Jackie Chan Adventures

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Jackie Chan Adventures
Genre Animated television series
Creator(s) John Rogers
Starring Jackie Chan
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 95 (List of episodes)
Broadcast
Original run September 9, 2000 – July 7, 2005
Links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Jackie Chan Adventures was a successful children's animated television series chronicling the adventures of a fictionalized version of action film star Jackie Chan. Many of the episodes contain references to Chan's actual works. This series ran on Kids' WB! from September 9, 2000 to July 8, 2005 for a total of 95 episodes, over 5 seasons. During its run, it was also shown on Cartoon Network, and afterwards, its reruns landed, ironically, on Toon Disney's Jetix block. An Arabic translation has been airing on MBC 3 since early 2006. There have been several toys and video games based off the series.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The series features the fictional adventures of Jackie Chan, who is an archaeologist, martial arts expert and involuntary secret agent in the series. With help from his niece Jade, his grumpy old uncle (simply known as "Uncle") and his old friend Captain Black, he saves the world from evil forces that attempt to use magical artifacts to rule the world. Later seasons included other supporting characters that comprised the world-saving "J-Team". He often works for the spy group Section 13 against the criminal organization 'The Dark Hand' and various evil and supernatural forces. The first season involved the pursuit of 12 magical talismans. Subsequent seasons featured talisman powers, but more prominently involved Jackie Chan's pursuit of other magic items. While he travels around the world, Jackie lives in San Francisco, California, where both Section 13 and Uncle's Antique Shop are located.

[edit] Characters

See List of Jackie Chan Adventures characters

The main good characters are:

  • Jackie Chan - an archaeologist, who works part-time for Section 13.
  • Jade - Jackie's niece from Hong Kong who is staying with him. Highly adventurous and impulsive, she constantly wants to get into the action.
  • Uncle - Jackie's grumpy old uncle who owns an antique shop and is also a good Chi wizard.
  • Tohru - A huge Japanese man who claims to be "too small for Sumo." Originally a criminal, he becomes Uncle's apprentice in the 2nd season and remains with the Chans for the rest of the series.
  • Captain Black - the leader of secret spy organization 'Section 13' and an old friend of Jackie.

[edit] The Seasons

See List of Jackie Chan Adventures episodes

[edit] Season One - The Twelve Talismans

(13 episodes) Jackie searches for the 12 magic talismans that are scattered across the world. Section 13 has recruited Jackie to do this before the Dark Hand do. The Dark Hand intend to use the talismans to re-awake the evil demon Shendu, who has been turned into a stone shield.

[edit] Season Two - The Demon Portals

(39 episodes) Shendu has possessed Valmont and is trying to bring his brothers and sisters - the Demon Sorcerers into this world through a series of mystic portals, located with the magic pan'ku box. Jackie must stop this to save the world. In this series there are also a large number of one off episodes, where Jackie goes off on his own adventures, encountering leprechauns, Spring-heeled Jack, Chupacabra, among others. There are also three episodes set during season one.

[edit] Season Three - The Animal Powers

(17 episodes) The evil Chi wizard Daolon Wong is searching for the magic powers from the talismans, which have been spread across the world, contained in 12 magic animals. Jackie must try to stop him before he gains too many powers.

[edit] Season Four - The Masks of the Shadowkhan

(13 episodes) Tarakudo, The King of the Shadowkhan awakes, taking the Dark Hand as his servants. He sets off to find the legendary nine Oni masks which, when worn, each release a new type of Shadowkhan. Jackie battles the King of the Shadowkhan to stop him from plunging the world under eternal shadow.

[edit] Season Five - The Demon Powers

(13 episodes) When Drago, the son of the demon Shendu, escapes from Section 13 and sets off to find the seven magic objects that imprisoned the Demon Sorcerers, Jackie sets off to stop him.

