Pat Morita played Mr. Miyagi four times in the Karate Kid franchise, and although the character’s first name has been addressed, there is other information available that makes the matter a little mysterious. Initially introduced to the series as a maintenance man, the revelation of Mr. Miyagi’s military background quickly fleshed out his character. Even though he died between the events of the Karate Kid franchise and Cobra Kai, Mr. Miyagi has continued to haunt the narrative in the Netflix legacy sequel show. Included in his posthumous enigma is what his real first name was.

Mr. Miyagi’s age in his Karate Kid appearances meant he had already led a long and full life by the time of the first movie. Of course, his time was also riddled with heartbreak after the loss of his wife and child, but he found the strength to carry on without them and ended up serving as a father figure to Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso. The full name of Morita’s iconic character wasn’t mentioned until 1986’s The Karate Kid Part II, but later franchise installments have muddied the waters in this respect.

The Karate Kid Movies & Cobra Kai Give 2 Different First Names For Mr. Miyagi

The franchise has provided “Nariyoshi” & “Keisuke” as possibilities

The first Karate Kid sequel revealed Mr. Miyagi’s first name was Nariyoshi, and this seemingly remained part of the official canon for a long time. There was no reason to believe the information was false or misleading in any way. However, 1994’s The Next Karate Kid threw a spanner in the works eight years later. The movie was the first franchise effort without Ralph Macchio, as Hilary Swank’s Julie Pierce replaced Daniel LaRusso. As well as this big change, The Next Karate Kid also gave Mr. Miyagi an alternate first name.

Swank’s Karate Kid movie claimed Mr. Miyagi’s name wasn’t Nariyoshi, but Keisuke. At the time, this was considered either a canonical error or an intentional retcon. The name change isn’t acknowledged in The Next Karate Kid, which makes matters very confusing. The plot thickened when Cobra Kai debuted in 2018, and Mr. Miyagi’s first name was once more established as Nariyoshi when the show unveiled the late Mr. Miyagi’s headstone. Then, in Cobra Kai season 6, Daniel finds his late sensei’s pᴀssport, which lists his name as Keisuke Miyagi. The franchise hasn’t yet confirmed Miyagi’s real name.

Mr. Miyagi’s Ambiguous First Name Fits His Mysterious Backstory

Pat Morita’s character has lived a fascinating offscreen life

Although certain parts of Mr. Miyagi’s backstory have been made known to Karate Kid characters and the franchise’s viewers, there is still a lot that’s been left to the imagination. For a long while, this just felt like a side effect of how old he was when he entered the story in 1984, and that nearly six decades of character lore would be impossible to cover with any real attention. However, Cobra Kai‘s final season finally addressing the shortage of information means the inconsistencies with Mr. Miyagi’s name across the Karate Kid franchise suddenly seem far more fitting.