|
The story of an laid-back Brazilian Xiaolin Monk as well as the Xiaolin Dragon of Wind, Raimundo Pedrosa from Xiaolin Showdown and Xiaolin Chronicles.
Backstory[]
There is little information about Raimundo's early life, and his background varies between the original series and the reboot.
In Xiaolin Showdown, the first season implies that he grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and makes several references of it being his hometown, complete with him visiting the city in "In the Flesh". However, in the second season it’s revealed his hometown is Tubarão, Brazil, which he saves from being a destroyed by a volcanic eruption in "The Last Temptation of Raimundo". In some promotional and official material, Raimundo is described as being 'a flashy Brazilian circus star' but such an occupation has never been referenced within the series proper.
Later descriptions of the series would describe Raimundo as being 'street-wise', which appears to be true; he boasts about knowing the bad side of Rio de Janeiro when the monks are in Hong Kong during the events of "Pandatown" and there’s implication he comes from a poor background. As revealed in "Omi Town", he has eight brother and sisters, along with several aunts and uncles. His parents aren’t mentioned but it’s assumed they are alive and present.
In Xiaolin Chronicles, there’s no reference of him growing up in either Rio de Janeiro or Tubarão like in the original series, but he is stated to be from Brazil. In "Xiaolin Redemption", Raimundo reveals that he worked in a circus while growing up and it was a terrible experience for him. He had to dress like a clown and clean after the elephants, with monkeys throwing things and heckling him from the nearby monkey cages. There is no reference of him having a large family and instead he has a sister that sent him a letter in "Chase Lays an Egg".
Xiaolin Showdown[]
Season 1[]
Raimundo made his first appearance in "The Journey of a Thousand Miles", as one of the new students that arrive at the Xiaolin Temple, whom Omi initially believes to be his students to preside over. However, thanks to his and the others' experiences, Omi is able to defeat Jack Spicer in his first showdown and win the Eye of Dashi. He is present when Master Fung formally introduces him and the others as the Dragons of Wind, Fire, and Earth respectively.
He has a minor presence at the beginning of the first season. In "Like a Rock!", Raimundo does not have much faith in Clay's capabilities and is frustrated with Omi's misuse of slang. He spends most of "Tangled Web" antagonizing Kimiko and orchestrating bets on her failure between Clay and Omi. However, at the end of the episode, it's revealed he never betted against her and insists he always knew Kimiko would prevail in the end.
Raimundo defeats Tubbimura in the Shen Yi Bu Dare.
His first major role of the season is "Shen Yi Bu" where he doesn’t pay attention to Omi's lecture about the Sword of the Storm. In consequence, Raimundo discovers it first but then loses it to Tubbimura because he used it incorrectly. He then decides to study up about the Shen Gong Wu and eventually challenges Tubbimura to a Shen Yi Bu Dare, which he wins back the Sword of the Storm, along with the Shroud of Shadows as well.
Raimundo is the third character be transformed into sapphire by the Sapphire Dragon in "Night of the Sapphire Dragon", only to be freed at the end from a combination of Dojo's fire breathing and hot sauce made by Clay's grandfather. He and the other monks become separated from Omi when he runs off on his own in New York City during "My Homey Omi". He is relieved to find Omi safe and sound when they find him again, only to save face moments later by insisting he wasn't that worried.
In "Mala Mala Jong", Master Fung instructs the monks to take the Shen Gong Wu they've collected so far and flee the Xiaolin Temple while he tries to stop Wuya and Mala Mala Jong's upcoming attack with the elder monks. Despite being ordered to flee, Raimundo ultimately returns to help Master Fung, only to have Wuya get inside his mind and figure out where the rest of the monks are hiding. Because he disobeyed Master Fung's orders, he doesn't get promoted to Xiaolin Apprentice, which infuriates him.
During "In the Flesh", a frustrated Raimundo takes the Golden Tiger Claws and returns to Rio de Janeiro to contemplate his decisions. Wuya then appears with an offer to join forces, promising everything he wants in return. He ends up joining the Heylin side after winning the Reversing Mirror in a showdown against Jack Spicer and later steals the Serpent's Tail from the Xiaolin Temple. With these two Shen Gong Wu, he is able to resurrect Wuya to her original form.
Season 2[]
Raimundo chooses to redeem himself and stop Wuya.
Following her resurrection, Wuya quickly subdues the monks and the world in "Days Past". True to her word, she gives everything Raimundo wants but he gradually realizes he's lonely without friends and loved ones. He tries to convince the monks to join the Heylin side but they refuse, especially when Wuya insists they swear loyalty to her. In "Citadel of Doom", Raimundo decides he values his friends more than being Heylin and opens the puzzle box Omi brought back from the past, trapping Wuya once more, the world returning to normal soon after.
