Karate Kid: Legends Must Avoid A Tiresome Karate Kid Trope That Not Even Cobra Kai Could Escape

After Cobra Kai continued a tiresome franchise trend, Karate Kid: Legends will be looking to break new ground. The Karate Kid reboot is incredibly exciting for several reasons, most notably the film’s main characters. Karate Kid: Legends’ cast will unite Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan as two pillars of the live-action franchise come together to tell a new story in the universe after the ending of Cobra Kai in February 2025.

If the trailer for Karate Kid: Legends was anything to go by, it seems as though the upcoming movie will be very different from what has come before it. Gone is the self-aware, referential humor of the Cobra Kai TV show, instead replaced by a grounded, admittedly mature tone. The timeline of Karate Kid: Legends will remove it from Cobra Kai‘s overall story for the most part, but as a part of the same franchise, both will likely share several trends. However, Karate Kid: Legends should buck one trend specifically if it is to truly provide something new to the franchise after 41 years.

Karate Kid: Legends Should Not End With A Tournament

Tournaments Have Become Too Common In The Franchise


Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid, Daniel La Russo in Cobra Kai, and the Sekai Taikai tournament from Coba Kai behind them
Custom image by Ana Nieves

The trend in question is ending the story with a tournament. Since the earliest days of the franchise, tournaments have been used as conclusions to various stories. Be it 1984’s The Karate Kid, 2010’s The Karate Kid, or several seasons of Cobra Kai, tournaments have proven a quick and effective way to showcase the martial arts journey of various main characters, all while providing a natural narrative climax.

Despite this, Karate Kid: Legends should not end with a tournament. The tone conveyed by the film’s first trailer implied that it was going to be something different in comparison to the other projects in the franchise, and removing a tournament subplot would capitalize on this. Although some sH๏τs from Karate Kid: Legends‘ trailer seem to show a tournament-like setting, this could be used as an introduction to Ben Wang’s character early in the movie, marking a big difference from how other stories have used such a format.

Only Two Karate Kid Movies Didn’t Have A Third-Act Tournament


Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid Part 2 (1986) next to Miyagi in the poster for The Next Karate Kid (1994)

As alluded to, Karate Kid: Legends foregoing a tournament would be a great way to further differentiate it from other installments in the series. As of 2025, only two Karate Kid movies – and three seasons of Cobra Kai‘s six – have not featured a tournament. These movies were The Karate Kid Part II and The Next Karate Kid. The former featured Daniel fighting Chozen for the honor of his new friend, Kumiko, on the island of Okinawa while The Next Karate Kid‘s climax takes place at the docks in Boston.

Where Cobra Kai is concerned, season 2 ended with a brawl in a high school, with season 3 culminating with a fight in Daniel LaRusso’s house and the тιтular dojo. Cobra Kai season 5 ended with a similar brawl in the dojo, with only seasons 1, 4, and 6 utilizing a tournament. Evidently, Karate Kid: Legends would break the mold by ending without a tournament, providing a different, less tiring conclusion to an installment of the long-running franchise.

Related Posts

Thunderbolts* Posters Prove Marvel’s New Team Look Cooler Than The Avengers

Thunderbolts* Posters Prove Marvel’s New Team Look Cooler Than The Avengers

Marvel Studios unveils a new set of Thunderbolts* posters that showcase every member of the MCU anti-hero team. The MCU’s Thunderbolts team is composed of former villains…

Friday 4 Finally Moving Forward As Ice Cube Closes Deal To Return

Friday 4 Finally Moving Forward As Ice Cube Closes Deal To Return

Ice Cube closes a deal for the fourth Friday movie, тιтled Last Friday, to be developed by New Line and Warner Bros. The rapper, actor, and director…

After Confirming Channing Tatum’s Gambit Return In Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Needs To Answer A Glaring Question From A ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine Deleted Scene

After Confirming Channing Tatum’s Gambit Return In Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Needs To Answer A Glaring Question From A ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine Deleted Scene

Channing Tatum’s Gambit will return to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday, but there is still an unanswered question from his last appearance in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine. Tatum…

Dwayne Johnson’s A24 Wrestling Movie The Smashing Machine Sets Fall 2025 Release Date

Dwayne Johnson’s A24 Wrestling Movie The Smashing Machine Sets Fall 2025 Release Date

Dwayne Johnson’s A24 wrestling movie, The Smashing Machine, has set a fall 2025 release date. Written and directed by Benny Safdie, the upcoming A24 film stars Johnson…

Jurᴀssic World Rebirth Teaser Details Reveal Thrills Reminiscent Of Original Jurᴀssic Park Movies

Jurᴀssic World Rebirth Teaser Details Reveal Thrills Reminiscent Of Original Jurᴀssic Park Movies

New Jurᴀssic World Rebirth footage has been shown at CinemaCon. Previous trailers have shown the new characters, including Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), Dr….

Live-Action How To Train Your Dragon 2 Confirmed, Gets 2027 Release Date

Live-Action How To Train Your Dragon 2 Confirmed, Gets 2027 Release Date

A live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon 2 has been announced, with a 2027 release date revealed ahead of the first remake’s theatrical debut. The…