If you have ever wondered, « How many Karate Kid movies are there? » then you’re not alone. In fact, there’s a whole franchise of these movies – The Karate Kid, The Next Karate Kid, and The Last one, to name a few! It’s hard to keep up with them all. But if you love the Karate Kid series, you’ll want to see these movies!
The Karate Kid
There are nine Karate Kid movies, but which one is the best? To answer that question, you have to know which film came first. The first one was released in 1984. A sequel was released two years later, and the third film was released in 1986. The sequel was more successful than the first two, and was the highest grossing installment in the Karate Kid series. Both of these films have great pop culture impact, but the third film wasn’t bankable, so studio execs decided to cut corners.
The second film in the series takes place in Japan. The father of Daniel Miyagi is dying, and Mr. Miyagi decides to take Daniel to visit him. While on the trip, he discovers that his old fling isn’t married. It turns out that the man was the son of a rich industrialist who had a thing against him for loving the same woman. He also has a nephew harboring animosity towards Daniel, so he decides to get him back in trouble.
The first film is still the best in the series. Daniel is a hotheaded kid who gets bullied by the martial artists and meets a repairman who knows Karate. He eventually learns the art of tranquility from his guru, and goes on to compete in tournaments and do the crane kick. This movie series has spawned a new generation of martial artists, which continues to delight audiences.
The sequels have been a hit for the franchise. Part III of the trilogy was released in 1989, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Martin Kove, Sean Kanan, and Thomas Ian Griffith. The movie is a revenge story. The Cobra Kai instructor, John Kreese, enlists the help of Mr. Silver to resurrect the dojo and make it big. Daniel is briefly a member of the Cobra Kai.
The franchise has also spawned an animated series, « The Karate Kid: Hard Reboot », and a remake of the first two. While these films were very different, the first two focused on the relationship between the student and the master. During the second trilogy, Mr. Miyagi is an older man, while the sequels focused on the relationship between the student and the master. During this sequel, « Miyagi » became slang for Retired Badass.
The sequel to The Karate Kid also features several former cast members. Elisabeth Shue reprises her role as Ali Mills. The sequel will also feature a new dojo, and a new villain, « Cobra Kai. »
The Next Karate Kid
The story of The Next Karate Kid follows a karate master named Mr. Miyagi as he attends a military reunion in Boston. In the crowd is Louisa Towers, the widow of a former commander. She also meets a young girl named Julie Swank, who recently lost her parents in a car accident. After learning karate, Mr. Miyagi takes Julie to a Buddhist monastery to help her cope with her loss.
In the sequel to The Karate Kid, the character of Miyagi has a gender change, adding to the ominous aspect of his character. Hilary Swank’s character, Julie, looks younger than her teenage years, and she and Miyagi form a cross-generational friendship. As they learn to fight their nemeses, the two form a bond as they battle creeps in their classroom and drunks at a gas station.
Pat E. Johnson, the stunt coordinator for The Next Karate Kid, has worked with Chuck Norris before. He has also taught Bob Barker and Steve McQueen to perform martial arts. He has also worked with Barbara Goldstone and the producer of Showdown in Little Tokyo, where he was the fight coordinator for both films. The Next Karate Kid is the least successful movie in the series. The original movie grossed $171.8 million, making the sequel a hit.
In The Next Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi uses his karate skills to defeat the bullies at her school. The lead bully, Mr. Miyagi, also uses karate to trash the bully. A cruel adult is also trashed by Mr. Miyagi, and Julie ends up losing her boyfriend. The story of The Next Karate Kid is a delightful comedy, and one that you will thoroughly enjoy.
Cobra Kai’s success has spawned multiple properties. The 2010 redux starred Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. The 1989 cartoon series aired thirteen episodes and featured fantastical elements. A Cobra Kai wouldn’t have been complete without a Karate Kid cartoon series, but it wasn’t very good. However, Sony Pictures TV has renewed the deal with the cartoon series’ creators. The new deal means that Cobra Kai can expand the series’ universe and introduce fresh spin-offs in the future.
The sequel is a continuation of the original trilogy. While the first three films featured Miyagi, the sequels had different casts. Among them, Pat Morita plays Mr. Miyagi’s friend Daniel, while Hilary Swank plays Julie. In The Next Karate Kid, the characters include Colonel Paul Dugan (Michael Ironside), Julie’s love interest Eric McGowen, and the Cobra Kai’s creators claim to have an endgame for the Cobra Kai franchise. Cobra Kai’s fourth season, focusing on The Karate Kid Part III, is due to premiere on Netflix on December 31, 2015.
The Karate Kid II
The sequel to the first film, The Karate Kid, follows the adventures of Daniel (Daniel Chan) and his karate master Mr. Miyagi, who returns to his native Okinawa to train his protege, Daniel. When Daniel’s father dies, Mr. Miyagi brings Daniel along with him. Upon arriving, Daniel discovers that his girlfriend Yukie has remained single, and his niece, Kumiko, is interested in him. As Daniel and his new mentor work to rebuild their lives, they also must deal with local bullies and long-held grudges.
The first film ended with Miyagi and Sato training at a local karate academy, where he met his future wife, Sato. But the two fell in love and were forced to leave town when Sato’s family discovered their secret. When things got awkward, Miyagi was forced to leave town. The second film adds tragedy to Miyagi’s life. His wife was a Japanese internment camp, and he spent much of World War II abroad.
Daniel is a karate champion who accompanies Mr. Miyagi to Okinawa to visit his dying father. Mr. Miyagi introduces Daniel to the rules of karate and explains the two banners. The karate master makes a riff on the relationship between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, a former student of Daniel, and a friend who has become an embittered sworn enemy.
The second film in the franchise picks up where The first left off, and features generational themes. In part two, Mr. Miyagi goes back to Okinawa to deal with his father’s impending death. At the same time, he runs into his former best friend and nemesis Sato (Danny Kamekona). After Miyagi and Sato meet, Danny is at odds with Sato’s nephew, Yuji Okamoto.
The Karate Kid II features the return of two main characters from the first film. Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki « Pat » Morita reprise their roles from the first film. Daniel joins Mr. Miyagi on a trip to Okinawa to visit his father and childhood sweetheart. The journey back to Okinawa takes the pair to the islands where their ancestors lived. However, Mr. Miyagi reveals even more of his tragic history.
The sequel also features a callback to The Karate Kid Part II. Cobra Kai takes the original franchise and expands it through Easter eggs and callbacks. While the movie focuses mainly on Cobra Kai, it doesn’t entirely ignore the sequels. It’s a solid film, but it’s far from perfect. I hope the third installment will do more to improve the original movie. Just be careful what you watch!
Miyagi lost his father three days ago, and Sato gives him three days to mourn. He later teaches Daniel the secret of the family’s karate. Sato is the richest man in the village and a fellow karate student of Mr. Miyagi. After Miyagi’s father’s death, the two men begin to develop a romance. Although they have their own problems, Daniel is determined to save his father’s honor.