"Fear me, if you dare!" ~ Puss in Boots
Puss in Boots, often referred to as just Puss, is the titular main protagonist of the Puss in Boots franchise. He is the titular main protagonist of the Puss in Boots movie, the sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and the prequel Netflix Original Series The Adventures of Puss Boots. He is voiced by Eric Bauza in the Netflix series, The Adventures of Puss in Boots. In the Shrek movies, as well as Puss in Boots, 2011, he is voiced by Antonio Banderas. He is currently on his final life.
He is an orange-striped cat that is skilled with a sword and whose name is derived from the hat and boots he wears. He first appeared as a bounty hunter but later became Shrek's faithful sidekick, until he would get tired and go to live his life of adventures.
Loosely based on the fairytale character Puss in Boots as well as being a kind of parody of Zorro, he is a smooth-talking cat with a Spanish accent, usually wearing a cavalier's hat, a belt with a sword, a small black cape, and small Corinthian boots. Puss first appears as a supporting character in Shrek 2, much like Dragon in the first film. He often overpowers his enemies by distracting them with his "cute kitten" looks. He also exhibits common cat behavior such as coughing up hairballs and chasing spotlights, usually resulting in his defeat or capture.
Background
- Main article: Characteristics of Puss In Boots
Puss used to be a wandering adventurer after having been exiled from his hometown, San Ricardo.
His early life in San Ricardo had been one of mischief, leading it right beside his partner-in-crime, Humpty Alexander Dumpty. His path, however, had officially diverged from his friend's after he was declared a town hero for saving the Comandante's mother. He was rewarded with his signatures cavalier hat, belt, sword, and boots, earning the name Puss in Boots. Inspired by his adoptive mother, Imelda, he has since led a life of honor and valor.
A betrayal from the extremely hurt and jealous Humpty Dumpty led him to be cast out from his hometown. He had been tricked into robbing the San Ricardo Bank and was forced to leave.
At one point in his exile, he encountered El Guante Blanco (literally 'The White Glove') who endeavored to mentor his swordsmanship, even having claimed to have helped him perfect his 'spinning-through-the-air' trick. The Master and apprentice have since went on their separate ways.
Jack Sprat is also referenced by Puss as a friend and someone who accompanied him on some of his epic adventures prior to entering San Lorenzo.
Early Life
Puss was abandoned as a kitten in a basket, which somehow found its way to the doorstep of an orphanage in a Spanish town called San Ricardo. He was taken in by the head of the orphanage, Imelda, who became his foster mother.
Puss befriended a young Humpty Alexander Dumpty, who gave him his name Puss, and they became brothers in heart with a dream: To find the Magic Beans so they may find the Giant's Castle and get the Golden Eggs of the Golden Goose, setting themselves up for life. Throughout their childhood, Puss and Humpty got in and out of trouble, stealing various beans in their search for the magic beans until one day, Puss saved the mother of the Captain of the Guard (Comandante) from a bull, and was regarded as a hero when Imelda gave him a pair of boots to wear with pride.
This event, however, drove a wedge between Puss and Humpty as Puss didn't want to steal anymore while Humpty continued and thought Puss was breaking their promise. One night, Humpty tricked Puss into helping him rob a bank.
The chase ended at a bridge where the money fell over the bridge and was lost, and Humpty fell and couldn't get back up as he begged Puss to help him. Angry that Humpty had tricked him and branded him an outlaw, Puss told him to help himself, left him to the guards and fled San Ricardo.
Plot
Series
Puss in Boots must guard the previously hidden city of San Lorenzo's famous treasure from invaders after he accidentally breaks an ancient spell which made the land invisible to outsiders. (Canon to the Shrek franchise)
Puss in book: Trapped in an epic Tale
In Puss in Book, Trapped in an epic tale, Puss is stuck in a book of fairy tales, and to get out he must get to The End. All the main characters except for Pajuna from The Adventures of Puss In Boots are in it.
Puss in Boots movie
Set after The Adventures Of Puss In Boots, and long, long before he met Shrek, this movie tells the story of Puss's origins, and how he came to be. A fugitive running from the law, Puss seeks to clear his name, and learns of magic beans in the possesion of a murderous couple named Jack and Jill, which lead to a castle in the sky, with a legendary golden goose, that lays eggs made of gold.
However, when he makes it to Jack and Jill's hideout, and attempts to steal them, he encounters a female cat (in a disguise), who is also trying to do so. After a chase through the streets, which leads to a secret cat club, and a dance off, Puss learns that she, Kitty Softpaws, is working for a long estranged childhood friend, Humpty Alexander Dumpty, a talking egg, who asks him to help steal the beans. Puss refuses, and leaves the club. Kitty follows him, and after teasing him via swiping his money and hat, he tells her his origin story: That he was an orphan blown in a basket to his hometown, San Ricardo, arriving at the orphanage, and making friends with Humpty, who wishes to aquire magic beans and climb up the beanstalk to find the golden goose. However, as time passes, and they begin to become theives, Puss later becoming a hero after saving an old woman from a bull, gaining his signature boots, and Humpty falling even deeper into crime, their dream begins to fade. One night, Humpty tricks Puss into robbing a bank, and ever since Puss escaped via jumping from a bridge into the river, he has been on the run. He finishes his story.... only to find Kitty has fallen asleep, much to his annoyance. Puss eventually agrees to help Humpty and Kitty gain the magic beans.
