Karate Kid: Legends is bringing Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan together, but that creates a complicated plot hole. While it's certainly exciting that these iconic martial arts figures will be reunited on screen, the new Karate Kid film is a strange way to do it. After all, Chan's 2010 The Karate Kid The film duplicated the formula of Macchio's 1984 classic, to the point that placing these films in the same universe is a little strange. Still, 2025 Karate Kid: Legends might find a way to keep this from feeling like a plot hole.
Karate Kid: Legendswhich hits theaters on May 30, 2025, will see Macchio's Daniel LaRusso join forces with Chan's Mr. Han to teach karate to a new student (played by Ben Wang). This follows the success of Karate Kid spin-off series, Cobra Kaiwith a returned focus on the original film franchise. Other than that, little else is definitively known about the film's plot. It's unclear exactly how Daniel and Mr. Han will meet, but that's the least of the upcoming film's problems. Perhaps the most significant challenge will be to effectively justify the uncanny similarities between these characters' stories.
The Karate Kid (2010) closely followed the premise of the original film
The Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith film was created as a reboot
The Karate Kid (2010) was treated more like a reboot than a sequel. Of course, Chan's Mr. Han didn't have the same name as Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi, but the former was clearly based on the latter. Han protected a child (Dre) from bullying and then agreed to teach the boy martial arts so he could face his bullies in a tournament. This is the exact formula from 1984 The Karate Kidand there was absolutely nothing wrong with that at the time. Reboots are nothing new and Karate Kid (2010) introduced enough changes to the story and characters to keep it fresh and unique.
It is precisely for this reason that Chan Karate Kid and Macchio's 1984 film were considered to be in separate universes. It's strange that any character within a single continuity would have such similar stories. However, 2025 Karate Kid: Legends is doing just that by bringing Macchio and Chan together. While the idea that these two will star together is exciting, the next movie will do a lot of work explaining why Daniel LaRusso and Dre have the exact same story.
Karate Kid: legends can't explain the enormous similarities between Daniel LaRusso and Dre
There are many similarities to being organic
Daniel moved from the East Coast to California in 1984 The Karate Kid and was immediately met with bullying. It took a friendship with Mr. Miyagi for things to change for him, and a triumphant victory for the underdog in the All-Valley Tournament made everything even better. In 2010 The Karate KidDre (Jaden Smith) moved to China with his single mother, was met with bullying, and only got better with his unlikely friendship with Mr. Han, a teacher with a rather unique teaching style. These stories are essentially identical– Daniel and Dre even got into trouble because of their feelings for a girl.
While people may coincidentally have backgrounds that align with each other, Daniel and Dre take it to a whole different level.
Karate Kid: Legends will have difficulty explaining these similarities. While people may coincidentally have backgrounds that align with each other, Daniel and Dre take it to a whole different level. Unless the next movie finds an effective way to make this make sense, It can be difficult to accept the new Karate Kid story seriously.
How Karate Kid: Legends can include the reboot coincidences in its plot
The new Karate Kid movie will have to create some hidden connections
Most likely, Mr. Miyagi will be the key to Karate Kid: Legends explaining the similarities between 2010 and 1984 The Karate Kid films. Daniel's sensei and Mr. Han have similar training styles, which utilize practical exercises (like waxing a car or hanging up a jacket) to teach martial arts. It's certainly possible that your own histories in karate and kung fu have the same roots. This would make some sense, as Miyagi-Do notably evolved from a style that Mr. Miyagi's ancestors learned in China. However, Daniel and Dre's stories will be much harder to explain.
Daniel might remind Mr. Han of Dre, and Mr. Han might remind Daniel of Mr. This would be the basis of their relationship, and that in itself may be enough to distract the audience from the fact that the fact that these stories are so close together is a bit of a stretch. A better alternative might be some revelation in the next Karate Kid: Legends that Mr. Miyagi wrote to Mr. Han and told him all about his young student and friend before the events of 2010 The Karate Kidthus inspiring the man to take Dre under his wing. In the end, the public may simply have to accept it – although a proper explanation would be preferable.