Plot

Recently relocated from NJ to LA, Daniel becomes the target of a gang of Cobra Kai dojo students. When Mr. Miyagi saves him with expert Karate skills, Daniel convinces him to teach him to defend himself, and put his bullies in their place.

California, 1984. Having left Newark's cold winters behind him, shy Daniel LaRusso moves with his widowed mother to the Reseda neighbourhood in sunny Los Angeles. But Daniel must find his feet. Of course, fitting in is easier said than done. And as if new beginnings weren't challenging enough, a vicious gang of local karate bullies have set their sights on making life miserable for the young newcomer, in and out of school. With no one to turn to for advice, Daniel has a pivotal encounter with Mr Miyagi, the building's inscrutable caretaker and unexpected master martial arts mentor. As the grizzled Karate expert takes Daniel under his wing, the teacher and student embark on a life-changing journey of friendship and self-discovery. However, does the inexperienced LaRusso and Mr Miyagi's compassionate Okinawan defence style stand a chance against Cobra Kai Dojo's brutal Johnny Lawrence, the two-time winner of the All Valley Under-18 Golden Trophy?—Nick Riganas

Daniel LaRusso has just moved from New Jersey to Reseda, CA (a neighborhood in Los Angeles) and is finding it hard to acclimatise to life in the new city. He is promised a swimming pool and a beautiful house, but when they get there, it's anything but nice. He meets a beautiful blond girl, but encounters a gang of bullies who make his life a living hell. This further dampens Daniel's spirit as he just wants to go home. He is continually bullied and is afraid to show his face around the high school. He then meets mentor/handyman Mr. Miyagi who takes the naive Daniel under his wing and shows him that Karate and life aren't all about power and strength. It's something deep within you're soul that makes you what you are. Daniel is the underdog and faces the biggest challenge of his life. WIN and he can rejoice forever knowing he beat the bullies. LOSE? They'll never let him forget it.—James Phillips

Daniel is new in town, and is getting picked on by the local bullies, who all are adept in karate. Determined to stick up for himself, Daniel begins to teach himself karate, only to discover that the caretaker at his apartment seems to be a grand master in karate. Agreeing to teach Daniel, Mr. Miyagi shows Daniel that there is more to karate than violence, and perhaps the best way to solve the problem he has with the bullies is in the All Valley Karate Championship.—Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>

Meet Daniel Larusso, a mild-mannered New Jersey teenager who has to move from his native state to Los Angeles, California when his mother was offered a job there. He thought that he was going to have a nice house with a pool, then he finds out that his new home is a crummy apartment. He tries to fit into the Californian crowd, what he finds is a nice girl from his new high school, and punks (of a karate school named the Cobra Kai) who want to make his life miserable. Then, a Japanese handyman named Keusuke Miyagi comes to aid Daniel. He asked Miyagi to teach him karate, which he does (in a roundabout way). Daniel and Miyagi then developed a great relationship and he wanted to teach the karate fighting punks a lesson, so he signs up for a karate tournament. Daniel is determined to win.—John Wiggins

In 1984, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) a teenager and his mother Lucille (Randee Heller) move from Newark, New Jersey, to Reseda, Los Angeles, California. Daniel is unhappy at having to move, make new friends and leave his old friends behind, but he promises Lucille he'll do his best to make a new life in California. Daniel quickly makes a new friend, Freddy Fernandez (Israel Juarbe) at the apartment complex. When the faucet at their new apartment breaks, Daniel goes to see the maintenance man. Their apartment's handyman is an eccentric, but kind and humble Okinawan immigrant named Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita).

Freddy invites Daniel to a beach party where he spots a beautiful blonde named Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue), a high school cheerleader. As the sun goes down, local troublemaker Johnny Lawrence and his flunkies, Tommy (Rob Garrison) and Bobby Brown (Ron Thomas), crash the party on their motorcycles. After menacingly circling around their bonfire a few times, Johnny dismounts and argues with Ali, revealed to be his ex-girlfriend. He destroys her stereo, prompting Daniel to stand up to him. This draws the attention of her arrogant ex-boyfriend Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), a black belt and the top student from the "Cobra Kai" Dojo, where he studies a vicious form of karate. Johnny quickly reveals that he knows martial arts, and he easily beats up Daniel, giving him a black eye. He attempts to hide the eye injury from Lucille by wearing sunglasses to school; when this fails, he lies and tells her that he fell off his bicycle.

Daniel receives further humiliation during the soccer tryouts at his new school, when Bobby slide tackles Daniel, prompting Daniel to tackle him and land a punch to his face, which gets him expelled from the field.

