At its heart, The Karate Kid has always been more than about karate. It’s about mentorship, resilience, discipline, and learning to find balance in life. With each installment, the story evolved — sometimes leaning into melodrama, sometimes reinventing itself for new audiences — but always staying rooted in the universal truth Mr. Miyagi taught: “Karate here [points to head]. Karate here [points to heart]. Karate never here [points to fist].”