Shendu | |
---|---|
Personal Info | |
Full Name | Shendu |
Nickname | Shen-Dude (Finn) |
Japanese Name | 気竜 (kiryū, "spirit dragon") |
Alias | The Ultimate Evil (Lo Pei) The Keeper of the Talismans (himself) The Apocalypse of which Legend speaks (himself) His Majestic Highness Lord Shendu (Demon World) Noble Dragon |
Race | Demon Sorcerer/Dragon |
Age | Unspecified; 900+ years |
Nationality | Chinese |
Sign | ☲ (fire) |
Banisher | Lü Dongbin |
Weakness | Sword Scroll Magic (when not in spirit form) |
Family | Drago (son) Bai Tza (sister) Dai Gui (brother) Hsi Wu (brother) Po Kong (sister) Tchang Zu (brother) Tso Lan (brother) Xiao Fung (brother) |
General Info | |
Base of Operations | Netherworld Helms Fish Cannery (formerly) Section 13 (formerly) Valmont's office (formerly) Shendu's Palace (formerly) |
Portal Location | Hong Kong Moose World |
Previous Affiliation | Dark Hand |
Previous Partner | Valmont |
Details | |
Debut | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Closing | Season 5 Episode 13 |
English | James Sie |
"I am the keeper of the talismans. I am the apocalypse of which legend speaks. And I am, for once and for all... your executioner!" |
Shendu (Shin-dü) is a Demon Sorcerer (specifically a Fire Demon, a title which he shares with his future son, Drago), and is arguably the overarching primary antagonist of Jackie Chan Adventures (being the primary antagonist in Season 1 and shares this role with his siblings in Season 2, and appearing at least once in all subsequent seasons). He hails from a family of Demon Sorcerers consisting of himself, his seven siblings and Drago. Shendu is also the master of the Twelve Talismans, which were originally created when Lo Pei imprisoned him in statue form during the rebellion against his rule and extracted his Noble Animals-derived powers before scattering the Talismans to the four corners of the Earth. Additionally, Shendu was notably responsible for controlling the Ninja Khan before the Shadowkhan became a major antagonist in Season 4.
Shendu's ultimate objective in Season 1, having been trapped in his statue form for nine-hundred years since being deposed, was to retrieve all Twelve Talismans to restore him to his true form and reclaim his lost power, for which he utilised Valmont and his Enforcers. After meeting his defeat at the hands of Jackie Chan, Shendu's physical form was destroyed by Jackie's niece, Jade Chan, reducing him to a spirit form. In Season 2, Shendu was forced by his banished siblings in the Netherworld to find a way of freeing them; initially by opening each of their Demon Portals using the Pan'ku Box, a task for which he possessed Valmont. He was restored to his physical form by Daolon Wong in Season 3, only to be shortly thereafter returned to his immobile statue form. In the series finale he was released from his statue form to combat a Demon Chi-empowered Drago, ending with both of them trapped in the Netherworld.
Appearance[]
Shendu appears as a humanoid mix of Chinese and European dragon, standing over 20 feet tall. He has greenish skin and red eyes.
His statue form has his body absent of his limbs and wrapped up in a swirl with his head in the center, leaving twelve slots for the talismans to be inserted in a semicircle under his head.
Personality[]
Like the rest of his demonic family, Shendu's utmost desire is ultimate power and world conquest. Although his thirst for power seems to exceed even that of his siblings (who were willing or forced to "share" the ancient world with each other, whereas Shendu desires control of the realm all for himself). Apart from that, Shendu's other defining traits are a fiery temper, thirst for vengeance, cunning, and treachery. He is regal and sophisticated in addition to possessing a wry sense of humor like most of his siblings, and seems to be mildly fond of speaking in slightly-poetic and eloquent vocabulary.
