Commander Vachir (or simply Vachir) is the former warden of Chorh-Gom Prison and former leader of the Anvil of Heaven, a one thousand-strong army of elite battle rhinos. He has a golden horn-shaped cap in place of his nose horn, which he used as a decorative prosthetic.

Assigned to imprison the mighty snow leopard Tai Lung, Vachir accepted the challenge willingly and constructed Chorh-Gom Prison with the Anvil's aid, taking every precaution necessary to assure the leopard's secure incarceration. But when he received a message twenty years later from Shifu on doubling security, Vachir was outraged, believing his prison to be inescapable. His overconfidence made him do nothing to tighten security, and when Tai Lung eventually broke free from his restraints, Vachir could do nothing to stop him from escaping.

Biography[]

Earlier years[]

Before taking up his post as warden of the Chorh-Gom Prison, Vachir learned kung fu from Flying Rhino and led an elite force of a thousand heavily-armed fighters called the Anvil of Heaven. He and the Anvil of Heaven opposed tyranny and injustice throughout Asia and were renowned for their fearlessness and terrifying fighting skills. They believed no mission was too dangerous for them.

When it then became necessary to imprison and guard Tai Lung, the job fell to Vachir and his troops.Flying Rhino personally recommended Vachir to Oogway as the only one brave enough, strong enough, and ruthless enough to oversee his incarceration. Vachir accepted the mission immediately, considering it a badge of honor to be given the most dangerous job in all of Asia.

On Oogway's orders, Vachir led the Anvil of Heaven to the far-flung, snowy peaks of Tavan Bogd in outer Mongolia and worked without rest to hew Chorh-Gom Prison from the living rock. Vachir personally designed the prison and its deadly defenses and has drilled his troops unceasingly, keeping them in a constant state of battle readiness in case Tai Lung shows any sign of movement. For twenty years, Tai Lung was rendered helpless and immobile by jade acupressure needles that pierced his back and disrupted his chi flow, having not moved a muscle since his capture.^[1] This led Vachir to become complacent.

In Kung Fu Panda[]

Twenty years later, when Zeng arrived with a message from Shifu to tighten the security of the stronghold, Vachir was outraged, protesting that escape from Chorh-Gom was impossible. He showed Zeng around the fortress, presenting the bound and motionless Tai Lung, even stepping on the leopard's tail and mocking him, as well as carelessly sharing the news of Oogway finally choosing the Dragon Warrior. Believing Tai Lung to be helpless, Vachir did nothing to strengthen the defenses of the prison as he was told, boasting of being the one who had tamed and broken the spirit of the mighty Tai Lung.

Vachir's overconfidence in his prison's security ultimately, and inevitably, led to his undoing, when Tai Lung escaped from his confines by picking the lock with a single feather of Zeng's that had fallen before him.^[1] With a furious roar from the snow leopard, Vachir immediately realized that he was free. Wasting no time, Vachir ordered the Anvil of Heaven to unleash every weapon in their disposal—spears, battle-axes, arrows—all to no avail. Within minutes, Tai Lung reached the bridge on the top tier of the prison, standing face-to-face with Vachir and the army.

Still undeterred, Vachir ordered for one final tactic: explosive charges riddled throughout the ceiling of the prison that dropped giant stalactites on the bridge, sending it crashing down with Tai Lung on it. Vachir laughed gloatingly over his secret weapon—one which ultimately proved to be just as fruitless as any other of his weapons when Tai Lung climbed up the falling rubble and reached the ceiling where he grabbed another pack of dynamite. Out of ideas and his pride finally crushed, Vachir whimpered in fear (and even verbally agreed to Zeng's idea of running) as Tai Lung hurdled the dynamite towards him and the Anvil, the resulting blast opening an exit to the seemingly inescapable Chorh-Gom Prison.

Vachir and the rest of the Anvil were sent flying out of the prison in the explosion, with the last remaining thing seen of Vachir being his golden horn piece. It is unknown if whether he was killed or badly injured.