On their quest for the magic beans Puss begins to bond with Kitty, and possibly even reconcile with Humpty. When they finally manage to get the beans after an intense confrontation in the desert with Jack and Jill, the trio plant them, and climb up the beanstalk to the giants castle. After playing in the clouds with Kitty and Humpty, they go into the castle, where Humpty reveals that the giant is long dead, so all they have to do is avoid the Great Terror, a beast who guards the golden eggs. They decide to steal the Golden Goose instead, which lays the eggs, after realising the eggs are too heavy to carry, escaping via a waterspout that leads out of the castle. However, due to Kitty being unable to grip on because she has no claws, she falls in the water. Puss saves her just in time, and they all manage to escape the castle, cutting down the beanstalk shortly after. After a celebration, they are ambushed by Jack and Jill, and Puss is knocked unconcious.
When Puss wakes up, he finds himself all alone in the desert, and comes to the assumption that Humpty, Kitty, and the Golden Goose were kidnapped by Jack and Jill. He follows their wagon tracks... and they lead back to San Ricardo. There he learns the kidnapping was staged, and that Jack, Jill, even Kitty, were all on Humpty's side for his revenge plan, much to Puss's shock, anger, and heartbreak towards Kitty. Surrounded by the towns militia, with pleas from his adoptive mother, Imelda, Puss turns himself in and is hauled off to jail, as Humpty is lauded as a hero for bringing the Golden Goose to the town.
In jail, Puss meets "Jack" Andy Beanstalk, the previous holder of the beans. He warns Puss that the Great Terror, the Golden Goose’s mother, is coming to San Ricardo for her baby. Puss realizes that this was what Humpty had intended all along, hoping that she would destroy the town and he would be able to flee with the gosling. Kitty frees Puss from prison, and they make up. Puss finds Humpty and convinces him to do the right thing and save the town. Using the gosling as bait, they succsessfully lead the Great Terror away from the town, preventing Jack and Jill from stealing the gosling with help from Kitty in the process. Once they reach the outskirts of the town, Humpty and the gosling are knocked off a collapsing bridge. Puss manages to grab them via a rope, but when it becomes evident he can't save both of them, Humpty urges Puss to let go of him and save the gosling. Puss refuses to do so, but Humpty sacrifices himself regardless, revealing he was a golden egg all along after cracking open. The Great Terror and the Golden Goose are reunited, and they take Humpty with them when they go home.
Puss is proclamied as a hero by the townsfolk, but is still concidered an outlaw by the militia, so he says goodbye to his mother, and flees with Kitty, who steals his boots and runs off. He is last seen in the epilogue dancing with Kitty, and sharing a kiss with her at the very end.
Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos
A few days after saving San Ricardo, Puss is riding his horse in the desert until he gets captured by Italian guards. He gets hired by the Princess to stop a criminal called the Whisperer and to do that she asks him to bring his three minions, called Three Diablos with him as they know where he is. When he discovers that they are three cute innocent kittens, Puss is surprised that they're so infamous minions of The Whisperer but later he finds out about their devilish nature when they turn on him as they're walking in the desert and bury him alive.
Puss survives and, using his cute eyes, captures them and tells them that he's gonna bring them back to prison until he finds out that they were orphans, just like him. Understanding that they got betrayed by The Whisperer just like he got betrayed by Humpty, Puss decides to help them going in the right path and gives them names: Gonzalo, Sir Timotheo The Third and Perla. Together, they fight The Whisperer and accidentally kills him when he falls from the cliff where they were fighting.
The three kittens becomes the new guards of the Princess and Puss says goodbye to them, proclaiming that they will not forget about him but before he can finish the guards close the door.
Sometime after the events of this short, Puss would find himself in the Poison Apple in Far Far Away, working as a bounty hunter to try to further clear his name.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Long after the events of Shrek Forever After, Puss is now considered a hero by the whole world. Well, almost the whole world. He throws a party in the city of Del Mar, until the Governor arrives and orders the guards to arrest him, knowing of his criminal record. However, a giant monster arrives and attacks everyone, with Puss saving the day but dying in the process after a bell falls on him.
Since he has 9 lives, Puss doesn't die and he's successfully healed by the town's doctor but he's at his last life, having died too many times. The doctor suggests him to retire and to become a lap cat for the cat lady Mama Luna but Puss refuses. Puss goes to the bar and jokes about what the doctor said until a mysterious creepy big white wolf with red eyes sits close to him with the intention of capturing him. Puss presumes he's a bounty hunter and tells him he laughs in the face of death, but the wolf says nobody ever got away from him as they start fighting.
Unfortunately, the wolf strangely beats every move of Puss and even cuts some hair from his head almost killing him, making him drop a bit of blood and his fur puffing from fear, exciting the Wolf as he "loves the smell of fear". Puss escapes by flushing himself in the toilet leaving his sword behind. Scared of death and afraid he can not be the famous legend he was, Puss accepts the doctor's advice and goes to Mama Luna becoming a lap cat. However, he first buries his boots and dress, metaphorically killing his old persona.
