In Kung Fu Panda 2, Lord Shen threatens China with a cannon.
The weapon is a large metal cannon capable of firing explosive shells. Shen’s army uses it to challenge kung fu, which he believes can no longer stand against advanced technology. This creates the central conflict of the film: Po and the Furious Five must stop a weapon that can defeat even highly skilled martial artists from a distance.
Shen’s cannon is also tied to the film’s backstory. A prophecy warns that a black-and-white warrior will defeat him, and Shen responds by attacking the panda population. Po survives, but the trauma leaves him with fragmented memories that he gradually recovers.
The story is fictional, but the film borrows visual ideas from historical Chinese artillery. The cannon is not a catapult or a crossbow; its explosive firepower is the specific technological threat that distinguishes Shen’s campaign.