[edit] Magic and the Supernatural

See also List of magical items in Jackie Chan Adventures The series nearly always involves the supernatural, like spells, demons, and chi.

[edit] Mythical Beings

A number of mythical beings appear in the show:

[edit] Talismans

The talismans represent the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac:

  • Rat: Power of Reanimation (motion to the motion-less). Gives inanimate objects life. Most often overlook its potential, but it is actually one of the most powerful talismans in existence. If the object is based on a living thing, real or fictional (e.g. an action figure or a statue), it becomes real and can move/walk/fight, etc. Meaning that, if its power is to be used on an idol or on a image modeled after a divine figure, it can literally make a deity walk upon the earth. Found in an ancient Chinese lantern.
  • Ox: Power of Super Strength. Was found in a Mayan temple by El Toro Fuerte, and was discovered by Jackie in El Toro's mask.
  • Tiger: Power of Balance. Splits the user's good and evil halves (Yin and Yang) into two separate beings, each holding a half of the talisman. The two beings rejoin when they reunite the broken talisman. Was found within a pie.
  • Rabbit: Power of Super Speed. Allows Time Travel as well if user is doused in Chronoton Radiation before use. Was found stuck in the shell of a tortoise in the Pacific.
  • Dragon: Power of "Combustion". Allows energy to be discharged from the talisman. Has a curious property where it likes to fuse itself on the hand of the wielder. Found in a volcanic cave.
  • Snake- Power of Invisibility. Found in a secret passage in a cave, near the Amazon River.
  • Horse: Power of Healing. In its original appearance, it merely "Expels the alien forces within" or cured the user of illness. Soon after it was given the power to heal injuries and repair broken objects. Found atop an unnamed mountain.
  • Sheep: Power of Astral Projection, or the ability to eject the soul from the body and wander as an invisible spirit.
  • Monkey: Power of Shapeshifting. Any item/person/animal may be changed into the shape of any animal. Found in Micronesia, underwater.
  • Rooster: Power of Levitation (telekinesis in fact). Found embedded in a shield in episode 1. When combined with the Rabbit Talisman gives the power of very fast flight.
  • Dog: Power of Immortality. It will additionally negate the effects of aging (the user won't actally turn young again but they will feel as though they have). Found in a windmill.
  • Pig: Power of Laser/Heat-Beam Eyes. Found on a Bavarian clock tower mechanical pig with symbols .

[edit] Chi Magic

In the universe of Jackie Chan Adventures, several characters can use a form of magic using chi energy. Chi magic involves the use of potions, magic objects, and incantations. Below are some of the Chi incantations that have been used throughout the series. Each wizard usually uses the same incantation but can accomplish many different effects, ranging from banishing demons to turning living creatures to stone.

  • Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao-The main good incantation of the series, this spell is used most often by Uncle. It is used for multiple purposes, including: banishing Shendu from Jade's body, returning the Demon Sorcerers to the Netherworld, turning Shendu to stone, and extracting the Demon Chi of the Demon Sorcerers. The incantation is actually Cantonese for "spirits, demons, ghosts and monsters quickly go away " (妖魔鬼怪快哋走).
  • Lai Sui Sie-The incantation used by Bai Tza during her attempt to flood San Francisco. In Mandarin it is along the lines of "summon water"
  • Kai Kwitchi Ka-Incantation used by Shendu (in Jackie's body) to open the portal to the Book Of Ages.
  • Nu Ke Ru, He Men Ja'a Ku-The Japanese incantation used for the removal of Oni Masks. It is also used to imprison Tarakudo in his Oni Mask.　Can be translated as "Come out, evil spell." (抜ける,経面邪悪)
  • Ya Gaa Mee Mo, Ya Gaa Mee Chi-Wah-Drago's incantation, used to absorb Demon Chi and cause destruction.
  • Mee-thana Chi. Chi-Mee-thana Chi-Chant Tohru uses to attempt to ambush Drago's absorption of the Demon Chi. Presumably Japanese.
  • Ju Ichi Bu Shun Li-Iso's incantation, used for evil chi spells.