Life as a lap cat is boring and unexciting but Puss eventually gets used to it although getting depressed. He meets an unnamed talking therapy dog that he calls Perrito but he tells him to leave him alone. His retirement doesn't last long when the crime family Goldilocks and the Three Bears comes for him to recruit him to rob the dangerous "Big" Jack Horner and get the Map for the Magic Wish. They find Puss's buried clothes and thinks he's dead, while Puss hears them talking and decides to rob Horner for himself so he can use the wish to get his nine lives back. He gets his clothes back (except his sword) and, with Perrito, he goes to Jack Horner (even though he initially leaves him behind).
Puss arrives in the Horner Family's Factory of Cakes and, after seeing Horner turning one of his henchmen into gold for making fun of him, he gets the map for the wish but gets kicked by Kitty, that only kicks him again when she recognizes him, still angry for what he did at Santa Coloma. However, they found themselves forced to work together once again as they're both chased by Jack Horner, as they're helped by Perrito. Puss begs Kitty to make him see the map and after a challenge of big eyes she accepts. The map shows dark paths for both of them but Perrò's own version of the path is safe and simple, much to their shock and disgust. He then tells them about his childhood and how he got thrown into a river by his own family, with Puss and Kitty feeling sympathy for him.
Chased by the Three Bears Crime Family and Jack Horner, the trio has to pass the giant roses. They try to fight them but Perrò shows that they have to simply smell the roses, which works, with Puss and Kitty still complaining about how cheesy his path is. When they hop on a platfrom through the River of Relaxation, Puss is starting to get irritated by his beard. He finally accepts to have his long beard cut by Kitty, and she also gives him her sword. However, Perrò gets captured by Horner, who threatens to kill him if they don't give him the map. Luckily, Perrò escapes and there's a huge fight where Horner launches Unicorn's horns towards people, making some of his henchmen explode, making Puss almost die as he sees the Wolf once again, thus escaping in fear.
Perrò finds him and he calms him down. Puss reveals what happened between him and Kitty: they were going to get married but the day of their wedding Puss got away and left her. He apologizes to Kitty and she forgives him (she heard him before while he was talking to Perrò and heard him saying how much sorry he was) revealing that she didn't go to the wedding either as she knew she couldn't compete with his one true love (himself). However, she also happily notices, while flirting, that he doesn't seen that kind of guy anymore. Puss and Kitty steal back the Map from the Three Bears but they manage to capture Perrò. Puss tries to utilize the Map to find him but he gets trapped in a giant crystal cave, so he sends Kitty to save Perrò promising they will reunite.
While he walks inside the cave, Puss meets all his previous eight lives and, after a brief moment of nostalgia, realizes how much wrong he was about wanting to be a loner and prepares to leave but he meets the Big Wolf once again, who reveals he's not a bounty hunter but Death in person and, finding the idea of cats having nine lives absurd and being mad that he wasted his eight lives without any reguard, he wants to take his last life to "make a favor to both of them". Puss runs away and manages to escape from the crystal cave, being spotted by Kitty and Perrò, who believe he's leaving them behind.
Puss finally arrives at the Wishing Star and he prepares to make the wish but he's confronted by Kitty who is disappointed in him for leaving her once again and for still running away from problems. However, when Puss tries to tell her that Death is after him, "Big" Jack Horner with his only surviving henchwoman, Goldilocks and the Three Bears arrive and a big fight for the Wish starts, which ends with Kitty throwing Horner in his own infinite magic bag.
As Perrò tells Puss maybe one life is enough, Death comes back and he creates a fire circle between Puss and the others so he can catch him. Death offers him to fight once again, giving him back his sword. Puss sees his life flashing before his eyes once again but this time he only sees his moments with Kitty and Perrò, realizing he's not alone anymore and accepts the fight, much to Death's amusement. However, this time Puss succeeds to impress Death, using both his sword and Kitty's knife to defeat Death.
In an act of humilty, Puss gives Death his sickles back and tells him that, even though he will never beat him, he will never stop fighting for this life. Death looks right into his soul and tells him that he came for an arrogant little legend who thought he was immortal but he doesn't see him anymore, noticing that Puss changed and having a newfound respect for the cat, telling him to live his life well, even though he notes they will meet again when his time has come, which Puss agreed to. Puss reconciles with Kitty, who sees that he changed and forgives him.
However, this moment is interrupted by Horner as he, thanks to the magic biscuits in his infinite magic bag, becomes giant and prepares to make his wish. Perrò distracts him enough (making the cute eyes) to allow Puss, Kitty and Goldilocks to destroy the Map. "Big" Jack Horner tries to fix the Map but the Cricket comes back and uses the Phoenix to destroy the missing piece he was looking for, this destroying the Map, while Horner gets killed as he explodes alongside the Wishing Star.
Puss says to Kitty that a life with her is the only thing he could ask for, much to her happiness. After friendly saluting Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Puss and Kitty search a name for Perrò until he decides that he likes Perrito as his name since that is what his friends call him.
