Film · in order
Karate Kid Movies in Order
There are six Karate Kid movies: the original trilogy (1984-1989), The Next Karate Kid (1994), the 2010 remake, and Karate Kid: Legends (2025), plus six seasons of Cobra Kai in between. Release order is story order, and Legends finally makes the 2010 film count.
Karate Kid Movies in Order: complete list
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Why this order?
Release order is the path, and it doubles as story order: the original trilogy (1984, 1986, 1989), then The Next Karate Kid (1994, with Hilary Swank as Mr. Miyagi's new student), then the 2010 remake, then the six seasons of Cobra Kai (2018-2025), and finally Karate Kid: Legends (2025). Nothing here jumps around in time; the confusion in this franchise is about canon, not chronology.
Here is the canon story, because it is genuinely funny: the 2010 remake, with Jaden Smith training under Jackie Chan's Mr. Han in China, was its own separate continuity for fifteen years, and Cobra Kai's creators said as much while their show revived the original films' universe. Then Karate Kid: Legends (2025) merged the two worlds anyway, putting Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso in the same film, set roughly three years after Cobra Kai's finale. So the 2010 film went from skippable remake to required viewing for Legends in a single marketing cycle.
Practical advice: if you only care about the LaRusso saga, watch the trilogy and Cobra Kai and treat everything else as optional. If you are heading for Legends, add the 2010 film so Mr. Han means something. Cobra Kai itself is tracked in full, episode by episode, in our dedicated Cobra Kai guide; here it sits as one step in the larger saga.
Timeline 1984-2025
Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.
- 1984 The Karate Kid
- 1986 The Karate Kid Part II
- 1989 The Karate Kid Part III
- 5-year gap
- 1994 The Next Karate Kid
- 16-year gap
- 2010 The Karate Kid (2010)
- 8-year gap
- 2018 Cobra Kai (TV series)
- 7-year gap
- 2025 Legends
Where to play it today
- Most of the franchise, including Cobra Kai, streams on Netflix in the US
- The films also rotate through digital rental platforms (Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play)
- Check JustWatch for current availability in your region
Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for Karate Kid.
Frequently asked questions
How many Karate Kid movies are there?
Six: The Karate Kid (1984), Part II (1986), Part III (1989), The Next Karate Kid (1994), the 2010 remake and Karate Kid: Legends (2025). The Cobra Kai series (2018-2025) sits between the last two.
What order should I watch the Karate Kid movies in?
Release order, which is also story order: the trilogy, The Next Karate Kid, the 2010 remake, Cobra Kai, then Legends. Nothing is set out of sequence, so there is no separate chronological path to learn.
Is the 2010 Karate Kid canon?
It is now. For fifteen years it stood as a separate remake continuity, and Cobra Kai's creators treated it as outside their universe. Karate Kid: Legends (2025) merged the worlds by putting Jackie Chan's Mr. Han alongside Daniel LaRusso, making the 2010 film required viewing for Legends.
Do I need to watch Cobra Kai before Karate Kid: Legends?
It helps a lot: Legends is set about three years after Cobra Kai's finale and leans on where the series leaves Daniel. The film stands on its own feet for newcomers, but the payoff is built for Cobra Kai viewers.
Where does The Next Karate Kid fit?
After Part III, as a standalone side story: Mr. Miyagi trains a new student, played by Hilary Swank, and Daniel does not appear. Nothing later depends on it, so it is the most skippable entry.
Is a new Karate Kid movie coming after Legends?
Nothing is announced as of mid-2026. Legends (May 2025) is the most recent entry, and the franchise's future beyond it has not been confirmed.
Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, Wikidata
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