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Kung Fu (1972)
- 349 statements
- 68 feature instances
- 74 referencing feature instances
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The adventures of Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine), a half-white/half-Chinese Shaolin monk wandering throughout the Wild West, helping people along the way with sage wisdom for the good people and devastating expertise in martial arts for the bad ones. Originally based on a movie script by Ed Spielman and Howard Friedlander from 1969. This series aired from 1972 to 1975 on ABC.When it premiered, it was a unique Western series with a half-Asian lead character (albeit played by an actor with no Asian ancestry) who refused to use a gun and looked out for the innocent, especially the minority groups that the genre typically ignored. The emphasis of the series was very much on philosophy, particularly Eastern philosophy, rather than gunplay. That was expressed with the regular flashback to Caine's early days in the Shaolin monastery where on top of his martial arts mastery, he learned important lessons about life from wise mentors there, especially the blind Master Po (Keye Luke).While it has elements of a Stern Chase (given that he is wanted for killing the Chinese Emperor's nephew after he fatally shot his beloved master in cold blood), it was usually not a pressing matter for the character outside the occasional Bounty Hunter. Caine is also a stern chaser, looking for his half brother, Danny Caine. He often enters a town only a few days after his brother has left it.It has since become seen as the archetypical Walking the Earth show with a wandering adventurer who has higher spiritual aspirations, but is still ready to get tough when called for. Some of its dialogue became cliches in their own right (calling students "Grasshopper", and "When you can take the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to leave" are two of the best known of these).There was a made-for-TV movie called simply Kung Fu: The Movie, which aired on CBS in 1986 as a sequel. In addition to Carradine and Keye Luke, the movie starred a pre-fame Brandon Lee as Caine's lost illegitimate son and Mako as the father of the royal nephew that Caine killed, using Caine's son as the instrument of his revenge. In 1987, there was an attempt at a Sequel Series called Kung Fu: The Next Generation, which would have aired on CBS, but only had a pilot episode. Carradine did not return; instead it starred David Darlow as Caine's grandson who tries to turn his own son, also played by Brandon Lee, away from a life of crime.A Sequel Series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, featured Caine's Identical Grandson and his own estranged son Peter, a modern day cop. This series ran from 1993 to 1997 as part of Warner Bros' PTEN syndicated package, and does not appear to include the events of Kung Fu: The Movie or Kung Fu: The Next Generation in its continuity. It actually lasted longer than its namesake, though it failed to gain nearly so much attention. For its part, Kung Fu 3D was a series of 12 Webisodes hosted on the Warner Brothers website in 1999; while it featured a character named Kwai Chang Caine voiced by Carradine, it deviated from the show's canon. Caine is left on the temple's steps by his mother as a baby, and he is in search of his father instead of his brother. The web series had No Ending.There is a pop culture belief, perpetuated even by some official sources, that the series was a project developed by Bruce Lee that got stolen from him. Nothing of this is true; while Lee did audition for the character that went to Carradine, he was busy developing his own series, which was never made. A series loosely based on Lee's own was produced in 2019, Warrior, which began airing on Cinemax for two seasons before moving to HBO Max for season three onwards. The following year, Greg Berlanti was tapped to produce a remake for The CW, featuring a gender-flipped Caine named Nicky Shen (played by Olivia Liang), which aired its first episode on April 2021 and was cancelled after three seasons.Either invented or introduced the concept of a kung-fu Western to... well, Western audiences. If you're looking for martial arts tropes, see This Index Knows Kung-Fu. | |
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Dropped link to TheWestern: Not a Feature - ITEM | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_1049848f | type |
Aliens Speaking English | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_1049848f | comment |
Asians Speaking English/Translation Convention | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_152d180e | type |
Fighting Series | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_152d180e | comment |
Fighting Series | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_152d180e | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_165d6f53 | type |
Punishment Box | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_165d6f53 | comment |
Punishment Box: Caine finds himself in a two-man Box, and teaches the other man in the box to meditate so as to avoid the torturous aspects of being in the box. The guards & other prisoners are amazed that they're able to leave under their own power instead of being carried out. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_165d6f53 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_17501df2 | type |
Cool Old Guy | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_17501df2 | comment |
Master Kan, who fits the "kindly but dangerous Cool Old Guy" to a T. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_17501df2 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_1b372a3 | type |
