Panda King (Sly Cooper)

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Panda King is a character from the Sly Cooper video game series.

Panda King as he appears in Sly 3.
Panda King as he appears in Sly 3.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

Born poor on the streets of China, Panda King was fascinated by the fireworks set off by a rich noblemen every New Year. After spending a decade learning the art, Panda King attempted to offer his fireworks to the noblemen. However the Noblemen could not see past his shabby clothes and chased him away. Enraged, he used the tools of his art for crime, becoming the Fiendish Five's demolitions expert.

After acquiring the Thievius Raccoonus' section containing the blueprints of Otto Van Cooper, Panda King set up shop in the Kunlun Mountains of western China. Building a massive explosives factory, he disguised it as a large temple-like facility. In order to finance his crimes, the Panda King pressured local villages for avalanche protection. If they refused, he would set off a firework that would bring a megaton of snow down on them.

Panda King finished his brand new firework technique, Flame Fu, just in time to use it against Sly. Despite Panda King's impressive fighting style blending the martial arts of his homeland with his firework skills, he was unable to defeat Sly. The Panda King was thrown in jail by an irritated Carmelita Fox.

[edit] Sly 3 : Honor Among Thieves

A few years later, Sly and co. need an artillery expert. Panda King joins the gang after they help him save his daughter, Jing King (who is only seen in silhouette during the game) from the evil General Tsao. At first, both Sly and Panda King were highly against this alliance: Sly because the Panda King had helped kill his father, and Panda King because Sly had humiliated him. However, after being forced out of a dream of his previous battle with Sly, the Panda King seemed to get along with the Guru, most likely because of their shared spiritual values. He is also moved by Murray's dedication to the things he cares about. He is extremely confident and boastful of his fireworks.

When the Panda King is brought into the field, he conflicts with his criminal side, a sort of yin-yang split personality that takes the part of yang. He reconciles with his other half to save his daughter, despite the other's wishes to kill Sly. After Jing King is saved, he leaves her with an aunt while paying off his debt to Sly and co. After Dr. M is defeated, Panda King returns home and moves in two doors down from his daughter. Probably fearing another General Tsao incident, she allows him to screen all her suitors, and as yet she is unmarried.

[edit] Personality

During his initial exploits with the gang in China, a rather awkward moment between Sly and Panda King occurs, where Panda must venture into a dangerous area full of Kuang-Shi like vampire zombies. When Panda King agrees, Sly shows great reserve on the idea exclaiming loudly "There's gonna be fangs everywhere!". Judging by Sly's concerned and uncharacteristically uncertain tone, its implied in this moment that Sly has begun to open up to the Panda King and show concern for him as if he were a friend despite his role in his parents' death. This endearing quality is the main thing which converts Panda King over to the Cooper Gang's side, as he states to his evil half that if Sly is willing to put faith in him and forgive him despite his role in killing his parents, than he himself has no business carrying his vendetta over something as trivial as humiliation.

However, Panda King is still the most antisocial of the Cooper Gang. He did not join the gang when Dimitri's scuba gear was unearthed, though this could be explained as him guarding the gang's ship. He also seems to have the least amount of approval for Dimitri. Of the members of the gang, he gets along best with Murray and Guru. Murray's dedication to his van inspired the Panda King to come to his aid, while the Guru seems to have a spiritual connection to him.

[edit] Weapons/Attacks

As a master demolitions expert, the Panda King comes equipped with a variety of abilities. In the first game and in his flashback fight with Sly, he demonstrates several fire-enhanced martial arts techniques. Among these are the Flame Fu, an attack that sends a fireball through the air at his opponents. He can also use the Ring of Fire, where he spins on the ground. Other moves include the Booming Chop, which is a highly-powered karate chop, and the Palms of Thunder, where he slams his hands on the ground.

In Honor Among Thieves the Panda King uses an attack technique which is essentially a horizontal karate chop. This attack is enhanced by having his hand wreathed in fire. His main attack techniques involve launching bombs from a bazooka-like basket pack on his head