Shendu is prone to holding grudges towards those who've crossed him in the past; demonstrated by his vow to destroy all of Asia as revenge on his former subjects for overthrowing him and imprisoning him in his statue form, a vow of revenge which he initially intended to uphold even when those who'd rebelled against him were long dead (after nine hundred years of tortuous imprisonment in his immobile statue form). Shendu holds an intense rivalry with Jackie Chan, whom he outright deemed his arch-nemesis, and seemingly considers Jackie a worthy opponent to the point of believing Jackie was the most-suited human host for him to possess to achieve his goals when reduced to a spirit. Shendu extends this animosity to the rest of the Chan family to a lesser extent - curiously, his hatred for Jade Chan seems to be milder than his hatred for Jackie, despite her direct role in his death which left him at his siblings' mercy, and despite her critical role in his and his siblings' most severe downfall (when she escaped the Book of Ages' reality alteration, and enabled the Chan Clan and the J-Team to correct reality). Shendu also held a grudge towards Drago for betraying him, and even agreed to a truce with Uncle in exchange for his freedom so he could make Drago pay for his deceit.
In spite of his wrath, Shendu often relies on intimidation if not abuse to keep his minions (particularly the dim-witted Enforcers) in line; often snapping at or threatening them when they get on his nerves or act out, and evidently caring nothing for theirs or his other human minions' feelings beyond keeping them in line through fear. As a result of this, the Enforcers were more than pleased to be free of Shendu, and were nothing short of frightened by his first return as a spirit. Shendu seemingly understood Hak Foo in spite of the latter's evil warrior code, though he still treated the "ruffian" as harshly as he did Finn, Chow and Ratso. When dealing with more intelligent and valuable potential allies such as Valmont, Daolon Wong and Uncle, Shendu would instead use bribes and promises of rewards to compel their service, though he rarely upholds those agreements. It's implied Shendu put up with the Enforcers and Valmont solely out of necessity, as he casually told the Enforcers when dismissing them that never seeing them again "would make [him] a very happy dragon", and indeed, he never sought their services again afterwards.
Shendu is highly treacherous and rarely upholds his end of bargains made to further his own goals - he himself quippily and unabashedly admits he's "not known for keeping promises." After originally reclaiming his twelve Talismans and full power, Shendu exploited a loophole in his and Valmont's agreement (namely that it had been Jackie Chan's yang-doppelganger whom Valmont had bargained with, rather than Valmont himself or his Enforcers who'd acquired all the Talismans); rather than give Valmont the Lost Treasure of Ching Xi Hung, seemingly just to spite his disloyal human ally. Shendu outright went back on his deal with Daolon Wong once he no longer needed the Dark Chi Wizard, claiming the Noble Dragon power he'd agreed to let Wong have for himself. Shendu also, after his siblings were originally banished, apparently deliberately left them trapped in the Netherworld so he could rule the Earth for himself in their absence. Ironically, Shendu's treachery more often than not lands him in deep trouble or leads to his doom; such as motivating Daolon Wong to give Uncle knowledge of Lo Pei's petrification spell to defeat Shendu, and earning him his siblings' spite and the threat of eternal torment if he failed to free them after he was reduced to a spirit.
Shendu is cunning, with examples including; his creation of a Talisman Locator to aid the Enforcers, concocting a petrification potion so Valmont could taint Jackie with it and blackmail him into surrendering the found Talismans, proposing the Enforcers impersonate Ancient Chinese sacred warriors to deceive Lo Pei into handing over the Talismans, and proposing (albeit in sheer desperation to avoid eternal torment) that he and his siblings resort to rewriting the Book of Ages to escape the Netherworld after all eight Demon Portals were permanently sealed (an act which also restored Shendu's physical form and his Talismans). Despite their contempt for him and dismissal of his skills, Shendu's siblings acknowledge that he's proven "crafty". However, despite his cunning, Shendu's arrogance, vengeance and single-minded focus on his goals often lead to him dismissing other credible threats posed to him besides his targets; such as when his pursuit of the Noble Animals and revenge on Jackie and Jade enabled an overlooked Uncle and disregarded Section 13 to take him by surprise using Lo Pei's petrification ritual, or when his battle with Drago during a truce with the Chans enabled the latter to open a rift which ultimately sent Shendu with Drago to the Netherworld.