Heroes Fight Barehanded | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_1b372a3 | comment |
Heroes Fight Barehanded: Caine seldom uses a weapon when he has to fight someone, and if he disarms an opponent, he simply throws their weapon aside or breaks it. Once in a while, however, he'll briefly use an Improvised Weapon, and he does use a sword on a couple of occasions. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_1b372a3 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_1b4e322c | type |
Mr. Fanservice | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_1b4e322c | comment |
Mr. Fanservice: Caine is Tall, Dark, and Handsome, a Nice Guy, muscular, and has no problem walking around with his shirt undone. This was inevitable. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_1b4e322c | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_245e7c90 | type |
Characterizing Sitting Pose | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_245e7c90 | comment |
Characterizing Sitting Pose: Kwai Chang Caine routinely adopts a Lotus Position sitting pose when he has nothing to do at the moment, being a Shaolin monk and a Martial Pacifist. Often, he'll sit quietly after being captured, to conserve his strength. Too late, his captors learn it was part of an I Surrender, Suckers gambit, and that they've brought a One-Man Army into their midst. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_245e7c90 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_29292e6d | type |
Walking the Earth | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_29292e6d | comment |
Walking the Earth - Trope Namer; well, indirectly. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_29292e6d | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_2bbd9d44 | type |
Noiseless Walker | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_2bbd9d44 | comment |
Noiseless Walker: Shaolin priests are trained to walk silently. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_2bbd9d44 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_2e9641d7 | type |
Flashback Echo | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_2e9641d7 | comment |
Flashback Echo | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_2e9641d7 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_321a5791 | type |
Magical Asian | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_321a5791 | comment |
Magical Asian: Masters Po and Kan to Caine, and Caine himself to most white people he meets. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_33aa30e3 | type |
The Man They Couldn't Hang | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_33aa30e3 | comment |
The Man They Couldn't Hang: In "The Nature of Evil", the murderer survives a hanging. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_33aa30e3 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_3855ceed | type |
Searching for the Lost Relative | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_3855ceed | comment |
Searching for the Lost Relative: The Shaolin monk and Martial Pacifist Kwai Chang Caine will wander the earth in search of his brother, Daniel. He seems to always be less than a week behind Daniel in his travels, despite taking time out to help the downtrodden, like a knight errant. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_3c0a4666 | type |
Noodle Incident | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_3c0a4666 | comment |
Noodle Incident: What did Caine get up to between graduating as Po's apprentice and the latter's death? All we know is that he feels that the years have been good to him, and the dialogue implies they haven't seen each other for a while. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_3c0a4666 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_3f1aadeb | type |
Strictly Formula | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_3f1aadeb | comment |
Strictly Formula: In a lot of episodes Caine basically goes to a town, townspeople either don't like him or have initial misgivings about him, finds open-minded ally, finds enemy, must fight, makes monk-ly decision concerning friend and enemy, flashback to the power of five, win fight, credits roll. (The producers eventually mixed this up a bit, with some later episodes set entirely in China). | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_3f1aadeb | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_43f2f606 | type |
Annoying Arrows | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_43f2f606 | comment |
Annoying Arrows: In one episode, one of Caine's enemies (the henchman of a Tong killer) attempts to assassinate Caine (before a commercial break, of course), by shooting him in the back with an arrow while he is meditating. In a later scene after the commercial break, Caine pulls what is probably one of his finer moments by confronting his assailant, reaching around, pulling the arrow out of his back, and then contemptuously throwing the arrow at his enemy's feet. The trope is ultimately averted, however—the next scene has him with a bandage wrapped around his chest, and it's heavily implied that Caine was only able to survive by going into a meditative trance and slowing his heartbeat, since it's often not the arrow itself that kills someone but the blood loss. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_43f2f606 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_4583a262 | type |
Shirtless Scene | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_4583a262 | comment |
Shirtless Scene: It's amazing how many excuses the producers find to get Caine's shirt torn up or just completely off. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_4583a262 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_4a875876 | type |
