50 Fun Facts About The Karate Kid

Which actor plays Daniel LaRusso in the 1984 film?

He was 22 when he played the teenager. He returned to the role more than thirty years later for a streaming series.

Who directed the 1984 original?

He had already won an Oscar for directing Rocky, and the training-montage structure is unmistakable. Robert Mark Kamen wrote the script.

Where does Daniel's family move from at the start of the film?

He is described as an Italian-American teenager, dropped into a Californian valley where he knows nobody. The culture clash sets up everything that follows.

What is Mr Miyagi's job in the apartment complex where Daniel lives?

He is also a war veteran, a fact the film reveals slowly. His toolbox turns out to be less interesting than his hands.

Which island is Mr Miyagi originally from?

The sequel takes Daniel there to meet his teacher's dying father. The karate he teaches comes from that island's own tradition.

What did Pat Morita earn for the role?

He was up for Best Supporting Actor. Before this he was best known for playing Arnold on Happy Days.

What is the point of the endless chores Mr Miyagi sets Daniel?

Sanding, waxing and painting hide the movements in plain sight. The reveal is the most imitated scene in the film.

Which stance does Daniel adopt for the final blow of the tournament?

He had watched his teacher practise it on a beach earlier in the film. He performs it while barely able to stand.

What is the name of the tournament at the film's climax?

Miyagi enters Daniel in it as a way of ending the bullying under agreed rules. The trophy is presented by an unexpected person.

Who hands Daniel the trophy at the end of the 1984 film?

The gesture is respect, not sportsmanship for its own sake. It is also the seed of the entire sequel series decades later.

What was John Kreese's background before he ran the Cobra Kai dojo?

Martin Kove played him with no attempt at redemption. His philosophy is delivered in three short commands.

Roughly how much did the 1984 film gross worldwide?

That made it one of the highest-grossing films of its year. Its sequel took exactly the same amount two years later.

Before The Karate Kid, Pat Morita was best known for which comic television role?

The casting was considered a risk for exactly that reason. The dramatic turn earned him an Oscar nomination.

Which move does Daniel use to trip Johnny before the match is halted?

The referee stops the bout because of the injury it causes. It is what leaves Daniel fighting the final on one leg.

Where is The Karate Kid Part II mostly set?

Daniel travels there so his teacher can see his dying father. The villain is an old rival of Miyagi's family.

Which object teaches the secret family technique in the sequel?

The den-den daiko rotates back and forth to demonstrate the movement. Daniel uses it in the final fight.

Who takes Kumiko hostage and demands a fight to the death in the sequel?

He ziplines into a village festival to do it. The showdown that follows takes place in a storm-lit arena of villagers.

Which Peter Cetera song was the theme to the second film?

It reached number one in the United States and was nominated for an Academy Award. The film matched the original's $130 million gross.

Which future Oscar winner starred in The Next Karate Kid in 1994?

It was her first starring role in a theatrical film. She played Julie Pierce, a grieving teenager.

Where does Miyagi take his new student to train in the 1994 film?

He was the only original cast member to return for that film. Critics disliked the film but praised the two leads.

Which martial art does the 2010 remake actually teach, despite its title?

The story moves from Okinawa to China entirely. In the Chinese market the film was released under a different name altogether.

Which city does the twelve-year-old hero move to in the 2010 remake?

He is twelve years old and from Detroit. Jackie Chan plays the maintenance man who teaches him.

What does Jackie Chan's character make his student do over and over in the remake?

The point is muscle memory, exactly as in the original. The catchphrase became 'jacket on, jacket off'.

Roughly how much did the 2010 remake gross worldwide?

It cost $40 million to make. That is more than double the original's take, unadjusted for inflation.

Under what title was the 2010 remake released in mainland China?

Chinese audiences would have found the original title nonsensical, since no karate appears. The literal translation is closer to a dream of kung fu.

On which service did Cobra Kai first launch in 2018?

