Like “Cobra Kai,” “The Karate Kid” films present Mr. Miyagi as a great martial artist and a pretty cool guy. Unlike the first five seasons of “Cobra Kai,” they also take some pains to point out that he’s a nuanced person who’s far from the one-dimensional old master archetype.
Miyagi is a highly unconventional sensei with a quiet sense of humor, and he likes to test his students’ resolve with seemingly mundane tasks. He can get genuinely annoyed when someone beats him at something, such as when Daniel catches a fly with chopsticks before him. He’s also not above humiliating those he deems unworthy. John Kreese (Martin Kove) finds this out the hard way in “The Karate Kid Part II” when Miyagi beats him with a couple of dodges and a nose honk. Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) gets a similar treatment in “Part III” when Miyagi returns his childish taunts after thoroughly dominating him in a fight. One scene in “The Karate Kid” that arguably goes too far even shows Miyagi karate-chopping beer bottles to intimidate a pair of racists after politeness fails.
Mr. Miyagi’s mysterious backstory unfolds bit by bit over the course of the movies, and his personality and tragic history are on full display in moments like the drinking scene in “The Karate Kid.” However, it’s worth remembering that the franchise never even implies that Miyagi could be a bad man before “Cobra Kai” Season 6, Part 1 introduces the idea. As such, Parts 2 and 3 will likely cast a more benevolent light on the teases about his shady past … but for now, it’s refreshing to see the show treat Miyagi as a human being for once.
