Orphaned and raised off the streets of Juniper City, Zhen learned to adapt to her situation and surroundings as a young cub before she was temporarily taken in by Han and the Den of Thieves. When tasked with stealing from The Chameleon, she betrayed them and was instead raised by the Chameleon, who taught her some fighting skills as well as the harsh rules of the streets. Loyal to the Chameleon, Zhen was then tasked with delivering the Dragon Warrior's Staff of Wisdom to her. She was successful and betrayed Po, but having learned from him about positive change and doing the right thing, she eventually had a change of heart and helped him to defeat the Chameleon. She was then chosen as Po's successor to the title of "Dragon Warrior", training under him, Shifu and the Furious Five at the Jade Palace.[4]
Zhen says nothing about her family other than that she doesn't have one and Po calls her an orphan, but whether her parents abandoned her or died is never stated. She was adopted and took in by the Chameleon as a young child due to her skills as a thief.
At CinemaCon 2023, Po's voice actor Jack Black revealed the following information regarding Zhen:
In KUNG FU PANDA 4, Po is set to become the new spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, but before he can do that, he must find a successor to become the new Dragon Warrior. He appears to find one in Zhen, a fox with plenty of promising abilities but who doesn't quite like the idea of Po training [her]. The two eventually learn to get along... but becoming a true master/student team was just the beginning. ... Desperate to find a way to defeat The Chameleon, Po and Zhen must leave the Valley of Peace and go into the big city for the first time.[3]
She first appears at the Jade Palace trying to steal some relics for survival until Po faces and defeats her but not before leaving him a clue about Tai Lung who's not what he seems.
When she gets a visit from Po and a question about Tai Lung, she reveals to Po that it was actually The Chameleon in disguise. She tells Po about The Chameleon, who is a powerful sorceress with the ability to shapeshift into anyone, making everyone think it is Tai Lung. Po asks for Chameleon's whereabouts, and makes deal with her that if she leads him to her location, he'll see what he can do to reduce her jailtime, but they are interrupted by Shifu who asks Po for an update in finding his successor. Zhen calls Shifu a squirrel but Shifu corrects her, stating he is a red panda. Po decides to temporarily release her from prison so she can take him to Chameleon's location. She cleverly sneaks one handcuff on one goose guard and Shifu before he realizes, stopping Shifu from stopping Po. En route to Juniper City, Zhen asks Po for food, and he gives her half of a cookie. They stop on the way for food in Happy Bunny Tavern. Po and Zhen then eat after Zhen plays a gambling game with Granny Boar while Po pays Captain Fish to give them a ride to Juniper City, Zhen pays for the food afterwards but she accidentally reveals she cheated on game with Granny Boar, forcing Po to unsuccessfully try to reason with the latter.
Afterwards she and Po fall from Happy Bunny Tavern but are saved by Captain Fish's boat. They sail ahead to Juniper City as agreed. Zhen reveals to Po she was an orphan just like him and had to steal to survive. When they arrive at Juniper City, Po realizes Zhen is still a wanted criminal. They try to escape but are caught by the city's Bull guards. Po tries to reason with them but is arrested as well. Zhen manages to unlock a door disguised as a drum which they use to escape from the bull guards to the underground Den of Thieves. They then meet Han, her old mentor. He and Zhen reunite for the first time in a while, but end up trapped with Han's minions via weapons. To prepare, Zhen tells Han and the Den of Thieves that Po is the Dragon Warrior, confusing Han and the others as they have never heard of Po's Dragon Warrior status. Po tries to make peace with the Den of Thieves and reason with them, but Han's minions just leave, causing Zhen to facepalm at Po's stupidity. Zhen tells him to workshop his proverbs, and they meet with Han. They first ask him whether or not he has heard of Po's status as the Dragon Warrior, the son of Mr. Ping and Li Shan, and the fact that he was trained by Master Oogway and Master Shifu. Han says it doesn't ring a bell as he's never heard of Po to begin with. Zhen asks Han for help in their plans. When Han asks why he should help Zhen, she states that it's because he still thinks of her as one of them. He reluctantly agrees but threatens to turn her in to the bull guards himself if she and Po are still around by nightfall. (Despite being a thief in his own right).
The next day, the coast is clear for her and Po to get out of the underground den and into the palace. After getting past the iguana guards, Po is trapped in a cage. Zhen suggests that he hand her the staff to leverage the cage open, Zhen then backed away and somewhat guiltily handed over the Staff of Wisdom to the Chameleon, who reveals to Po that she adopted Zhen and was the one who sent her to steal the Staff of Wisdom so she could unleash all the Kung Fu masters residing in the Spirit Realm and steal their Kung Fu.
Po broke through the floor to find himself in a den of iguana guards. after fighting them off he started on his way back to try and fight the Chameleon again.
Zhen is guilt-racked over her betrayal and attempts to reconcile with Po. However, the Chameleon seemingly kills Po by knocking him over the edge falling to his supposed death, much to Zhen’s horror. She reminds the Chameleon that she promised she wouldn’t hurt or kill Po, only for her to sadistically reveal that she never cared about her feelings.
Rule number three of the streets: No one cares about your feelings.
After watching the Chameleon bring back all the late kung Fu masters and the previous antagonists including General Kai, Lord Shen, and Tai Lung, Zhen decides to leave her. She sees that Po is still alive. However, an upset Po scolds her and states that he made a mistake in trusting her. After a sparring session where she refuses to let him fight the Chameleon out of fear of him getting killed, it gets to the point where Po ignores her and asks why would she care, she runs to him, seemingly planning to hurt him out of rage, but she actually hugs him and proves she does care about him but warns him that the Chameleon is more powerful now. Po refuses to endanger her and goes to face the Chameleon anyway. Later on, Mr. Ping and Li Shan team up with Zhen to help her gather an army of thieves to hold off the Chameleon's army while Zhen gets back into the palace to assist Po. Later after they battle the Chameleon, Po gets trapped in a cage again. This time, he entrusts Zhen with the Staff of Wisdom to battle the Chameleon by herself in order for her to prove herself worthy. After that, Zhen manages to overpower The Chameleon and Po escapes his cage.