Shendu appears to be highly possessive of what he considers his. He immediately sought to reclaim all the Noble Animals' powers upon his resurrection first and foremost (though this had the strategic value of increasing his power again), and he oftentimes expresses a feeling that his Talismans' powers (implied to have originally belonged to the modern Noble Animals' ancestors) not only belong to him alone but also that they're parts of him without which he is incomplete. Shendu declared in The Powers That Be (Part 2) that he considered the earthly realm to be his domain and his alone, showing a feeling that only he is rightfully allowed to rule it. However, Shendu's covetousness isn't absolute - when reduced to a spirit possessing Valmont, Shendu held no interest in reclaiming his Talismans (possibly because he couldn't reabsorb them), even sorely telling the Enforcers, "Keep your Talismans." He also declared when Drago intended to tear open the Earth that in his petrified state, he'd be proud to watch his son turn the world to ash; though he may have been playing to make Uncle more desperate to agree to freeing him.
Despite his vindictiveness, Shendu seems to be able to change his mind where revenge on his enemies is concerned. Whereas he'd initially vowed to tear Valmont to shreds after being killed by Jade, and claimed to be nothing but happy to be rid of the Enforcers when they wanted to desert him; after rewriting the Book of Ages, he made all of them his court jesters in the rewritten reality (though he did make them put up with abuse typical of his treatment of them in the main reality, when they failed to amuse him, firing heat beams at them to make them dance more effectively) - this may have been because the Dark Hand in the rewritten timeline had technically never acted against him. Likewise in the rewritten timeline, the Chan Clan were allowed to live as his personal slaves, although he openly revelled in the altered Jackie's utter submissiveness, and threatened to burn Jade alive for future slights when he excused her failure to bow.
Like the other Demon Sorcerers and other beings corrupted by evil magic, Shendu is not only devoid of compassion and sympathy for mortals, but also cares little to nothing for his family members, displayed most markedly by how he left them to rot in the Netherworld so he could rule the Earth himself. When interacting with each of his siblings, Shendu surprisingly displays submissiveness intended to be flattering (if not outright meekness when fearing their combined wrath), and tries to get into their good graces with colored words; possibly in spite of knowing of their strong grudge towards him for letting them spend centuries trapped in the Netherworld. Even more disturbingly, Shendu maintained this submissive attitude towards three of them even when he possessed his true form and six of his Talismans. Shendu's siblings however, seem to care little for his manners. When freeing his siblings one-by-one from the Netherworld, Shendu displayed a delight in subtly teasing Tchang Zu and Bai Tza at one point each; both of whom had possibly the most antagonistic relationships with Shendu out of their family. Shendu and his son Drago's relationship wasn't much less strained and dysfunctional, with Shendu desiring to punish and humble Drago for betraying him, and Drago in turn visibly resenting his father's refusal to give him what he wanted and desiring to best Shendu. Father and son's relationship was so toxic that Shendu even declared when Drago was being sucked into an interdimensional rift that his son deserved no less than to be trapped on the other side for his disloyalty. Despite this, in response to Drago's apology and profuse pleading, Shendu visibly contemplated for a moment and hesitantly decided to try saving Drago from his fate (with a warning that his son must remember he is second to Shendu while they're on Earth), suggesting Shendu might genuinely care about his son to some extent (or at the very least, as close to caring about another being as Shendu is capable of).
Like his siblings, despite (or in spite of) being many centuries old, Shendu appears to be notably fluent with modern scientific terms and manipulating modern technology, such as driving vehicles and (most notably) deactivating the International Space Station's communications with NASA from onboard.