Puss, Kitty and Perrito sometime later steal the ship from the Governor and they sail towards Far Far Away to meet some old friends.
The Trident
Puss in Boots tells a story to Perrito about one of his deaths, with encouragement from Kitty Softpaws. In an attempt to save Del Mar from a major drought, Puss tries to retrieve Poseidon's trident from pirates. He fights the Pirate Captain, nearly gets eaten by a hungry shark, mauled by the Three Bears Crime Family, and attacked by the pirates of the ship. The trident is then claimed by Kitty, who uses it to save Puss from being shot out of a cannon by summoning a giant tidal wave. Despite the danger of the situation, this gives Puss the idea to "revolutionize travel" by shooting himself out a cannon. This causes him to explode, losing his fifth life.
Shrek 2
Recommended to King Harold by Doris (the Ugly Stepsister of Cinderella and barmaid of the Poison Apple) as a famous bounty hunter, Puss is hired and payed lots of money by the king to assassinate Shrek. However, unlike his fairy tale counterpart, he does not try to trick the ogre into changing into a mouse, but instead makes a direct, frontal assault on Shrek, which works up until the feline gags on a hairball, spitting it up. Shrek and Donkey think of what to do with him as Donkey even proposes to give him the Bob Barker treatment (neutering), but Puss begs for his life and accidentally reveals that the king was the one who hired him to kill Shrek. While Shrek is sulking about this, he says the king said Fiona would be better off with a Prince Charming but when Donkey glares at him, he apologizes, saying he thought Shrek was asking him that question. Puss proposes to the ogre he owes a life debt to him, in thanks for sparing his life and will accompany him on his quest. Shrek appears to have accepted this debt, as Puss in Boots stays with him throughout the course of the film and the two become great friends. Donkey gains a particular disdain him, considering Puss a threat to his position as Shrek's best friend. It is revealed that Puss has a litter of siblings, a sick mother and a father who lives off the garbage (although he may have been lying so Shrek would spare his life). He has also stated that he "Hates Mondays". This could be a reference to Garfield, another famous orange cat, who hates Mondays.
When Shrek and Donkey enter the castle to find Fiona and are being chased by guards; however in the Jail Tower after Shrek said "what you lack is the capacity," Puss appears to be in chains. Puss repays his debt to Shrek by holding them off (he removes his hat, looks at the guards cutely, and then attacks them when they stop and say "aww!") When Shrek and Fiona get back together and are changed back to normal, Donkey finds out he has become a dad. Due to the friendship that has developed, Puss decides to be Donkey's dronkies' uncle and becomes a permanent addition to their team.
Shrek the Third
Donkey, Puss, Dragon and the Dronkeys remain in Far Far Away with Fiona and Shrek, helping the royal couple run the country in the place of the ailing king.
Puss joins Shrek and Donkey on their journey to find Artie (Fiona's cousin and heir to the throne) and later encourages Shrek to be kinder to Artie to gain the teenager's trust. He also tries, rather unsuccessfully, to advise Shrek who has just found out that Fiona is pregnant with his children, on fatherhood by suggesting they take his cousin's boat for two weeks of fishing and mojitos, but Donkey is against that.
When the group is magically sent back to Far Far Away by Merlin, Puss and Donkey accidentally have their bodies switched. The two swapped animals later join forces with the Far Far Away princesses and other captives of Prince Charming and help rescue Shrek. Towards the end of the movie, they confront Merlin and demand he put them in their correct bodies. He does so, although their tails seem to have been switched this time (in the next scene, this is shown to have been corrected as well).
At the end of the movie, Puss helps Shrek and Fiona care for their new born triplets. He has trouble with them pulling his fur and tail.
Shrek Forever After
In the fourth film, Puss is seen as a regular guest at Shrek's home, eating dinner with Shrek's family and telling the children of the tale of how Shrek met Fiona. He is not properly seen again until Shrek has entered the alternate reality made by Rumpelstiltskin. Here, he has retired from swordsmanship and has become obese and shiftless, and Fiona's pet as well. He befriends Shrek when he realizes there was a spark of romantic interest between Shrek and Fiona. Puss takes part in the ambush on Rumpelstiltskin's ogre hunt, but Fiona's army of ogres are captured by the Pied Piper. Puss and Donkey rescue Shrek and Fiona from the Piper, but Fiona leaves in anger when she thought Puss told Shrek everything about her.
Puss and Donkey later lead the ogres in the battle against Rumpelstiltskin's forces, and helps save Shrek and Fiona from Dragon. Puss eventually disappears with everything else when Fiona's curse is broken and reality is restored. In the real world, Puss celebrates the ogre babies' first birthday with everyone else.
Shrek the Halls
Puss tells the story of Santa Claus as a smooth Spanish cat (similar to himself). He is distracted from telling the tale when he sees a glass Christmas tree ornament and begins batting at it. When he realizes what he was doing, he walks away muttering "I have shamed myself". Later, when Shrek explains that he never celebrated Christmas before and wanted it to come right, Puss tells his friend "Christmas just comes".
Video Game Appearances
Puss in Boots appeared as a playable character in Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After. In Shrek 2 he also appeared as a boss.
