Kim Possible vs. Fa Mulan: The Secret Agent vs. The Samurai Warrior

                                                                        Character Bios


                                        

 

 

 

Kim: Born in the fictional town of Middleton, USA; Kimberly Ann Possible, is a teen superhero/secret agent and daughter of  Rocket Scientist; James Possible, and his wife; Ann, a respected Neurosurgeon.  In her early teens/late preteen years, determined to supplement her allowance; Kim, decided to start her own babysitting business and set up her website, "KimPossible.com", along with the slogan: "I can do anything". Not long after the site goes live, a wealthy man named Mr. McHenry who is seeking the help of Team Impossible, contacts Kim by mistake and asks her for help. Using her skills in gymnastics; Kim, manages to maneuver around laser beams and disables the alarm, rescuing Mr. McHenry in the process. 

 

As a result of his typing error, in addition to her success on the first mission in the field; Kim became famous for her heroics, catching the attention of governments and royalty. Due to the nature of her adventures; Kim has made a plethora of deadly enemies, such as: Dr. Drakken, Shego, and Duff Killigan to name a few. Over the course of her high school career; Kim, has fought against a group of cyborgs, defeated martial arts masters, taken on super-powered villains, mad scientists, traveled through time and saved the world on a consistent basis.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fa Mulan:When Han, China is invaded by Shan Yu and the Huns, the Chinese emperor calls for the mobilization of soldiers, enlisting the aid of one man from each family. After discovering her elderly father; Fa Zhou, has been drafted into the Chinese army; Fa Mulan, disguises herself as a man in order to take his place. Once her family becomes aware of her departure; Mulan's grandmother prays to their ancestors in an attempt to provide her with safety. The ancestor's call upon the Great Stone Dragon to watch over Fa Mulan; however, he fails to be re-animated into existence. As a result; Mushu, a small dragon and former guardian spirit, takes on the responsibility of protecting Mulan. 

 

In her attempts to impersonate a man, Mulan is misguided by Mushu's advice on how men behave, which causes problems for her at the training camp. Despite her actions causing a ruckus between her fellow trainees; General Li Shang, was able to effectively mold them into skilled warriors. Hoping to help the young woman succeed; Mushu, creates a fake message from Shang's father, ordering him to follow his troops into the mountains. When the troops arrive to meet with General Li, they soon discover his men were killed by the Huns. As the soldiers leave the mountains in despair, they are ambushed by the Huns; however, Mulan manages to grab a hold of a canon, using it to cause an avalanche, burying most of their enemies in the process.

 

Due to the events spinning out of his control; Shan Yu, slices her in the chest, as a result: Mulan's cover is blown. Instead of executing her for masquerading as a man; Captain Shang, allows her to live, but expels her from the army. As Captain Shang and the rest of his troops head to the imperial city to report the death of the Huns; Mulan, discovers that many of them, including Shan Yu, actually survived. The young warrior attempts to warn Shang about Shan Yu's survival, but he refuses to listen. Because of this, the Huns infiltrate the imperial city and successfully capture the emperor. After defeating the Huns in battle with her former troops; Mulan, lures Shan on to the roof, where she then begins to engage him in combat. Near the end of the battle; Mushu, fires a bundle of fireworks at Shan Yu. The rockets hit Shan and explode, killing him in the process. Emerging victorious, Mulan is honored by the emperor as well as the people of china.           

 

 

 

 

                                                           Combat skills/Weaponry

 

 

 

 Kim: Possessing a wide array of gadgets at her disposal; Kim, is highly skilled in fencing, bojutsu, and has learned 16 different forms of Kung Fu. As a martial artist, Possible is a cunning strategist, using her environment to her advantage. Kim also has experience in the field of espionage, fighting super-powered villains on a frequent basis. When pushed into a defensive posture, Kim relies on acrobatic maneuvers to evade her opponents.   

 

 

 

 

 Fa Mulan: After receiving military training from the Chinese army, Mulan mastered a variety of martial art techniques including Tessenjutsu and Bojutsu. In battle, Mulan is an extremely observant, tactical fighter who is capable of  improvising a number of different methods to overcome her adversaries . Mulan wields the Jian, a double edged straight sword, demonstrating an expert level of skill. Possessing astounding accuracy, Mulan is shown to be proficient in the use of a bow and arrow.   

