“Cobra Kai” carries on the legacy left behind by the original “Karate Kid” movies, which inspired a generation of kids to pick up a gi and learn how to defend themselves against bullies. The original karate master, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), taught principles related to Miyagi-Do, which focuses on defense and protecting others without feeling the need to start fights. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) carries on this legacy by opening his own Miyagi-Do dojo with his former rival, Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), by his side.
Chozen was introduced in “The Karate Kid Part II” as a practitioner of Miyagi-Do (albeit a more distorted version as he’s a major antagonist toward Daniel). By the time “Cobra Kai” comes around, he’s matured dramatically and helps Daniel teach a new generation of students about Miyagi-Do. However, in actuality, it appears Miyagi-Do is merely a variation of the real Gōjū-ryū style of karate. This translates to “hard-soft style” and is a prominent Okinawan martial art style.
There’s evidence in the films this is the cast. For example, in “The Karate Kid Part II,” Chozen’s gi contains a Gōjū-ryū patch consisting of a golden upraised fist. It may not be a perfect one-to-one translation, but Gōjū-ryū should be of interest to anyone wondering how they can practice Miyagi-Do in real life.
Chozen has found a greater balance within the hard-soft style
Chozen receives redemption throughout “Cobra Kai.” When he’s reintroduced to Daniel, things are still somewhat heated, but they manage to bury the hatchet, with Chozen traveling to the United States to help Daniel take down Cobra Kai once and for all. But he’s still a follower of the Miyagi-Do teachings, exhibiting qualities of both sides to Gōjū-ryū.
In real life, Gōjū-ryū is credited as being founded by Chōjun Miyagi around 1930. He named it that not only for its principles as they related to karate but also for life. As described in “Okinawan Gōjū-Ryū: The Fundamentals of Shorei-Kan Karate” by Seikichi Toguchi, “When preparing to block, the body is soft and inhaling. When attacking or punching, it becomes hard and exhaling. This existence of both hard and soft characterizes Goju-Ryu karate.” Chozen may have learned Miyagi-Do in “The Karate Kid Part II,” but it’s obvious he didn’t fully abide by the principles, adopting harder techniques. In “Cobra Kai,” he’s attained a far greater balance. He’s willing to fight when the moment calls for it, but he’s also vulnerable, as evidenced by him more openly embracing romantic feelings for Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita).
Original “Karate Kid” screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen immersed himself in Gōjū-ryū karate, so it makes sense it later influenced him in this story. And with “Cobra Kai,” the lessons of Miyagi-Do, and subsequently Gōjū-ryū, can get passed down to the next generation.