Following Wuya's defeat, Raimundo returns to the Xiaolin Temple and while is given the option of being promoted to Xiaolin Apprentice by Master Fung, the Brazilian Xiaolin monk refuses his graduation until he feels he deserves it. He has a minor role at the beginning of the second season, duped by Jack and his robotic clone in "The Shard of Lightning" and using the Crystal Glasses to mess with Omi in "The Crystal Glasses".
Raimundo emerges victorious over Jack and PandaBubba in a showdown.
His first major role of the season is "Pandatown" where the monks travel to Hong Kong, China because PandaBubba has been using Shen Gong Wu (on loan from Jack) to engage in criminal activities. During the episode, Omi constantly patronizes him for not being a Xiaolin Apprentice. Eventually, he rescues the other monks when they are captured by PandaBubba with Dojo.
Later, Jack Spicer, Raimundo, and PandaBubba (with the Third Arm Sash), all touch the Longi Kite at the same time, starting a Showdown Trio. Jack wagers his Tangle Web Comb against Raimundo's Eye of Dashi against PandaBubba's Fist of Tebigong. PandaBubba names the game last boat afloat.
When the event starts, the other monks and PandaBubba's henchmen are high above the competitors, who are all standing on a log. Three boats float down, which they each get on. The three challengers swerve in and out the different passageways, trying to find the end. Raimundo tries to hit Jack with his Eye of Dashi, but misses. Jack uses his Tangle Web Comb to tear off a piece of his boat, and PandaBubba destroys Raimundo's boat as well with his Fist of Tebigong. Raimundo begins to sink slowly into the river. Jack and PandaBubba are neck and neck as Raimundo starts sinking into a whirlpool. Raimundo uses his elemental move to escape the whirlpool, showing mastery over his element. Raimundo uses the Eye of Dashi with his element to create a big tidal wave that he rides to the finish line and swamps Jack and PandaBubba with, winning the showdown for him.
Following his victory over two Heylin villains in a showdown, Raimundo is promoted to apprentice level and the monks are able to learn a new move called the Dragon X-Kumei formation.
Raimundo and the other monks defeat Jack Spicer’s evil-dream team, which is made up of historical figures (along with his elementary math teacher) in "The Sands of Time". He manages to conquer his worst fear in "Dreamscape" and following the climatic showdown, the monks win both the Shadow of Fear and the Crouching Cougar. He frees Dyris from an iceberg in "Screams of the Siren" and becomes charmed by her compliments.
Raimundo saves his hometown from lava.
His second major role of the season is "The Last Temptation of Raimundo" where he saves his hometown from destruction by a volcanic eruption caused by Jack and Wuya. However, due to the passing of the Heylin Comet, Shen Gong Wu become sentient and began attaching themselves onto Raimundo's body, causing him to grow large and muscular in consequence. In addition, Wuya ends up controlling his body once he's overwhelmed by all the Wu. Fortunately, he is saved by the other monks when they defeat Wuya in a showdown.
He is present when a good chi-deprived Omi switches to the Heylin side for Chase Young in "Judging Omi", fighting him with Clay until Kimiko and Jack Spicer restore his good chi in the season finale, "Saving Omi". Raimundo gets his chi drained by the Chi Creature in "Finding Omi" though that is later restored by the efforts of Good Jack and Dojo. Following Chase's defeat, all the monks are promoted to Wudai Warriors.
Season 3[]
In the third and final season, Raimundo plays an increasingly important role. In "Bird of Paradise" he and the other monks unleash their new Wudai abilities, culminating with them performing Wudai Orion Formation. In the same episode the Bird of Paradise reveals that his greatest quality is kindness.
He is shown receiving presents from his family during the Chinese New Year at the beginning of "Omi Town" and then shown giving presents to Omi at the end, when he realizes the monks are his family. When the monks go on a quest to find their Wudai Weapons in "Treasure of the Blind Swordsman", Raimundo receives his Wudai Weapon, the Blade of the Nebula. Unfortunately, because he left the Treasure of the Blind Swordsman behind, Hannibal Roy Bean steals it from the monks.
During "Oil in the Family", Raimundo becomes frustrated when Jack makes off with the Rio Reverso and tries to recapture it himself, only to find that Jack has created his own herd of baby dinosaurs. Later on Wuya steals the Shen Gong Wu to create an adult T-Rex, which he challenges to a showdown. In the ensuing challenge, Raimundo comes out triumphant, much to the surprise of everyone.
Raimundo uses Fancy Feet to gain an upper hand on Omi during their showdown.
When the monks are sent to a new temple in "The Return of Master Monk Guan", it turns out to be run by the titular warrior himself, whom Raimundo immediately butts heads with. Hannibal Roy Bean tempts him to join the Heylin side, which he seemingly appears so until he is challenged by Omi in a showdown.
