Ranking the Karate Kid Movies

Karate Kid: Legends opens this week, bringing unneurotic some the Karate Kid films of the '80s and the 2010 reboot -- which astatine 1 clip was not meant to beryllium successful the aforesaid timeline/continuity arsenic the archetypal franchise.

With some Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan present teaming up arsenic karate and kung fu senseis Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han, respectively, Karate Kid: Legends is bridging these 2 worlds successful ways ne'er earlier imagined. So successful grant of this caller culmination, we've ranked each 5 Karate Kid films for you!

And yes, to reply your burning question, Netflix's Cobra Kai inactive remains canon for Legends arsenic well. That doesn't mean Cobra Kai characters volition beryllium popping up there, but Legends doesn't bash thing to discount oregon contradict the goings-on successful Cobra Kai. Taking spot three years aft the Cobra Kai finale, Legends involves Chan's Mr. Han seeking retired Daniel LaRusso for assistance successful grooming and guiding a student, Li Fong, played by Ben Wang (American Born Chinese).

So which is the champion Karate Kid film? The originals each diagnostic the late, large Pat Morita arsenic Mr. Miyagi, mentoring Daniel (or Hilary Swank's Julie) done life's convulsive conflicts, portion the reboot brought successful Chan and Jaden Smith to echo the aboriginal Miyagi/Daniel roles. Here are the each the Karate Kid flicks ranked!

Honorable Mention: Cobra Kai

It's a steaming series, truthful it doesn't suffice here, but Cobra Kai is simply a monolithic occurrence successful the realm of bequest sequels. It's a six-season follow-up to the archetypal 3 Karate Kid movies that brings backmost conscionable astir each aged quality you tin deliberation of, redeems them, sheds caller airy connected them, and spins them astir successful wondrous ways. All portion besides introducing a full caller procreation of karate students and their ain interpersonal drama. Cobra Kai is truthful amusive that it created a caller fanbase for the franchise, galore of whom started watching not adjacent knowing the movies the amusement was based on.

5. The Next Karate Kid (1994)

The 1 existent outlier of the Karate Kid saga involves Mr. Miyagi successful Boston, offering to location swap with his aged warfare buddy's widow truthful that helium tin effort to weirdly show her angry, grief-stricken granddaughter, Julie (Hilary Swank).

Yup, nothing's much perfect than a traumatized teen girl, who conscionable mislaid her parents to a car crash, surviving with an aged alien due to the fact that her grandma couldn't woody with her and needed a break. The Next Karate Kid isn't a unspeakable movie, per se, but nary 1 was clamoring for Miyagi contented successful the mid-'90s (especially erstwhile portion of it was "transforming" Julie retired of her aggravated signifier and into a miss who wears dresses) and nary 1 was suffering the fools that were the Alpha Elite -- a squad of uniformed teen bullies allowed to roam the halls of Julie's precocious school, led by immoderate weird Colonel named Dugen who seemingly had escaped reign to bushed up children and/or bid them to bungee-jump dive-bomb the school's prom. Anyway, Julie, who already knows a bully spot of karate earlier Miyagi trains her, kicks their butts.

4. Karate Kid Part III (1989)

There's been much and much retro-appreciation for Karate Kid Part III implicit the years, and immoderate of that mightiness person to bash with Cobra Kai and however that show, specifically, has redeemed (or astatine slightest called out) a batch of this film's much bizarre elements.

By 1989 -- and particularly fixed however crowded Summer '89 was with large blockbusters -- the Miyagi/LaRusso shtick had worn a spot thin. It wasn't the close clip for a caller Karate Kid movie and it surely wasn't the close clip for these 2 champion friends to person a falling out, with Daniel concisely giving into his Dark Side anger.

But Part III -- adjacent though it involves a millionaire toxic discarded magnate cartoonishly seeking affectional and carnal revenge connected a teenage lad due to the fact that helium humiliated his aged service buddy -- inactive has its (Terry) metallic linings. Sure, Daniel, arsenic the All Valley Champ, weirdly gets a bye into the last circular (it's a dumb caller tourney rule), but the movie inactive culminates successful a large showdown. Grown-ass men, and Karate's "Bad Boy" Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), effort to destruct the beingness of a teen and it, conscionable barely, blows up successful their face. It each results successful Cobra Kai getting banned from the All Valley and... well, you'll person to ticker Cobra Kai for the rest. It does get better.

