This article contains spoilers for Karate Kid: LegendsKarate Kid: Legends marks the franchise’s first return to the big screen in 15 years, telling the story of a brand-new character taking center stage and becoming yet another karate kid. The movie is coming H๏τ off the heels of Cobra Kai‘s explosive finale, which was fully responsible for bringing the franchise back to the limelight, and seeing as that show was extremely well-known for finding connections to older movies whenever possible, it only makes sense that Legends will do the same and call back to several previous Karate Kid moments and characters.
However, while Cobra Kai was chock-full of these connections, Legends was surprisingly aside from the premise itself, calling back to two distinct eras of the franchise and only a few references to previous Karate Kid media. The movie is pretty focused on telling the story of Li Fong (Ben Wang) without needing to throw in cameos and Easter Eggs all the time. Seeing as his story and Wang’s performance were constant positives in Legends‘ reviews, it seems like that was a very good choice, despite how fun and interesting these connections are.
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The Jacket On, Jacket Off Training Technique
Mr. Han’s Training Methods Have Continued To Prove Useful
Those who have only watched the original Karate Kid movies might not be as familiar with this saying, but it was essentially the 2010 Karate Kid‘s version of Miyagi’s wax on, wax off technique that he taught Daniel (Ralph Macchio) in the beginning stages of the first installment. When Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) first began teaching Jaden Smith’s character, Dre Parker, kung fu, the master had him constantly take his jacket on and off, putting it up on a rack or down on the ground, to give him the muscle memory to do the techniques ᴀssociated with each movement.
In Karate Kid: Legends, all the students at Mr. Han’s school in Beijing perform the same movements at the beginning of the movie, clearly showing that his techniques have continued in the same way. Additionally, when the young student was sent to distract Li’s mother while he was training, the first thing she mentioned was the jacket on, jacket off technique, meaning that it had seemingly become a calling card for the school. Li himself also practices this later, though he has to do it while pulling his body up using his legs.
Miyagi’s wax on, wax off technique was derived from the jacket on, jacket off (or some ancient variation of that), making Mr. Han’s reuse of that system feel much more natural.
In the 2010 movie, this moment felt like it was just retreading what had come before with Miyagi’s wax on, wax off, as that film, despite not technically retconning anything, was viewed as a full reboot. However, with the knowledge that Legends added to the universe about the connection between the Han and Miyagi families, this similarity actually makes a lot more sense in the universe now. Miyagi’s wax on, wax off technique was derived from the jacket on, jacket off (or some ancient variation of that), making Mr. Han’s reuse of that system feel much more natural.
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Johnny Lawrence’s Cameo
Cobra Kai’s Star Has A Short Scene With Daniel
Karate Kid: Legends didn’t have a post-credits scene, but it did have one final scene at the end which accomplished pretty much the same thing, featuring a small appearance by William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence. As Legends was focused on the Miyagi/Han connection, and Johnny didn’t really have much to contribute to either side, he wasn’t given a major role in the movie, which, while somewhat disappointing, made a lot of sense considering he was essentially the main character of Cobra Kai.
In the scene itself, Johnny and Daniel appear to be going into business together, which seems like a perfect continuation of their characters considering how the two ended up as very close friends by the end of Cobra Kai. Daniel received a pizza from Victor and Li, with the latter writing a short note that said that Daniel should visit him again, potentially teasing a Legends sequel. However, Johnny questions why Daniel got a pizza delivered from New York to California, before suggesting the two start a pizza restaurant together.
This is a great ending moment for Karate Kid: Legends, as it seems that Daniel and Johnny haven’t lost a step since Cobra Kai. Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai had some business partnership by the end of the show, and seeing as they are debating new business ideas, it seems to be going extremely well for them. Zabka also continues to simply be excellent as Johnny, suggesting some fun pizza names and slogans for “Miyagi-Dough,” while taking himself incredibly seriously in the same way that made him likable in Cobra Kai.
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The Miyagi-Han Family Connection
Two Branches, One Tree
The main conceit of Karate Kid: Legends was that Mr. Han and Mr. Miyagi had a family connection that dated back many years, which was the impetus for the creation of Miyagi-Do. In a scene between Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso, taken from The Karate Kid Part 2, Miyagi explained that one of his ancestors fell asleep in a fishing boat off the shores of Okinawa and ended up in China. He met a member of the Han family, who taught him Han kung fu, which he took back to Japan and used to create Miyagi-Do Karate.
The whole thing was a metaphor for the franchise itself, as, while at first, the originals and the 2010 movie might seem like completely separate enтιтies, they connect to one another like branches on a tree.
However, the family ties didn’t end with those ancestors, as it was revealed in Legends that Miyagi and Mr. Han themselves were quite good friends, and that Mr. Han even visited Miyagi while he was training Daniel. The phrase “two branches, one tree” was repeated quite often, meaning that while Miyagi-do karate and Han kung fu might have their differences, they are rooted in the same style and are therefore connected and compatible, leading to Daniel and Mr. Han training Li for the Five Boroughs.
|
Karate Kid Movie |
Worldwide Box Office |
|---|---|
|
The Karate Kid (1984) |
$130.8 million |
|
The Karate Kid Part II (1986) |
$130 million |
|
The Karate Kid Part III (1989) |
$38.9 million |
|
The Next Karate Kid (1994) |
$15.8 million |
|
The Karate Kid (2010) |
$359.1 million |
This was easily the biggest reveal from Legends, as it was the explanation for how the original films, Cobra Kai, and the 2010 reboot all fit together as a whole. The whole thing was a metaphor for the franchise itself. While, at first, the originals and the 2010 movie might seem like completely separate enтιтies, they connect like branches on a tree. This was a very clever way of answering the question of how these two fit in with each other, and the answer was very satisfying to see after so many years.
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Daniel and Mr. Miyagi in Okinawa
The Pair That Started It All Have The First Scene In Legends
The opening scene in Karate Kid: Legends shows a young Daniel having a short conversation with Mr. Miyagi, while the two are visiting Okinawa during the events of The Karate Kid Part 2. The footage actually had a young Macchio and Pat Morita, which was a really great way to start the film, as Mr. Miyagi was so important to the new relationship between Mr. Han and Daniel. Miyagi has always been the center of the franchise, and being able to actually see him start the movie off was a great way to introduce this new saga.
When Mr. Miyagi explains his ancestor’s connection to the Han family, the footage cuts away to a painted animation with Miyagi’s voiceover, as the Han family didn’t exist when the scene was sH๏τ in 1986.
This moment being actual footage of Morita and Macchio from the time of the original Karate Kid movies was a great boon, as the film didn’t have to resort to making an uncanny, CGI version of Miyagi like Cobra Kai did near the show’s end. While Karate Kid Part 2 is likely a few people’s favorite movie in the franchise, Cobra Kai did a lot to make it more nostalgic, as it brought back characters and made them much more interesting. Karate Kid: Legends showing off a moment from that film felt like a solid continuation of Cobra Kai.