It moved to Netflix in 2020, ahead of its third season. The platform switch turned a cult revival into a mainstream hit.

Which two original film actors star in Cobra Kai?

They reprise their teenage rivalry as middle-aged men with dojos. Their tournament defeat was 34 years earlier.

How many seasons of Cobra Kai were made before it concluded in 2025?

They add up to 65 episodes. The finale aired in February of that year.

Which two actors return as the villains Kreese and Terry Silver in Cobra Kai?

Both had played the roles in the 1980s films. Silver had been the antagonist of the third film.

Which award did Cobra Kai's third season receive a nomination for?

It was the show's highest-profile recognition. Reviews were positive across all six seasons.

Who created the Cobra Kai series?

The trio had previously worked on the Harold & Kumar films. Their pitch was to tell the story from the bully's point of view.

How many years after his tournament defeat does Cobra Kai pick up Johnny Lawrence's story?

He reopens the dojo that ruined him as a teenager. The series serves as a direct sequel to the first three films.

Which actress played Ali Mills, Daniel's girlfriend, in the 1984 film?

She went on to an Oscar nomination for Leaving Las Vegas. Her character returns decades later in the sequel series.

What did the 1984 film do for the martial art in its title, per its legacy section?

Enrolment at American dojos jumped after release. It also launched a franchise that was still producing new films and series four decades later.

How many episodes make up the whole of Cobra Kai?

They were spread over six seasons and two streaming platforms. The last batch was released in three parts.

What is the relationship between Cobra Kai and the original films?

The fourth film with Hilary Swank sits outside its continuity. Characters from the second film later appear in it.

In which year did Cobra Kai move from its original platform to Netflix?

The switch came just before the third season premiered. The first two seasons arrived on the new service at the same time.

Who wrote the screenplay for the 1984 film, drawing on his own martial arts training?

He later co-wrote The Fifth Element and the Taken films. The director had already won an Oscar for a boxing film.

What was the name of Jaden Smith's character in the 2010 remake?

His mother Sherry is played by Taraji P. Henson. The family relocates for her job.

How was The Next Karate Kid received on release?

Reviewers did praise the two leads even so. One of them won an Academy Award four years later.

Ralph Macchio's 2022 memoir about the films and Cobra Kai is titled what?

The full title is Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me, published by Dutton, reflecting on the making and legacy of the franchise.

Which Bananarama hit made its US debut in the 1984 film but was left off the soundtrack album?

Other songs heard in the film but missing from the album include 'Please Answer Me' by Broken Edge and 'The Ride' by The Matches.

The filmmakers needed permission to use the title from which company, owner of a 1966 character?

The comic-book Karate Kid is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the permission granted in 1984 covered the sequels too.

Who composed the musical score for the 1984 film?

The score features pan flute solos by Gheorghe Zamfir, and all four original film scores were later boxed together in a 2,500-copy limited set.

Joe Esposito's tournament-montage song 'You're the Best' was originally written for which film?

Sylvester Stallone passed on it in favour of Survivor's 'Eye of the Tiger', yet Survivor ended up performing this film's main theme, 'The Moment of Truth'.

Elisabeth Shue was cast as Ali partly on the strength of a popular commercial for which chain?

Helen Hunt and Demi Moore were also considered for the part, which was Shue's film debut.

The studio's original choice for Mr Miyagi was which star of Seven Samurai?

The idea fell apart because he did not speak English; Pat Morita won the part only after a second audition with a beard and an accent modelled on his uncle.

Mr Miyagi reveals he served in Europe during World War II with which US Army unit?

The film has him receiving the Medal of Honor for that service, a nod to the real-life Japanese-American unit famed for its decorations.

Miyagi's wife and son died in childbirth at which wartime internment camp?

The revelation comes in a drunken anniversary scene that many critics single out as the emotional core of the film.

According to Ralph Macchio, what was the hero's name in the script before it became LaRusso?

Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage and Robert Downey Jr. were among the many actors considered for the role before Macchio got it.