He also appears in Shrek Super Slam as one of the 10 starting characters. His Super Slam is that he uses his "cute face" and stuns the opponents with that.
He also appears in Shrek Smash and Crash Racing. Puss in Boots is one of the eight unlockable racers in this game. Puss's kart is a Bull and his personal item is his hat.
He is also the main playable character in the video game : Puss In Boots.
Physical Appearance
Puss is an extremely appealing and charming Spaniard adventurer with a flair for the dramatic. He has a lean body with burnt sienna fur and darker ginger stripes running down his back, limbs, tail and around his head. He has lighter cream fur on his paws, his counter shaded belly, the sides of his snout, his chin and eyebrows. Thin light stripes also underline his eyes. He also has a noticeable courser white guard fur throughout his coat. His eyes have green irises, white sclera and black pupils which are usually narrow, or huge and round when expressing his cuteness. His eyelids have a noticeable dark lining, and "cat eye" style points at the outer corners of each eye, enhanced with black eyeliner. He has a little pink nose and long, white whiskers. His whiskers can be twined together to form a curly "mustache". His claws are also notable for being sharp enough to cut glass, and can even pick locks.
He wears a black, broad-brimmed leather cavalier's hat, folded on the left side, topped with a fluffy primrose yellow plume. The hat has a dull red hatband, and is usually depicted with a red trim. He wears a black leather belt with a silver buckle sometimes in a double-wrapped configuration which holds his cup-hilt rapier with double quillons, varying degrees of ornamentation on the cup, and often a pommel resembling a stylized cat head with pointed ears. He dons a pair of fine Corinthian-made leather boots, black with red lining, that covers most of his legs even when folded. He sometimes stores items in these boots, such as bottles of Catnip and his bag of gold. He often dons a black leather cape with a silver flower pin. His cape pin was redesigned to feature a silver wolf insignia instead. In some promotional material he is also spotted wearing gloves. In the Last Wish, he also grew a beard, though quickly shaved it off due to discomfort.
In his first life, He instead wore a red cape instead of a black one.
In his second life, he had a couple of cards under his hat.
In his third life, he wore a green Tyrolean hat and cape with gold lining, retaining the yellow plume.
In his fourth life as a bodybuilder, he was incredibly muscular and also had a curly moustache.
In his sixth life, before dying he wore a white bib with a blue fish.
He often overpowers his enemies by distracting them with "cute kitten" eyes. He also exhibits common cat behavior, such as coughing up hairballs and chasing spotlights, which usually results in his defeat or capture. He also runs on all four paws when he needs to. He also has a prominent love of yarn and string.
Personality
In his old past life, Puss in Boots was more like an outlaw, or as he would say: "A nomad, a free spirit, needing none." Despite this. he still likes to be a savior and has but 3 rules: 1. To save and be kind to a lady, 2. Always seek adventure, and 3. Be kind to orphans. However, his rules change in some episodes. For example, when he broke the spell of the hidden city of San Lorenzo (and with a little bit of convincing of the townspeople), he had to stay and protect the townspeople and its treasure from the upcoming bandits and Puss's old enemies and tricky friends. This shows he has a selfless heart and will take responsibility for his actions and mistakes. He is a kind soul who will help those in need and he states that there are three things he loves most of all: action, adventure and protecting those he cares about. In fact, when he feels he is a danger to the town of San Lorenzo, he will leave to ensure their safety(which ends up happening at the end of The Adventures of Puss in Boots. Despite being a hero, he admits he is not a lone wolf but a people's person or "cat". Aside from being a protective and honorable fighter, Puss is a "ladies' cat" as well. Puss likes to tell stories, sing and dance. He is always on the lookout for an adventure and will do anything to protect his friends.
Despite Donkey's antagonizing nature towards him, Puss is the less proactive of the two as usual, as well as often trying to be the voice of reason between conflicting parties.
Puss in Boots is very skillful in fighting, does long jumps and spins in the air, although he still acts in a normal cat-like manner when seeing strings and mice. Like in "Sphinx", Puss in Boots admits that he's bad at riddles, and he's a cat of action, NOT, a cat of words. And in Adventure, he kinda misses his old days, adventuring with his white horse, Babieca, and old friends like Jack Sprat.
There are times when Puss in Boots is taken advantage of, as he cannot say, no to orphans because he loves them so much, so they continue to ask him for favors. Jack Sprat takes advantage of him by using Puss in Boots to get treasure. He can also at times have bouts of unintelligence, at one point not understanding what Jack Sprat was talking about how to defeat the whirlwind, as he couldn't understand the physics behind it. He also stated he doesn't often read and that he believes the brawn beats brain, though Dulcinea teaches him otherwise. However, this kindness has also helped others such as Cleevil, who turned over a new leaf thanks to Puss's trust in her. He also developed a bond with a dragon and was unwilling to leave it despite the destruction it caused. He has stated he is a great judge of character.
There are times when he can be insensitive, as he is a horrible listener due to being single-minded and absorbed and can also be rather impatient and accidentally say insensitive things but means well.
He is also rather prideful, thinking to be incredible, he is very handsome, practically irresistible.
