Spirituality in Jackie Chan's Adventures

Spirituality can be found in many places, especially in animation. One example of spirituality in animation is the WB Kids show, Jackie Chan's Adventures. When I first heard of this show, I thought it was too gimmicky. A cheap attempt to use a star to promote show using a big name star, but nothing could be further from the truth. This show is actually pretty good.

The stories are interesting and the art is very appealing. One image that stand out for me is the image of chi. Chi often takes on this type of energy that floats in the air like smoke, but glows like light. It is a fascinating dichotomy. Instead of portraying chi as a type of laser effect, the show goes into greater depth by showing a combination of spiritual ideas that the general public is often oblivious to.

For the record, smoke is very important because it represents the spirit. Not all smoke is good though. Good smoke attracts good spirits. Like incense, the smell of the smoke attracts people to the smoke while at the same time bringing out a subtle happiness. In contrast evil smoke suffocates you, like smog.

In addition, to great story telling and a beautiful artstic style, most important, this show has subtle spiritual references. On the show Jackie Chan's Adventures there are 12 talisman's.


Each talisman has a power which it bestows upon it's user. The show may just be a cartoon, but this does not mean it is unintelligent. There is a great deal of spiritual depth not only in the talismans themselves, but also in the overall series itself. I plan on covering these spiritual significance of each talisman.