Although Daniel has some basic knowledge of martial arts via some YMCA self-defense classes, he decides he needs a refresher. While he exercises, Miyagi comes in to fix the sink and comments on Daniel's attempts to learn from a book. He also inquires how Daniel could fall off a bicycle without sustaining any injuries to his arm. Daniel sees the Cobra Kai Dojo and decides to check it out after Lucille returns to work. The Dojo's Sensei, an ex-Special Forces Vietnam Veteran by the name of John Kreese (Martin Kove), runs the Dojo like a boot camp, instilling his students with a Draconian philosophy he refers to as "the Way of the Fist", which emphasizes ruthlessness, ferocity, and no mercy. When he sees Johnny, Tommy, and Bobby among Kreese's students, he nervously leaves.

While riding home that night on his bike, Johnny and his friends sideswipe Daniel on their motorbikes, causing him to fall down a hill. Arriving back at home, Lucille sees him tossing his wrecked bike in a dumpster. Daniel, angry at how his life has been disrupted with the move, tells his mother he wants to move back to New Jersey. As they walk away, Miyagi emerges from his workshop, having heard their conversation.

The next day, Daniel finds his bike out of the dumpster and repaired. He goes to Miyagi's workshop and finds out that Miyagi had repaired it for him. Miyagi is also pruning bonsai trees and invites Daniel to try it. Daniel is resistant but Miyagi convinces him that it's a relaxing hobby. Miyagi also shares some of his own personal history with Daniel: he learned about pruning bonsai trees from this father while living in his home town of Okinawa, Japan.

Johnny and his Cobra Kai gang continually bully Daniel. Ali and Daniel both decorate the school gymnasium for an upcoming Halloween dance. Daniel, however, chooses not to attend; when Miyagi asks him why, Daniel says he doesn't have a costume. Miyagi also senses that Daniel lacks confidence in himself, and fashions a costume for Daniel consisting of a shower head and curtain.

Daniel arrives at the school and meets with Ali, dancing briefly with her. A prankster at the dance smashes a raw egg on Daniel's head and he goes to the bathroom to clean up. Johnny is in one of the stalls, dressed like a skeleton (the other Cobra Kai are as well) and rolling marijuana joints. Daniel rigs a prank, dangling a hose over Johnny and turning on the water, dousing his enemy. Johnny rushes out of the bathroom after Daniel. Ali briefly stalls them by tripping Johnny and spilling all the other Cobra Kais to the floor.

Daniel rushes out of the school and nearly makes it over the fence at his home when the Kais catch him and begin to beat him seriously. Yelling about how enemies deserve "no mercy", Johnny winds up for a brutal kick and misses when Miyagi appears and pushes Daniel out of the way. The Kais attack Miyagi, who easily defeats them, including Johnny.

Amazed, Daniel asks Mr. Miyagi to teach him karate. Miyagi mentions that the Kais' problem is not their own doing but must be their teacher's. Miyagi suggests that Daniel talk to their teacher; Daniel refuses, thinking he'll be beaten again. Miyagi is reluctant to get involved but agrees to teach Daniel and also agrees to go with him to Cobra Kai and speak with Kreese.

They meet with the Sensei, John Kreese who callously dismisses the peace offering. Miyagi then proposes that Daniel enter the All-Valley Karate Championships, where he can compete with Johnny and the other Cobra Kai students on equal terms, and requests that the bullying cease while Daniel trains. Kreese agrees to the terms but warns that if Daniel does not show up for the tournament, the harassment will continue for both Daniel and Miyagi.

Daniel's training starts with days of menial chores that he believes only serve to make him Miyagi's slave. Miyagi tells Daniel that they'll have to make a pact: Miyagi will instruct Daniel, and his student will not question his method. When Daniel agrees, Miyagi hands Daniel a sponge and orders him to wash and wax all the cars. Miyagi's instructions are very specific; Daniel will only use the sponge and waxing cloths by moving his hands and arms in wide circles. He will also breathe deeply, in through his nose & out through his mouth. In the weeks that follow, Miyagi gives Daniel further chores to complete with similar instructions on technique: sanding a walkway that leads around Miyagi's backyard (landscaped to be a Japanese garden), staining the fence that surrounds his property and painting his house.

Daniel's frustration grows at the seeming lack of any karate training and Miyagi's minimal praise of his work. Miyagi tells Daniel to show him how he washed and polished the cars. When Daniel tells him his shoulder aches too much, Miyagi uses acupressure to relieve the tension and orders Daniel to show him the motions he'd been using to do the chores.