He admits that he is terrible at admitting when he is bad at something or afraid of something since he is a hero, and he believes he needs to fear nothing and be perfect, though he is getting better at controlling himself. As a hero, he wants to help others to the point that he sometimes meddles in their business, whether they want to or not. He also takes pride in his role as hero.
Dulcinea, particularly protective of her. He gives her romantic gestures and calls her beautiful, though the two are believed to have become a couple at the series finale. The two even share everything about each other, showing how strong their bond is. He also believes that he is a ladies' man and feels his pride hurt when people think otherwise.
While he does not like to admit it, he has a strong fear of dogs, characteristic of his species. He also has a fear of bees, and spiders, but his friend and love interest Dulcinea helps him to not be afraid.
Puss also has a soft side, that he often shows to Dulcinea and the orphans, as he has a hard time saying no to the orphans or, because he knows how the orphans feel as he is one himself.
He also considers himself to be a fiercely loyal companion.[1]
Overtime, after his adventures with Kitty and Humpty Dumpty, Puss continued to build his "legend" as heroic outlaw, feared by his enemies yet beloved by the people he helped. His ego grew along with his "legend" in that Puss came to constantly declare "Puss in Boots laughs in the face of death", which unfortunately caused Puss to become dismissive of his own wellbeing due to being a cat and having nine lives. As he kept thinking he had lives to spare, Puss engaged in some frivolous activities that led to his dying over and over... until finally he was down to his last life but he initially refused to retire and end his "legend".
A close call with an apparent bounty hunter scared Puss so much that he not only left behind his sword but depressingly chose to retire and let his "legend" die, only to find his retirement depressing and miserable. When he learned of the Wishing Star, Puss immediately saw this as an opportunity to regain his lost lives and go back to being a "legend". His desperation to regain his lives stemmed from Puss's misplaced beliefs that if he wasn't a "legend" then he was nothing, which is what caused him to take his lives for granted in the first place until he was down to his last one, but also to overlook the things in life that truly make living worthwhile and meaningful, such as his love for Kitty and then his budding friendship with Perrito.
Meeting his past lives in the "Cave of Lost Souls" caused Puss to see the sides of himself he never really considered before and realize that back then he was a selfish and narcissistic jerk, and was reminded that in spite of his "legendary" status he was often alone and miserable whenever he wasn't being loved and admired by his fans. Upon meeting the bounty hunter yet again and hearing him discuss Puss and his lives with such contempt and how he'd been there for all of them caused Puss to realize this was no bounty hunter but Death himself! Terrified that Death was personally after him Puss almost used the wish for himself until Kitty berated him and was ready to sever all ties with Puss completely, only for Death to show up to end Puss once and for all. As he stood there, afraid, Puss's last life flashed before his eyes and he was reminded of what he had learned and experienced with Kitty and Perrito, which gave him the courage to stand his ground and face Death like a man rather than take the coward's way out.
Puss finally understood that life wasn't about how much of it one has but how much of it one lives, and now he wanted to share his final life with Kitty and Perrito and so would fight to keep his last life even though he acknowledged he could never truly defeat Death. As a result of Puss changing for the better and now promising to respect and cherish his last life, Death chose to spare him and bade him to live his life well though he reminded Puss they would meet again, which Puss acknowledged.
Skills and Abilities
- Combat Proficiency: Despite his small size, Puss is a capable fighter even when outnumbered against much larger opponents. Puss can take on high numbers of foes (i.e., thieves) at one time and win fairly easily, his skill can rival any opponents and despite being overwhelmed, was capable of fending off the underground warriors with a guitar as his weapon of choice.
- Master Swordsman: Puss possesses incredible skills in the use of a sword, mostly in combat. Often times, he practically dances around his enemies who can't keep up with him.
- Cute Nature: Puss' trademark attack is by using his cute nature, shown when he stares up at his opponents with an innocent, wide-eyed expression, softening his foes' hearts.
- Guitar Proficiency: Puss seems to know how to play with a guitar.
- Expert Dancer: Puss is shown to be an expert at dancing, as shown when he was challenged by Kitty Softpaws to a dance fight.
- Singing Proficiency: Puss is shown to be skilled at singing, demonstrated numerous times in the series and movies.
- Sharp Claws: Like all cats, Puss has razor-sharp claws which are sufficient to rend most substances. His claws can also hurt Shrek, even though the ogre's green skin is very tough and can even pierce glass as well.
- Expert Thief and Hunter: Puss is known to be a master of thievery since he is extremely skilled in theft. Like all cats, Puss is also a master of hunting.
Temporary
- Super Speed: In the episode Boots, he wore the Seven League Boots which granted him super speed.
- Underwater Breath: In the episode Cat Fish, he gained the ability to breathe underwater after Feejee violently force fed him magic kelp, however it is unknown whether or not he has since lost or retained this ability.
- Luck Energy: In the episode Luck, Puss was temporarily turned into a black cat and gained the ability to channel his natural bad luck into a powerful bad luck blast, but he has since lost this power and bad luck as he was restored to normal at the end of the episode.
Songs
In Shrek 2, Puss sang "Livin' la Vida Loca" with Donkey.