Yellowface | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_4a875876 | comment |
Yellowface: Thankfully almost completely averted, with Asian characters nearly always played by Asian/Asian-American actors. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_4a875876 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_54cbd0cb | type |
This Is Unforgivable! | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_54cbd0cb | comment |
This Is Unforgivable!: In the pilot episode, Caine is pissed off when he discovers that the bounty hunter sent to take him down is a former Shaolin priest who's working for money. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_54cbd0cb | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_5b07519b | type |
Arrowgram | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_5b07519b | comment |
Arrowgram: "Besieged Part Two: Cannon at the Gate." The Mole communicates with the besiegers via flaming arrow - the flame is so they can see where the arrow is headed and go pick it up after it lands. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_5b07519b | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_5b459e82 | type |
Lodged-Blade Recycling | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_5b459e82 | comment |
Lodged-Blade Recycling: Caine is shot in the back by an arrow that goes all the way through him. While clearly suffering from pain and shock, he breaks off the barb of the arrow and throws it away, then reaches behind his back to pull out the shaft, then turns to face his attacker. Shocked by his toughness, the attacker flees. Caine immediately passes out. His friends do show up in time to save his life. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_5b459e82 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_5f146203 | type |
Dissonant Serenity | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_5f146203 | comment |
Dissonant Serenity: In one episode, Caine is traveling some settlers who are going into hazardous territory. Along the way, Caine is playing his flute and one of the settler asks why he is doing that when they don't know what fate they will be facing. At that, Caine asks, "If I stop playing, will that fate change?" | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_5f146203 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_6411dac8 | type |
BadassNormal | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_6411dac8 | comment |
Badass Normal: Every Shaolin monk, obviously. Caine in particular constantly shows off his combat skills against anyone foolish enough to mess with him. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_6411dac8 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_6f66bef7 | type |
But Not Too Foreign | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_6f66bef7 | comment |
But Not Too Foreign: Bruce Lee auditioned for the main lead role, but was not cast because the studio did not want an Asian man in a lead role on American Television. In 2019, Cinemax launched a series based on Lee's original project, Warrior (2019). | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_6f66bef7 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_7276d0de | type |
Mugging the Monster | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_7276d0de | comment |
While Caine is a bit of a unique example (he doesn't actively pretend to be an idiot), most people assume that because he's a quiet, peaceful Chinaman, that he's easy prey. Big mistake. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_7276d0de | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_75538142 | type |
Friend to All Children | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_75538142 | comment |
Friend to All Children: It's subtle—more so than many other examples—but Caine is always friendly to and respecting of children. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_75538142 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_80e7ee8d | type |
Chevalier vs. Rogue | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_80e7ee8d | comment |
Chevalier vs. Rogue: In an episode, Caine goes up against a ninja that a rich homesteader has in his employ. Both are contemptuous of the other. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_80e7ee8d | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_83856158 | type |
Worthless Yellow Rocks | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_83856158 | comment |
Worthless Yellow Rocks: While Caine understands the concept of money, he doesn't really care about it and doesn't understand why people assign value to money, gold, silver, and jewels instead of useful things like food. In "The Stone", when Isaac turns murderous because he believes his diamond was stolen, Caine points out it's just a rock. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_83856158 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_854a186c | type |
When You Snatch the Pebble | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_854a186c | comment |
When You Snatch the Pebble: Quoted verbatim to make it the Trope Namer. Hilarious in Hindsight when you realize it takes longer for a person to close their hand than it does to snatch something from it. Go back and look at the scene, as the boy's hand is moving unusually slow to grab the pebble, like he has some sort of nerve disorder or something. You can try it yourself, the signal takes longer to reach the hand than it does the arm. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_86b21114 | type |
Badass Boast | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_86b21114 | comment |