History[]
Background[]
It is unknown how or when Shendu came into existence, but he and his seven Demon Sorcerer siblings terrorised the Earth during ancient times (said by Tohru in Relics of Demon Past to be "thousands of years ago"); until they were all defeated and banished to the Netherworld by the Eight Immortals. Shendu was specifically banished by Lü Dongbin, and his portal was located in what would later become modern Hong Kong, indicating he was already present there before Lo Pei's rebellion.
It is implied Shendu and his siblings had some history with the Oni of Japan, as their Demon Archive possessed Tarakudo's magic mark on the cover, and Shendu had one of the Oni Masks imprisoning Tarakudo's generals stored in his palace (which he could use to control the Ninja Khan from anywhere in the world, without actually wearing the mask). Among Shendu's other magical accomplishments, it's suggested his Noble Animals-derived powers originally belonged to actual animals before he possessed them.[1] According to Uncle, Shendu collected many artifacts possessing great magic.
Nine-hundred years prior to the show's main time period, Shendu was on Earth and ruled a vast empire (as mentioned in Project A, for Astral) from within Ancient China (mentioned by Tso Lan in The Stronger Evil); indicating he'd somehow escaped the Netherworld after his banishment. His siblings, meanwhile, all remained imprisoned (it's implied Shendu double-crossed them and deliberately left them trapped) and Shendu made no attempt to free them; which would earn him their eternal bitterness centuries later. It is implied his seven siblings combined their powers to allow Shendu to escape, which is why Drago was later seen opening a portal to the netherworld when he had all eight demon chi, as well as his siblings saying they intend to punish him for his betrayal of not freeing them as they freed him.
Shendu's reign ended when his subjects rebelled with Lo Pei, casting a chi spell which turned Shendu into an immobile statue, while extracting his twelve Noble Animal-derived powers and turning them into Talismans, which were scattered around the world. Shendu vowed revenge for his downfall by destroying all of Asia - a task which he was unable to accomplish in his statue form, forcing him to spend the next several centuries looking to reacquire all his missing Talismans so their power would restore him.
It was revealed in Showdown in the Old West that Shendu was in an old west town during the nineteenth century. He attempted to acquire his Horse Talisman, allegedly among several antiquities being transported through the town to a San Francisco museum, with the aid of the town's Mayor, but his minions failed.
Season 1[]
Shendu joined forces with the Dark Hand, promising them the Lost Treasure of Ching Xi Hung in exchange for retrieving all Twelve Talismans. He spent most of the first season stationed within Valmont's skyscraper in statue form, but did briefly enjoy some freedom when he acquired the Sheep Talisman and used it to project his astral form and possess Jade Chan, only to be exorcised before he could get to Section 13. Despite the Dark Hand's unsuccessful attempts at recovering the Talismans, Shendu eventually reacquired all twelve of them by the Chinese New Year when Jackie Chan (under the Tiger Talisman's influence) took them from Section 13 and brought them to him. Breaking free from his confinement, Shendu came to life and proceeded to raise his palace after betraying the Dark Hand. However, Jackie (and later Jade) managed to extract the Talismans out of Shendu's body using a magic balm provided by Uncle, reverting him back into his statue form upon removing the Rat Talisman. Having also lost the Dog Talisman, Shendu's physical form was destroyed when the statue was blasted into smithereens by Jade with the Dragon Talisman.
Season 2[]
The destruction of Shendu in the earthly realm banished him to the Netherworld where the seven other Demon Sorcerers had resided for centuries. His brothers and sisters grew resentful of Shendu for neglecting them in pursuit of his own interests, and threatened him with eternal torture for his betrayal. Fearing his sibling's wrath, Shendu promised to free them by opening their respective portals, using his spirit form to escape and acquire a human host. The Demon Sorcerers remained distrustful and placed a chi spell on Shendu that limited him to the first host body he could possess to keep tabs on him until all Demon Sorcerers were released. Shendu agreed to their terms and desired his arch-nemesis, Jackie Chan's body to make his quest easier, but ended up possessing his former henchman, Valmont's body by mistake.