In Far Far Away Idol, he also sang "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" which he earned Simon's admiration.
In Donky's Christmas Shrektacular, he sang "Fleas Navidad".
In Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Puss sang "Fearless Hero".
Also, in Thriller Night, Puss spoke the poetic section of Thriller.
Relationships
- Dulcinea: Puss and Dulcinea are great friends throughout the series, though early on Puss is shown to harbor deeper romantic feelings for Dulcinea. In the first episode, Hidden, Puss in Boots refers to Dulcinea as a "Beautiful woman out of her element." and clearly he is instantly attracted to her because of her lovely appearance and wonderful personality. He often tries to impress her with feats of agility and strength. Throughout the series, they hugged many times. In the episode 'The Bloodwolf' in the end, Puss and Dulcinea rub noses. In the series they hold hands frequently, also they attempt kissing four times throughout the series. They also become each other's Crispintines (San Lorenzo's version of Valentine Day). Lastly, in the show's finale, they kiss twice (Dulcinea resurrected Puss through her deep love by kissing him on the lips) and ride off into the sunset together they became a couple.
- Kitty: Puss and Kitty were fighting in the movie until Puss realized that Kitty was a girl (since she was wearing a mask), but then Puss tries to flirt with Kitty after realizing. But then he looses a bit of interest after he realizes that Kitty worked for Humpty (his ex-best friend) and she charms Puss into convincing him to help Humpty again, but then later, when Puss is jailed after Humpty frames him, Kitty realizes that she had romantic feelings for him and that she should save him. When Kitty does save Puss, he was a bit angry because she betrayed him, but then she tells him that she loves him, and he sort of forgives her. After leading the Golden Goose's mother away from San Ricardo, Kitty and Puss end up flamenco dancing together and share a kiss together in the last scene. According to the movie director of Puss In Boots, Kitty was meant to be Puss' love interest and girlfriend. Kitty and Puss have a love-hate relationship.
Trivia
- Puss is noted to be a magical cat in the junior novelisation of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which explains his anthropomorphic qualities. It notes that if he were to lose his magic (through all magic being owned by "Big" Jack Horner for example) he would become a regular cat who did not wear clothing or go on adventures.
- For Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, his seventh death was originally going to be from getting crushed by a sumo wrestler. This idea was rejected by the producers in fear of it being offensive to Japanese culture.
- His appearance included long fur styled in a bun on top of his head, and wearing a white Mawashi.
- He has been said to have fleas in the series and the Shrek film shorts.
- He likes to say the word "Credenza" often. It is unknown if he is referring to the English or Spanish word. both of which have completely different and random meaning.
- He is trilingual, with his first language being Spanish, followed by cat tongue, then English.
- Despite English being his third language, he is far more fluent in it than cat tongue.
- Puss In Boots makes a cameo appearance in the episode, King Julien Superstar!, where he is seen auditioning for The New Wiper Fluid, King Julian's band.
- He also appears as a picture in Love Gauntlet, as one of the images Doctor S shows Maurice in his presentation to help him get over his fear of bells and again in Cult Fiction, where he is again seen in a picture during Clover's cult-deprogramming presentation.
- In the NEW PUSS IN BOOTS (series) produced for Peacock, he reveals a few facts:[2]
- He has difficulty counting past 14.
- He has been to 47 countries and can legally return to four.
- He brushes his fur 103 times before bed.
- His right elbow is his favourite.
- He keeps a pink diary.
- He likes the colour pink.
- He claims to fear spiders and denies it at the same time.
- Interstingly, in "Fountains", when he drinks from the fountain of invisible spiders, he is seen freaking out about them, which could mean he is indeed afraid of spiders.
- He claims mosquitos do not bite him out of respect.
- He has never seen the film: Casablanca.
- He likes danger, hence he occasionally drinks expired Leche.
- He can smell the colour yellow.
- He has a soft spot for Pomeranians, despite not liking dogs in general.[3]
- He has different entrances for different occasions:[4]
- The standard introduction for business casual adventures: The growl and leap.
- The introduction for black tie adventures: The Flamenco Flourish, which aims to impress admirers with his fancy footwork.
- He has different exits for different occasions as he considers them harder, long and awkward at times:
- The standby exit: Stand and wave bye.
- The classic: "Hey! What is that!?"
- He once tripped a thousand men on horseback using a single strand of yarn. He also once defeated a whole army with his signature "cute kitten eyes"[5]
- He loves receiving gifts, and his ideal gift would be a rectangular cardboard box of his size taped twice and filled with ribbons and tissue.[6]
- His ideal way to unwind is by playing with a ball of yarn. He also appreciates a good sweater made of yarn, despite not wearing pants.[7]
- He once got eaten whole by a huge fish. He saved himself by eating th fish from the inside out.[8]
- In the San Ricardo Orphanage, he used to be bullied.[9]
- It is possible he is referring to boy blue, as in the film he is seen picking on Puss for being in his empty seat.
- He once stole a pair of dancing boots by accident, as the boots controlled his movement when he put them on.[10]
- In Shrek 2, when Puss is fighting with Shrek, he sneaks into Shrek's clothings, and he burst through the ogre's shirt. This is a visual reference to the chest bursting scene in the sci-fi/horror film Alien.