A non-chi spell called Ex Metu Veres that the Magisters used when they stole Stonehenge was also invoked. Neither Chinese nor of any relevance to Chi magic. Latin: "Out of fear, truth." This spell appears to have the same versatility as other forms of magic.

[edit] References to Jackie Chan's Film Career

There are many references to the real Jackie's live-action film career in the cartoon:

  • Animated Jackie's all beige/khaki clothes are also similar in appearance to the real Jackie in his film Armour of God.
  • A second season episode was titled "Armour of the Gods" reference to his film Armour of God.
  • In the first episode entitled The Dark Hand, Jackie fights Finn, Ratso and Chow in a playground. There is a similar playground fight scene in the Jackie Chan film Police Story 2.
  • In another first season episode Tough Break, Jackie is seen waterskiing with a cast on his leg. This is a reference to the waterskiing scene from the Jackie Chan film Rumble in the Bronx where Jackie performed the scene with a disguised cast under his costume. Jackie had broken his ankle shooting a prior stunt where he jumped onto a passing hovercraft.
  • The episode Project A, For Astral is homage to Jackie's film Project A.
  • The Season Two episode Showdown in the Old West has Jackie's ancestor during the Old West looking just like Shanghai Noon.
    • Another episode from season 2 is titled "Shanghai Moon"(instead of 'Noon') where Jackie fights the Moon Demon.
  • In The Tiger and the Pussycat, Jackie splits into "good" and "evil" twins. Jackie Chan played dual roles in The Twin Dragons, one is a musical conductor and the other was the lost twin who is the only one with martial arts moves.
    • Another possible reference can be seen during the fight between "light" and "dark" versions of Jackie in Tiger and the Pussycat where "Light" Jackie fights balancing onto makeshift stilts; using a ladder split vertically by "dark" Jackie. In the Jackie Chan film, Police Story 4: First Strike (known as Jackie Chan's First Strike in the US), Jackie has a fight scene whilst wearing stilts.
  • In a Season 3 episode, Jackie is bitten by a snake. The poison affects him, putting him in a drunken state, which he uses to his advantage. This is an allusion to Jackie's movie Drunken Master.
    • Another possible "Drunken Master" reference appears in season 5, in the episode "Clash of the Titanics." Jackie (wearing SCUBA gear) explores a sunken ship which holds the chi of the thunder demon, Tchang Zu. Jackie, pursued by Strikemaster Ice and his gang, is forced to surface too quickly and gets "the bends," a condition which makes him delusional, ie drunken.
  • During the episode when Jade went back in time to Jackie's childhood, adult Jackie and young Uncle perform the same double team technique that Jackie Chan used in Rush Hour with Chris Tucker.
  • Another scene pays homage to Jackie Chan's trademark act, where he fights against a number of enemies while talking on the phone.

[edit] References to pop culture

  • The noble sheep in Sheep In, Sheep Out talks like Sean Connery when he's in astral form.
  • During an episode in Season Three, the TV Jade is watching switches to a picture of a man in a yellow jumpsuit with black stripes down the sides. The man is Bruce Lee, and the movie she is watching is Game of Death.
  • "Enter ... the Viper" and Season 3's "Re-Enter the J Team" are references to Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon also the fight sequences in Jade's dreams are a spoof on the sequences from the 1999 film The Matrix
  • Season 3's "Shrink Wrap", Jackie and Hok Foo find themselves shrunken to the size of ants and eventually end up inside of Tohru's ear. When Uncle and the gang realize where the two are, and that it's too late to stop the spell, Jade ask's if Tohru's brain is going to go 'Scanner' on them in reference to the head exploding scenes in the movie.
  • The character Hak Foo with his spiked hair and always calling out his attacks is a parody of a Dragon Ball Z character.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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