The Karate Kid original 1980s trilogy followed Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) as the two built a father and son relationship through Miyagi teaching Daniel karate. Daniel turns to Miyagi's karate wisdom and self-defense philosophy to defend himself against the Cobra Kai kids, led by Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).
The stakes are raised in the second and third films, as Daniel and Miyagi face more villainous foes, There are several surprisingly terrifying moments throughout the three films that, at first glance, should be for children, but prove time and again that they're accessible to a more adult audience.
Daniel Almost Dying Multiple Times
Daniel was almost killed multiple times throughout The Karate Kid franchise and it's pretty terrifying once the viewer realizes that the main character is seriously in danger.
The first film sees bully, Johnny Lawrence, beat him up mercilessly and break a sign right where his head was before Mr. Miyagi pushes him out of the way. In the second film, Chozen tries to kill him multiple times for insulting his honor and Mike Barnes almost drops him off a cliff in the third film.
Kreese And Terry Silver Tormenting Daniel
The main plot of the third film tracks John Kreese's attempt to seek revenge against Daniel and Mr. Miyagi for destroying his reputation and Cobra Kai.
Kreese's villainous friend, Terry Silver, devises a plan to trick Daniel into thinking he is his friend and trains him for the upcoming tournament, while also hiring a psychotic teenager to bully him into agreeing to fight in the tournament. The two grown men put in a lot of time and effort into completely traumatizing a teenager and it's pretty terrifying.
Kreese Running Cobra Kai Like A Cult
The Cobra Kai dojo in the original films is terrifying with their no mercy philosophy and immediate violent responses. It's difficult to watch teenagers follow Kreese like a father figure and not fully realize that they're being molded and manipulated by a villain.
Thankfully, the Cobra Kai kids understand this after Kreese goes too far, almost killing Johnny, and they all quit, but Kreese's presence still looms in the franchise, including the well-received Cobra Kai reboot.
Kreese Choking Johnny
The beginning of the second film starts right after Daniel wins against Johnny in the All Valley Tournament. Mr. Miyagi and Daniel leave the gym and see Kreese and Johnny in a heated argument. Johnny pleads with him that he did his best and second is fine, and Kreese breaks Johnny's second-place trophy and puts him in a chokehold.
The Cobra Kai kids try to stop him because Johnny obviously can't breathe, and it takes Mr. Miyagi to step in before Kreese finally lets him go.
The Big Storm
In the second film, Daniel and Mr. Miyagi are caught in a deadly storm in Okinawa. The entire town is destroyed and both Daniel and Miyagi are almost seriously injured or killed while trying to save everyone in the village.
It's dramatic and a little out of place, but Miyagi risking his life to save Sato ends their rivalry and mends their relationship, and allows Sato to help the village rebuild.
Mr. Miyagi's Tragic Backstory
Mr. Miyagi's tragic backstory is briefly covered in a more serious scene in the first film. Daniel figures out that Miyagi fought in World War II against Japanese forces and received the Medal of Honor.
While he was away fighting for the United States, his pregnant wife was placed in a Japanese internment camp and died during childbirth. It's a deeply sad backstory and the film covers it with appropriate weight and nuance.
Karate Dueling To The Death
Daniel and Mr. Miyagi go to Okinawa to visit Miyagi's fatally ill father in the second film, and Miyagi tells Daniel that he left Okinawa because his best friend, Sato, wanted to challenge him to a duel to the death.
Daniel is shocked that this is part of Miyagi's culture and doesn't know how to avoid dueling with Sato's nephew, Chozen, when he challenges Daniel.
Mike Barnes Bullying Daniel
Johnny was never a completely unhinged antagonist to Daniel's protagonist, but Mike Barnes enjoys being a deranged villain in the third film. He destroys Daniel and Mr. Miyagi's stock of bonsai trees, beats up Daniel multiple times, almost drops Daniel off a cliff, and laughs as Kreese and Silver traumatize Daniel.
Johnny clearly has a chance at redemption, especially in Cobra Kai, but Mike Barnes' character isn't likely to ever have a redemption arc.
Mr. Miyagi Could Kill People If He Wanted To
Miyagi acts like he is about to kill Kreese in the second film, but instead honks his nose, and tells Daniel he could have killed him, but it's more of a punishment for Kreese to live with his evil actions.
Although it becomes clear early on that Mr. Miyagi would never kill anyone, it's still well established that he could kill someone with his karate skills alone. It's terrifying that if Miyagi didn't have his strong moral principle of only using his karate for self-defense, he could actually be dangerous.
Cobra Kai Targeting Daniel
In both the first and third films, it's terrifying that the Cobra Kai community seems to immediately target new kid Daniel right when he moves into town and seeks revenge against him, even though he never truly did anything to hurt them.
Johnny is upset that Daniel starts talking to his recent ex-girlfriend, Ali, and bullies him throughout the first film, but the two seem to be okay by the end of the film. But Kreese also targets Daniel in the third film, as he's seeking revenge against him only because he beat Cobra Kai in the tournament.