Shen Gong Wu
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The Shen Gong Wu are fictional mystical artifacts possessing magical powers featured in the animated television series Xiaolin Showdown. The powers of a Shen Gong Wu are activated when its name is called by the person who wishes to use it. "Shen Gong Wu" in Chinese means "holy skill thing" or literally "tool of God".
[edit] History
Shen Gong Wu are primarily used in Xiaolin Showdowns, eponymous challenges over Shen Gong Wu, themselves. The first Xiaolin Showdown was between the creator of the Shen Gong Wu Grand Master Dashi and the evil witch Wuya. It was a great battle, in which Dashi used the Shen Gong Wu against Wuya's Heylin magic. Eventually, Grand Master Dashi was the victor, and Wuya was trapped within a mystical puzzle box. Determined to ensure that Wuya would not be able to get her hands on the Shen Gong Wu and rule the world with them, Grand Master Dashi and the dragon Dojo hid the Shen Gong Wu all over the world. Dashi then created the Xiaolin Temple and began a lineage of Chosen Xiaolin Warriors to prevent the Shen Gong Wu from falling into the wrong hands. Each Xiaolin Warrior is endowed with the power of one of the classical elements; fire, wind, water, and earth. Should Wuya ever be freed, the Xiaolin Warriors would rise up and fight the forces of the Heylin.
After 1,500 years, Wuya was finally freed from the puzzle box by Jack Spicer, but she was reduced to a ghostly form. With Wuya's freedom, the latest set of Xiaolin Warriors were put into action; the orphaned monk Omi who wields the element of water, the technologically proficient Kimiko Tohomiko who wields the element of fire, the laid back Raimundo Pedrosa who wields the element of wind, and cowboy Clay Bailey who wields the element of earth. When the Xiaolin and Heylin sides meet, the Shen Gong Wu begin to reveal themselves, and the Xiaolin Showdowns begin again.
A Shen Gong Wu can only be located when it chooses to reveal itself, and at that point, both Wuya and Dojo can sense its activation and can find its general location. Wuya is able to tell what Shen Gong Wu has revealed itself, while the Xiaolin must defer to the Scroll of the Shen Gong Wu to find out which one has been revealed. Chase Young is also capable of anticipating when a new Shen Gong Wu will be revealed.
It is unknown how many Shen Gong Wu there are, as the nature of the show is for at least one new one to be revealed in each episode. In the first episode, Wuya commented that there are "hundreds," lending to the open-endedness of the show.
There are two occasions during which astronomical events affect the Shen Gong Wu. When the planets align themselves, the Shen Gong Wu gather to form Mala Mala Jong. When the rare Heylin Comet flies over Earth, the Shen Gong Wu come alive and take over their user. Raimundo was subject to the Heylin Comet's magic in the episode The Last Temptation of Raimundo, and he was taken over by the Golden Tiger Claws, Third Arm Sash, Helmet of Jong and many other Shen Gong Wu. He was turned into a giant freakish brute until the comet had passed and it was safe to take the Shen Gong Wu off.
[edit] Known
As of the end of Season Three, there have been 75 known Shen Gong Wu that were revealed in the series. In the episode The Crystal Glasses, several unnamed Shen Gong Wu were revealed. While these Shen Gong Wu were eventually collected by the Xiaolin, they have not been used, save for the Wushu Helmet. In the episode The Black Vipers, another unknown Shen Gong Wu was shown to be in the hands of the Xiaolin, and again, it was not used, named, or seen since.
[edit] Shen Gong Wu combinations
First seen in the episode Shen Yi Bu, some Shen Gong Wu can be used in unison and result in completely different effects, essentially becoming a new Shen Gong Wu. The following combinations are those that have been used within the series.
[edit] Monkey staff and Tongue of Saiping
Chase suggests this to Jack after losing to the monks in episode 32. Jack gains the power to control a horde of green monkeys ultimately defeating the monks.
