The Karate Kid was a smash success due in large part to the incredible presence of actor Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, a wise old Japanese man fluent in the ways of fishing and karate. His bond with Daniel LaRusso went far beyond a sensei teaching his student Karate, and he soon became a father figure who guided Daniel-san on the path to balance and harmony in his own life.
That didn't mean Miyagi was serious all the time, however. In fact, Miyagi's carefree and positive attitude shined through on multiple occasions as he delivered some of the funniest quotes of the entire franchise. It was at times like these that the decision to cast an actor with comedic chops proved to be a positive thing, despite initial studio reluctance to choose Morita for that very reason.
"After, After!"
Daniel's first encounter with Mr. Miyagi was testy to say the least. It didn't help that he rolled up on Miyagi's small apartment just as he was concentrating on catching a housefly with a pair of chopsticks. When Daniel asked him to come and fix the sink faucet in his apartment, Miyagi grew impatient rather quickly.
He quickly snapped this quote at Daniel to get him off his back so he could concentrate on the task at hand. His reclusive lifestyle may also have played a part in his reluctance to welcome Daniel with open arms, but the two would later go on to forge a legendary bond.
"To Make Honey, Young Bee Need Young Flower, Not Old Prune."
Mr. Miyagi was concerned that Daniel was avoiding his high school Halloween dance, possibly because he was afraid of bumping into Johnny Lawrence and the other Cobra Kai initiates. Plus, he didn't have a Halloween costume. Miyagi knew that Daniel spending too much time on his own would only lead to social problems down the road, especially with a young girl already interested in him.
Miyagi gave Daniel some funny, yet sage advice regarding the need for teenagers to hang out with their own age group and form bonds, learning how to interact and grow into adults. It would be hard to accomplish this by spending time with an old karate teacher night after night.
"In Okinawa, Belt Mean No Need Rope Hold Up Pants!"
Daniel's ignorance regarding karate must have been both comical and irritating for Mr. Miyagi, especially given his vast knowledge of the martial art and its deeper meanings. When Daniel asked him what color karate belt he was, Miyagi decided to take the comedic route by poking fun at the question.
He uttered this quote that not only elicited a laugh, but pointed out the inherent flaws in the karate belt system. After all, to Miyagi, karate was a way of life and a philosophy designed to achieve harmony and balance— not a status symbol.
"How? Just Save You Two Months Beating!"
After Daniel took a severe beating from the Cobra Kai gang, he asked Mr. Miyagi to go down to their dojo and speak with John Kreese. Miyagi reluctantly agreed, and the two showed up at Cobra Kai the next morning to confront him. Rather than chastise his students, Kreese defended them and viewed Miyagi's request as a challenge.
Instead of asking Kreese to demand that his students quit harassing Daniel, he decided to train him for the All Valley Karate tournament. Daniel was horrified at the decision and asked how it was going to solve anything, but Miyagi replied with this hilarious quote that audiences couldn't help but laugh at.
"You Beginner Luck!"
When Daniel sat down to participate in a friendly competition of fly-catching using chopsticks, Miyagi was amused. After all, how could this young boy succeed where Miyagi had failed for untold years up until that point? To Daniel's surprise, he caught the housefly with chopsticks after his first several attempts.
Miyagi's frustration was visible and obvious, and he snapped back at Daniel with this quote. However, it was a symbolic moment for Daniel that suggested he could beat all the odds and emerge triumphant as the winner of the All Valley Karate tournament. Indeed, it was Miyagi who said "Man who catch fly with chopstick accomplish anything."
"Oh, Daniel-San, You All Wet Behind The Ear!"
When Miyagi began ramping up Daniel's karate training, one of the constants was a focus on balance. He knew full well that such a balance was easy to understand, but difficult to accomplish in life. As such, he continued to expand Daniel's training around the philosophy at all times.
Still, Daniel was anxious to move past the philosophical and move into the offensive. Rather than get angry, Miyagi decided to teach him a lesson by purposely rocking a boat back and forth until he lost his balance and fell into the freezing cold water, then poking fun at him with this quote before laughing hysterically.
"Whassamatta, You Some Kinda Girl Or Something?"
When the time finally came for Daniel to learn offensive techniques, Miyagi took the proverbial gloves off and focused on rudiments and physical technique. Dressed up in an umpire's outfit with appropriate chest padding, Miyagi acted as the training dummy for Daniel to practice his straight punch.
His first attempt was pretty bad, and Miyagi responded with this quote in order to knock some sense into him. Secretly, Miyagi knew full well that both males and females were totally capable of learning karate, but he also knew how to strike at the ego of a teenage boy and provoke him to do better. The era of the movie has to be taken into account with this line, of course, as accusing a boy of "acting like a girl" as a way to insult him rightfully wouldn't fly today.
"Don't Know. Never Been Attacked By Tree."
When Daniel and Miyagi arrived in Okinawa, they were greeted by a large sign with a picture of Miyagi's old friend and rival Sato in an ad for his prolific Karate schools. The picture showed Sato breaking a large piece of wood, evidently to attract hot-headed students into joining up.
Daniel asked Miyagi if he was capable of shattering a block of wood, to which Miyagi replied with this hilarious quote designed to poke fun at people who used martial arts for pointless demonstrations of strength.
"You Get College Tuition. We Get Chinese Food!"
While in Okinawa, Daniel ran afoul of Sato's prized pupil, Chozen, who disliked him from the start. After Daniel and Kumiko wandered into a rough sports bar where various U.S. Army personnel were taking bets on who could break the most ice blocks, he ended up on the chopping block himself.
Chozen forced him into a bet to break all six blocks of ice, which Daniel thought was impossible. Mr. Miyagi showed up and took the bet before encouraging a terrified Daniel to focus. Daniel managed to shatter all six blocks of ice, shaming Chozen and Sato in the process. After taking the money, Daniel asked how they were going to spend it, and Miyagi replied with this hilariously nonchalant quote.
"Good Decision, Daniel-San. This Way No More Bruises. Save Money On Bandage!"
Daniel was asked to defend his title in the annual All Valley Karate tournament, but Mr. Miyagi was quick to point out how wrong the decision was. In his eyes, Karate was for self-defense and personal life balance rather than the defense of a trophy or a title. Daniel was visibly irritated and could not understand Miyagi's reasoning, but he soon came around.
He decided to take Miyagi's advice and burnt the All Valley invitation as a gesture that he was willing to let go of his own ego. Mr. Miyagi responded with this funny quote designed to poke a little fun at Daniel who immediately joined in with some good-natured ribbing.