Xiaolin Showdown: The Ultimate Challenge

Xiaolin Showdown: The Ultimate Challenge is a 2016 animated film directed by Christy Hui and distributed by Warner Bros. Animation. It revolves around four Xiaolin Monks (Omi, Kimiko, Raimundo and Clay) who are in for the fight of their lives when Chase Young, Hannibal Bean, and Jack Spicer team up to absorb the power of the Heylin Comet, rendering the Xiaolin Monks useless and the Heylin powerful.

It is based off the 2003 series Xiaolin Showdown, and is also a backdoor pilot for the 2021 reboot. Xiaolin Showdown: The Ultimate Challenge was released in the United Stares on June 4, 2016. It received positive reviews and grossed $124.3 Million at the box office.

Plot
Taking place in modern day China, Jack Spicer (Danny Cooksey) travels to visit Chase Young's (Jason Marsden) palace, with a proposition on how to take down the Xiaolin Monks. While Chase Young explains the Heylin Comet is coming in a matter of days, they are both interrupted by Hannibal Bean (Tom Kenny), who suggests preoccupying the Xiaolin Monks until the Heylin Comet arrives. By doing so, the three of them decide to focus on Raimundo Pedrosa, the Shoku Warrior and leader of the monks, by finding his weakness and taking advantage of him.

At the Xiaolin Temple, Omi (Tara Strong) and Raimundo (Tom Kenny) practice sparring, only for Omi to need assistance from Clay Bailey (Jeff Bennett). Omi's misstep gives Raimundo an opening to take a quick break. Clay asks where their teammate Kimiko Tohomiko (Grey Griffin) is, in which Omi replies Kimiko is meditating in another part of the temple. A flustered Raimundo goes to check on Kimiko, while Clay and Omi decide to spy on their leader. Raimudno interrupts Kimiko's meditation session by asking if he can join her, and while Kimiko at first thinks its a prank, she realizes Raimundo is being sincere. She welcomes Raimundo's company, and the two of them start meditating together, but it is short-lived when Dojo Kanojo Cho (Wayne Knight) interrupts and reveals a Shen Gong Wu sighting.

The monks end up in Russia to find the Polar Paws, a Shen Gong Wu that allows the user to turn into a polar bear. Unfortunately, Kimiko isn't dressed properly for the occasion, which gives Raimundo an opening to offer his coat. The kind gesture is witnessed by Omi and Clay, who begin to piece together Raimundo's affection for Kimiko. They are interrupted when Jack, Hannibal and Chase Young appear, although Omi is baffled since Hannibal and Chase Young normally have no interest in Shen Gong Wu. The monks commence in a fight with the Heylin, and Chase Young is observant when he sees Raimundo quickly coming to Kimiko's aid when she is nicked by Jack Bots. Before Jack can acquire the Shen Gong Wu, Chase Young stops the fight and hands the Polar Paws to Omi, informing Hannibal and Jack that he has found Raimundo's weakness. After the Heylin leave the battle, Omi, Clay and Kimiko ask Raimundo what his weakness is, causing Raimundo to play off the question and return the Wu to the temple. However, Kimiko is suspicious that she is his weakness, although she is unsure why.

Omi and Clay dedicate the next day to figuring out Raimundo's weakness, but Kimiko decides to take a more subtle approach. She has Raimundo meditate, which causes Riamundo to have an epihpany. Seeing they made progress, Kimiko asks Raimundo, but Raimundo once again plays off his findings, which disappoints Kimiko. However, the Heylin realize that the weakness Is Kimiko, and send Jack to fight the monks as a distraction.

Master Fung (Maurice LaMarche) has the monks prepare for the battle against evil by working on their elements, but during the training, Omi, Dojo and Clay become aware of Raimundo's feelings. Raimundo admits he's afraid of Kimiko not reciprocating his emotions, in which Omi volunteers to ask Kimiko about her thoughts on Raimundo. Kimiko immediately shuts down the conversation, however, she realizes she's also in love with him.

