The Karate Kid franchise has exploded back into popularity thanks to Cobra Kai, which ran from 2018 to 2025 and became a global hit. With Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence back in the spotlight, it wasn’t long before a new film entered the picture. Karate Kid: Legends continues the saga and, as expected, sneaks in plenty of nods to the earlier films. Fans paying close attention will spot several hidden gems. Here are six of the best.
The Miyagi Family’s Drum
In The Karate Kid Part II, Daniel survived his brutal showdown with Chozen Toguchi thanks to the Drum Technique, which his sensei Miyagi taught him using a family heirloom — a small two-sided drum. That same drum shows up in Legends, placed in a shrine Daniel has built to honor his late mentor.
Jacket On, Jacket Off
Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han trained Jaden Smith’s Dre Parker in the 2010 Karate Kid remake. Instead of “wax on, wax off,” Han used a repetitive “jacket on, jacket off” routine to drill discipline and muscle memory. In Legends, Han is back with his own school, still using the same unusual training method on his students — and later on the new lead character, Li Fong.
Everything Is Kung Fu
Alongside the jacket drill, Han taught Dre that Kung Fu lives in everything we do — even in simple acts like hanging up a jacket. That lesson gets a playful callback when Daniel and Han debate their teaching styles. Han cheekily declares, “Everything is Kung Fu,” claiming that Miyagi himself was inspired by Han’s methods.
Tekken 8 Posters
Not all easter eggs are about old movies. Legends also slips in a nod to modern pop culture with posters for the 2024 game Tekken 8. While Li Fong and Mia (Sadie Stanley) explore New York together, sharp-eyed viewers can spot banners for the game in the background. The tie-in works both ways — Tekken 8 even released a Karate Kid hoodie as DLC.
Bruce Lee’s One-Inch Punch
One of Bruce Lee’s most iconic moves makes its way into Legends. While training with Mia’s father Victor, Li practices the one-inch punch, the legendary technique that could knock someone out with almost no wind-up. The scene also nods to Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master with a focus on the Horse Stance, but it’s the one-inch punch that gets the spotlight.
“You Can Pick Yourself Up”
In the 2010 film, Mr. Han revealed his heartbreaking past — losing his family in a car crash — and told Dre, “Life will knock us down. But we can choose to get back up.” Legends brings that lesson back when Victor loses a boxing match. As Mia and Li struggle with the defeat, Han comforts them with a variation of his old wisdom: “You can’t control when life knocks you down. But you can control when you get back up.”
