way over to the Training Hall. Crane was shown to be working on the Hall's Jade Tortoise, soon sparring with Tigress when she, too, landed on the tortoise bowl to do battle with him. He came up with the rest of the Five when Po started to showcase his skills, watching and flinching as Po tumbled into the training course and failed each course. He joined in with the others that night in making fun of Po afterwards as they walked towards the Student Barracks, sarcastically remarking, "He is so mighty! The Dragon Warrior, fell out of the sky in a ball of fire!" But little did he know that Po was right behind them the whole time and could hear everything they said.
When Po then tried to sneak into his room that same night, he made the floorboards creak every time he moved and, in trying to avoid that, accidentally stumbled into Crane's room while he was sleeping, waking him up. When Po awkwardly tried to start a conversation, Crane told Po, "I've had a long and rather disappointing day, so... yeah, I should probably get to sleep now." An awkward conversation ensued, during which Po accidentally kicked a hole in the material separating Crane and Monkey's rooms, and ended with Po parting with more awkward apologies.
The next day, Crane had to help Po get unstuck from a full-split he had been attempting to do. He later sparred with Po, but before they could attempt to fight, Po fell into the tortoise bowl and banged around for quite a bit, with Crane having jumped off and hovered in the air above him. That night, as Po was being treated to acupuncture by Mantis and Viper, his exclamations of pain caused Crane to mess up a symbol he was painting on some parchment. He later reminded Tigress from his room that they weren't supposed to talk about Tai Lung when she began telling Po her story, but by the end of it, he and Monkey had opened the door between Crane and Po's room to listen. When the Five and Po ate together that same night, Crane greatly enjoyed Po's noodle soup, and laughed with the rest (excluding Tigress) at Po's "Shifu impression". He and the rest of the Five were later shocked at Master Oogway's death.
When Tigress set off to go fight Tai Lung, the rest of the Five joined her to help. When they finally faced him, Crane helped to cut the rope bridge, save Tigress from falling to her death, and tie up Tai Lung with a loose rope. When Tai Lung reappeared, he took out all but Crane with nerve attacks, leaving him to carry the rest of the Five back.
When the Valley started to be evacuated, Crane took a lantern from Tigress and flew up to light the evacuation path for the villagers. He ducked with the rest when a blast of energy came from the center of the village, causing his hat to fly off his head. The Five and the villagers returned to town to investigate, and and joined in the bow to acknowledge Po as a Master and the Dragon Warrior for defeating Tai Lung.
In Kung Fu Panda Holiday
Crane, along with the rest of the Furious Five, was surprised when Po brought news that he was to host the sophisticated Winter Feast at the Jade Palace. Though the Five offered their help in preparing for the intense dinner, Po believed he could handle it himself, but a number of complications soon arose; among them Crane informing Po that the vocalist of the band for the feast had quit. After finding the many tasks too daunting to do himself, Po decided to call on the Furious Five for help. Crane assisted by using a Kung Fu move, using his wings to send a shift of wind across the table, setting plates and dishes.
When all the tasks were done, Crane was later seated with the other Kung Fu Masters for the Winter Feast. However, the ceremony was interrupted by Po, who told the Masters about his family traditions (mentioning his Uncle Yang's tendency of spurting noodles from his nose when he laughs, which Crane and Monkey remarked they'd like to see), and Po left to be at the Noodle Shop with his father on the holiday. The Five understood Po's reasons for leaving, and they later joined him at the party at the restaurant. There, Crane enjoyed seeing the spectacle of Uncle Yang spurting noodles from his nose as Po described, and Crane later took part in a group portrait with the rest of the Furious Five, Po, Mr. Ping, Shifu, and Wo Hop.
In Art of Balance
 **SPOILER ALERT!** Plot and/or ending details follow below.
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"Art of Balance"
Crane appears at the start of the comic in Po's dream.
"The Dragon Chef"
Crane and monkey hand out the soup.
