Mercenary Tao, also known as Tao Pai Pai, appears in Dragon Ball Movie 3: Mystical Adventure as one of the primary antagonists. In this film, he is often referred to as General Tao and is depicted wearing a blue chang pao, a traditional Chinese longcoat, rather than his more familiar pink attire from the main series.

Within the movie's self-contained narrative, Tao serves as the younger brother of Master Shen, who holds the position of minister to the child emperor Chiaotzu of the land of Mifan. Together with his brother and the reluctant aid of the emperor's bodyguard, Tenshinhan, Tao participates in a plot to locate the Dragon Balls, overthrow Chiaotzu, and seize control of the kingdom. While publicly claiming the wish will be used to find the emperor's lost love, Ran Ran, Tao and his brother intend to use the power of Shenron for their own coup.

Tao's role in the story is defined by his ruthlessness and his position as the primary physical threat to the hero, Goku. He is ordered by Master Shen to eliminate anyone who stands in their way. In one notable instance, Tao kills the Mifan officer General Blue when Blue nearly exposes the conspiracy by revealing Ran Ran's location in Shen's room. Later, during a martial arts tournament held by the emperor, Tao is instructed to kill the powerful native warrior Bora, who possesses a Dragon Ball. With cold efficiency, Tao dodges Bora's attack and throws him onto the spear of a nearby statue, killing him instantly. This act ignites Goku's fury, leading to their initial confrontation, which ends with Tao using his Dodon Ray to blast Goku a great distance away to the base of Korin Tower.

Key relationships in the movie are defined by power and conspiracy. Tao acts as the primary enforcer for his brother, Master Shen, carrying out the dirty work of assassination. He serves as an intimidating foil to the emperor's bodyguard, Tenshinhan, who ultimately rebels against the brothers due to his loyalty to Chiaotzu. His adversarial relationship with Goku forms the core conflict of the second half of the film, as Goku pursues him for revenge after Bora's death.

Tao's character development is minimal, as he remains a consistently arrogant and treacherous assassin throughout. However, the film highlights his deceptive nature. During his final battle against Goku in Penguin Village, he is outmatched by Goku's increased strength and the peculiar powers of the local inhabitants, Arale and the Gatchans. In a last-ditch effort reminiscent of his Ultimate Final Strategy, Tao feigns surrender and offers a truce. When Goku hesitates, Tao steals his Four-Star Dragon Ball, activates a flying motorcycle from a capsule, and launches missiles at his enemies. The attack is ultimately deflected by Goku and Arale, destroying his vehicle and killing him, which marks a definitive end to his role in this version of the story.

Regarding his abilities, Mercenary Tao is depicted as a supremely powerful and lethal martial artist, standing as one of the world's most dangerous assassins. His techniques include the Dodon Ray, a potent yellow energy beam fired from his index finger, which is the signature attack of the Crane School. He also demonstrates the method of Flying Pillars, where he throws a large stone pillar into the air and rides it to travel vast distances. In addition to his superhuman strength and speed, Tao is highly skilled in assassination techniques, notably a pressure point attack that can kill a man with a single strike from his tongue, which he uses on General Blue.