[edit] Eye of Dashi and Sword of the Storm
Raimundo first demonstrated the capabilities of Shen Gong Wu combinations by using the Eye of Dashi and the Sword of the Storm against Tubbimura in the first Shen Yi Bu Dare. This combination allows the user to fly around at lightning speed, become intangible, and manipulate the wind in various ways. Although after the combination, the sword of the storm is never shown without the Eye of Dashi attached, its powers (flying, intangibility, wind manipulatory) are not used.
[edit] Elemental power
When the Xiaolin Warriors reached Apprentice level, they were taught that many Shen Gong Wu, when coupled with the name of their Element, gain new powers.
When Omi uses the Orb of Tornami with his Water Element, the Orb of Tornami can freeze objects, instead of merely producing an endless supply of liquid water (The way this combination was activated was later changed to "Orb of Tornami-Ice").
When Kimiko uses the Star Hanabi or the Eye of Dashi with her Fire Element, the Shen Gong Wu can create fire instead of fireworks or lightning.
When Raimundo uses the Sword of the Storm or the Eye of Dashi with his Wind Element, both Shen Gong Wu can conjure up strong winds, and the Eye of Dashi can create storms.
When Clay uses the Third-Arm Sash with his Earth Element, it can turn into stone. He can also use the Fist of Tebigong with the Earth Element to create fissures in the ground.
It is assumed that other Shen Gong Wu gain these powers as well.
[edit] Mosaic Scale and Monarch Wings
The Mosaic Scale held the imprisoned spirit of mischief, Sibini, and the Monarch Wings, the Mosaic Scale's sister Shen Gong Wu, would imbue Sibini with the ultimate strength and power of mayhem. When Sibini was freed from a broken Mosaic Scale, he took over Clay's body in preparation for the Monarch Wings' activation. Without the Monarch Wings, Sibini cannot exist very long on his own.
Before Sibini could attain ultimate power with the Mosaic Scale and the Monarch Wings, he was trapped within them by Kimiko using the Eye of Dashi and her Fire Element.
[edit] Mala Mala Jong
When the Heart of Jong, the Helmet of Jong, the Two-Ton Tunic, the Jetbootsu, the Fist of Tebigong, the Third-Arm Sash, the Shroud of Shadows, and Eye of Dashi are brought together, they create Mala Mala Jong, an ancient evil demonic warrior. Mala Mala Jong can use other Shen Gong Wu to become more powerful. The person to defeat Mala Mala Jong was Omi, using the Serpent's Tail and the retrieved Golden Tiger Claws from the center of the earth from the molten lava. He then took the Heart of Jong from Mala Mala Jong's chest. The Heart of Jong gives life to the lifeless, and as long as Mala Mala Jong has the Heart of Jong within itself, it can use all of the other Shen Gong Wu as if it were a human. Mala Mala Jong can either be brought into existence by others forming him, or by the mystical alignment of the planets. In the latter, he will have most of the other Shen Gong Wu as well, and can only be stopped with the Emperor Scorpion, which fortunately is not one of the Wu he gets when he forms.
[edit] Reversing Mirror
The Reversing Mirror is a Shen Gong Wu which can be used with any other Shen Gong Wu to perform the opposite of what it would normally do. The example given by the Mystical Scroll of the Shen Gong Wu shows that the Two-Ton Tunic would become as light as a feather. The Reversing Mirror can also deflect Shen Gong Wu and similarly-based attacks, such as a blast of the Woozy Shooter or a punch from the Fist of Tebigong. These, however, are not reversed Shen Gong Wu.
[edit] Reversed Shen Gong Wu
Below are various Shen Gong Wu that have been used in conjunction with the Reversing Mirror and have had their effects reversed.
- Changing Chopsticks: The Reversing Mirror and the Changing Chopsticks make objects or people larger instead of smaller. In order to undo the change, the Reversing Mirror and Changing Chopsticks must both be used again, or the change is irreversible. If one tries to use just the Changing Chopsticks, they will become progressively smaller than their original size
- Crystal Glasses: When the Crystal Glasses look into the reflection of the Reversing Mirror, the user looks into a false or "opposite" future rather than what will happen.
- Glove of Jisaku: The Glove repels objects instead of attracting them when combined with the Reversing Mirror.