"Touch of Destiny"
Crane as he appears in "Touch of Destiny".
In Kung Fu Panda 2
Po, Crane, and the other Five planning on the infiltration of Gongmen City
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Master Shifu receives a message that a powerful villain (Lord Shen) has emerged with a weapon so powerful, it can destroy Kung Fu. Crane, along with Po and the rest of the Furious Five, must venture across China to face the threat and vanquish it. Crane seems hearty and ready for action. While trying to escape the Tower of the Sacred Flame, Crane is badly injured and suffered from a broken wing. But he had recovered by the end of the movie for unknown reasons. During the movie, Crane demonstrated on two occasions a most comedic act of expression as he in an almost mechanic fashion would drop his lower beak in awe when Tigress hugged Po, then again when Po in did the same thing to Tigress later in the movie.
| End of spoilers. |
In Kung Fu Crew
| **SPOILER ALERT!** Plot and/or ending details follow below.
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Coming soon!
Personality
Crane sharing an awkward conversation with Po
Crane is the most patient of the Five, and considered to be the pragmatist of the group. He will always try to avoid and defuse conflicts between the members, whose differing personalities often conflict. Reluctant to resort to violence, he's a "think first, punch second" kind of bird. Sometimes, a well-placed quip is the strongest technique. He'll try to avoid a fight, if at all possible; but if he can't avoid it, he'll do everything he can to win it. The safety of his fellow Kung Fu warriors is his first priority — he's willing to risk his life to protect them.[1]
Crane has also demonstrated a dry sense of humor on occasion. In his spare time, he enjoys practicing the ancient art of Chinese calligraphy, especially as a way to meditate or wind down after a stressful day.
Fighting Style
The traditional Crane style is natural, graceful, effortless, fluid and balanced. In traditional crane style, the fighter poses his striking hand similar to the long pointed beak of the bird. Crane doesn't use his beak, but instead, he utilizes his wings for big, circular sweeping movements designed to exploit his wingspan; by enlarging the striking zone, he diffuses his opponents' energy — using four ounces of energy to deflect one thousand tons of pressure.[1]
Unlike the other Furious Five, Crane mastered martial arts by himself when he worked as a janitor. At that time, his martial arts mostly composed of cleaning and sweeping to ease his janitor's workload.
During combat situations in dangerous locations where fatal falls are possible, Crane is able to fly around the combat zone and survey the area as a scout for tactical advantage, ready to catch any of his comrades if they do fall. If necessary, he is also strong enough to carry all of the other Five in the air, but this shows to be very taxing for him.
Crane in the Training Hall
In the first film, as well as Kung Fu Panda Holiday, Crane displays another ability. While aiding Po alongside the other Five in place settings for the Jade Palace's formal Winter Feast, he was shown being able to manipulate the wind he unleashed with his wings under the plates and tea cups. He lifts them long enough for Master Monkey to accurately and quickly distribute placemats directly underneath them. This makes Crane an aerokinetic, in addition to his other skills. Crane has also apparently worked on teamwork with Po, as he is seen several times helping Po with aerial maneuvers or ensuring he makes safe landings when the panda leaps from high altitudes.
Crane's special abilities include the "Wings of Justice" technique, where he sweeps his wings to create a strong gust of wind that is able to propel ships.
Relationships
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Po
Crane was the first of the Five to hold a conversation with Po, albeit being quite awkward. Nonetheless, touched by Po's dedication and admiration of the Five led Crane to have some respect for Po. By the second film, he seemed to have become close friends with Po, just like the other members of the Five. This is shown when Po managed to fit forty bean buns in his mouth, and Crane cheered for him and playfully slapped the panda's back with his wing, resulting in spat out bean buns. They've also improved their teamwork, as Crane is shown several times helping Po with aerial maneuvers or insuring he lands safely from leaping high altitudes.