Badass Boast: Kwai Chang tells a sorcerer intent on destroying Master Kan that, "You know the name of Chen Ming Kan. You will learn the name of Kwai Chang Caine." In the pilot episode, just after fighting off the first of many, he is warned that more bounty hunters will find him. His response? "Let them find me." | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_86b21114 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_980f0816 | type |
Adventure Towns | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_980f0816 | comment |
Adventure Towns | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_a27da813 | type |
Stern Chase | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a27da813 | comment |
Stern Chase | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_a27da813 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a2b38d3b | type |
Eye Scream | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a2b38d3b | comment |
Eye Scream: A Reverend (played by David Carradine's real life father, John Carradine) is staked out by Apaches with his eyes sewn open. He's permanently blinded by the time Caine rescues him. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_a2b38d3b | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a6a68db3 | type |
Humble Goal | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a6a68db3 | comment |
Humble Goal | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_a7aef9ff | type |
Obfuscating Stupidity | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a7aef9ff | comment |
Obfuscating Stupidity: The ninja mentioned above pretends to be a simple, kindly servant. His act works well enough to fool even Caine. While Caine is a bit of a unique example (he doesn't actively pretend to be an idiot), most people assume that because he's a quiet, peaceful Chinaman, that he's easy prey. Big mistake. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_a7aef9ff | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a7b324e | type |
Handicapped Badass | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a7b324e | comment |
Handicapped Badass: The blind Master Po. Serenity Johnson also becomes this, to a certain extent. Which makes sense, since he was trained by the latter's student. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_a7b324e | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a8476736 | type |
Keep the Reward | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a8476736 | comment |
Keep the Reward: Caine doesn't really care about money, so this is his usual reaction to being offered it. For example, in "The Stone", Caine stops a gunman from shooting Isaac Montola. Isaac thanks him and offers a huge wad of cash to compensate him, but Caine ignores it to Isaac's confusion. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_a8476736 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a8adc5a0 | type |
Like a Son to Me | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a8adc5a0 | comment |
Like a Son to Me: In the pilot episode, and practically every flashback ever, Master Po has this towards Kwai Chang. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_a8adc5a0 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a9eb984b | type |
Warrior Poet | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a9eb984b | comment |
Warrior Poet: Caine is a very dangerous warrior, and very serene and peaceful, befitting a Shaolin priest. | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a9eb984b | featureApplicability |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_a9eb984b | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a9f392fd | type |
Pilot Movie | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_a9f392fd | comment |
Pilot Movie: "Kung Fu: The Way of the Tiger, The Sign of the Dragon". Caine begins his journey in contention with a railroad boss. Flashbacks reveal his Shaolin beginnings. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_a9f392fd | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_aaf19fae | type |
Doesn't Like Guns | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_aaf19fae | comment |
Doesn't Like Guns: Caine refused to use guns, often frowned on allies who use guns, and constantly disarmed gun-wielding opponents and then disposed of the gun. | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_aaf19fae | featureApplicability |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_aaf19fae | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ac36578e | type |
Or Was It a Dream? | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ac36578e | comment |
Or Was It a Dream?: A couple of episodes feature this trope, with Caine undergoing strange experiences which may or may not have been imagined/hallucinated. Of course, it was The '70s... | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ac36578e | featureApplicability |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ac36578e | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_b8ab7dc4 | type |
Treacherous Advisor | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_b8ab7dc4 | comment |
Treacherous Advisor: One episode deals with a former mentor of Caine, who also settled in the West, having turned evil. | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_b8ab7dc4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_b8ab7dc4 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_bc74ef27 | type |
Berserk Button | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_bc74ef27 | comment |
Berserk Button: For Caine, it would definitely be harming Master Po. Harming innocents in general, especially his fellow Chinese, is a great way to get yourself on the wrong end of a beating. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_bc74ef27 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_c37813c5 | type |
Ninja | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_c37813c5 | comment |