- Gills of Hamachi: When the Reversing Mirror and Gills of Hamachi are used at the same time, they can cause someone to lose the ability to breathe underwater and swim.
- Fountain of Hui and Eagle Scope: The user of these Shen Gong Wu sees the opposite information than what they desire. The example given in the show being instead of discovering the way to destroy evil, they mistakenly discover the way to destroy good.
- Sphere of Yun: Enables the person trapped inside to be freed.
[edit] Serpent's Tail and Reversing Mirror
When the Serpent's Tail is used in conjunction with the Reversing Mirror, it can make non-corporeal (ghostly) entities solid. This dangerous combination is capable of returning Wuya, the Ancient Heylin Witch, to her physical form, since she was reduced to a ghost after being trapped in a magical puzzle box. This can bring Wuya back to her physical form with or without her full magical powers, if the user knows how. Hannibal used this combo to form an army of zombie Jacks by reversing Shadow Slicer images.
[edit] Mala Mala Jong and Ring of the Nine Dragons
When Mala Mala Jong receives the Ring of the Nine Dragons, it divides itself into the Fearsome Four, four separate Mala Mala Jongs that have slightly altered parts. Instead of the Helmet of Jong, the other three have the Wushu Helmet, and in place of the Eye of Dashi, are the Orb of Tornami, the Star Hanabi, and the Ruby of Ramses. One of the Fearsome Four also has the Sword of the Storm. According to the Ancient Scroll, the appearance of the Fearsome Four symbolizes the end of the world. The only way to control the Mala Mala Jongs is to use the Emperor Scorpion, a Shen Gong Wu that can control other Shen Gong Wu.
[edit] Fountain of Hui and Eagle Scope
The Fountain of Hui is a Shen Gong Wu that gives its user all of the information in the universe, but if used by itself it can overload the user's mind and cause harm. If the Fountain of Hui is used alongside the Eagle Scope, its sister Shen Gong Wu, the user(s) can focus to find out a certain bit of information. This combination was first used by Omi and Chase Young to try and discover a way to defeat the giant spiders that dwell within the center of the Earth and will consume everything in their path, after the Hoduku Mouse was lost in a lava flow. Omi also used this time in using the two Shen Gong Wu to find a way to destroy evil (or so he thought). The Eagle Scope alone seems to act as a telescope as demonstrated by Chase Young when first revealed.
[edit] Ying Yo Yo and Yang Yo-Yo
When combined, the Ying Yo-Yo and the Yang Yo-Yo become the Ying-Yang Yo-Yo, allowing the user to travel into the Ying-Yang World and leave without having either their good or evil chi trapped within the other dimension. If either Shen Gong Wu were to be used alone, one form of chi would be lost depending on whether or not the user was good or evil. The Ying-Ying Bird (Hannibal Roy Bean's messenger) is immune to the magics of the Ying-Yang World and remains evil when it leaves.
[edit] Wudai Element
Although used only twice (by Raimundo and Omi), when the user activates a Shen Gong Wu and then calls out his or her Wudai Element Attack, he or she can use a combined impulse attack.
When Raimundo used the Cannon Blaster and then called out, "Wudai Star-Wind," he became a charged thunder ball.
When Omi used the Orb of Tornami and then called out, "Wudai Neptune-Ice," he was able to freeze anything in sight while using it to boost himself upwards.
[edit] Wudai Weapons
The Wudai Weapons are mystical artifacts that are similar to Shen Gong Wu that the Xiaolin Monks all own. They each have a power relating to their owner's Xiaolin Dragon element. They were found using a magical map, not Dojo's ability to sense Shen Gong Wu, so they are not Shen Gong Wu, simply other mystical objects that are classified with them. They have minds of their own, as the Spirit of the Blind Swordsman tells the monks to work with their weapons. Even though numerous times, the Wudai Weapons have been lost or stolen, by the next episode, they have been reunited with their item, once again questioning the continuity of Xiaolin Showdown, of course, when they were first discovered, the weapons traveled to their Owner all by themselves, perhaps this is how they return.