Personality[]

Vachir seems to possess qualities similar to a typical hero: bravery, loyalty, strength, as well as determination in his callings. His teacher, Master Flying Rhino, had additionally described him as also being ruthless and cutthroat, showing no mercy or compassion (at least to his enemies) when accomplishing his tasks. These traits qualified him to take on the enormous task of incarcerating Tai Lung. Vachir had accepted the great honor without the slightest hint of fear, using his determination to help him take all necessary precautions in assuring Master Oogway of his security.^[1]

However, over time, this determination slowly turned into overconfidence when Vachir believed his defenses were too great to be defiled by one single prisoner. The first film demonstrates some of his arrogance when Vachir denies Shifu's request to increase prison security, showing Shifu's messenger Zeng around Chorh-Gom Prison with confidence; he also ruthlessly attempts to provoke Tai Lung by deliberately stomping on his tail when the leopard was immobilized. This pride was eventually crushed when Tai Lung successfully escaped.^[3]

Relationships[]

Flying Rhino[]

Though it is unknown exactly what relationship Vachir had with the late Flying Rhino, it can be safely assumed that Flying Rhino held Vachir in high regard, as he personally recommended Vachir for the job of overseeing Tai Lung's imprisonment.^[1]

The Anvil of Heaven[]

As the leader of the Anvil of Heaven, the thousand soldiers held great respect for Vachir. However, it is likely that Vachir considered Tai Lung's incarceration more important than the well-being of his warriors, as seen during Tai Lung's escape when he ordered the elevator to be brought up when the leopard broke free, leaving two rhinos trapped at the bottom. Nevertheless, the Anvil followed Vachir's orders, even when uncertain of the outcome, as seen when the many rhinos looked nervous when faced with Tai Lung, but still stood ready to fight him.^[3]

Tai Lung[]

Vachir held great disdain for Tai Lung, probably out of jealousy because of him being the most talented kung-fu student at that time. Tail Lung being the single prisoner of Chorh-Gom Prison, Vachir often freely mocked the immobilized snow leopard. In return, Tai Lung held a hateful grudge against the warden. Eventually, the snow leopard had his revenge on Vachir when he broke free and blasted the rhino out of the prison after having finally shattered his overconfidence.^[3]

Zeng[]

When Zeng arrived at Chorh-Gom Prison, Vachir was furious at the message the goose had delivered from Shifu to tighten security of his prison, and nearly threatened the goose because of it. Vachir led Zeng on a tour to prove Shifu wrong, and treated Zeng rather roughly, boasting as they traveled through the prison. When Tai Lung broke free of his chains, Zeng tried to flee and warn Shifu; Vachir grabbed the goose to prevent him from doing so, and assured him that Tai Lung would not escape. When Tai Lung eventually threw explosives their way, however, Vachir finally agreed with Zeng about the threat of the snow leopard just before they were blasted out of the prison.^[3]

Clothing[]

Like all of the Anvil of Heaven, Vachir wears simplistic armor composed of a studded metal plate around his waist, with matching studded shoulder guards and studded bands around his wrists. His golden horn prosthetic seems to set him apart from his fellow warriors, perhaps as a symbol of leadership or strength. He also has a teal-colored tattoo of a dragon on one shoulder. Unlike his subordinates, Vachir is shirtless.

Trivia[]

• Vachir's name translated from Mongolian means "thunderbolt".^[4][5]
• The filmmakers used concepts from feng shui theory while designing Vachir's character. According to the theory, the rhinoceros is a symbol of protection and can reduce violent energy, thus making him perfect for the task of guarding Tai Lung at Chorh-Gom Prison.^[5]
• Vachir was presumed dead at Chorh-Gom Prison when Tai Lung blew up the front gate. Coincidentally, his voice actor Michael Clarke Duncan died four years later.

Gallery[]

Images[]

CG model of Vachir

Vachir and some of the Anvil of Heaven

Videos[]

Kung Fu Panda (2008) - Tai Lung Escapes

Tai Lung's fight with Vachir and the Anvil out of prison in Kung Fu Panda

Quotes[]

References[]