In "The Assassin", Caine tries to explain the difference between a Shaolin monk and a Ninja with little comprehension from the white folk after he is mistaken for the ninja's accomplice. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_c37813c5 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_cb70651c | type |
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_cb70651c | comment |
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Kung Fu: The Movie includes many elements that straddle the line between Chinese mysticism and outright magic. So did several later episodes of the series. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_cb70651c | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_cbdd9424 | type |
Test of Pain | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_cbdd9424 | comment |
Test of Pain: The final test in the Shaolin training regimen requires the acolyte to lift a heavy brazier full of hot coals with his forearms and move it away from the temple's exit door. The rim of the brazier is set with tiger/dragon reliefs on its underside that are heated to red-hot by the coals, so that the acolyte will brand himself by lifting it. Caine passes the test without crying out in pain, after which the door opens and he is fully Shaolin. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_cbdd9424 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_cbe687ab | type |
Corrupt Corporate Executive | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_cbe687ab | comment |
Caine is sometimes accused of cowardice or hypocrisy for his pacifism. The first episode even has a railroad crew chief comment on the supposed Values Dissonance of a "man of peace who can fight like ten tigers." | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_cbe687ab | featureApplicability |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_cbe687ab | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_d279dcf8 | type |
Serial Numbers Filed Off | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_d279dcf8 | comment |
In one episode, Caine joins up with a band of Mormons with the Serial Numbers Filed Off. They don't fight back even when they're attacked on their own land. | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_d279dcf8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_d279dcf8 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_d563a53c | type |
Batman Grabs a Gun | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_d563a53c | comment |
Batman Grabs a Gun: In addition to refusing to use a gun, Caine refused to ride horses, saying he didn't want to offend or hurt the horse. In the final episode, "Full Circle", Caine very reluctantly rides a horse because he needs to keep up with his brother Danny, who is also on horseback, as they dodge bounty hunters and rescue Danny's son. He tells the horse, "Forgive me." | |
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1.0 | |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_d563a53c | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_d5a060a8 | type |
Interchangeable Asian Cultures | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_d5a060a8 | comment |
Interchangeable Asian Cultures: In "The Assassin", Caine tries to explain the difference between a Shaolin monk and a Ninja with little comprehension from the white folk after he is mistaken for the ninja's accomplice. In "Barbary Coast", the corrupt businessman Vincent Corbino forces Caine to become a prizefighter. Before a match, Corbino announces Caine as "The Shanghai Kid". Caine says he's never even been to Shanghai, but Corbino dismissively says, "All Chinese come from Shanghai." | |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_d5a060a8 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_dc57d1e6 | type |
Hilarious in Hindsight | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_dc57d1e6 | comment |
Hilarious in Hindsight when you realize it takes longer for a person to close their hand than it does to snatch something from it. Go back and look at the scene, as the boy's hand is moving unusually slow to grab the pebble, like he has some sort of nerve disorder or something. You can try it yourself, the signal takes longer to reach the hand than it does the arm. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_dc57d1e6 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_dcd423d2 | type |
Affectionate Nickname | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_dcd423d2 | comment |
Affectionate Nickname: "Grasshopper," obviously. Also, Caine occasionally teasingly calls Master Po "old man." | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_dcd423d2 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_e2154617 | type |
The Lightfooted | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_e2154617 | comment |
The Lightfooted: As a child, Kwai Chang Caine's mentor challenged him to walk a long sheet of delicate rice paper unrolled across the temple floor. He moved as carefully as he could, but still left a trail of rips and footprints. After years of Shaolin training and study, he successfully made the crossing without damaging the rice paper. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_e2154617 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_e21faf11 | type |
Friend to All Living Things | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_e21faf11 | comment |
Friend to All Living Things: The Shaolin priests, obviously. When Caine gets stuck by a scorpion, his response is to smile at it as if it were a kitty cat, and later shelters it from a rockfall with his hands. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_e21faf11 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_e28f88b8 | type |
