The Karate Kid (TV series)


The Karate Kid is a 1989 animated series which debuted on NBC's Saturday morning lineup. It starred Joey Dedio, Robert Ito, and Janice Kawaye. It is based on the Karate Kid series of films, and was produced by DIC Animation City, Saban Entertainment and Columbia Pictures Television.
The show was originally planned for daily syndication for fall 1988 with 65 episodes, before eventually settling on a 13-episode order for NBC Saturday mornings in 1989.

Overview

The show retains apprentice Daniel LaRusso and his mentor Mr. Miyagi but abandons the karate tournament motif for an adventure/quest setting. A miniature shrine with magic powers is taken from its resting place on Okinawa, and it is up to Miyagi and Daniel to recover it. Together with Okinawan girl Taki Tamurai, the karatekas search the globe and, naturally, encounter several opportunities to fight their way out of trouble.

Episode formula

The episodes typically follow a similar formula: Mr. Miyagi obtains a lead on the shrine's location in some exotic corner of the world. Daniel and Taki follow up on it, and in the process encounter some villains who have either obtained or are seeking to obtain the shrine for their own evil purposes. After engaging and defeating the villains, Daniel comes within a hair's breadth of retrieving the shrine, only to have it escape from his grasp by random chance, thus ensuring that the search continues into the next episode.

Syndication

The show was available for purchase on iTunes, and could be streamed for free in the US on Netflix, Internet Movie Database, Hulu, and The Minisode Network and Crackle. As of May 2018, the show was no longer available on iTunes, Netflix, or Hulu.
In Canada, the series can be streamed online via CTV's free, ad-supported video on demand hub "CTV Throwback".

Episodes

Cast