| Shendu | |
|---|---|
| |
| Personal Info | |
| Full Name | Shendu |
| Japanese Name | 気竜 (kiryū, "spirit dragon") |
| Race | Demon |
| Age | 900+ |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Sign | ☲ (fire) |
| Banisher | Lü Dongbin |
| Weakness | Sword |
| Family | Demon Sorcerers (siblings) Drago (son) |
| General Info | |
| Base of Operations | Netherworld |
| Portal Location | Hong Kong |
| Occupation | Demon Sorcerer |
| Previous Affiliation | Enforcers |
| 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 once and for all... your executioner!" |
Shendu is the Demon Sorcerer of Fire in the form of a humanoid dragon who hailed from a family consisting of himself as well as seven siblings and his own son Drago. Although Jackie Chan Adventures has no sole underlying main villain for the whole series, Shendu is arguably the most prominent villain and best candidate for the role of a main antagonist, due to his role in the events of the first and second seasons, his revival at the end of the third and the rise of Drago in the fifth, and the occurrence of the events in the fourth season owed in part to the events of the previous seasons and his use of one of the tribes of the Shadowkhan (not to mention a brief cameo in the episode in which his son was introduced). He was only using one of the Oni Mask to summon the Shadowkhan.
Appearance
Shendu appears as a humanoid mix of a Chinese and European dragon. He is green and has red eyes.
Personality
Shendu's personality is deceitful. He had no honor or nobility, even though he was technically the Noble Dragon after the Talisman powers got loose. However, this was only because he was the only dragon on Earth at the time.
He has promised treasure to Valmont for helping him recover the talismans but changes his mind. He has deceived his demon siblings when he said that his portal could free everyone. He betrays Daolon Wong by taking the talisman powers of the Dragon, Pig, and Rooster even though he promised the dragon power to the wizard for freeing him.
He is pretty hot headed and swore revenge to Jackie for defeating him many times. He dislikes his son Drago for betraying him but at the same time was proud of him for obtaining all the Demon Chi.
History
Background
Shendu was once the ruler of China, but his subjects rebelled with Lo Pei, who turned him into a statue, and then scattered his twelve powers in the form of twelve talismans. Shendu vowed revenge, but was unable to do so for 900 years.
Season 1
He eventually teamed up with the Dark Hand, promising them a lost treasure in exchange for the talismans. They finally recovered them, and Shendu came to life, raising his palace. However, Jackie took the talismans back from him, turning him back into a statue. Shendu was then blasted into dust by Jade Chan with the Dragon Talisman.
Season 2
Shendu returned as a spirit and was revealed to be the Fire Demon, one of eight Demon Sorcerers - he had originally been banished by the Immortal Lü Dongbin to the Netherworld, but had somehow resurfaced in China before Lo Pei turned him to stone (this detail is never touched upon in the series). He ended up trapped in Valmont's body by mistake, but was eventually banished back into the Netherworld. He escaped and possessed Jackie Chan to rewrite the Book of Ages. He made the Dark Hand and the Chan family into his slaves, but Jade escaped the time alteration and assembled the J-Team against him, fighting again. They banish him and his siblings to the Netherworld before reversing his changes, ensuring he would never possess Jackie. But in the Netherworld he is a spirit again.
Season 3
Shendu was resurrected at the hands of Daolon Wong in exchange for the Dragon Talisman's power (since he is in fact the last living dragon on earth) but double-crossed him, taking the Dragon power as well as both the Pig and Rooster powers that he had acquired previously. Shendu managed to reclaim all his powers, but unknown 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.
Season 4
Shendu was later revealed to have a son, 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, Drago accidentally destroyed the teeth, 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 the Talismans. Tohru and Uncle then used a spell to send both Demons plummeting into the Netherworld, ending their threat and sealing both Talismans and Demons. As a result, the future seen in J2: Rise of the Dragons presumably no longer comes to pass.
Powers and Abilities
Shendu's twelve powers were the twelve talismans. He had the power of super strength, levitation and telekinesis, super speed, combustion and pyrokinesis, animal shapeshifting, heat beam vision, invisibility, healing and regeneration, astral projection, spiritual balance, immortality, and the rat talisman maintains his reanimated form. Though he can be reanimated by other means, it is only through the talismans that he can be resurrected to his full potential.
Even without the powers of the talismans, Shendu is impervious to non-magical weapons, even modern ones like high-powered laser cannons and rocket launchers. Because of his great size, he also has immense strength. In Day of the Dragon, Shendu commented to an Ox talisman-holding Jackie that he is just a very strong mouse compared to him. In the same episode, he has displayed the ability to create a portal to release his dragon minions. As the Demon Sorcerer of Fire and a dragon, Shendu also has the power to breathe destructive fire blasts, even in statue form.
As a demon sorcerer, he possesses knowledge of powerful magic, by the use of incantations or magic potions. He has also been seen casting spells or creating magical artifacts by himself (like a magic lasso or small sceptre to find his talismans), even when he was trapped in the form of a statue.
In a possessed human body, Shendu has magically enhanced strength and endurance, can leap great heights, and breathe fire.
It is hinted throughout the series that he could be one of the most powerful among his brethren because even after Drago absorbed all of the Demon Chi, Shendu was still able to fight him effectively after his full power was restored.
Appearances
Season 1
- The Dark Hand
- The Power Within
- Enter the Viper
- Shell Game
- Project A, for Astral
- Bullies
- Tough Break
- The Rock
- The Dog and Piggy Show
- The Tiger and the Pussycat
- Day of the Dragon
Season 2
- Through the Rabbit Hole
- The Warrior Incarnate
- The Stronger Evil
- The J-Team
- Jade Times Jade
- Rumble in the Big House
- And He Does His Own Stunts
- Showdown in the Old West
- Queen of the Shadowkhan
- Shanghai Moon
- Armor of the Gods
- Tale of the Demon Tail
- The New Atlantis
- The Eighth Door
- Demon World (Part 1)
- Demon World (Part 2)
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Trivia
- In his first appearance he possesses a raspy, hissing voice, once he is reanimated for the first time he has a deeper, more menacing voice. Once he is turned back into a statue he retains his hissing, raspy voice from then on (even when he was reanimated once again). His roars also sound like that of the a dinosaur.
- Shendu is the only main antagonist to appear in every season and have a role in the plot of each season.
- Despite being defeated by one of the Eight Immortals and having a portal to the Demon Netherworld, Shendu appears to have either escaped imprisonment or avoided being banished altogether. Furthermore, he is the only Demon Sorcerer not to have an Immortal Artifact carrying traces of his Demon Chi be discovered during Season 5.
- Shendu is also the only Sorcerer known to have offspring in the form of Drago. Curiously, the present-day Shendu was also aware of Drago despite him coming from a possible future.