The Furious Five
Crane stands alongside the Furious Five as a member. He tagged along with Tigress and the others to defeat Tai Lung, but after Tai Lung defeated them in battle by paralyzing all but Crane, he brought them back to the Jade Palace by flight, despite their heavy weight and the long, tedious journey back. This shows the compassion he has for his fellow Kung Fu masters.
Master Shifu
Crane was trained by Shifu like the others of the Furious Five. He complies with his orders, even when asked to leave him to defeat Tai Lung. He did, however, seem amused when Po was making fun of the Kung Fu master at supper one time. He can also be a bit nervous about breaking rules set by Shifu, as seen when he overhears Tigress telling Po about Tai Lung and he quickly reminds them, "Uh, guys, we're not supposed to talk about that!"
Mei Ling
Mei Ling was enrolled as a student at the Kung Fu school where Crane worked as a janitor. Watching him work late one night, she was amazed by his skill and told him to try out for enrollment at the school. She seemed to care about Crane and may have been his only friend when everyone else teased him for being too skinny. Her encouragement and belief in him inspired his decision to go on when he accidentally stepped on the course used to test applicants. When Crane passed the course with flying colours, Mei Ling cheered for him along with all the students who had doubted his ability.
Clothing/Outfit
Master Crane's outfit consists of basic clothing most students would wear to practice the art of Kung Fu in. However, unlike the other Furious Five, Crane is the only member to wear a hat: A popular conical Asian hat known as a rice hat. He is always seen wearing his hat (even while he fought), even though he has been seen without it, usually when he's eating or sleeping. Crane also wears loose blue pants with a purple sash wrapped around his waist in the style of a Shaolin wrap. He also wears rings around his ankles and toes: Five ankle rings on each of his legs, and a single toe ring on each of his toes.
In Kung Fu Panda Holiday (during the Winter Feast dinner at the Jade Palace and later at the Noodle Shop), Master Crane and the other members of the Furious Five each wear an outfit similar to their normal attire, but slightly differentiated in color and design to match the holiday. Crane wears loose silver pants with a red Shaolin waist wrap, and a slightly fancier version of his regular hat.
Trivia
General
- Crane is the only member of the Furious Five to be voiced by the same person in Secrets of the Furious Five.
- In an interview with "Po" for Scholastic News Online, Po states that Master Crane is the smartest of the Five, as he says that Crane told him the panda is called a "large bear-cat" in China, even though Po doesn't think he's a cat.[2]
- Crane has 6,019 feathers on his body.[3]
- In Secrets of the Furious Five, Crane is shown to prefer using his wings as if they were hands. However, in the two movies, Crane almost never uses his wings likes this, instead using his talons to grab and hold things, such as writing and hold chopsticks. Additionally, Crane uses his talons as "hands" more than any other avian character.
- It is shown that Crane seems to be ambidextrous, as shown in Kung Fu Panda when he writes with the talons on his left foot, but eats with the talons on his right foot.
| **SPOILER ALERT!** Plot and/or ending details follow below.
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- In Kung Fu Panda 2, when Monkey offers to stand watch and make "crane noises" ("Ka-kaw! Kee-kee!") if the guards come into view, Crane is insulted and asks when he's ever made such noises. However, during the final battle with Lord Shen's fleet, he cries this while performing his "Wings of Justice" ability.
| End of spoilers. |
In development
- Early in Master Crane's character development, his eyes were to always be covered by his hat — except in one fleeting, Clint Eastwood-inspired moment where we'd see his face. However, this idea was abandoned in favor of making Crane the calmer, confrontation-avoiding character he is in the final film. [4]
Gallery
Quotes
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kung Fu Panda Official Site - Master Crane
- ↑ Scholastic.com - "Kung Fu Panda-monium!"
- ↑ Kung Fu Panda Fun Facts by HP
- ↑ Miller-Zarneke, Tracey. The Art of Kung Fu Panda, p. 64. ISBN: 1933784571
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