Anyone born in the 1980s is certainly familiar with theKarate Kidseries, but one installment in particular is noteworthy for raising the bar for martial arts films in general. TheKarate Kidmovies are a breed apart from the more family-friendly action offerings of their time (honorable mention goes toNo Retreat, No Surrender) because they were willing to raise the excitement in ways that others weren’t. While the series has its highs and lows between the different installments, theKarate Kidepic reached its dramatic apex in 1986’sThe Karate Kid Part II.
The story of theKarate Kidfollows Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), a recent New Jersey transplant to Southern California who runs into a snag in the form of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Winning both the All Valley Karate Tournament, andthe heart of Ali(Elizabeth Shue), it’s implied that Daniel earns the respect of his teenage tormentors at the end of the first film. Yet, we see a very different mood throughoutThe Karate Kid Part II, as though the film itself has grown up, and the consequences for the characters have matured as well. Even though the first and second film have the same basic plot structure, swapping Ali for Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), there is one key tonal difference:both Daniel and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) are not engaged in childish roughhousing, but mortal vendettas.
The Karate Kid Part II
The Karate Kid Part II is the sequel to the 1984 martial arts drama film, and again follows karate student Daniel LaRusso and his sensei, Mr. Miyagi. When Miyagi learns that his father doesn’t have long to live, he heads to Okinawa to see him, bringing Daniel with him. However, an old rivalry with Miyagi’s former friend is reignites upon his arrival, setting up a decades-long challenge between them.
‘The Karate Kid Part II’ Diverges From the Martial Arts Genre
Unlike other staples of the martial arts genre that treat blood feuds as a type of banality, what separatesThe Karate Kid Part IIis that neither Daniel nor Mr. Miyagi are gallant action stereotypes. Neither character is poised to leap into a donnybrook with stalwart abandon. Instead, both protagonists are vulnerable in a way that the audience can identify with. Mr. Miyagi, we’re told, even fled Okinawa to escape the wrath of his former best friend and romantic rival, Sato (Danny Kamekona), who has made his fortune opening karate dojos across the island. This tension is also set up very early in the movie when Sato,along with his nephew, Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), kidnaps Daniel and Mr. Miyagi at the airport as soon as they arrive.
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We also see that neither character is spared from the dispute, which is what generates the tension inThe Karate Kid Part II.Daniel, as we see in a particularly unnerving sequence involving a hook, quickly realizes that he’s getting increased pressure from both his friends and enemies. Not only isMr. Miyagi’s trainingmore intense, but Daniel’s quarrel with Chozen also escalates in lethality after he’s forced to break ice blocks in a bar (which is also encouraged by Mr. Miyagi).It’s at this point that the entire series begins playing for keeps.
The End of ‘TheKarate Kid Part II’Is Daniel’s Finest Moment
It’s also in this chapter that we see someone finally get Mr. Miyagi’s goad, breaking his unfaltering stillness that theaudience has grown accustomed to. Despite several attempts by Sato to fight to the death, Mr. Miyagi only reluctantly agrees when he threatens the entire village. This is a pivotal character moment because Mr. Miyagi is set to break his family’s rule that karate is for defense only, which the audience has been anticipating since the first film. Still, since the Sato/Miyagi feud is resolved because of a large (and rather convenient) storm that nearly kills Sato, the tone manages to remain severe.
The climax ofThe Karate Kid Part IIis really the climax of the whole series, becauseit shows the greatest growth for Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.The showdown between Daniel and Chozen is thepinnacle of the franchise, because there’s really nowhere for the story of a martial arts journey to go after literal mortal combat with a homicidal opponent. We see Daniel again try to use the “crane,” but Chozen, being a higher-level adversary than Johnny Lawrence, easily defeats it.In fact, the final battle at the end of the film exemplifies Daniel’s evolution because he’s unable to win using a one-legged trick shot, and instead must use his more dangerous training to defeat a more dangerous opponent. Not only does this cement Daniel’s transformation, it validates Mr. Miyagi’s methods, and further demonstrates the bond between the characters.
‘The Karate Kid Part II’s Level of Intensity Has Not Been Matched Since
At the end ofThe Karate Kid Part II, we are at the zenith of karate excitement, and we know from the formula that the third film has to escalate the story, but how? In the 1980s, the third film in a series was generally considered its swan song, andThe Karate Kid Part IIIfilled that role untilCobra Kai(although it features Mr. Miyagi,The Next Karate Kidis a separate story). Curiously, however,TheKarate Kid Part IIIreaches no such crescendo, aiming instead to match the tone of the first film. Both sequels start directly after the first film with little dramatic time having elapsed, andthe third film happens independently of the second. More importantly, why would Daniel be afraid of point-fighting Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) when he had just won a deadly struggle? Also, since Kreese, Barnes, and the indeterminately wealthy Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) offered little more than a stiff breeze to Mr. Miyagi, why would Daniel have anything to fear from them? It’s almost as if the third film was originally meant to be the second, since it’s a step down on the dramatic scale.
NeitherTheNext Karate Kid, which includes teenagers blowing up a car under the tutelage of Colonel Dugan (Michael Ironside), norCobra Kaiever really match the tone of the second film. Even Season 2 ofCobra Kaihas Miguel (Xolo Mariduena) fall from a second story balcony, but the event is not seen as intentional, more like the fog of an adolescent karate war. The closest that the series comes to equaling the intensity of the second film is either when a young Kreese is seen kicking a man into a pit of snakes, or the fight between Chozen and Silver at the end of Season 5. Even so, both scenes lack the sense of danger that Daniel’s fight with Chozen elicits since the real struggle was over both DanielandKumiko’s fates. Still, fans of the series should not abandon hope, becauseSeason 6 ofCobra Kaiis set to premiere on July 20, 2025. The new season, which is confirmed as its final chapter, might just be a match forTheKarate Kid Part II.
The Karate Kid Part IIis currently available to stream on Starz in the U.S.
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