The Karate Kid, one of the best feel-good movies of the 1980s, introduced the world to two fan-favorite characters who continue to be adored worldwide today. Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso, the main character of the film, and Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi, his karate mentor, appear together in a total of three movies, and their interactions are just as relevant today as when the films were first made. The lessons Daniel LaRusso learned from Mr. Miyagi resonate among viewers of all ages and from all generations because the philosophy behind them is timeless.
Mr. Miyagi is one of the wisest film characters ever written, and part of the charm of watching The Karate Kid and its sequels is listening to him impart his wisdom. The best Mr. Miyagi quotes from the Karate Kid movies are brimming with wisdom and intelligence as his guidance for Daniel LaRusso pertains not just to his karate, but also to his lifestyle in general. Living life according to the lessons he gives Daniel can be fulfilling. However, Mr. Miyagi’s wisest words weren’t said to Daniel, but are instead from The Next Karate Kid.
Mr. Miyagi’s Wisest Quote Comes From The Next Karate Kid
He Addresses Julie Pierce In The Movie
The Next Karate Kid, the fourth and final Karate Kid movie featuring Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, sees the franchise change protagonists. Daniel LaRusso is missing from The Next Karate Kid because the film instead follows Hilary Swank’s Julie Pierce. Julie is an angsty high-school girl with a rebellious streak and an utter lack of respect for hierarchy, authority, and the previous generation. However, Mr. Miyagi is wise, patient, and empathetic as ever, and watching Julie actively ignore school prompts him to impart his best wisdom to her.
“Ambition without knowledge is like a boat on dry land.” – Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), The Next Karate Kid (1994)
Julie is frustrated with Mr. Miyagi’s insistence on her completing her homework, but after a wholesome interaction, she opens up to him. She explains that she has her future planned out, and the skills being taught in school won’t help her. Since she’s just a teenager without a complete understanding of how the world works as an adult, Mr. Miyagi tells her that her ambition isn’t helpful if she’s unwilling to do the due diligence or research better. However, he phrases it in the form of a timeless quote that might be his best.
Throughout the four films, Mr. Miyagi says many quotable and wise lines. However, few of them grasp at such a fundamental truth about something so aspirational as ambition. Ambition is rarely considered a negative trait in a world where children are expected to make decisions about their future while still in high school. However, as Mr. Miyagi notes, it isn’t a strong motivator alone, and without knowledge and research, ambition can push someone to take up as futile an endeavor as trying to row a boat on dry land.
Why The Next Karate Kid Is An Underrated Entry In The Franchise
It Successfully Recontextualizes The Original Movie
While The Karate Kid is a timeless classic that never ages, the same cannot be said about The Next Karate Kid. It has compelling moments, great quotes from Mr. Miyagi, and a memorable performance by Hilary Swank, but it is a product of its time. One of the most frequent complaints against The Next Karate Kid is that Julie is a one-dimensional and annoying character. While there isn’t much truth to the claim that she’s one-dimensional, as she develops as a person in more ways than one, her being annoying is an intentional choice.
Her journey then speaks to ’90s kids and kids of the next generations.
Daniel LaRusso represents the ideal student in need of guidance who will gratefully accept mentorship. However, Julie represents the ’90s, when the rise of independence and the rejection of the establishment was a bigger trend among teenagers. She can feel like a cliche protagonist because she is a cocktail of ’90s stereotypes. However, this is a strength of The Next Karate Kid, as her journey then speaks to ’90s kids and kids of the next generations, because her transformation into a calm-headed and respectful person might inspire them!
Hilary Swank has never reprised her role from The Next Karate Kid, and Julie Pierce doesn’t appear in The Karate Kid: Legends either, even though the Cobra Kai showrunners have confirmed that Julie is canon to the show and the main Karate Kid continuity.
So, even though the film doesn’t live up to the standards set by The Karate Kid or its sequels, The Next Karate Kid has its own strengths that don’t explain why it is so hated. The climactic action scene might not be the best, but Mr. Miyagi patiently mentoring such a “problem child” archetype of a teenage character gives us memorable scenes that deserve more love. This is why it’s surprising that Julie Pierce didn’t have a cameo in Cobra Kai, since seeing Swank’s relatable character as an adult might have been fun for long-time fans of the franchise.