Shendu managed to release all seven Demon Sorcerers before every last one of them was eventually banished again by the Chans. His siblings contacted him from the Netherworld and demanded he somehow release them. Shendu claimed that he could still free all of them by opening his own portal, the eight door, bluffing that he had discovered a spell that could keep the portal open long enough for all seven of his siblings to pass through. While the demons conversed, however, the Chans managed to infiltrate Valmont's hideout and steal the Pan'ku Box, using it to determine the location of Shendu's portal which they intended to open to rescue Jade (who had been accidentally stowed away into the Netherworld when Bai Tza was banished). Lying in wait for them, Shendu had his henchman retrieve the box, but the Chans managed to open the portal by instead conducting a banishing spell on Shendu using a sword, the symbol of the Immortal who originally defeated him, banishing his spirit to the Netherworld. Seeing through his deception, Shendu's seven siblings raced for the portal as his spirit was flung back into the void, although none of them managed to pass through as Jade (with Uncle's help) had beaten them to it.
Once again faced with the threat of eternal torture, Shendu offered his siblings one final means of escape in the form of the Book of Ages, a magical book that records the accounts of history. Shendu proposed rewriting the book to alter the course of history in their favor, to which the Demon Sorcerers (in fearful reluctance) agreed, sending Shendu back into the mortal realm so that he could possess Jackie Chan. Upon rewriting the book, the Earth was now ruled by the Demon Sorcerers and Jackie Chan along with his allies were now slaves to the demons, with Jackie in particular enslaved to Shendu. However, Jade managed to escape the historical alterations by tearing out a corner of a page from the book, assembling the J-Team against the demons, banishing approximately half of them one after the other across their respective domains until arriving at the Book of Ages, where they corrected the course of history by reverting Shendu's alterations, effectively banishing the last of the demons and returning the world to normal.
Season 3[]
Following the second defeat of Shendu, the Twelve Talismans became the conquest of the Dark Chi Wizard Daolon Wong. Jackie resolved to destroy the talismans to prevent them from falling into enemy hands, but only managed to destroy their physical vessels, inadvertently releasing the powers contained within them, where upon they became stored in animal host bodies representing the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Since there were no living dragons present in the earthly realm, the Dragon Talisman power remained unobtainable.
From his confinement in the Netherworld, Shendu was contacted by Daolon Wong in the hopes of acquiring the power of combustion, as Shendu was the only known dragon in reach. Wong used his magical knowledge and power to resurrect Shendu in a new body. Shendu then double-crossed him, however, taking the Dragon power for himself as well as both the Pig and Rooster powers that Wong had acquired previously. Shendu managed to reclaim all of his other powers and planned to have his revenge on Jackie Chan, "The one who foiled his plans", and his niece Jade, "The one who destroyed him with his Dragon Talisman". But unbeknownst to him, Uncle had already discovered the ancient spell that turned Shendu into a statue. Uncle also suspected that Daolon Wong had knowledge of the ancient spell. In the end Uncle, Tohru and Section 13 used the spell to turn Shendu back into his statue form and at the same time recreated the Talismans. Shendu's statue form was then locked away within the Section 13 vault behind a massive steel door, separated from the Talismans which were also stored there.
Season 4[]
Shendu was later revealed to have a son in the future, a junior fire demon by the name of Drago. Coming from an alternate future, Drago attempted to use the magical Dragon's Teeth to free the future Shendu from the Section 13 vault. However, when he traveled to the past to protect them from being destroyed, Drago was tricked into destroying them himself, preventing the spell from working properly.
Season 5[]
Drago was later captured, but escaped only to abandon his father in favor of the Chi of the Demon Sorcerers (his aunts and uncles). When Drago held Jackie, Uncle, and Captain Black captive, Jade removed a piece of Shendu's skin to use in a spell against his son, due to needing a DNA sample identical to Drago's.