When the event starts, three platforms rise out of the water, with Omi and Raimundo on one of them. They are both evenly matched, but the Xiaolin Dragon of Wind uses the Fancy Feet to give him an advantage. His kicks and jumps are quicker than Omi's, and he is able to continue to wear him out. Raimundo knocks Omi into the water, then jumps in and knocks him back onto land. Master Monk Guan gives Omi some encouragement, and he uses his Wudai move to raise the water level and submerge the platforms. Omi uses the Gills of Hamachi to allow breathing, but Raimundo uses his Wudai move to blow away all the water, leaving Omi flopping around on Dojo's viking boat form while trying to breathe.
Hannibal is gloating over his victory, and Guan offers to raise the stakes in the middle of the showdown. Dojo calls an official time-out, and Hannibal wagers his Treasure of the Blind Swordsman against the rest of Guan's Shen Gong Wu, with the two rivals accepting the deal. The showdown resumes, and Dojo flies Omi back up to the top platform. The Xiaolin Dragon of Water is very exhausted, and Raimundo is about to finish him, when he suddenly falls over, defeated, purposely losing the showdown and winning the showdown for Omi. It turns out that it was all a ruse he and Master Monk Guan hatched to get the Treasure of the Blind Swordsman back from Hannibal.
Raimundo conquers his fears and expels Hannibal Roy Bean from his mind.
As an act of revenge, Hannibal Roy Bean combines the Shadow of Fear and the Sapphire Dragon to enter Raimundo’s mind and bring out his worst fears in "Dream Stalker". While the monks battle the Sapphire Dragon, Hannibal tries breaking Raimundo's will by picking apart his insecurities. But Raimundo realizes he's better than what Hannibal says and manages to expel him from his mind, defeating his fears in the process.
At the beginning of the series finale "Time After Time: Part I", Raimundo and the other monks beat up Jack Spicer and bring mementos from the fight back to Master Fung, with his being Jack's belt. When Omi travels into the future with Dojo, it is revealed that in his absence Jack Spicer had conquered the world, the other monks have been thrown into prison and forced to fight well into their old age. In the attempt to restore the timeline, Raimundo along with Kimiko and Clay are presumably killed by Jack-Bots.
In "Time After Time: Part II", Omi tries to set things right, only to alter the future for a second time. Now Master Monk Guan has been turned evil and works along with Hannibal Roy Bean and Wuya. In this timeline, Clay has been chosen as the leader and the monks are farmers with Good Jack and a now good Chase Young. Once Hannibal Roy Bean has been defeated, the timeline is restored when Omi causes a paradox that resets everything. Because of his tremendous growth as a person and a Xiaolin Dragon, Raimundo is chosen as the leader and becomes the Shoku Warrior, with the monks congratulating him before everyone heads off into a final battle against the Heylin.
Xiaolin Chronicles[]
Raimundo made his first appearance in "New Monk on the Block", the series premiere as he and the other monks have recently been promoted to Shoku Warrior. Although the monks are supposed to be unanimous when deciding a new student to teach, a dispute forms when selecting candidates Ping Pong and Willow, whom Omi favors the latter while everyone else had previously agreed to choose the former.
In "A Girl Named Willow", he invites Willow for a swim and tries to get Dojo to cover his chores for him in the meantime. During "The Fall of Xiaolin", Willow is revealed to be Shadow, Chase Young's new partner and has stolen all the Shen Gong Wu after Omi gives her access unintentionally. Chase Young then easily defeats the monks and Master Fung, destroying the Xiaolin Temple in the process.
When Omi wins the Blue Ray Manta Ray in a showdown against Jack Spicer, Raimundo chauffeurs the monks to their next destination during "Buddy Blue Ray and the Golden Bunnies". He becomes their primary transportation because Dojo for the most part is unable to provide assistance. He plays a minor role in "Tokyo Madness" and helps Kimiko stop Jack from destroying Virtual Tokyo with his computer virus.
Raimundo faces off against Salvador Cumo in Xiaolin Redemption.
His first and only major role in the season is "Xiaolin Redemption" where the monks travel to South America in order to escort a dangerous criminal named Salvador Cumo to prison. Along the way, Raimundo and Salvador bond over supposed similar backgrounds, only to have it all be a ruse on the latter's end to escape the monks when their guards are down. Fortunately, in the end Salvador is defeated and he gives Raimundo the Jitsusara Amulet as a token of gratitude.
Raimundo is transformed into a jungle cat by Chase Young in "Princess Kaila of the Thousand Layer Mountain" though is later returned to normal after Omi defeats Chase in a showdown. He gets his chi drained by the Chi Monster and turned into a zombie in "Rocco" though once again brought back to normal when Chase and Shadow are defeated in a showdown by Dojo and Rocco.
During the season finale, Raimundo plays a minor role with him and the other boys trapped by Chase Young in "The Call of the Dragon". They are rescued by Dojo in "The Mark of the Dragon Spirit" and travel to witness Kimiko summon a dragon, only to have Chase appear and wreak havoc. Following Chase's defeat by Kimiko and Omi, Raimundo appears at the end of "Fly the Dragon!" congratulating them both for a job well done.