Daniel quickly realizes that the chores (which are essentially Daniel's "fee" for the lessons) were also practice for defensive moves, exercises to build muscle tone, his reflexes and proper breathing technique. After a few minutes of practice, Miyagi suddenly yells and throws several punches and kicks at Daniel, all of which Daniel blocks easily. Miyagi also shows Daniel how to bow to his opponent, making sure Daniel looks his opponent in the eye, both for defense and to convey respect.

Their bond develops, and Miyagi opens up to Daniel about his life that includes the dual loss of his wife and son in childbirth at the Manzanar internment camp while he was serving with the 442nd Infantry Regiment during World War II in Europe. Daniel also discovers that Miyagi is a war hero, having been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Before leaving, Daniel bows to his teacher.

Daniel goes on his first official date with Ali. When he arrives, driven by Lucille, at Ali's house, he finds that her parents are quite wealthy and live in Beverly Hills. Daniel is incredibly nervous and embarrassed, especially when Lucille's car won't start, and they have to push-start it. However, the date with Ali is enjoyable and his embarrassment melts.

Through Mr. Miyagi's teaching, Daniel learns not only karate, but also important life lessons such as the importance of personal balance, reflected in the principle that martial arts training is as much about training the spirit as the body.

Miyagi has Daniel work on his defensive techniques and learn physical balance by standing on the beach and trying to stay upright against the large strong waves of the ocean. When Daniel comes out of the water, he sees Miyagi standing on a post down the beach. Miyagi is practicing a move where he lifts his arms and one leg, but kicks with the other. When Daniel asks him what the move is Miyagi calls it the "crane technique" saying that if it's performed properly, an opponent will have no defense.

Ali asks Daniel to meet her for another date. Daniel goes to Ali's parent's country club where he sees Ali dancing with Johnny. When Johnny spots Daniel, he forces Ali to kiss him. Daniel, ashamed, goes to leave and runs into a waiter, who spills a tray of food on him, drawing laughter from everyone who sees the accident. Ali, furious, punches Johnny and leaves, which Daniel does not see happen.

Daniel applies the life lessons that Miyagi has taught him to strengthen his relationship with Ali. Daniel's 16th birthday comes around and he has cake and ice cream with Miyagi. He has also passed his driver's test. Miyagi gives Daniel a Japanese robe with an embroidered bonsai tree sewn into the back. Miyagi's other present is one of the cars he had Daniel wash and wax, a yellow 1948 Ford Super Deluxe. He tells Daniel to go out and find the "balance" in his life; realizing that he has confidence and to pursue his relationship with Ali. Daniel drives to a local hangout and finds Ali, intending to confront her about kissing Johnny. She mostly ignores him until Ali's friend Susan explains that Johnny had kissed her only to humiliate Daniel and that Ali had hurt her wrist while punching Johnny for that affront. Daniel apologizes to Ali, and she accepts. He takes her out for a drive in his new car.

Soon, the day of the tournament rolls around. In the locker room while dressing for the tournament, Daniel is confronted by some of the Cobra Kais led by Dutch, one of Kreese's top-ranking students. One of the referees orders the Kais out.

At the tournament, Daniel surprises everyone by reaching the semi-finals. Johnny advances to the finals, scoring three unanswered points against Darryl Vidal. Kreese instructs his second-best student, Bobby Brown (Ron Thomas), who is one of his more compassionate students and the least vicious of Daniel's tormentors, to disable Daniel with an illegal attack to the knee. Bobby reluctantly does so, severely injuring Daniel and getting himself disqualified in the process.

Daniel is taken to the locker room, where the physician determines that he cannot continue. However, Daniel believes that if he does not continue, his tormentors will have gotten the best of him. He convinces Miyagi to use a pain suppression technique to allow him to continue. As Johnny is about to be declared the winner by default, Daniel returns to fight. The match is a seesaw battle, with neither able to break through the other's defense.

The match is halted when Daniel uses a scissor-leg technique to trip Johnny, delivering a blow to the back of the head and giving Johnny a nosebleed. Kreese directs Johnny to sweep Daniel's injured leg - an unethical move. Johnny looks horrified at the order but reluctantly agrees. As the match resumes and the score is tied 2-2, Johnny seizes Daniel's leg and deals a vicious elbow, doing further damage.

Daniel, standing with difficulty, assumes the "Crane" stance, a technique he observed Mr. Miyagi performing on a beach. Johnny lunges toward Daniel, who jumps and executes a front kick to Johnny's face, winning the tournament. Johnny, having gained newfound respect for his nemesis, presents the trophy to Daniel himself, as Daniel is carried off by an enthusiastic crowd while Miyagi looks on proudly.