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20 Facts About the 'Karate Kid' Franchise (The Movies, 'Cobra Kai,' Everything)

By:: Andres Diplotti; Talbert Gregson

September 16, 2022

20 Facts About the 'Karate Kid' Franchise (The Movies, 'Cobra Kai,' Everything)

We love The Karate Kid. Its current squeezing of nostalgia actually works, it even outpaced arguably more beloved franchises like Ghostbusters, and it ruined the modern world. God, we love The Karate Kid. Plus, we also know that it taught all you readers essential values like standing up for yourself, respecting your elders, and that when the hour is approaching to give it your best you’ve got to reach your prime – no, wait, those are just the lyrics for the “Montage” song in Team America. Anyway, The Karate Kid also taught us that!

In this Pictofact, we examine this entire universe: The original trilogy, the bland fourth movie, the nepotism-driven reboot, and of course, Cobra Kai. Hell, we even take a look at the animated show with the kickass intro in celebration of the current Karate Kid renaissance. Because for a while, the entire thing was the butt of jokes. Sure, the 1984 original has always been well regarded (even outside of the nostalgia goggles) and Pat Morita taught us invaluable lessons (on how to give alcohol to teenagers). However, most of what came after hurt the brand – until Cobra Kai brought it back to life with loving respect for the original and refreshing new ideas for a contemporary audience. So let’s bask on the entire franchise, enjoy!

20 You're the Best

CRACKED.COM THE KARATE KID THE MONTAGE SONG WAS INTENDED FOR ROCKY III. Joe Esposito's You're the Best, used in The Karate Kid's montage, was going to be used in Rocky III before they chose Eye of the Tiger instead. (Also, both songs are stuck in your head now.) — Screen Rant

19 Mentor Macchio

COBRA KAI RALPH MACCHIO IS ACTUALLY OLDER THAN PAT MORITA WAS. Macchio channels Morita's mentor role, with more of an anti-hero edge. Another thing that sets them apart is their age. Morita was 52 in The Karate Kid, and Macchio was 57 when Cobra Kai premiered. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant/YouTube

18 Drunk Miyagi

THE KARATE KID THE STUDIO WANTED TO CUT DRUNK MIYAGI MOURNING HIS WIFE AND CHILD. Director John G. Avildsen fought to keep the scene, which he later thought was probably the reason Pat Morita was nominated for an Oscar. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant

17 Product Placement

16 Elisabeth Shue

CRACKED.COM THE KARATE KID PART II ELISABETH SHUE DECLINED TO APPEAR IN THE MOVIE TO GO BACK TO COLLEGE. A scene in which she breaks up with Daniel at the airport before going off to Europe was scrapped, but Daniel still says Ali left him for a football player. — Screen Rant

15 Japan in Hawaii

CRACKED.COM THE KARATE KID PART II THE FILM IS SET IN OKINAWA, JAPAN, BUT WAS SHOT IN OAHU, HAWAII. Both places are similar in terms of climate, landscape, and population. Crops were planted, seven replicas of Okinawan houses were built, and around 50 Okinawa-born locals were hired as extras. — Screen Rant

14 Icky Romance

THE KARATE KID PART III RALPH MACCHIO NIXED THE ROMANCE ANGLE. Played by Robyn Lively, Jessica simply befriends Daniel, but in the original script they were supposed to be romantically involved. Macchio objected to this, because while his character was supposed to be 18, Macchio himself was 27 while Lively was 16, and he was not comfortable with the ickiness of it all. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia, Screen Rant

13 The Next Karate Kid

THE NEXT KARATE KID THIS IS THE FIRST KARATE KID FILM NOT TO BE DIRECTED BY JOHN G. AVILDSEN. It's also the first not written by the original creator of the whole thing, Robert Mark Kamen. CRACKED.COM — IMDb

12 Will Smith

CRACKED.COM THE KARATE KID (2010) WILL SMITH BECAME A BIG PART OF THE FRANCHISE. Smith produced a reboot as a vehicle for his kid Jaden, because the lesson of the original was to be handed your way to success on a silver platter. Smith redeemed himself by also producing Cobra Kai before, well, un-redeeming himself. — Wikipedia, Variety

