Remembering the true impact of 'The Karate Kid' 40 years later

A tale of the hero defeating the bully will never lose power.

I was picked on as a kid, escaping into the movies and their infinite abyss of joy to outrun an existential dread. Due to a speech impediment, in other words an annoying stutter that made sentences stretch out like long walks, I was made fun of constantly as a kid and young teenager. People are so inept and ignorant that if they hear your speech isn’t sharp, they immediately assume you’re not as smart and need dirt piled on top of your everyday struggles.

After all, bullying is a tale as old as time and also seemingly invincible. How hard is it to find a video these days of a young kid crying his eyes out about being bullied? A useless tactic that, if continued and unchecked, can lead to a young soul taking their own life. Or, in the land of make believe and some real life occurrences, it can result in the bully getting their ass kicked.

Columbia Pictures

That’s why movies such as The Karate Kid were like kettle corn to a kid like me and still a strong stock as an adult. While I was too young to catch the movie in theaters, it became a household favorite later on in the 1980s. If I had a hard day or needed a lift, the cinematic VHS drug about a kid in Cali fighting back was a remote click away from curing it all. Well, not all of it. But watching Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso kick William Zabka’s Johnny in the jaw at the end of the journey is still an adrenaline rush that even this film addict can feel 40 years later.

The truth is any kid who was picked on or bullied wished they had a Mr. Miyagi by their side. The late Pat Morita may not have looked like much walking up to an antagonist, but his Jet Li-type speed karate moves left them dizzy and injured. He was the hero who also taught human compassion and good morals to young Daniel, along with those badass martial arts combat moves. As my dad told me and my brother at a young age, there will come a time when the chips are down and the exits are nigh, and you must fight.

“Punch them in the nose” was Rich Buffa’s advice, sound stuff if you think about a one-shot way to end a quarrel. Miyagi’s was more tactical, involving a spiritual-like meditation to come together in the body as a form of force was sent outward. Decades later on Netflix’s Cobra Kai, older Daniel teaches those tactics and beliefs to his daughter and anyone who would like to protect themselves in an honorable way. Miyagi’s teachings weren’t about simply defeating the enemy with a few well-trained kicks and punches; it was about deleting the hate from their system with a philosophy.

Director John Avildsen, who created an underdog one-two juggernaut with this and Rocky, staged the thrilling final fight--as well as the numerous battles the men of John Kreese (the gifted Martin Kove, Johnny’s Miyagi equivalent) men and Miyagi. But it was Robert Mark Kamen’s script that packed the true power of the 1984 classic. Under the violence lived a strong message about defeating evil: it takes two to tango, fists and feet help you win the battle, but words help win the war.

At least that’s how it existed in the movies, especially The Karate Kid. Unlike the Arnold and Sly adventures where the hero mowed down everything and everyone in his path to justice, it was more kid-friendly and thus kid-reachable. Daniel was bullied, sought guidance in Mr. Miyagi, and learned to fight back. Heck, in the end, he even got the girl (a lovely one in Elisabeth Shue).

Here’s the thing. Bullying will never end, but it can be fought. Try to do it with words, because your mind will feel better and your body will hurt less. But if it must be done, go watch The Karate Kid and listen to everything Miyagi says. Two different Daniels will concur.