The following contains spoilers for Karate Kid: Legends, now playing in theatersKarate Kid: Legends is a big expansion of the franchise, with Mr. Han and Daniel’s final destinations setting up potential future appearances, as well as a pretty big cameo from Cobra Kai. Karate Kid: Legends is the sixth film in the long-running series, which focuses on a number of young people in different eras learning life lessons through the application of martial arts and karate. The newest film serves as a bridge between the worlds of the original The Karate Kid and spin-offs like Cobra Kai to the 2010 remake starring Jackie Chan.
Karate Kid: Legends cast brings both schools to the service of Li Fong, a gifted but troubled student of Mr. Han who moves to New York City with his mother following the death of his brother. The result is a film that feels indebted to the tropes of the original movies, the style of the 2010 remake, and character focus of Cobra Kai. Here’s how everything plays out in Karate Kid: Legends and how it leaves the door open for potential sequels.
Johnny Lawrence Cameos In Karate Kid: Legends’ Ending As Daniel’s Friend
Johnny Lawrence Shows Up In The Last Scene Of Karate Kid: Legends
Johnny Lawrence’s cameo in Karate Kid: Legends cements the connection between the film franchise and Cobra Kai. After being recruited by Mr. Han to help train Li Fong for the Five Boroughs Tournament, Daniel LaRusso eventually returns home to Southern California. The final scene of the film shows Daniel receiving a pizza delivery from New York as a thank for you his help, which Johnny comments on. The pair joke around, especially with Johnny’s argument that they should open their own Mr. Miyagi-themed pizzeria.
It’s a fun cameo, and one that builds on the ending of Cobra Kai in an important way. That show was largely focused on Johnny’s character development into a better man, with his rivalry with Daniel steadily morphing into an endearing friendship. This bond is at the forefront of their interaction in Karate Kid: Legends, which highlights the snarky but friendly banter they honed over the course of Cobra Kai. While Karate Kid: Legends doesn’t feature much reference to Cobra Kai, the return of Johnny is a fun shout-out for fans of the show’s approach to the character.
Why Li Spares Conor In The Five Boroughs Tournament Finale
Li’s Decision To Not Seriously Hurt Conor Is Consistent With The Morality Of The Franchise
At the center of Karate Kid: Legends is the Five Boroughs Tournament, which serves as a city-wide martial arts compeтιтion. The prize money for the championship would be enough to help Victor and Mia pay off the debt they owe, something Victor was working on himself before being put in the hospital. Li throws himself into the tournament, with his final challenger being Conor. Their duel is a close one, with Li managing to nab the win by tricking Conor with the “Tiger Trap” technique he honed with Mr. Han and Daniel.
Although Li has the chance to seriously injure Conor after he attacks Li from behind, he spares him further injury and celebrates his victory with his loved ones. Li spares him because of the training he’s received from Daniel and Mr. Han, which reflects the franchise’s overall approach to honorable combat. Li’s ability to defeat Conor but restrain his own frustrated anger proves how much the character has grown from earlier in the film, where he was baited into facing off with the student.
Where Mr. Han & Daniel Go After The Tournament
Mr. Han And Daniel Both Have Their Own Lives To Lead
The ending of Karate Kid: Legends sees the main characters all return to their respective homes, whether that be Beijing, New York City, or Los Angeles. After Li’s victory, Victor and Mia are able to not only save their pizzeria but expand to a second location, with Li throwing himself into helping the business. Meanwhile, Mr. Han and Daniel both head back to their respective homes. For Daniel, it makes perfect sense since he has a family, career, and dojo to operate back home out of the LA neighborhood of Reseda.
However, the film’s ending does suggest that Mr. Han would be interested in helping Victor expand his business to China…
For Mr. Han, the move back to Beijing also makes sense. He only came to visit Li because of his sudden lack of communication, which indicated to him that something was wrong with his student. After Li is able to get out of his funk and win the Five Boroughs Tournament, Han elects to return to China to care for his other students. However, the film’s ending does suggest that Mr. Han would be interested in helping Victor expand his business to China, which could easily allow him to return to New York City in the future.
Why Li Has PTSD In Karate Kid: Legends
Li’s Biggest Challenge In Karate Kid: Legends Is To Overcome The Trauma Involving His Brother’s Death
One of the emotional throughlines of Karate Kid: Legends is Li’s PTSD. Li eventually reveals the truth of it to Victor, telling him about how he had trained alongside his older brother. However, after his brother won a martial arts tournament, they were attacked by the loser of the compeтιтion. In the ensuing scuffle, Li froze up when he saw a knife get pulled and was unable to stop his brother from being fatally stabbed. The guilt over this pushes down on Li, which only becomes more pronounced after he freezes up when Victor is injured in the ring.
Li’s PTSD is the major challenge that Li must overcome, as it initially seems to keep him from fully being able to commit to his battles. Once he makes peace with the tragedy, Li is able to clear his mind and fight better, leading to his victory over Conor. It plays into the moral of the film, but also gives Li a personal level of tragedy that the other protagonists of the Karate Kid film franchise couldn’t quite match.
How Karate Kid: Legends Sets Up A Sequel
The Miyagi Mentality Now Has Connections Around The World
Karate Kid: Legends is a fairly self-contained film, building off the legacy of the franchise to introduce a new character who can connect the classic movies with the 2010 remake. Karate Kid: Legends also quietly set up further sequels, however. The set-up of Victor’s business expanding to China could give him and Li an easy excuse to visit the latter’s home city, setting up plenty of new conflicts or challenges. The annual nature of the Five Boroughs Tournament could also easily drive the plot of another movie.
Initially released as a remake of 1984’s The Karate Kid, 2010’s The Karate Kid was meant to be followed up with another sequel focusing on Mr. Han and Jaden Smith’s Dre Parker. However, those plans fell through, and the franchise instead pivoted to Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid: Legends. The new film establishes 2010’s The Karate Kid as part of the same universe.
Conor’s fury over losing, as well as the clear frustrations of his mentor O’Shea, could come back to haunt Li and his loved ones in a sequel. The fact that O’Shea is a loan shark only adds to the character’s dangerous nature, as he proves more willing to resort to brutal tactics if it means getting back at Victor and Li following their victory. The films could further explore the Cobra Kai connection, pitting Li against some of Daniel and Johnny’s students.
The fact that the Miyagi Dojo now has connections across the world could also easily come into play in a prospective sequel. Daniel could even potentially calling on the favor Li now owes him to help contend with his own problems. The world of Karate Kid has always been surprisingly expansive, but the stakes and tournaments of Karate Kid: Legends increase the number of ways the franchise could continue if the series were to move forward with more sequels.
The Real Meaning Of Karate Kid: Legends
The True Purpose Behind Kung-Fu
Karate Kid: Legends tackles many of the same themes that defined the first Karate Kid, highlighting the timeless qualities of that story. The underdog story of a newcomer facing off with a combat champion has worked for the franchise in multiple iterations, and that is no different in Karate Kid: Legends. However, the new film leans towards the concept of endurance in the face of adversity over the need to develop specific skills, as Li is already a proficient fighter when he’s introduced and really just needs to learn how to fully focus.
This plays into the central theme of Karate Kid: Legends, which underscores Li’s difficulty forgiving himself for his brother’s death by having him fail to properly commit himself to training others or fighting for himself. It’s only when he’s reminded by Mr. Han that Kung Fu is all about picking one’s self up that the lesson becomes clear. Karate Kid: Legends takes the classic themes of the franchise and applies them in a powerful story about Li’s growth not just as a fighter, but as a self-ᴀssured young man.