11 How I Met Your Mother

COBRA KAI HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER FORETOLD COBRA KAI. The concept of Cobra Kai, and even the meeting of its two leads, happened in a 2013 episode where Barney Stinson gets to meet the young hero from The Karate Kid: William Zabka (because Ralph Macchio is the villain, as Barney observes). CRACKED.COM — Den of Geek

10 Hot Tub Time Machine

STR FIRS COBRA KAI ARD THERE'S A CONNECTION WITH HOT TUB TIME MACHINE. One of the three creators of Cobra Kai is Josh Heald, who was also one of the writers of that other '80s homage that was Hot Tub Time Machine. Not only that, but Johnny Lawrence himself, William Zabka, appears in the movie. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant/YouTube

9 Tommy

COBRA KAI TOMMY DIED FOR REAL. In Season 2, we see Rob Garrison as Tommy, whom we last saw at the beginning of the 1986 sequel. Не gets to spend a final night with his buddies before dying. In real life, Garrison died a few months later. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant/YouTube, Wikipedia

8 Hilary Swank

CRACKED.COM COBRA KAI HILARY SWANK MIGHT SHOW UP ONE DAY. Julie Pierce, Swank's character in the fourth Karate Kid, has yet to appear in Cobra Kai as of 2022, but there's still hope. The creators said in 2018 that they consider Julie and they'd love to have her, and more recently, Swank herself has been suspiciously giggly when asked about the show. — Screen Rant, Deadline, IMDb

7 The Karate Kid Part III

CRACKED.COM THE KARATE KID PART III RALPH MACCHIO DISLIKES THE MOVE AS MUCH AS EVERYONE. Macchio has denounced the script for having had too many rewrites and ultimately being slapdash. Director John G. Avildsen agrees, adding that it's a cheap imitation of the 1984 original, and that it just confuses those who never saw it and insults those — Screen Rant

6 Miyagi-Do Shrine

CRACKED.COM THE KARATE KID CARTOON THE CARTOON REVOLVES AROUND A MAGICAL MCGUFFIN. The protagonists search for the Miyagi-Do shrine all over the world, resulting in adventures so far-fetched that Cobra Kai doesn't take the cartoon as canon. — Wikipedia, CBR, What Culture

5 Internment Camps

CRACKED.COM THE KARATE KID PART II IT'S THE FIRST MAJOR MOVIE TO ACKNOWLEDGE U.S. CAMPS FOR JAPANESE AMERICANS. While fighting in WWII, Miyagi's wife and newborn son died in the Manzanar camp. Ralph Macchio proudly argues that acknowledging this dark chapter of history is quite a feat for a popcorn movie. — GQ/YouTube, Wikipedia

4 "Bootleg"

THE KARATE KID THERE'S A BOQTLEG VERSION OF THE MOVIE (THAT'S ACTUALLY OFFICIAL). Director John G. Avildsen filmed a rehearsal version with a camcorder before the actual shoot began. It's mostly the same movie with the same cast, and it looks like a mid-'80s TV ad for a mall dojo. CRACKED.COM — The Janky Bootleg Version Of 'Karate Kid' (From The Actual Crew)

3 Kreese's Blood

CRACKED.COM THE KARATE KID PART II THE BLOOD ON KREESE'S HAND IS REAL. It's not clear whether he got hurt while punching through glass, but actor Martin Kove claims there was an accident on set and the bloody result was left in the final cut. — IMDb, Screen Rant

2 Cartoon Miyagi

THE KARATE KID CARTOON PAT MORITA CAME BACK, BUT ONLY FOR THE OPENING NARRATIONS. The animated series featured different actors playing Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, but Morita would explain each episode's plot from his own perspective - meaning there were two actors playing the same character. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

1 The Karate Kid Part II

THE KARATE KID PART II THE BEGINNING WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FIRST MOVIE'S ENDING. In the original script for The Karate Kid, the movie did not end with Mr. Miyagi's proud meme-face, but with him and Daniel exiting the tournament. However, it was decided during filming that the scene would not be used. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant

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