Karate Kid: Legends is using a detail that even the 2010 movie missed

Karate Kid: Legends will soon bring a new kid to the battle. From the looks of it, this 2025 film will correct a grave mistake from the franchise's previous film installment.

The upcoming film shows Jackie Chan appearing in another franchise chapter as the talented Mr. Han. He previously appeared in the 2010 film, where he taught Jaden Smith's Dre Parker some valuable martial arts. He was key to Dre's journey despite appearing in the Parker family's life as a mere maintenance man. This talented fighter eventually showed his expert fighting skills and gained the trust of those who undermined or ignored his talents.

As Mr. Han returns to the Karate Kid franchise, he will take over the challenge of teaching another young disciple martial arts. The trailer for Karate Kid: Legends shows him interacting with a new prodigy and shaping his life in a new direction. Its official description also points out something crucial to the film that was not addressed in the 2010 film. Although titled The Karate Kid, Dre got the lessons in kung fu, not karate. The film confused one with the other, and the latest film is seemingly correcting that error.

Karate Kid: Legends - What mistake can it correct?

The 2010 film starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan showed Dre learning kung fu from Mr. Han. The film was fairly similar to the same-name 1984 film where Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso got his martial arts lessons under Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi. Both storylines track a teenager learning fighting skills to ward off the bullies and prove their worth by winning in a big-scale competition.

However, the 2010 film showed kung fu lessons despite titling itself after karate. This is why an audience member took to Reddit to discuss this fault.

Why isn't the 'The Karate Kid' remake called 'The Kung Fu Kid"? byu/Elfman72 inmovies

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Kung Fu vs. Karate: How are they different?

It is an odd mistake to assume that karate and kung fu are identical when they are not. Karate has its origins in Japan, as opposed to kung fu, which has its origins in China. The two forms focus on different types of movements and have different baseline philosophies and cultures.

Karate focuses more on strong movements such as kicks, punches, or takedowns, while kung fu is connected more with movements derived from animals. There is also a difference based on how an individual shifts their focus. While karate comprises more circular motions, kung fu consists of more linear movements.

Kung fu is focused on discipline and focus and comprises a variety of skills like tai chi and Wing Chun. As opposed to that, Karate is just one particular kind of martial art. There is also a difference in their uniforms that can help someone differentiate one from the other.

Karate Kid: Legends: The 2025 film uses a detail that the 2010 movie missed

The official synopsis for Karate Kid: Legends reads:

"In Karate Kid: Legends, after a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. Li struggles to let go of his past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates, and although he doesn't want to fight, trouble seems to find him everywhere. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition – but his skills alone aren't enough. Li's kung fu teacher Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown."

It provides a distinction between kung fu and karate and shows the young fighter learning another form. Karate Kid: Legends will reportedly show a pairing of these arts that might satisfy the viewers who find the errors in the 2010 film egregious.