- In the Shrek 2 video game, Puss weighs about 50 pounds.
- Puss calls Shrek "boss" or "señor" instead of his real name.
- Puss' Shrek form is based on Zorro's (whom Banderas also portrayed in the The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro) fighting style, accent (Spanish) and personality. While attacking Shrek, he used his sword to scratch up a P, a parody of Zorro's trademark move. In Shrek the Third, Donkey, while in Puss' body, scratches a D instead. Puss also hates Mondays, as revealed in the Poison Apple bar (a similar trait to Garfield).
- Puss makes a very strange appearance on the casual game "Indy Cat" (the parody of Indiana Jones) by PlayFlock. The outfit used for the cat appears to be the Deluxe Indiana Jones costume. The boots used in this variant of Puss in Boots isn't intact on that game.
- Puss does not appear in the first film or 4D ride for obvious reasons, though he does make a non-speaking cameo in the musical.
- When Puss cries, as seen in Shrek 2 and Puss In Boots: The Three Diablos, he wipes his nose, not his eye.
- This trait is kept in the hot wings collaboration episode, promoting the Last Wish.
- Puss in Boots is the third and final sidekick of Shrek.
- Despite being a well-renowned thief, he does not steal from churches or orphanages, showing that he has his own limits as an outlaw.
- Puss is the first Shrek character to bleed on screen.
In other languages
- Antonio Banderas also voices Puss in the following languages in most Shrek franchise films and promotional material:
- Italian.
- Latin Spanish.
- Castilian Spanish.
- Swedish: Mästerkatten i stövlar, mainly voiced by Rafael Edholm, sometimes by Steve Kratz.
- Russian: Puss in Boots, surely, voiced by Vsevolod Kuznetsov, very respectable actor.
Gallery
Episode Appearances
The Adventures of Puss In Boots Season One | ||
"Hidden" Appears |
"Sphinx" Appears | |
"Brothers" Appears |
"Duchess" Appears | |
"Adventure" Appears |
"Fountains" Appears | |
"Bravery" Appears |
"Golem" Appears | |
"Boots" Appears |
"Sword" Appears | |
"Mouse" Appears |
"Goblin" Appears | |
"Star" Appears |
"Pigs" Appears | |
"Luck" Appears |
The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season Two | ||
"Dragon" Appears |
"Moles" Appears | |
"Mermaid" Appears |
"Bees" Appears | |
"Squad" Appears |
"Spells" Appears | |
"Scimitar" Appears |
"Stories" Appears | |
"Sphere" Appears |
"Si" Appears | |
"No" Appears |
The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season Three | ||
"Bootless Cries" Appears |
"Sullen Earth" Appears | |
"Ugly Duckling" Appears |
"The Muscle" Appears | |
"Sword's Man" Appears |
"Escape Goat" Appears | |
"Copy Cat" Appears |
"Coin Toss" Appears | |
"King Pickles" Appears |
"Pirate Booty" Appears | |
"Cat Fish" Appears |
"Parrot Booty" Appears | |
"Skeleton Town" Appears |
The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season Four | ||
"Familiar Feeling" Appears |
"In Dreams" Appears | |
"Fluteus Maximus" Appears |
"Prey Time" Appears | |
"Breaking Good" Appears |
"Written By" Appears | |
"Fancy Beast" Appears |
"Titan Up" Appears | |
"Boar Games" Appears |
"Small Change" Appears | |
"Little Lamb" Appears |
"The Obelisk" Appears | |
"The Bloodwolf" Appears |
The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season Five | ||
"Second to One" Appears |
"Not a Drill" Appears | |
"Caballo Sin Cabeza" Appears |
"My Fair Demon" Appears | |
"Too Many Cats" Appears |
"Before They Hatch" Appears | |
"The Iceman Melteth" Appears |
"Swine and Roses" Appears | |
"The Great Stink" Appears |
"Dances with Dingoes" Appears | |
"Remember Me Not" Appears |
"Through Caverns Measureless" Appears | |
"A Savage Place" Appears |
The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season Six | ||
"Save the Town" Appears |
"Save the Cat" Appears | |
"Lost and Foundlings" Appears |
"The Scarlet Panther" Appears | |
"Pajuna Serves Spirits" Appears |
"One Last Jobs" Appears | |
"Like a Fox" Appears |
"Not a Date" Appears | |
"Flock the Boat" Appears |
"All Hail, Puss!" Appears | |
"The Moving Finger Writes" Appears |
"And, Having Writ, Moves On" Appears |
- ↑ https://youtu.be/iCmG_ZqIb7c
- ↑ https://youtu.be/99lhYwddXcU
- ↑ https://youtu.be/m0g2gQpVzUo
- ↑ https://youtu.be/UwI7rIppaZw
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Zc6hbx4LLTs
- ↑ https://youtu.be/zAtG1_SP6VQ
- ↑ https://youtu.be/SMkJ2Y7y72o
- ↑ https://youtu.be/N3I-MAprqXM
- ↑ https://youtu.be/iiUT4tU9RrU
- ↑ https://youtu.be/u-lR14zzonE