Films featuring Karate

The series is built on two teaching philosophies — Cobra Kai's aggressive approach against Miyagi's defensive karate. That argument is real within karate and older than the film.

The actors are genuine Shorinji-ryu karateka and the fights were shot without effects or music underneath. The most faithful depiction of karate on film — strikes land where they should, not where it looks good.

The only feature film about the founder of Kyokushin. It draws on the manga Karate Baka Ichidai rather than verified sources — the bull fights appear here too, though their real extent is disputed.

The closest the series comes to karate's Okinawan roots — it features the hand drum used to drill blocks and refers to karate as an art with no first attack.

The "wax on, wax off" method is simplified, but the principle is real: a movement is drilled to automaticity before it is applied. Miyagi's style is rooted in Okinawan karate, not the Japanese sport version.

Here Wing Chun is set against karate as taught by a Marine instructor. The tabletop bout with a Tai Chi master illustrates the difference between hard and soft approaches to force.

The film presents itself as the true story of Frank Dux, yet neither the tournament nor the training under the Tanaka clan has ever been substantiated. It cannot be treated as a record of events — as a parade of 1980s styles, it can.

Despite the title, the film teaches Chinese kung fu, not karate — the most common misconception about this title. It was released in some markets as The Kung Fu Kid for that reason.