[edit] Blade of the Nebula
Raimundo's Wudai Weapon, the Blade of the Nebula, is a blue, glass-like sword, that, when activated, turns into powerful wind-chain nunchaku that has control over wind and gales that can pick up enemies and blow them away. This was the first Wudai Weapon that revealed itself, and was guarded by rattlesnakes. It appears to be a blue, jagged version of the Sword of the Storm. Raimundo uses it quite often and it seems to "replace" the Sword of the Storm.
[edit] Arrow Sparrow
Kimiko's Wudai Weapon is the Arrow Sparrow, a purse-like Wudai Weapon with a strap (perfect for Kimiko) with a symbol on it that looks like a bird. It contains an unlimited amount of metal sparrows, that when thrown, catch on fire and blow up in fiery explosions. This was the second Wudai Weapon to be revealed, and was guarded by a living portrait (a cowboy/bandit who came out of a painting and fought the Wudai Warriors).
[edit] Big Bang Meteorang
Clay's Wudai Weapon, the Big Bang Meteorang, is a bronze boomerang. When thrown, it can cut through anything, including stone, rock and metal. It can also split into 5 smaller versions of itself for a multiple attack. This is the third Wudai Weapon that is revealed, and is guarded by humanoid cacti. Sometimes Clay has a hard time catching it, usually when it has splits into its multiple form, and has to jump out of the way of it.
[edit] Shimo Staff
Omi's Wudai Weapon is the Shimo Staff. It can transform into various weapons made of ice. It was not guarded by any sort of being, but when the Wudai Weapon was obtained, the cave in which it was kept collapsed. It is made of "solid water" (literally, ice), and seems to have human feelings and emotions. The staff seemed sad when Omi said, "No! This cannot be! My Wudai Weapon is a pitiful stick?! And guarded by ... nothing!"
In Japanese, Shimo means Frost. It is mostly used as a mace, or a staff.
[edit] Treasure of the Blind Swordsman
The Treasure of the Blind Swordsman is a mysterious, black-lustrous chest, that at first look, contains nothing. But if the user concentrates on the object of their desire, that object or objects will materialize (with the power of the spirit of the Blind Swordsman). The spirit of the Blind Swordsman seems to dwell within the chest to guide the user on how to use the chest. Even though it is wagered as a Shen Gong Wu, it is not considered one. This is the only one of the items (which aren't Shen Gong Wu) wagered in a Xiaolin Showdown, this also includes Omi's freedom. It was found with the Shimo Staff when the warriors went to find their Wudai Weapons. The Treasure Of The Blind Swordsman is almost like a genie's lamp, since the Blind Swordsman can grant you any wish you desire.
Although some may argue that the Treasure of the Blind Swordsman is technically not a Shen Gong Wu, it bears a similar effect of the Emperor Scorpion as it has such a great command over all other Shen Gong Wu. It is unknown whether it can summon Wu that are being used at that time but if so this could strip the power from the majority of foes that face the Xiaolin Monks.
Possession of:
- Xiaolin (305: "Treasure of the Blind Swordsman")
- Hannibal Roy Bean (Heylin) (305: "Treasure of the Blind Swordsman" - 307: "The Return Of Master Monk Guan")
- Xiaolin (307: "The Return Of Master Monk Guan" - present)
[edit] From the Trading Card Game
The following Shen Gong Wu did not appear in the television series, but do appear in the Xiaolin Showdown Trading Card Game released in October 2005 and in the Wudai Warriors Expansion Set released in March 2006. The promotional materials for the game suggest that the Shen Gong Wu in the game will appear in future episodes, however it is unknown if they will as it as equally unknown if Xiaolin Showdown was renewed for a new season
[edit] From the Xiaolin Showdown Set
[edit] Bubble Brains
This skullcap Shen Gong Wu with a brain-shaped design grants its user a photographic memory. It is unknown whether the photographic memory will retain itself after the removal of the Bubble Brains or whether one will photographically remember occurrences when they were wearing the Wu.
[edit] Cube of Haniku
The Cube of Haniku creates ironic situations for one's opponents. This could be similar to the Puzzle Box Wuya was trapped in; since she had ultimate power, the ultimate irony would be that she had no powers whatsoever. As seen when she has her body, she is also incredibly strong, and so having no body would strip her of her strengths.