Raimundo and Kimiko stargaze and inadvertently almost reveal their feelings, but before they can make progress, Jack shows up with his Jack Bots and attempts to raid the Shen Gong Wu temple. The monks are successful in stopping the Jack Bots, but become perplexed when Jack only steals one Shen Gong Wu, the Shroud of Shadows. Raimundo realizes Jack wasn't there for Shen Gong Wu and was there to observe him instead. Raimundo becomes partially truthful when he mentions Kimiko is his weakness, but fails to mention his feelings for her. Raimundo then declares he will protect her with his life,

Omi and Clay go to spy on Chase Young where they overhear Chase Young discussing the Heylin Comet. With this information, Raimundo becomes overprotective of Kimiko and refuses to let her fight when Hannibal Bean comes to the temple to heed the monks a warning. Kimiko disobeys Raimundo's orders when the boys are in trouble, which causes a strain in their relationship as Kimiko believes she is not viewed as an equal member of the team. Master Fung rallies the monks and discusses the threat of the Heylin Comet, in which he asks Omi and Clay to stake out Chase Young's place while Raimundo and Kimiko go into the Ying-Yang World to grab Chase Young, Hannibal and Jack's good chi. However, Raimundo is still hesitant of having Kimiko fight, which irritates Omi, Clay, and Dojo.

In the Ying-Yang World, Raimundo and Kimiko spot Good Jack, Jack's good personality that was split from him the last time he went into the Ying-Yang World, and ask him to take them to the chi. They are successful in getting Hannibal and Chase Young's chi, but are unable to find Jack's chi due since they are talking to Jack's chi in human form. After a pep talk from Good Jack, Raimundo and Kimiko head off to the real world, but Good Jack warns them the fight will be long and dangerous, a warning that they do not heavily take into consideration until they arrive back at the Xiaolin Temple. Master Fung meets them and gives them medallions that activate their Xiaolin Showdown armor, before sending them on their way and getting into a fight with a chi-creature.

At Chase Young's palace, Jack becomes impatient that the monks haven't arrived, but little do they know Omi and Clay are outside of the premises. In contrast, Omi becomes impatient that they are sitting around, and disobeys orders when he goes to fight Jack Spicker, giving away the element of surprise. Raimundo and Kimiko arrive and find out Omi disobeyed orders, causing Raimundo to charge Chase Young, Jack and Hannibal alone. Kimiko witnesses the disadvantage and goes after Raimundo, only to make things worse when Chase Young breaks he chi bottles and locks the monks in his dungeon.

After ruining the initial plan, Kimiko becomes dejected and decides to quit being a monk. Raimundo realizes Kimiko's lack of confidence is a direct result of him not treating her as an equal and apologizes. It is then Raimundo reveals his feelings for her, in which Kimiko reciprocates. Using the new boost of confidence, Kimiko derives a plan to get to Chase Young and stop him from absorbing the Heylin Comet. The monks break out of the prison and end up in Chase Young's library, only to purposely be captured by Chase Young and his jungle cats.

Chase Young and Hannibal Bean decide on killing the Xiaolin Monks, but Jack is against it. This causes Jack to double cross Chase Young and suffer the same fate as the monks--hanging from a cage with a pool of acid down below. Chase Young lowers Raimundo towards the pot of acid, only for Kimiko to tearfully deject. Jack uses it as an opportunity to send out his Jack Bots to distract the jungle cats while using the key in his pocket to unlock the cages. The monks fight Hannibal Bean and Chase Young, but the Heylin Comet hovers over them, causing Chase Young to be the most powerful villain in the world. He engages in a fight with Raimundo, brutally beating him up to the point of near death. Witnessing this, Kimiko's body engulfs in a fiery flame which surprises Dojo, Omi, Clay and Jack, with Dojo revealing Kimiko has unlocked her 'Dragon Fire' abilities. In her powerful state, Kimiko singlehandedly takes out Hannibal Bean and almost kills Chase Young, but Raimundo gathers enough strength to snap Kimiko out of it by assuring her he was alive. Kimiko snaps out of her 'Dragon Fire' state cries into Raimundo's arms but the monks realize there was a second part to Chase Young's plan: unleashing evil around the world. The monks and Jack Spicer race against the clock to stop the damage from becoming permanent.

