Kung Fu Panda 4 Ending Explained by Jack Black

Across four theatrical Kung Fu Panda adventures, Po Ping the Panda (Jack Black) has evolved from a clumsy noodle restaurant bus boy to the prophesied Dragon Warrior. He's worked solo, side-by-side with the famed Furious Five warriors, and in the latest chapter, Kung Fu Panda 4, he teams up with the thief, Zhen the Fox (Awkwafina). 

A fourth installment of the franchise wasn't even a given since the trilogy technically ended with Kung Fu Panda 3 in 2016. But Kung Fu Panda 4 screenwriters Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger and Darren Lemke, and director Mike Mitchell found a compelling story centered on the positives that come with change and a new villain that got their creative juices motivated for more. 

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SPOILER ALERT: The remainder of this article will discuss the plot of Kung Fu Panda 4

So, Po returns with Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) telling the Dragon Warrior that the now departed Grand Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) chose him to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. As such, Po needs to pick his Dragon Warrior successor... which doesn't sit well with the still freshly empowered panda. He delays his search when a new threat, The Chameleon (Viola Davis), appears. A prime panda procrastinator, Po enlists the shady help of Zhen as together they journey to Juniper City to confront this enemy and learn more things about himself along the way. 

What happens at the end of Kung Fu Panda 4?

Po (Jack Black) and Zhen (Awkwafina) in DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4, directed by Mike Mitchell. Photo: 2023 DreamWorks Animation

After the climactic battle between Po and Zhen against the Spirit Realm empowered Chameleon, good triumphs over evil. Plus, Po gets the respect of all the kung fu master spirits (including some of his former enemies like Tai Lung (Ian McShane) and General Kai (JK Simmons) before they return to the Spiritual Realm with the defeated Chameleon in tow. 

The adventure helps Po see the positives in accepting his destined new role back at the Valley of Peace, and who should train to be the new Dragon Warrior... Zhen. Master Shifu is less than impressed but he goes to meditate to find his inner peace. 

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Does Kung Fu Panda 4 Have a Post-Credits Scene?

Jack Black voices Po in DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4, directed by Mike Mitchell. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/DreamWorks Animation

Meanwhile, the mid-credits roll as Tenacious D's cover of "Baby, One More Time" underscores the return of the Furious Five from their other missions to assist in the training of Zhen in their Temple. Turns out, Po's instincts (and previous butt kickings) were right and Zhen proves to be a natural as she holds up against, or bests, her new mentors. It's a rollicking action sequence straight from the best of anime or kung fu movies with all of the masters getting a moment to shine. It's clear the Valley of Peace will be safe once more with its latest protector, and more adventures could arise for Po, Zhen and the Furious Five.

After you see that scene over the mid-credits, there is no further scene after the main credits. There is no post-credits scene.

Jack Black Explains the Britney Spears Cover in Kung Fu Panda 4

At the Kung Fu Panda 4 world premiere on March 3, Black revealed the origin story behind the recent, viral Tenacious D Instagram post featuring him and band mate, Kyle Gass, rocking out to their cover version of Britney Spears' "Baby, One More Time." On the red carpet, Black said that Panda 4 director Mike Mitchell asked The D to provide a song for the movie's credits tag sequence and the Spears classic was the winner. 

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During our recent NBC Insider interview, Black and Awkwafina expanded on the process. Asked if "Baby, One More Time" was the only song they contemplated, Black revealed, "There were some other songs that were kicking around. But I'm not going to say the names of them because that would not be nice. But credit where it's due, it was my manager, Sharon Jackson, who was like, 'You should do Britney Spears.' And I was like, 'Oh my God, that's a genius idea!' And I said to the director, 'We want to do Britney Spears?' And he said, 'Hit Me Baby One More Time? Deal.' And that's how it went down. And then it happened and I love the way it turned out."

Awkwafina then shared with Black that during the screening, she watched the audience freaking out in reaction to the cover song. And she confirmed that the cover "slaps." 

To that compliment, Black's face lit up as he said, "Dude, end credits! That's a sweet spot. You want to have the audience leave toe tapping. And maybe it was just me, but at the premiere when it got to that [tag],I was like, 'Is everyone feeling this?' I was rocking the hardest!" he laughed. 

Kung Fu Panda 4 hits theaters exclusively on March 8. Pre-game by watching Kung Fu Panda on Peacock now!