 

 

Edge: In terms of their weaponry, both combatants are extremely skilled.  Mulan's mastery over the Jian blade, in addition to her marksmanship with a bow and arrow gives her an advantage, but Kim's gadgets provide an advantage in the form of advanced technology. Much of the outcome pertaining to who has a superior edge depends on what kind of technology; Possible, is bringing to the table. Due to a lack of consistency with Kim's on hand gadgets, aside from her grapple gun and kimmunicator; it's hard to determine which fighter has a superior advantage. 

 

 In combat, Mulan and Kim use very different methods to defeat their opponents. On the battlefield; Kim, is an offensive fighter who develops a contemporary strategy by improvising her acrobatic abilities to catch her enemies off guard. In contrast to Kim's methods; Mulan, is more of a defensive warrior, waiting for an opening to exploit her opponent's weaknesses, using her tactical insight as she weathers the storm. Despite their differences in strategy, both women appear to be equal in terms of their tactical ingenuity.

 

When comparing their skills in hand to hand combat; Mulan, is a better trained, more disciplined fighter based on receiving rigorous military training specifically made for men, however; Kim, has four years of experience with 16 different fighting styles and has rivaled enemies who were above her level of skill. Due to her versatility and possible familiarity with some of Mulan's techniques, Kim would undoubtedly be able to match her abilities in martial arts, but neither of them has a clear advantage over the other. I declare; Mulan and Kim equals in combat skills and weaponry.





 

 

 

 

Powers/Abilities

 

 

                                                                         

                                                                           Kim

 

 

Strength- Kim possesses an incredible amount of physical strength and has been shown to punch, or kick  with enough force to knock her enemies off their feet. Kim is also capable of knocking her opponents unconscious with one blow. In addition to her possession of peak-human strength, Possible has been able to block attacks from Shego, an experienced, powerful villain who has the ability to emit green energy blasts with enough concussive force to break concrete.

 

 Speed- Kim is capable of moving at speeds beyond the average capacity of a normal human, placing her among the ranks of an Olympic level athlete in peak physical condition.  

 

Agility- Through the years of cheerleading and honing her skills in gymnastics, Kim is extremely agile, pulling off death-defying acrobatics in the midst of battle in addition to dodging laser fire with ease. Prior to her training in gymnastics and martial arts, Possible was capable of somersaulting through laser beams without any apparent effort.

 

Durability- Kim has displayed an impressive level of durability, taking blows from Shego's concussive energy blasts in addition to her superior strength.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                       Fa Mulan

 

 

 

Strength- Fa Mulan has displayed an exceptional level of physical strength. Based on the training montage in her first animated feature, it is implied that she is capable of breaking thick, large stone or cinderblocks, although she herself was not seen actually doing this. However; Mulan, as well as her fellow soldiers, went through the same training regiments. 

 

Speed- Mulan is remarkably fast, moving at speeds slightly above the average abilities of what most humans are capable of achieving, which gives her the rank of an Olympic level athlete.

 

Agility- Fa Mulan is incredibly agile and has been able to dodge fireworks, arrows and some explosives, in addition to leaping on extremely narrow logs protruding from a lake. 

 

Durability- Due to her labor intensive training; Mulan, has developed a high level of durability and has been strong enough to endure the might of trained warriors.



 

 

 

 

 

Edge: Although Kim displayed some impressive feats of strength; Mulan, has proven she is physically superior, using a sufficient measure of destructive force to break thick stone plates. In spite of the fact she was able to block an opponent who has similar abilities; Possible, does not have enough power to cause the same amount of damage. In terms of their speed, both combatants were extremely comparable with neither of them having a greater advantage over the other; however, K.P. is much more agile and fluid in her movements, incorporating a number of acrobatic maneuvers. Despite her best efforts, the Chinese warrior, isn't capable of dodging anything close to the speed of laser blasts, nor has she been able to reach the same level of precision and accuracy as Possible. When it comes to their durability the heroine of China is strong enough to withstand punishment from men who are stronger than herself and has arguably gone through a much more rigorous training process, but the secret agent is able to endure attacks from super-powered enemies on a daily basis. Kim Possible gets the edge in Powers/abilities.

                                                                        Verdict

 

After comparing the statistical analysis of both combatants abilities and their fighting skills, a fight between these ladies would not be determined by their weapons; in fact, they would most likely remove them in favor of hand to hand combat. This battle would come down to Mulan's combat skills and physical strength against Kim's agility, endurance and combat skills. Flipping into action; Kim, would immediately take an offensive approach, opening the fight with a flurry of kicks. Taking her assault head on; the heroine of China, would rely on defensive measures, blocking her adversaries, every move, retaliating with her own attacks, however; K.P. evades with the aid of her acrobatic skills. The battle would rage on for a lengthy period of time, with both women countering the others moves. Eventually; Mulan, manages to land several hits after finding a few weak spots. Bouncing back into the fight, Possible changes her strategy. Using her superior agility, Possible mounts an assault and easily outmaneuvers the Chinese warrior. Although; Mulan, is capable of withstanding Kim's wrath, eventually K.P. would overwhelm the warrior. I declare; Kim Possible, the secret agent, vigilante, superhero the victor.

