What Kind Of Animal Is Master Shifu? Why Some Kung Fu Panda Fans May Be Confused

Master Shifu, voiced by Dustin Hoffman, is an integral character within the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise, providing wisdom and guiding the next generation of great warriors within the Furious Five, as well as Po (Jack Black). Amid all the tough love and jokes, there's one nagging question that may bother certain fans: What kind of animal is Shifu?

As it turns out, Master Shifu is a red panda, an animal that resides primarily in the Himalayas. It's an appropriate creature given the setting of the "Kung Fu Panda" movies, and, understandably, some people may be thrown off. Red pandas generally have red fur with more minor white markings. However, Shifu has predominantly white fur with a little bit of red. One could chalk this up to him being old, so the color in his fur may have faded. However, in the flashback sequence where we see Shifu take in Tai Lung (Ian McShane), he's still primarily white even though he's younger. 

Master Shifu being a red panda may be one of those things only adults notice in "Kung Fu Panda." It makes much more sense when looking at his tail, which alternates between white and orange stripes, just like what one would find on the real-life critter.

Master Shifu being a red panda is confirmed in "The Art of Kung Fu Panda" book, written by Tracey Miller-Zarneke, and there's a very particular reason why he was made to be that animal. The section on Master Shifu states, "Early in the story development process, Shifu was also Po's adoptive father. This relationship was the reason for casting him as a red panda in the first place." It's not mentioned why the change was made, but on the bright side, that change paved the way for Mr. Ping (James Hong). No doubt, at some point, someone thought it would be amusing for a tiny red panda to raise a giant panda. 

The book also shows how Shifu could've looked a bit different. Some of the artwork shows Shifu with a long, white beard and a much more pronounced hump on his back. It also comes up in the art book that Shifu was initially intended to be much older, but aging him down a bit allowed the team to give him a more physically active part. 

Between design changes and scrapped familial connections, Master Shifu went through a lot before finally arriving on the big screen. But if you didn't know Shifu was a red panda, don't feel too bad. In a 2016 interview with "Today," Dustin Hoffman discussed his character from the "Kung Fu Panda" movies and asked, "Is it a raccoon?" The third "Kung Fu Panda" movie came out in 2016, meaning it took quite a while for Hoffman to have that revelation.