Later, Uncle went to Shendu seeking a way to strip Drago of the eight demon powers. Shendu told Uncle that it was impossible, and asked Uncle to free him so he could defeat Drago. When Drago grew close to turning Earth into Demon World, Uncle gave in and used a spell to free Shendu from his statue imprisonment. Freed, Shendu battled Drago, but was outmatched by his offspring. To give Shendu a fighting chance, the J-Team gave him all of his Twelve Talismans. Uncle and Tohru then used a spell to reverse Drago's portal to the Netherworld, effectively dragging the young fire demon in. Clinging onto the edge of the chasm, Drago pleaded with his father to help him, only to trick him by instead pulling Shendu into the portal, whereupon Shendu catches Drago's tail and pulls him back in return. Uncle and Tohru subsequently sealed the portal to the Demon Netherworld, locking both Shendu and Drago inside.
Powers and Abilities[]
Shendu primarily utilized the powers from the twelve talismans. The talismans gave him a wide range of powers, including reanimation, super strength, spiritual balance, super speed, combustion, invisibility, healing, astral projection, shape-shifting, levitation/telekinesis, immortality, heat beam eyes and the power which maintains his physical form. Although he has been reanimated by other means, it is only through the talismans that he can be resurrected to his full potential. Through an Oni mask, Shendu had infused himself with its power to summon the Ninja Shadowkhan at any time.
Even without the talismans, Shendu is a powerful demonic being with inhuman and supernatural abilities, and is impervious to non-magical weapons, even modern ones like high-powered laser cannons and rocket launchers. Because of his great size, he naturally possesses immense strength. As the Demon Sorcerer of Fire and a dragon, Shendu can also breathe fire in any of his forms.
When he possessed Valmont's body, Shendu was capable of feats of superhuman strength; including leaping over small buildings and sending Tohru several meters through the air (crashing through numerous obstacles) by merely leaning his arm forward as Tohru charged at him. In and despite of this literally mortal-bound state, it was both stated and implied that not even the collective might of the twelve talismans can compare against Shendu let alone contend against his might; so was mainly the reason why Shendu never displayed any interest at reclaiming the talismans, for himself, once more after having Valmont as his vessel.
As a demon sorcerer, he possesses knowledge of powerful and ancient magic, including ingredients for certain spells or potions. Shendu was even capable of casting potent spells, summoning and creating magical artifacts, bending the elements near him, and sensing powerful forces at work. One notable spell was the summoning of an army of deadly dragon minions from an unknown world. He could also use smoke to make himself and others disappear. As a statue or while possessing a human, his magic has limits, but potent enough.
Another one of Shendu's noteworthy accomplishments in the use of magic was him having created a spell that allowed him to channel the powers of an Oni Mask and summon his Shadowkhan to serve him without actually needing to put on the mask physically, effectively allowing him to command and summon them even from long range and without being in close proximity to the mask itself, as seen when he was able to summon them to serve the Dark Hand in America, despite the mask being hidden in his former palace in China and being imprisoned in his stone statue form.
It is hinted throughout the series that he could be one of the most powerful among his brethren, and even his son. This seems likely as Shendu, with all of the talismans returned to him, was able to match Drago when the younger dragon was charged with the stature and powers of all of his aunts and uncles.
