Karate Kid: Legends Ending and Post-Credits Scene Explained - Does the Movie Connect to Cobra Kai?

Let's marque this simple: You privation to cognize if determination are immoderate post- oregon mid-credits scenes successful Karate Kid: Legends. The reply is yes!

Well, what bash you telephone it erstwhile a movie ends, they chopped to a rubric card, but past they instantly chopped to different scene? Let’s telephone it a starts-credit scene. It would beryllium hard to miss, but if you had to pee and were reasoning of leaping retired of your spot the 2nd it seemed the movie was over, well, you shouldn’t.

Full spoilers for the full movie follow!

The prophecy of six movies and six seasons of a TV amusement – wait, was that a thing? – has been fulfilled, arsenic the Karate Kid franchise returns to theaters successful Karate Kid: Legends. Though it is opening conscionable a fewer months aft the decision of the deed Netflix bid Cobra Kai, the filmmakers person stressed this is simply a standalone communicative and that portion Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is successful both, fans shouldn’t expect the movie to proceed Cobra Kai storylines, arsenic we displacement absorption to a caller Karate Kid, Li Fong (Ben Wang). Still, it was hard not to wonderment if determination would beryllium immoderate overt connections betwixt the 2 beyond Daniel’s beingness - oregon if fans should really interest that the movie would outright contradict the bid successful immoderate way.

Ultimately, portion the movie sticks to that standalone committedness beauteous strongly, and Daniel really has a comparatively tiny role, determination are 2 scenes that interaction upon different aspects of the larger Karate Kid franchise - specifically tied to The Karate Kid Part II and, yes, Cobra Kai.

The Karate Kid Part II Connection (and Continuity Error)

Karate Kid: Legends has been marketed arsenic a movie wherever Li Fong gets trained by 2 legends from Karate Kid past - Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han. This is beauteous notable due to the fact that Mr. Han’s lone quality anterior to this was alongside Jaden Smith successful 2010’s The Karate Kid, a movie that was intended astatine the clip to beryllium an outright remake of the 1984 original. And portion it changed the quality names and locations, it utilized astir each notable communicative bushed from the 1984 film. All of which makes it beauteous comic that it’s present been retconned to beryllium portion of the larger Karate Kid/Cobra Kai universe, since it means we conscionable person to judge Mr. Han and Mr. Miyagi had remarkably akin experiences arsenic widowed handymen who were secretly martial arts masters that ended up mentoring and befriending a bullied young lad who moved into the gathering they worked in… And past entered them successful a tourney wherever they could look their bully… And 1 nighttime drunkenly broke down and spoke astir their dormant household to the kid they were training... And truthful on…

But hey, the beingness works successful mysterious ways, and I conjecture possibly it’s adjacent much cosmic that Han and Miyagi lived specified akin lives since it turns retired they were truly bully friends whose families had been bonded unneurotic for literal centuries! Legends reveals that the 2 were longtime pals and we adjacent get a photoshopped representation of Pat Morita and Jackie Chan successful the mid-1980s unneurotic to beryllium it.

Legends really opens with a flashback country pulled from The Karate Kid Part II to dive into the enslaved betwixt the Miyagi and Han families. In Part II, erstwhile Daniel traveled with Miyagi to Okinawa, Miyagi explained to him however successful the twelvemonth 1625, his ancestor, fisherman Shimpo Miyagi, got drunk connected his vessel and woke up to find himself disconnected the seashore of China. He would instrumentality to Okinawa a decennary aboriginal with a Chinese woman and 2 children, besides present knowing the concealed of Miyagi household karate, bringing karate to Okinawa for the archetypal clip successful the process.

However, Legends transitions from this country betwixt Daniel and Miyagi into animation accompanied by a soundalike for the precocious Pat Morita (is it an existent quality oregon AI? Who tin accidental these days?) that goes into specifics we didn’t perceive successful The Karate Kid Part II. Here, Miyagi says that it was the kung fu experts successful the Han household who Shimpo encountered and learned from, and that is what forged a enslaved that has lasted to the contiguous time betwixt the 2 families.

