Kung Fu Masters of the Zodiac

Rascal the Rat is scrounging for food. He is interrupted by the Kitchen God, who scolds him for trying to steal food from the villagers. The Kitchen God is interrupted, however, when he sees a fisherman and his wife come into his temple to wish for a boy. The Kitchen God believes that the boy will be a powerful being. When he notices a beam appear in the fisherman couple’s cottage, the Kitchen God pores over some old books which tells the story of the vicious Nian and his fatal opponent Polaris God. He realizes that the fisherman’s child is the earthly incarnation of the Polaris God. Meanwhile, the vicious Nian’s messenger, a crow named Enforcer, comes to tell Nian about the newborn child.

The newborn child is given the name Hoffen and appears a bit naughtier than his peers. Hoffen also has a couple feisty neighbors: two wily weasels named Long-Mouth and Big-Eye. One night, Hoffen sets a trap for the two intrusive neighbors, but unfortunately, the trap causes one of the fishing boats to set on fire. The villagers come to extinguish the fire and start to blame Hoffen. Hoffen’s father comes and apologizes for his child’s recklessness. The village is forced to sacrifice a child annually to the monster Nian, who would destroy the village if his demand is not satisfied. As it is Hoffen’s parents’ turn to do the sacrifice, they hurry to the Kitchen God’s temple to seek help in avoiding it. Kitchen Gold tells them to get away from the village. They flee but find that the neighboring village has been demolished by Nian. A survivor they come across tells them this is all because Hoffen was not sacrificed to the beast.

Hoffen goes missing during his parent’s escape. He sneaks back to the sacrificial altar while the weasels sneak back in the village to steal food. At the altar, an agitated Nian attacks Hoffen. The Kitchen God brings Hoffen and the little rat Rascal to hide from Nian. The Kitchen God begins to tell Hoffen that he is a special being before hiding him and his parents away. The monster also notices Hoffen is by no means an ordinary child. He sends a Cow to look into the whole thing. Enforcer brings back the wily weasels to Nian, who forces them to help him find Hoffen.

Hoffen and Rascal think over how to escape. Hoffen finds a talisman that Kitchen God gave Rascal can be transformed into a flying teapot. Nian’s pawns are busy looking for Hoffen.

Long-Mouth and Big-Eye follow Hoffen to the village, where there is a Kung Fu competition. Hoffen walks in the arena without knowing it’s a competition. Hoffen is confronted by three bulky bears when a tiger appears to save him. Hoffen starts to follow the tiger, hoping this is his master, one of the Circle of Twelve. The tiger, known as Fierce, decides to keep Hoffen around for he discovers he is the Polaris God, whom he is destined to meet.

The two weasels soon find they are absolutely no match for the child who is now under the protection of a Kung Fu tiger. Long-Mouth and Big-Eye turn to the three bears, together know as the Three Bruisers of Beiling. The weasels claim that the tiger has a book of martial arts called Diamond Fist. Hoffen, eager to know the whereabouts of the Sacred Animal, practices hard with Fierce.

Rascal comes up with an idea to help Hoffen. He suggests Hoffen and Fierce have a competition within a circle. The first out of the circle looses. Hoffen defeats Fierce and wins his bag, inside which a note is found. The note tells Hoffen to go to his practice room at about 3 in the morning. But Hoffen has to deal with some uninvited guest-the weasels and bears before he can go to the practice room.

Fierce tells Hoffen that he is a Sacred Animal and he now realizes his destiny is to take down the monster Nian to save his parents and Kitchen God. Hoffen is rapidly learning Diamond Fist. Long-Mouth and Big-Eye tells the Enforcer that Hoffen is the incarnation of Polaris God and Nian is now more eager to vanquish Hoffen.

Hoffen is enjoying some food when he is surrounded by the Three Bruisers of Beiling and is badly injured. Fierce saves Hoffen again from these bullies but Rascal is later found kidnapped by the same bears. Hoffen is eager t to save his friend but is stopped by Fierce, who sees Hoffen is no match for the three. Fierce keeps Hoffen among the wooden dummies to help him get through the last phase of Diamond Fist. Long-Mouth and Big-Eye persuade the Three Bruisers to challenge Fierce for the book of Diamond Fist and a chance to capture Hoffen.

Hoffen and his loyal companion Rascal try to figure out on if it is the right time to fight Nian. They later come to a noodle restaurant owned and operated by a boar named Cloud Hand.

The badly injured Hog Wild finally persuades his brother with the help of the two wily weasels. Razor Back revenges his brother with an overwhelming victory against Hoffen. Cloud Hand saves Hoffen and makes an appointment for Razor Back and Hoffen, who will have a final face-off on the Great Wall one month later.

Enforcer comes to check on the weasel duo when their conversation is overheard by Hog Wild, who later knows he’s been used by the weasels. Hoffen comes to a point of breakthrough when he practices Tai Chi.