One of the most beloved franchises ever made is all set to hit Netflix in the upcoming days, and fans of the decade-long series will be able to binge (most of) what is now considered one of the most iconic martial arts action universes of all time. What once began as an uplifting movie about a bullied kid who learns karate through mentorship and discipline has evolved into a huge series that has captivated many across the generations. After all, are there any mentors more quotable than Mr. Miyagi?
The Karate Kid franchise is set to land on Netflix June 1. That’s the three main movies in the series; The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), and The Karate Kid Part III (1989). The Karate Kid (2010), the remake starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, is also being added to the Netflix library. Only the standalone sequel, The Next Karate Kid, has not been considered for the update.
But not only is The Karate Kid franchise coming to Netflix, Karate Kid: Legends, the 2025 official sequel that combines the original storyline with the 2010 reboot, is already available to stream on the platform. Additionally, while a franchise rewatch may appeal to longtime followers of the series, we can’t stress enough the importance of the comedy spin-off Cobra Kai, also available on Netflix as part of its original programming.
One of the Most Iconic Martial Arts Franchises of All Time
Most martial arts movies came from Asian territories before the 1980s. Going back as far as the 1920s, films like those in Bruce Lee’s filmography, classic adventures such as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Once Upon a Time in China, Police Story, and many, many more paved the way for the modern genre as we know it. And while some had come before, The Karate Kid successfully added a coming-of-age twist in a way no Hollywood martial arts movie had done before. At least, not with as much fanfare.
In 1984, a new arrival in California, Daniel LaRusso ( Ralph Macchio), decides to make a stand. Coming from New Jersey, LaRusso was the new kid in town, and he became his bullies’ perfect victim. All of them knew karate, and all he could do was show his talent with a soccer ball. Mr. Miyagi ( Pat Morita), the handyman in his apartment complex, notices Daniel’s struggle trying to defend himself and decides to teach the boy some karate moves so he can stand up to his bullies.
Throughout the decades, The Karate Kid never changed much story-wise. Most of the movies see Miyagi teaching his unique karate technique, with some entries incorporating other players into the storyline. However, as big a legacy as the film series built with its first movies, it wasn’t until the premiere of the TV spin-off Cobra Kai in 2018 that everyone understood how big of a cutural impact the franchise still has.
‘Cobra Kai’ Is as Important as ‘The Karate Kid’
Cobra Kai is the spin-off series that surprisingly caught the attention of modern audiences and made The Karate Kid relevant again, quickly becoming the perfect complement to the film franchise. The 1984 original made parents crazy when kids started asking for karate lessons almost 40 years ago, and though the spin-off didn’t quite have the same effect, the cultural impact was unpredictably vast. It proved that legacy sequels didn’t have to follow exactly the same rehashed formula, bringing something surprisingly fresh to the decades-old franchise.
Rather than merely riffing on what came before, the spin-off presents redemption as its central theme, reshaping original villain Johnny Lawrence’s character arc and making him arguably more interesting than every other figure in the series. Of course, there’s no Cobra Kai without The Karate Kid, but the spin-off does more than enough to stand on its own two feet. Or one leg, as the case may be.
- Release Date
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June 22, 1984
- Runtime
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126 minutes
- Director
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John G. Avildsen