Oh, and a broadside enactment fanboy rant: Karate Kid: Legends virtually begins with this flashback scene, alongside onscreen substance that says “Okinawa, 1986.” 1986 is the twelvemonth The Karate Kid Part II was released, yes, but that’s not the twelvemonth that movie took spot in! The Karate Kid Part II is acceptable the summertime aft Daniel won the All-Valley successful December 1984 successful the archetypal movie. Hence, it’s the summertime of 1985. They marque definite to get this close connected Cobra Kai erstwhile referencing Part II’s events (and hell, erstwhile referencing The Karate Kid Part III arsenic well, which takes spot aboriginal successful 1985), truthful it is unusual and annoying that nary 1 noticed this mistake successful the full process of completing this film, erstwhile plentifulness of Karate Kid/Cobra Kai fans tin spot it instantly. Sigh… End rant.

Li’s Three Dads (Can Fight)

Karate Kid: Legends is really alternatively misleading successful presumption of marketing, due to the fact that yes, Li ends up being trained by Mr. Han and Daniel unneurotic for this film’s large tournament, the New York-based 5 Boroughs. But nary of that happens – and we don’t adjacent spot Daniel extracurricular of that aged Part II footage – until the 2nd fractional of the movie. The archetypal fractional follows Li moving to New York with his ma (Ming-Na Wen) where, astatine first, he’s having the accepted Karate Kid caller kid successful municipality way of falling for a affable cute miss helium meets (Sadie Stanley arsenic Mia) whose ex-boyfriend (Aramis Knight arsenic Connor) turns retired to beryllium a bullying a-hole who’s besides a seemingly unbeatable karate champion. But 1 large quality this clip is that Li really is simply a alternatively formidable kung fu combatant already, acknowledgment to the grooming helium received backmost successful China from Mr. Han - he’s conscionable not acceptable for idiosyncratic arsenic skilled arsenic Connor yet.

But the different large quality is that the movie past takes a immense detour from different Karate Kid films for rather awhile erstwhile Li bonds with Mia’s dad, Victor (Joshua Jackson), an ex-boxer turned pizza spot proprietor who’s attempting a boxing comeback successful bid to rapidly marque wealth helium needs to wage backmost a indebtedness from the unsafe O’Shea (Tim Rozon). O’Shea is besides the feline who runs the Demolition karate schoolhouse that trains Connor, truthful fundamentally deliberation of him arsenic Kreese from the archetypal Karate Kid… if helium besides had a broadside hustle arsenic a mobster/loan shark type.

After Li helps Victor combat disconnected immoderate of O’Shea’s goons, Victor is amazed astatine his warring prowess and asks the kid to assistance him bid to get backmost into warring signifier - and walk connected immoderate of his kung fu techniques for punching and dodging. Li accepts, and for a astonishing magnitude of the archetypal fractional of its tally clip Karate Kid: Legends does a amusive twist connected the accustomed underdog story, with the young teen quality mentoring the older quality connected however to fight.

However, successful Victor’s large comeback fight, his hostile goes for immoderate brutal sucker punches astatine O’Shea’s orders, sending Victor to the hospital. With Connor inactive harassing Li and Li present wanting to assistance Victor and Mia get the wealth they inactive request to wage disconnected Victor’s debt, helium is convinced by Mr. Han – who comes from China to spot him – to participate the 5 Boroughs tournament, which comes with a snazzy $50,000 prize for the winner. Mr. Han volition of people assistance bid him, but helium can’t bash it alone, due to the fact that the 5 Boroughs is simply a karate tournament, not kung fu. So it’s disconnected to Los Angeles and to Mr. Miyagi’s location (AKA Miyagi-Do Karate Dojo to Cobra Kai fans) to enlistee a reluctant Daniel LaRusso to help, with Han explaining his relationship with Miyagi - though you’d deliberation Daniel mightiness already cognize astir him?

Karate Kid: Legends Ending Explained

Soon enough, arsenic Han predicts, Daniel does travel to New York and helium and Han squad up to get Li acceptable for the tourney successful conscionable a fewer days time, utilizing his instauration of kung fu to physique upon to thatch him Miyagi karate. Daniel besides gives Li a headband helium recovered among Miyagi’s belongings that helium believes is connected to the enslaved betwixt the Hans and the Miyagis and the thought of “two branches, 1 tree.”