Appearances[]
Quotes[]
Season 1[]
- "While your Tohru impresses Valmont, perhaps he should be aided by... the Shadowkhan." The Dark Hand
- "Valmont, are your men blind? It would seem those possessed of sight might have taken note that the shield contained no Talisman. Now, if my promise to you of unspoiled riches were as empty as that shield..." The Power Within
- "Hindsight Valmont. But perhaps the blind can be made to see with the eyes of a dragon." The Power Within
- "Man is much the wiser, when he looks within." The Power Within
- "When, and *only* when, your men acquire all twelve Talismans, the Lost Treasure of Ching Xi Hung shall cover your 'expenses' ten thousand times over." Shell Game
- "Ahh. So we have a sceptic. (has a Shadowkhan show Valmont a sample of the lost treasure) Patience, Valmont. Slow and steady wins the race." Shell Game
- "Valmont, your men are supposed to find Talismans, not sell pets!" Shell Game
- "Chan possesses yet another Talisman, while I have none?! You are weak, Valmont, and your men are fools!" Project A, for Astral
- "I am no statue! You stand in the presence of a Demon Sorcerer. I once held dominion over a vast empire, but my subjects betrayed me. They cast a chi spell, which imprisoned me in this pitiful icon, where I have remained for nine-hundred years. The twelve magic Talismans, from which I drew my power, were scattered to the winds. Acquisition of all the Talismans will allow me to be free of my confinement, and walk the Earth once again." Project A, for Astral
- "Everything you will grow to fear!" (answering Jade's question about his identity) Project A, for Astral
- "At long last, my powers, restored! Speed, invisibility, astral projection! And my personal favourite: combustion!" Day of the Dragon
- "Regrettably Valmont, you did not provide me with the Talismans. Jackie Chan did. Read my lips: no treasure for you." Day of the Dragon
- "You may have the Ox, but relative to me, all that makes you is a very strong mouse!" Day of the Dragon
- "Pity you will not live to witness my reign over your world, but you shall be the first to visit theirs." Day of the Dragon
- "I *will* have my revenge, if it takes another nine-hundred years!" Day of the Dragon
Season 2[]
- "Once I make Jackie Chan pay, I shall tear that buffoon Valmont to pieces!" The Stronger Evil
- "Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated, Chan." The Stronger Evil
- "You seem to forget, Valmont, that in the event of a stalemate, I win." Rumble in the Big House
- "Forgive me, Your Highness. I could easily translate this entire volume for you, but... true power does not reside in textbooks. I could teach you, dark queen." (flattering corrupted Jade) Queen of the Shadowkhan
- "Hear this, my Queen. Your first and most valuable lesson: Always destroy your enemies." (manipulating corrupted Jade to kill Jackie) Queen of the Shadowkhan
- "Never seeing any of you ever again would make me a very happy dragon." (allowing the Enforcers to leave his service) The New Atlantis
- "All you need do is allow me to once more depart from this realm and possess a human, the right human." Demon World (Part 1)
- "So it is written, so it shall be."Demon World (Part 1)
- "Dance, my jesters! Dance! (blasts heat beams at the Dark Hand) Dance!" Demon World (Part 1)
- "Keeping one's enemies close is not just wise, it is gratifying." Demon World (Part 1)
- "Centuries of history altered, your very memory erased, and STILL somehow you defy me!? I shall find you, Chan! And I promise you, I shall erase more than your memory." Demon World (Part 2)
- "I *will* have my revenge Chan!" Demon World (Part 2)
Season 3[]
- "I may be a Noble Dragon, but I'm also a Demon Sorcerer. And not known for keeping promises." Re-Enter the Dragon
- "One cannot begin anew without burning a few bridges!" Re-Enter the Dragon
Season 4[]
- "I live again! No finer way to emerge from a slumber than to a nice hot cup of revenge." J2: Rise of the Dragons
Season 5[]
- "Why so nervous? As you say, I am powerless in my current form, yet see how the very elements of your earthy realm shatter in my presence." The Powers That Be (Part 1)
- "My son may have betrayed me, wizard, but I will watch proudly as he destroys your world. Once all eight powers have combined, NOTHING can remove them. Ever." The Powers That Be (Part 2)
- "I think not, boy. First, you must pay for your treachery!" The Powers That Be (Part 2)
- "I AM COMPLETE!" The Powers That Be (Part 2)
- "I Told You Not To Play With Your Father's World!" The Powers That Be (Part 2)
Trivia[]
- In his first season appearances as a statue, Shendu possesses a raspy, hissing voice, whilst in his true form he has a deeper, more hoarse and menacing voice; in his astral form after acquiring the Sheep Talisman, Shendu's voice becomes more guttural. From Season 2 onwards; Shendu retains the hissing voice in his spirit and statue forms, whilst his true form's voice now sounds less deep than in Season 1 but still less raspy than in his other forms.