[edit] Culver Crystal
This amulet has the appearance of a white crystal inside a clear globe. It creates a glittering sphere of light to distract one's enemies or light dark areas.
[edit] Da Hippa Hoppa
This Shen Gong Wu turns all of its user's speech into rhymes, which possibly could be used to confuse your opponent. Another possible use comes from the fact that one who speaks in rhymes is quite confusing, and will be unable to let others know of certain facts, such as secrets and the plans of their enemies.
[edit] Danger Sneakers
A Shen Gong Wu that warns its user of impending danger. Although if it warns the user physically or mentally is unknown. Also the radius of the sensing danger of the Sneakers is unknown as well.
[edit] Neptune Helmet
A full-face helmet Shen Gong Wu (like the Helmet of Jong, Wushu Helmet, and Mask of Rio) which, when activated, will manipulate the air around the user to create a tiny hurricane. The created hurricane will move around with the helmet being inside the hurricane's eye.
[edit] Ninja Sash
The Ninja Sash is a golden sash with a red pendant in the middle. Once activated, it gives the user a duplicate of him/herself. Strange Wu as it has a similar ability to both the Ring of the Nine Dragons and the Shadow Slicer, but with out spilting the emotions and intelligence of the user.
[edit] Preying Monster
This Shen Gong Wu turns its user into a praying mantis-like creature.
[edit] Rainbow Star
This strange Shen Gong Wu causes things to be rainbow colored. A possible use of this Shen Gong Wu would be to make invisible things, such as someone using the Shroud of Shadows, visible (if the Shroud of Shadows is rainbow-colored, you still cannot be seen; however, the rainbow-colored Shroud will be noticed easily).
[edit] Thorn of Tectonic
This powerful Shen Gong Wu turns your enemy's Earth Shen Gong Wu to your advantages. It has the same shape as the Thorn of Thunderbolt, and may actually be a misprint of the Thorn of Thunderbolt. However, the two Shen Gong Wu have different effects (control of earth vs. lightning).
[edit] From the Wudai Warriors Expansion
[edit] Bear Baton
A brown baton Shen Gong Wu that allows the user to transform into a bear.
[edit] Bullhorn Blazer
A small pair of bullhorns, this Shen Gong Wu has the ability to transform into a raging bull, capable of attacking or scaring enemies.
The Bullhorn Blazer made a brief appearance in the episode 'The Black Vipers' among the Wu that Dojo had hid in a cactus patch. This was odd because it has never been mentioned in the show before and it never was after.
[edit] Horde of Haiku
A scanner-like Shen Gong Wu that can translate any language or symbol.
[edit] Imo Gazer
A telescope-like Shen Gong Wu that allows the viewer to put anyone seen through it into a deep sleep.
The Imo Gazer makes an appearance in the Nintendo DS video game as a usable Shen Gong Wu.
[edit] Indigo Pyramid
A blue and gold pyramid-shaped Shen Gong Wu that allows its user to change an opponent's mind.
According to the text on the card, when it is combined with the Reversing Mirror, "it changes the user's mind instead!"
[edit] Komori Sword
A sword Shen Gong Wu that lets its user hang upside down like a bat and fight well in darkness.
Komori is the Japanese word for bat.
[edit] Mask of Rio
A mask Shen Gong Wu from the Wudai Warriors expansion. The Mask of Rio helps its user blend in with their surroundings by changing the color of the skin to become the color the mask senses around the user, much like how chameleons blend in. However, the Shen Gong Wu is a perfect match, allowing the user to blend in without technically becoming invisible.
[edit] Pearl of LiBai
The Pearl of LiBai makes its user's enemies babble poetry nonstop.
Li Bai is the name of a Chinese poet.
[edit] Polar Paws
A white glove Shen Gong Wu, the Polar Paws turns its user into a polar bear that has the ability to withstand extremely cold temperatures.
[edit] References
- Official Site for Xiaolin Showdown
- Official Site for Xiaolin Showdown TCG (licensed by Wizards of the Coast)
- Xiaolin Showdown at TV.com
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