3. The Karate Kid (2010)

2010's Karate Kid was an effective, satisfying reboot that 1 would think, fixed the container bureau success, would person gotten a follow-up overmuch sooner than 2025. One that mightiness person adjacent continued with Jaden Smith arsenic the star.

One of the much astonishing things astir this Karate Kid is really however faithful it is arsenic an existent remake. Like, each the aforesaid communicative beats are determination from the archetypal 1984 film. From the ma trying to get her lad excited astir moving to a caller spot to Smith's Dre getting revenge connected his schoolhouse bullies with h2o to his caller girlfriend's disapproving parents to... it's astir each a one-to-one. Which isn't usually what we expect present from reboots. Everything's usually a caller instrumentality connected aged material. Nope, not this. It plays the hits.

Again though, everything inactive works. Smith's Dre is simply a likable caller lead, Chan is large arsenic Han (though his backstory present seems a spot too dark), and the China mounting gives this communicative a bully karate-to-kung fu refresh.

2. The Karate Kid Part II

The Karate Kid Part II is simply a stellar sequel, sending Miyagi and Daniel to Okinawa and embroiling them some successful aged Miyagi woman drama. It made a ton of money, had a immense deed opus (Peter Cetera's "Glory of Love"), and sweetly continued the communicative of Daniel and Miyagi's offbeat friendship. Ending Daniel's narration with Elisabeth Shue's Ali off-screen felt similar a emblematic sequel cheat, but Daniel, for our money, has an adjacent amended summertime fling romance with Tamlyn Tomita's Kumiko.

While not arsenic singularly large arsenic the archetypal film, Part II delivers the goods arsenic a follow-up, recognizing that it's Daniel and Miyagi that fans attraction about, nary substance their location. Daniel's ma is sidelined (though not arsenic hilariously arsenic she is successful Part III) and the remainder precise overmuch echoes the champion beats of the archetypal movie: caller girl, caller bully, concealed move, last combat (to the decease this time!), etc. It really has much successful communal with the 2010 reboot than you'd think. Still though, Part II is much oregon little the nonstop sequel you'd privation if 1 was getting made.

1. The Karate Kid (1984)

In 1984, Rocky manager John Avildsen (who'd spell connected to nonstop 2 Karate Kid sequels arsenic well) gave america different rousing, affectional underdog story, this clip astir a teenage boy, freshly transplanted from New Jersey to LA's San Fernando Valley, who forms an improbable relationship with an aged Japanese antheral and wins a determination karate tournament. The Karate Kid was a soaring sleeper hit, and garnered Pat Morita an Oscar information for his portrayal of warfare veteran/karate sensei Mr. Miyagi.

You cognize however successful Back to the Future they ne'er explicate however Marty and Doc Brown are buddies? Like, this kid and this aged weirdo are BFFs and nary 1 blinks an eye? The Karate Kid really dives into this and marque you put and judge successful the adjacent enslaved formed by a tormented teen and a reclusive handyman (who's secretly a karate master). When Daniel, who's recovered thing but occupation since moving to California, tells Miyagi that he's his champion friend, you judge it. And you bargain novice Daniel LaRusso being capable to marque his mode done a karate tourney with, like, conscionable a period oregon truthful of grooming arsenic Miyagi gives him the bare basics of what's needed to combat and triumph (a beardown emphasis, strategically and ideologically, connected defense).

The Karate Kid is 1 of the astir amusive and inspiring movies of the '80s. It's got a large script, almighty performances, and an exhilarating come-from-behind story. First love, a quintessential '80s bully (played by William Zabka), and an iconic peculiar ace-up-the-sleeve kick.

It's inactive the best around.

What's your favourite successful the series? Add your tier database above, and let's sermon successful the comments!