The four locations Chase Young chose were the Xiaolin Temple, Texas, Brazil, and Tokyo, the birthplace of the four Xiaolin Monks. The Xiaolin Temple was overrun by a gigantic Jack Bot, in which Jack guides Kimiko on how to destroy it. In Texas, a dam breaks and threatens to drown everyone and their crops, in which Kimiko uses a carved plug, bestowed upon by Dojo, to seal the dam. After selflessly allowing Raimundo to save his hometown before hers, the monks go to Brazil, where a volcano overflows and heads towards the town. Clay, Omi and Raimundo use their elemental powers and the Ruby of Ramses to put the lava back into the volcano. In Tokyo, Kimiko realizes Godzilla was unleashed, and toes in a one-on-one battle with him. Kimiko is able to tip over the tallest building, but both her and Godzilla fall, the both of them buried in the rubble. A grief stricken Raimundo shows guilt for letting Kimiko fight Godzilla alone, and now worries on how he'll tell Master Fung about Kimiko's demise. However the monks are surprised that Kimiko is still alive, causing Raimundo to engulf her in a hug.

The Xiaolin Warriors start rebuilding the Xiaolin Temple, but worry Master Fung may have perished while fighting the chi-creature. However, Master Fung is alive, and unharmed. Master Fung asks where Kimiko is and Raimundo reveals she is tending to her wounds, all while telling him how Kimiko saved the world. Master Fung goes and praises Kimiko for her efforts, but she downplays them by suggesting she could have killed Chase Young and Hannibal in her 'Dragon Fire' state. Omi, Clay and Raimundo point out how she still saved the world while showing extreme selflessness, and she is rewarded by being promoted to Shoku Warrior. While the monks say their goodbyes to Jack Spicer, Kimiko mentions there may be another Xiaolin Dragon out there, mentioning water, earth, fire, wind and metal. But she is taken out of her thoughts when Raimundo asks if she wants to stargaze that evening, just the two of them. Kimiko accepts the offer.

While stargazing, Raimundo and Kimiko discuss their feelings and decide to act upon them, sealing their newfound relationship with a kiss. However, they are interrupted when every evil villain from the Heylin come to fight the Xiaolin Monks. Omi, Clay, Kimiko, and Raimundo charge towards the Heylin, knowing the their fight against evil will never rest.

Cast

 * Tara Strong as Omi, the Xiaolin Dragon of Water.
 * Tom Kenny as: Raimundo Pedrosa, the Xiaolin Dragon of Wind, leader of the Xiaolin Monks, and Kimiko's love interest.
 * Kenny also voices Hannibal Roy Bean, a bean-like demon who is responsible for turning Chase Young to the dark side.
 * Grey Griffin as Kimiko Tohomiko, the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire, and Raimundo's love interest.
 * Jeff Bennett as Clay Bayley, the Xiaolin Dragon of Earth.
 * Jason Marsden as Chase Young, a former Xiaolin Dragon who turned to the Heylin side with the help of Hannibal Bean.
 * Wayne Knight as Dojo Kanojo Cho, a mystical dragon who aids the Xiaolin Monks in their race for the Shen Gong Wu
 * Maurice LaMarche as Master Fung, the Xiaolin Monks teacher. He also provides guidance when the monks needs help.
 * Danny Cooksey as Jack Spicer, a self-proclaimed "evil boy genius" with a talent for robot mechanics.

Critical Reception
Xiaolin Showdown: The Ultimate Challenge received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 80% approval rate of 120 reviews, and an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Xiaolin Showdown: The Ultimate Challenge takes the franchise to new heights by perfectly entwining romance and action for a thrilling two-hour ride". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Sequel

 * Xiaolin Showdown: Rise of the Heylin Seed is slated to be released on HBO Max and in theaters in Fall 2021, with all of the cast reprising their roles.
 * Xiaolin Showdown was also rebooted as a television series by HBO Max, slated to be released in Fall 2021.

Trivia

 * Production of this movie began in May 2010 and ended in June 2015.
 * Due to the success of the movie, a spin-off for the T.V. Show was ordered.
 * The Polar Paws Shen Gong Wu was originally only in the Xiaolin Showdown Trading Card Game before making its debut in the movie
 * Kimiko mentions Chase Young using an overly 'cliche but predictable' evil in Tokyo. This ended up being Godzilla.