- Shendu's growling vocalizations match those of the Tyrannosaurus rex in the Jurassic Park movies.
- Shendu is the only main antagonist to appear in every season and have a role in the plot of each season.
- In the episode Day of the Dragon, Shendu is depicted as so incredibly strong and durable, that Jackie requires the power of the Ox Talisman to effectively attack him. However, in the episode Re-Enter the Dragon, Jackie is able to knock him to the ground by simply punching him without the aid the Talisman's power.
- One possible explanation for this was that Shendu was too distracted by Uncle recasting Lo Pei's spell that would trap Shendu in statue form. Thus, he was not focusing his whole power on fighting Jackie.
- Despite being defeated by one of the Eight Immortals and having his own portal to the Demon Netherworld, it is never explained how he managed to escape.
- Hsi Wu's comment that Shendu has proven himself "crafty" seems to suggest Shendu double-crossed his siblings in the process of escaping.
- As shown in Season 2, Shendu can travel to The Mortal Realm in Astral/Spirit Form with the aid of his siblings. This could mean he somehow utilized his astral projection in tandem with his siblings magic to return, promising to help free them once he arrived.
- Shendu is the only Demon Sorcerer to be subdued by two separate mystic warriors: Lo Pei (who extracted his powers in the form of The Talismans), and Lan Caihe (who sealed him within The Netherworld).
- It would seem the latter took place first, with Shendu being sealed away by Lan Caihe with the other Demon Sorcerers. But he somehow managed to escape and return to The Mortal Realm, where he wreaked havoc until turned into a statue by Lo Pei.
- Interestingly, Shendu seems to be the only Demon Sorcerer who is a true Dragon, despite the other 7 being his siblings. This anomaly is never explained.
- One possible explanation is that all the Demon Sorcerers share only one parent, resulting in each of them being vastly different physically.
- Shendu is the only Demon Sorcerer known to have offspring in the form of Drago, although it's unknown how or when Drago came into existence. Curiously, the present-day Shendu was also aware of Drago and considered him a traitor, despite Drago coming from a possible future.
- This could indicate that a present day Drago exists somewhere (possibly trapped in The Netherworld) and the future Drago changed the timeline by travelling back. Alternatively, it could simply be that Shendu possesses some degree of clairvoyance and simply learned about Drago's actions after he arrived in the present.
- According to the book Jackie reads in Showdown in the Old West, Shendu worked with a corrupt mayor a century prior to the start of the series to gain his freedom in a similar fashion to his collaboration with Valmont a hundred years later. The details of the book are dubious however.
- The only times Shendu's Shadowkhan are seen used while he is in his true form are in Demon World (Part 1) and Demon World (Part 2) though strangely without being present as he was asleep when they appeared in Part 1 and didn't arrive at the fortress where the Book of Ages was located until the ones stationed there had already been defeated in Part 2.
- All of Shendu's Dragon minions are European dragons instead of the traditional Chinese Dragons, possibly reflecting their evil nature (as Dragons in western lore are generally regarded as evil beasts, whereas Eastern Dragons are regarded as noble and divine creatures).
- Interestingly, Shendu himself seems to be modeled after an anthropomorphic European Dragon in his true form, while both his spectral form and his statue form seem to resemble Chinese Dragons (albeit the latter resembles one whose body is coiled).
- The Dragon Talisman also seems to be depict a Chinese Dragon as opposed to a European one.
- As shown in The Powers that Be (Part 2) Shendu is apparently capable of being animated without the Rat Talisman. It is never explained how this can be done specifically, but it is implied that it requires the skills of an adept Chi Wizard such as Uncle.
References[]
Gallery[]
- Main article: Shendu/Gallery