Watch The Karate Kid (1984), Part II and Part III before Cobra Kai (2018 to 2025), which picks up 34 years later and leans on all three. The Next Karate Kid (1994) is optional. The Karate Kid (2010) with Jackie Chan joins the same story in Karate Kid: Legends (2025), which brings Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso together.
- Titles
- 7
- Films
- 6
- Series
- 1
- Watch time
- 51 hours
- Box office
- $737 million
- Avg IMDb
- 6.4
Karate Kid movies in release order
Here is every Karate Kid title in the order it came out, 1984 to 2025: 6 films and 1 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Karate Kid | 1984 | Film | 2h 7m | 7.4 |
| 2 | The Karate Kid Part II | 1986 | Film | 1h 53m | 6.2 |
| 3 | The Karate Kid Part III | 1989 | Film | 1h 52m | 5.4 |
| 4 | The Next Karate Kid optional | 1994 | Film | 1h 47m | 4.6 |
| 5 | The Karate Kid | 2010 | Film | 2h 20m | 6.3 |
| 6 | Cobra Kai | 2018 | Series | 38h 57m | 8.4 |
| 7 | Karate Kid: Legends | 2025 | Film | 1h 34m | 6.3 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
For The Karate Kid, release order and story order are the same thing: every film picks up after the one before it. There is no prequel to slot in early and no flashback to reshuffle, so the list above is the only order you need.
Where to start
Start with The Karate Kid and go in release order, skipping the 1 optional titles on the first pass.
The essentials are 6 titles and about 49 hours, 4% less than the full run.
The three highest rated: Cobra Kai (8.4), The Karate Kid (7.4), and The Karate Kid (6.3).
Every Karate Kid movie, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 1984 · Film · 2h 7m
The Karate Kid
New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and, later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.
Why it matters: Daniel and Mr. Miyagi; Cobra Kai builds directly on it.
- Starring
- Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, and Elisabeth Shue
- Director
- John G. Avildsen
- Box office
- $91 million on a $8 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 81%
No. 02 · 1986 · Film · 1h 53m
The Karate Kid Part II
Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia's niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato's nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.
Why it matters: Okinawa and Miyagi's past.
- Starring
- Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, and Danny Kamekona
- Director
- John G. Avildsen
- Box office
- $115 million on a $13 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 49%
No. 03 · 1989 · Film · 1h 52m
The Karate Kid Part III
Despondent over the closing of his karate school, Cobra Kai teacher John Kreese joins a ruthless businessman and martial artist to get revenge on Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.
Why it matters: Terry Silver; Cobra Kai brings him back.
- Starring
- Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, and Robyn Lively
- Director
- John G. Avildsen
- Box office
- $39 million on a $13 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 18%
No. 04 · 1994 · Film · 1h 47m · optional
The Next Karate Kid
Mr. Miyagi decides to take Julie, a troubled teenager, under his wing after he learns that she blames herself for her parents' demise and struggles to adjust with her grandmother and fellow pupils.
Why it matters: Miyagi trains Julie Pierce; optional.
- Starring
- Pat Morita, Hilary Swank, and Michael Ironside
- Director
- Christopher Cain
- Box office
- $16 million on a $12 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 4.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 20%
No. 05 · 2010 · Film · 2h 20m
The Karate Kid
12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying but the cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make him an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is a kung fu master. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.
Why it matters: Mr. Han trains Dre in Beijing; joins the main story in Legends.
- Starring
- Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, and Taraji P. Henson
- Director
- Harald Zwart
- Box office
- $359 million on a $40 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 67%
No. 06 · 2018 · Series · 38h 57m
Cobra Kai
This Karate Kid sequel series picks up 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament and finds Johnny Lawrence on the hunt for redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo. This reignites his old rivalry with the successful Daniel LaRusso, who has been working to maintain the balance in his life without mentor Mr. Miyagi.
Why it matters: Daniel and Johnny's rivalry, 34 years later.
- Starring
- William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, and Courtney Henggeler
- Creator
- Josh Heald, Hayden Schlossberg, and Jon Hurwitz
- Scores
- IMDb 8.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 94%
- Episodes
- 65 across 6 seasons
No. 07 · 2025 · Film · 1h 34m
Karate Kid: Legends
After a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition – but his skills alone aren't enough. Li's kung fu teacher Mr. Han enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.
Why it matters: Daniel and Mr. Han train a new student.
- Starring
- Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, and Joshua Jackson
- Director
- Jonathan Entwistle
- Box office
- $117 million on a $45 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 57%
Karate Kid box office and budgets
The 6 Karate Kid films with reported numbers have grossed $737 million worldwide on about $131 million in combined budgets, roughly 5.6 times what they cost. The biggest is The Karate Kid at $359 million, 49% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Karate Kid: Legends ($117 million) and The Karate Kid Part II ($115 million).
Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to The Karate Kid, which made 11 times its $8 million budget. The weakest was The Next Karate Kid at 1.3 times its $12 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.
The best and worst rated Karate Kid movies
Across 7 rated titles, The Karate Kid averages 6.4 on IMDb. The top of the list is Cobra Kai at 8.4, then The Karate Kid (7.4) and The Karate Kid (6.3). At the bottom: The Next Karate Kid (4.6) and The Karate Kid Part III (5.4).
- Cobra Kai8.4 · RT 94%
- The Karate Kid7.4 · RT 81%
- The Karate Kid6.3 · RT 67%
- Karate Kid: Legends6.3 · RT 57%
- The Karate Kid Part II6.2 · RT 49%
- The Karate Kid Part III5.4 · RT 18%
- The Next Karate Kid4.6 · RT 20%
Who appears in the most Karate Kid movies
Ralph Macchio leads with 5 appearances as Daniel and Daniel LaRusso, ahead of Pat Morita (4) and Martin Kove (4). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Macchio | Daniel / Daniel LaRusso | 5 | The Karate Kid (1984) to Karate Kid: Legends (2025) |
| Pat Morita | Miyagi / Mr. Miyagi | 4 | The Karate Kid (1984) to The Next Karate Kid (1994) |
| Martin Kove | Kreese / John Kreese | 4 | The Karate Kid (1984) to Cobra Kai (2018) |
| William Zabka | Johnny / Johnny Lawrence | 2 | The Karate Kid (1984) to Cobra Kai (2018) |
| Randee Heller | Lucille | 2 | The Karate Kid (1984) to The Karate Kid Part III (1989) |
| Chad McQueen | Dutch | 2 | The Karate Kid (1984) to The Karate Kid Part II (1986) |
| Arsenio Trinidad | Ichiro / Abbot Monk | 2 | The Karate Kid Part II (1986) to The Next Karate Kid (1994) |
| Jackie Chan | Mr. Han | 2 | The Karate Kid (2010) to Karate Kid: Legends (2025) |
Karate Kid directors and creators
7 filmmakers have directed or created The Karate Kid; John G. Avildsen has the most, with 3.
- John G. AvildsenThe Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), and The Karate Kid Part III (1989)
- Christopher CainThe Next Karate Kid (1994)
- Harald ZwartThe Karate Kid (2010)
- Josh HealdCobra Kai (2018)
- Hayden SchlossbergCobra Kai (2018)
- Jon HurwitzCobra Kai (2018)
- Jonathan EntwistleKarate Kid: Legends (2025)
How long it takes to watch every Karate Kid movie
All 7 titles add up to 51 hours: 12 hours of film and 39 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 26 two-hour evenings, or 6 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 49 hours. The longest film is The Karate Kid at 2h 20m.
The 4 best rated films: The Karate Kid, The Karate Kid, Karate Kid: Legends, and The Karate Kid Part II.
Everything takes about 8 weeks; the essentials about 7 weeks.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Which Karate Kid movies can you skip?
1 title can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 2 hours.
- The Next Karate Kid1994 · Film · 1h 47m · optionalMiyagi trains Julie Pierce; optional.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Karate Kid movies in?
Watch The Karate Kid (1984), Part II and Part III before Cobra Kai (2018 to 2025), which picks up 34 years later and leans on all three. The Next Karate Kid (1994) is optional. The Karate Kid (2010) with Jackie Chan joins the same story in Karate Kid: Legends (2025), which brings Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso together.
How many Karate Kid movies and shows are there?
There are 7 titles in the The Karate Kid franchise: 6 films and 1 series, released from 1984 to 2025.
How long does it take to watch all the Karate Kid movies?
About 51 hours for all 7 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (6 titles) take about 49 hours.
What is the first Karate Kid title in chronological order?
The Karate Kid, set in 1984. In release order the first is The Karate Kid (1984).
Which Karate Kid titles can I skip?
The Next Karate Kid. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.
What is the best Karate Kid movie?
By IMDb score, Cobra Kai (2018) at 8.4, followed by The Karate Kid at 7.4.
What is the highest-grossing Karate Kid movie?
The Karate Kid (2010), with $359 million worldwide. The Karate Kid films have made $737 million in total.
Who has appeared in the most Karate Kid movies?
Ralph Macchio, in 5 of them as Daniel.
What is the longest Karate Kid movie?
The Karate Kid, at 2h 20m.
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