And past Li gets his ass kicked successful the tourney and loses to Connor!

Just kidding, Li beats Connor, and it being a Karate Kid movie, helium does it utilizing a peculiar determination he’d practiced earlier, of people - this 1 a fancy footwear his precocious member taught him, with an added 2nd descent determination suggested by Daniel, since Connor already has seen and countered that footwear connected its ain successful a erstwhile skirmish the 2 had.

Does Karate Kid: Legends Have a Mid- oregon Post-Credits Scene?

As mentioned above, Karate Kid: Legends does person an further country – two, really – though they look astir instantly aft the movie appears to end, alternatively than existent “mid-credits” scenes, since nary credits really tally earlier they appear.

After Li wins, Victor holds him up triumphantly to the cheering assemblage and we get the accepted Karate Kid frost framework connected Li and past chopped to the movie’s logo filling the screen… Except then, alternatively of the closing credits beginning, we get the 2 back-to-back scenes that really wrapper up the story.

In the archetypal scene, Victor is opening a caller 2nd determination for his pizza place, with Li and Mia assisting. Han is determination excessively alongside Li’s mom, though helium mentions helium volition beryllium returning to China soon, portion Li says thing astir a pizza transportation to a notably acold address.

William Zabka (center) does amusement up arsenic Johnny Lawrence successful the "mid-credits" scene!

We past chopped to Los Angeles and a sound astatine the doorway of Mr. Miyagi’s home. Daniel answers and is confused to spot it’s a pizza, saying helium didn’t bid one. However, erstwhile helium opens the box, alongside the pizza (which we lone glimpse, but it does look to beryllium freeze-dried, thankfully) is simply a enactment from Li, thanking Daniel for his help.

Daniel walks wrong with the pizza and up to… Johnny Lawrence! Yes, William Zabka does marque a cameo successful this movie arsenic Johnny, successful the 1 infinitesimal astatine my property screening of Karate Kid: Legends that got a large cheer from the crowd.

The country is an amusing comedic one, arsenic Johnny archetypal mocks the New York pizza Daniel received, insisting the champion pizza is successful the Valley’s ain Encino. He past suggests to Daniel they unfastened their ain pizza place, which helium has the cleanable sanction for - Miyagi-Dough. An exasperated Daniel tells Johnny that’s violative and walks disconnected arsenic Johnny begins brainstorming slogans similar “Slice hard, portion fast.”

So Is That It for Cobra Kai Connections successful Karate Kid: Legends?

Pretty much. And evidently the Johnny quality is not an “important” scene, successful that it doesn’t overtly acceptable up thing for the aboriginal (unless we get a Miyagi-Dough Netflix series), but it does admit Cobra Kai for the archetypal clip successful the film. Prior to that, astatine nary constituent does Daniel notation his woman oregon kids oregon that helium runs a car dealership and an progressive dojo oregon truly thing astir the characters and events from the series, who we tin presume are each simply surviving their lives disconnected screen. But Johnny yet showing up, arsenic Daniel’s pal, does astatine slightest fto america cognize they are reinforcing wherever the amusement near disconnected arsenic acold arsenic wherever Daniel is successful his life.

If you’re searching for imaginable connections beyond that, determination are a mates of slight/tenuous ones. When Li is explaining however vicious Connor fights, they extremity up describing him similar he’s a tiger, with Daniel suggesting they conscionable request to bait him. He mentions having fought opponents similar that before, though it’s up to the spectator to find if helium means Johnny, Chozen, Mike Barnes, Kreese, Terry Silver, immoderate operation of those guys, oregon idiosyncratic other entirely.

Then there’s the headband that Daniel says helium recovered among Miyagi’s belongings. Was this thing Daniel has had successful his possession since Miyagi died oregon did helium find it much recently? The last play of Cobra Kai had Daniel observe a trunk Miyagi had hidden away, containing artifacts from his past, including his headband from the brutal Sekai Taikai tournament. Was this second headband successful determination excessively and we conscionable didn’t spot it connected the amusement oregon did Daniel already person it? That’s astir apt not a question we’ll ever get an reply to connected screen, truthful the reply whitethorn beryllium whichever you’d similar it to be.

But what did you deliberation of Legends? Let’s sermon successful the comments!