However, just as the Chameleon is about to strike, Po manages to counter her attack with the Staff of Wisdom, ultimately defeating her. Po then releases all the Kung Fu villains from their captivity while restoring their Kung Fu to them.
After the kung-fu villains were set free, Tai Lung emerged as their representative and openly praised Po, acknowledging that Po had surpassed his initial expectations and had proven himself to be the Dragon Warrior. The other kung-fu villains (including Shen and Kai) all followed suit as well by bowing down to him in respect. Tai Lung then made a request to Po, urging him to create a portal to the Spirit Realm so that the villains can return to their rightful place. Po happily obliged by opening a portal to the Spirit Realm, As all the kung-fu villains (including Shen and Kai) happily return to the Spirit Realm, Tai Lung seized the opportunity to take the Chameleon with him, intending to punish her for what she did. The Chameleon fearfully turned to Zhen, foolishly pleading the latter to help her despite all the cruel things she’s done to her and Po. Only for Zhen to rightfully refuse and taunt the Chameleon, reminding her of her own third rule, that nobody cared about her feelings. Bidding farewell to Po, Tai Lung happily returns to the Spirit Realm, taking the Chameleon with him as she screams in horror, saving China from her.
During the end credits, Po begins training with Zhen to turn her into the Dragon Warrior. Viper shows Zhen speed and reflex in the Field of Fiery Death (except Zhen almost gets caught on fire), and Tigress teaches her martial arts in the Jade Tortoise of Wisdom, but she ends up falling down into it and rebounds all over it. Crane shows Zhen how to deflect several projectile spears, Mantis trains her in the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors, and Monkey swings effortlessly from one to the other and passes through one Seven-Talon Rings. Zhen tries to pass through Seven-Talon Rings but gets stuck.
Personality
Zhen has been described in the Kung Fu Panda 4 synopsis as "crafty" and "quick-witted".[1] She also has a sarcastic wit for various situations, such as when Po faces her with Oogway's Staff of Wisdom in the Hall of Heroes.
Fighting style and abilities
Zhen's fighting style is mainly based on kung fu, which consists of kicks and punches. She is extremely swift and agile, being able to jump and dodge attacks with ease. She also has the ability to manipulate Chi, which is a type of life energy that governs natural forces and can be used for various mystical purposes.
First meeting Po, when stealing artifacts from the Hall of Heroes, (most likely for survival) she was amused from the discovery that the Dragon Warrior was a big, fat panda (him). Po stopped her in every way he could from robbing the Hall and causing ruckus by using the artifacts at her disposal. Eventually overpowered by Po, she was imprisoned. Upon the news of Tai Lung's return, she informs him that it was the Chameleon shapeshifted as him; with her knowing about the Chameleon, Po frees her from prison and has her assist in taking him to the Chameleon.
During their journey, Zhen's attitude and immoral nature frustrate Po while his friendly demeanor and morality eventually rub off on her. From having double-crossed him and him learning she was an accomplice to the Chameleon, Zhen's developed friendship with Po over the course of the trip made her realize her ways, resulting in turning on her boss and making amends with Po, eventually stopping the Chameleon in the process. Returning back to the Valley of Peace, Po and Zhen have gotten on good terms, with Po choosing her as the next Dragon Warrior upon her growth.
The Five return and assist Po in showing Zhen the ropes of becoming the Dragon Warrior. During her time training and sparring with them, they show no judgement or hesitation towards her presence in contrast to when they met Po.
Not much is known about Zhen's relationship with these groups Zhen was found by Han when she was kid, he taught her how to steal food and money to order to survive one day Han and others bow down to The Chameleon she trying to steal one of gems on Chameleon tree throne but she was caught, and she was impressed of Zhen's skill, but Han was shock.
The Chameleon saw herself in Zhen because of how brave she was and she took Zhen in as a cub, making her an apprentice and teaching her combat skills. However, Zhen later betrayed the Chameleon when she realizes that she is nothing more than a pawn to her.
Clothing
Zhen wears a navy-blue, baggy hooded tunic with several tears on the sleeves and the bottom, black baggy capri trousers, and a black utility belt with brown pouches and a pale jadeite buckle around her waist. She accessorizes with light gray bandages wrapped around her arms and legs, and a small jadeite piercing on her right ear, which doubles as a lockpick.
Trivia
Concept art - Human Zhen (top), "The Collector" (bottom) During production, Zhen and the Chameleon (originally known as "The Collector") were both going to be human characters.
Zhen's characteristics alludes to how foxes are regarded as tricky in Chinese folklore
In folklore, foxes are known for their tricky and are capable of shape-shifting in China, Korea, and Japan.
Fox spirits in East Asian lore, a cunning trickster fox that uses illusions to fool humans and occasionally takes on the appearance of an attractive young woman.
The fox spirit appears as the Chinese huli jing, the Japanese kitsune, and the Korean kumiho. Each culture interprets the fox spirit's allegiance and powers differently, with the Korean myths seeing them as purely malicious, but the Chinese and Japanese viewing them as benign, malevolent, or neutral.
According to Lauren Kisich, who worked on the film, Zhen's age is around 20-21. [5]
Zhen has some similar traits to Krystal, a protagonist from the Star Fox franchise. Both characters are anthropomorphic vixens who have lost their biological parents and have a magic staff as their main weapon.
