Throughout The Karate Kid film series, Mr. Miyagi became the father everyone wished they had, and his beautiful outlook on life in his thoughtful quotes wholly sums up his character. This is wisdom for the ages, all centered around the concept of finding balance in life, and striving to maintain it despite the hardships.
Mr. Miyagi told him he was spending too much time alone, to which Daniel replied that he's not alone because he has him. Mr. Miyagi knew better, and realized that young kids needed to be around each other for social development, great memories, and of course, balance. 16 "If Karate Used Defend Honor, Defend Life, Karate Mean Something.
When Daniel was being bullied by Johnny and his crew, he couldn't fight back, and not just for lack of skill. Eventually, Miyagi agreed to visit Cobra Kai and confront the leader, Kreese, which kicked off one of the Karate Kid franchise's best rivalries.
Miyagi knew that the best form of revenge was simply living well, and forcing enemies to re-examine their own path in life. He also knew that those who pursued revenge, no matter how justified it may seem, faced the risk of personal self-destruction. Even in the most extreme cases, revenge rarely leaves a person satisfied.
When Miyagi agrees to teach Daniel karate, he immediately tries to get through to him with this quote that talks specifically about the need to use the heart and mind, rather than the "gut.". It's the latter that could lead to danger, if anger, rage, and impulse drive his training. 1 "Lesson Not Just Karate Only.
Mr. Miyagi was a staunch opponent of anyone who taught martial arts for the sake of personal empowerment, ego, or glory. He knew that karate was designed for self-defense only, and his mantra stood in opposition to all forms of teaching that openly encouraged aggression and violence, such as Cobra Kai's methodology.
The rivalry between Miyagi and Sato in The Karate Kid II was obvious, right from the moment he and Daniel stepped off the plane in Okinawa. Sato had been waiting decades to fight Miyagi over an honor feud, and he wasn't ready to wait for it. He attempted to goad Miyagi into a fight on the street, but they were stopped at the announcement of some bad news.
As usual, Daniel wants to jump into learning karate techniques that he's not ready for and Mr. Miyagi is quick to share words of wisdom with him instead of trying to teach him something that could get him hurt.
Miyagi because his mentor doesn't believe in fighting in a tournament purely to fight in the tournament. The first movie saw Daniel participate to learn how to protect himself and stand up to his bullies.
Miyagi-Ryu karate focuses on two rules that are brazenly simple, yet cunningly wise. Miyagi's ancestors knew full well that it was one thing to say martial arts were for self-defense, but quite another to put it into practice. By constantly being reminded about the true nature of karate, people are better suited to using it for the purpose it was intended.
Most of the third movie saw Daniel wanting to defend his All Valley title with no support from Mr. Miyagi, who didn 't believe in fighting for the sake of a trophy. The first movie saw Daniel participate in order to learn how to protect himself, and stand up to his bullies.