Last-Name Basis | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_e28f88b8 | comment |
Last-Name Basis: Caine introduces himself as "I am Caine," and people call him Caine. However, when he finally finds his brother (and nephew he didn't know he had) before letting them know that he's related, he introduces himself as Kwai Chang. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_e28f88b8 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_e544a7f6 | type |
Koan | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_e544a7f6 | comment |
Koan: Well yes, naturally. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_e544a7f6 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_e7b1cb24 | type |
Old Master | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_e7b1cb24 | comment |
Old Master: Po, to Caine. Master Kan, who fits the "kindly but dangerous Cool Old Guy" to a T. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_e7b1cb24 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ea362770 | type |
Martial Artists Are Always Barefoot | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ea362770 | comment |
Martial Artists Are Always Barefoot: The protagonist is a Shaolin monk and martial arts expert who goes barefoot while Walking the Earth. One of the only times Caine wears footwear is to attend a wedding. | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ea362770 | featureApplicability |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ea362770 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_eb4ee9eb | type |
Guns Are Worthless | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_eb4ee9eb | comment |
Guns Are Worthless: Caine's mortal enemies often don't use firearms, and when they do, Caine either disarms them before they can shoot, or dodges the bullet. | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_eb4ee9eb | featureApplicability |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_eb4ee9eb | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ed46da54 | type |
Martial Pacifist | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ed46da54 | comment |
Martial Pacifist: Caine never wants trouble, but woe betide anyone who forces him to fight. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_ed46da54 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ee2a3bfc | type |
Prefers Going Barefoot | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ee2a3bfc | comment |
Prefers Going Barefoot: Caine wore shoes in the pilot episode, but afterwards goes barefoot. One of the only times Caine wears footwear is to attend a wedding. Conveniently for the stuntman, Caine is wearing shoes on the occasion when he walks through a pit of rattlesnakes. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ee2a3bfc | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_eef35d8d | type |
A Handful for an Eye | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_eef35d8d | comment |
A Handful for an Eye: In "Blood Brother", a thug throws flour in Caine's face, but he doesn't even react and takes him down anyway. In "Nine Lives", Perlee throws mud in Caine's face, allowing him to tackle Caine and get a few hits in before Caine wipes himself off and regains the advantage. In "A Small Beheading", Captain Brandywine Gage tries to throw sand in Caine's face, but Caine blocks it with his arm. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) / int_eef35d8d | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_f8e010ce | type |
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_f8e010ce | comment |
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: In "The Nature of Evil", the unnamed murderer assumes Caine is after him for the bounty on his head. Caine says he doesn't care about the bounty, he cares about bringing him to justice for killing a mute young man and beating a blind old man, and making sure he doesn't hurt anyone else. The murderer says he doesn't understand why Caine would care, since the people he hurt weren't related to Caine. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_f8e010ce | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_f9c17447 | type |
The Remnant | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_f9c17447 | comment |
The Remnant: In "The Last Raid", Kwai Chang Caine must rescue people who have been kidnapped by a Confederate soldier who still thinks the Civil War is going on. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_f9c17447 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_fc9c6b00 | type |
Pacifism Is Cowardice | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_fc9c6b00 | comment |
Pacifism Is Cowardice: Caine is sometimes accused of cowardice or hypocrisy for his pacifism. The first episode even has a railroad crew chief comment on the supposed Values Dissonance of a "man of peace who can fight like ten tigers." In one episode, Caine joins up with a band of Mormons with the Serial Numbers Filed Off. They don't fight back even when they're attacked on their own land. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) | hasFeature |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_fc9c6b00 | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ffad4e9f | type |
Shown Their Work | |
Kung Fu (1972) / int_ffad4e9f | comment |
Shown Their Work: The series of secret tests of character, and the final test (picking up the cauldron of burning coals and branding oneself) that Kwai Chang goes through to get into and graduate from the Temple is actually historically accurate, although if anything, it's downplayed compared to what one had to go to in order to enter and graduate from the Real Life Shaolin Temple. | |
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Kung Fu (1972) |
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