Disney Theory: How Old Is The Beast from Beauty and The Beast?

In the original animated film; Beauty and The Beast, the main protagonist is transformed into a monstrous, beast after his rude dismissal of an enchantress who was disguised as an old beggar. Although the movie doesn't show prince Adam when he has the spell cast upon him and doesn't explicitly state how old he might have been once he became a monster, it is heavily implied that his age was about eleven years old. The biggest evidence to support this lies within the story's narrative:

"Once upon a time in a far away land a young prince lived in a shiny castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind, but then one winter's night an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within.

When he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late for she had seen that there was no love in his heart and as punishment she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.

 Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered, was truly an enchanted rose which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last pedal fell, then the spell would be broken." 

Another piece of evidence to back this up can be found in the second musical number: Be Our Guest. During the song "Be Our Guest" Lumiere states "for ten years, we've been rusting", implying that the same spell which had transformed Adam and his servants, had been active for about ten years. Based on his statement, Adam should be 20 years old until the end of the film. Despite the evidence pointing to the prince's age as 11, two things make absolutely no sense; for example:

1. If all the servants along with the maid's son were transformed into furniture, cutlery, candles, and other inanimate objects, why is Adam the only one who actually ages when the curse is lifted?

2. If the prince truly was eleven at the time of his transformation why are there paintings of him representing an older version of himself on the wall instead of portraits of a more youthful child in his preteen years?

In terms of Adam's servants and the maid's son, there are a few things we need to take in to account in order to understand how the spell works. When the enchantress stated that the rose would bloom until his 21st, this means that she intended for the prince to age and never implemented any form of age retardant to suspend his youth, he was only transformed into a beast. Of course this explanation doesn't really answer the question... or does it? Let's consider this; Adam, even in his beast form is still a mammal and much like any other warm blooded mammal , he is capable of aging from adolescences to adulthood; however, his servants were nothing more than lifeless objects that were inhabited by the essence of humans. As a result their aging process had been suspended; inanimate objects do not age in the same manner as living organisms.

When it comes to the question as to why Adam only possessed portraits of himself as a man, we must take a look back and focus on the description of his personality. The narrative of the story states Adam was: "spoiled, selfish, and unkind". After he became the beast he was arrogant, stubborn, serious, and cynical. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume the same arrogance he held as a monster was present during the incident which resulted in him becoming a ferocious creature. Individuals who are spoiled or arrogant are self-absorbed, often considering themselves to be higher than others, so it should not come to any surprise that he would have himself painted as a man.

After looking at the mystery surrounding the Beast's age, it becomes clear  Disney's plan for that portion of the film was created with full intent to showcase a subtle, visual deception, which led to something much deeper than what he had expected. As a result the viewer is granted more insight into the tortured mind of a cynical, egotistical, prince.

Black Historical Figures: Euphemia Lofton Haynes

On September 11th, 1890; one of the world's most influential and groundbreaking women in  the black community was born; her name was: Euphemia Lofton Haynes. In her early years; Haynes, attended Smith College, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics. In the year 1930; Euphemia, earned her Master's Degree in education from The University of Chicago. In the same year; Haynes, founded the math department at Miner Teacher's College; (later renamed the University of the District of Colombia), which focused on training African American teachers. In addition to this big accomplishment; Euphemia, also became a professor at the college and remained head of the math department for nearly 30 years. During this time as a professor; Haynes, continued her studies in mathematics and earned a Ph.D. in the subject in 1943, making her the first black woman to receive such an achievement from the Catholic University of America.

For additional information with a more detailed account of her life and legacy, check the links below:

http://www.biography.com/people/euphemia-lofton-haynes-21465777

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemia_Haynes

Black Historical Figures: Robert Smalls

This is the first section of something new where I place a link to lesser known or underrated black figures in history who should be recognized for their achievements. First on the list is none other than: Robert Smalls. Smalls was an enslaved African American who managed to steal a lightly armed military transport freeing himself as well as other slaves in the process. After a successful escape; Robert, eventually became a politician, ran for congress, and won. Checkout the details of this man's life in the link below for more info:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smalls