Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Karate Kid: Legends!
Karate Kid: Legendsintroduces a new cast ofThe Karate Kidcharacters for a new generation of the franchise, but six of these characters are secretly replacements for characters from the original. Thecast of characters from the originalThe Karate Kidis now iconic, with many of them returning for the sequels,Cobra Kai, andKarate Kid: Legends. While a few of these characters have made their comebacks throughout the years,Karate Kid: Legendsfilled the roles of some of these original characters with their newly-introduced cast, and here is every character who does this.
Karate Kid: Legendshas finally arrived, and it is the perfect love letter toThe Karate Kidfranchise. The film managed to unite thethree branches ofThe Karate Kid, with it containing overlap from the original movies, the 2010 remake, and theCobra KaiTV series. The film is full of Easter eggs and iconography from the franchise’s past, but it does so much more than that.Karate Kid: Legendsalso introduces all new characters, with the new film following a karate tournament in New York. However, much of the 2025 movie is built off of the template from the original movie.
6Li Fong Is Karate Kid: Legends' Replacement For Daniel LaRusso
Played By Ben Wang
The most obvious of the character replacements is Li Fong, who is the new version of Daniel LaRusso. Li Fong is theprotagonist ofKarate Kid: Legends, with him starting out as a student of Mr. Han in China. He is forced to move to New York with his mother, where he initially struggles to fit in. However, he soon finds his way when he becomes in New York’s martial arts scene. Meanwhile, he tries to fit in at school, beats up bullies, and finds love. The return of Mr. Han helps Li Fong find his way, as well as the additional help of Daniel LaRusso.
Li Fong’sKarate Kid: Legendsstory clearly parallels that of Daniel LaRusso in the originalThe Karate Kidfilm. In that film, Daniel LaRusso starts out in New Jersey, with him being forced to move to Los Angeles with his mother. Once there, Daniel struggles to fit in, with his friendship with a girl at school putting him in the line of fire of her black-belt ex-boyfriend, Johnny Lawrence. Luckily, Daniel manages to find his way when he becomes involved with the karate scene in California, with the help of a friendly teacher, Mr. Miyagi.
What makes this even more interesting is thatDaniel LaRusso is actually involved in the events ofKarate Kid: Legends. This time around, Daniel is Li Fong’s teacher, with him teaching him many of the same things that Daniel was taught by Mr. Miyagi. Daniel recognizes the similarities that his new protege has with him, making this character replacement an interesting thematic choice.
5Mr. Han Is Karate Kid: Legends' Replacement For Mr. Miyagi
Played By Jackie Chan
Daniel LaRusso isn’t the only character who is replaced inKarate Kid: Legends, as the same thing happens to Mr. Miyagi.Mr. Han is Li Fong’s main teacher inKarate Kid: Legends, with the film starting out in China at Mr. Han’s school. There, Li Fong is one of Han’s brightest pupils, with Han having a history with his family. When Li Fong moves to New York, Mr. Han eventually follows. There, he encourages Li Fong to become involved with a local karate tournament. Han continues to teach Li Fong, this time with the assistance of Daniel LaRusso.
This clearly makes Mr. Han a parallel to Mr. Miyagi in the original film. There, Mr. Miyagi is a handyman who agrees to teach Daniel LaRusso karate. As the original trilogy goes on, however, Miyagi becomes a respected sensei, carrying on the legacy of Miyagi martial artists. ThroughoutKarate Kid: Legends,Mr. Han frequently talks about the legacy of Miyagiand how he has to fill his role in Li Fong’s life. This isn’t the first time that Han has taken his role, as Jackie Chan’s character was a much more explicit Mr. Miyagi replacement in 2010’sThe Karate Kid.
4Mia Is Karate Kid: Legends' Replacement For Ali Mills
Played By Sadie Stanley
Mia is another one of the original characters introduced inKarate Kid: Legends, and she is a clear replacement for Ali Mills from the original film. InKarate Kid: Legends, Mia is an employee at a local pizza shop, with Li Fong meeting her when he goes to get him and his mom dinner. From there,Mia becomes a love interest for and a close friend to Li Fong. However, the protagonist learns that Mia’s ex-boyfriend is an experienced martial artist, and also a real jerk. He becomes one of Li Fong’s rivals, although Mia attempts to get him to back off.
Once again, this is incredibly similar to the story ofAli Mills in the originalThe Karate Kid. There, Ali is a character who Daniel meets at school, with her becoming a close friend and a love interest. However, Ali used to date Johnny Lawrence, a black belt martial artist at the Cobra Kai dojo. The big difference between the two characters is that Ali is clearly wealthy in the original film. InKarate Kid: Legends, however, Mia and her father run a struggling pizza business together, with them spending the film attempting to escape financial hardship.
3Conor Is Karate Kid: Legends' Replacement For Johnny Lawrence
Played By Aramis Knight
Speaking of, the character of Johnny Lawrence also has a replacement inKarate Kid: Legends, with Conor filling his role. In the 2025 film, Conor is the ex-boyfriend of Mia,with him being a member of a dojo known for breeding jerks. Throughout the film, Conor becomes the main rival of protagonist Li Fong, with the two even facing off during the final battle ofKarate Kid: Legends. After Conor throws some dirty hits, Li Fong manages to defeat him by pulling off a risky move, winning the tournament.
This is incredibly similar to the story ofJohnny Lawrence inThe Karate Kid. There, Johnny Lawrence is the ex-boyfriend of Ali Mills, as well as a member of the rival Cobra Kai dojo. Thanks to Daniel’s involvement with Ali, Johnny becomes his rival. The two make their way through the karate tournament, eventually facing each other in the climactic fight. Johnny fights dirty, but Daniel manages to defeat him through pulling off a tricky move that he has been practicing throughout the film.
Johnny Lawrence has been far more fleshed out throughout the six seasons ofCobra Kai, while Conor has only had one movie to get characterized. Even in just the originalThe Karate Kid, however, Johnny is a bit more developed that Conor is in the 2025 film. This could be due toKarate Kid: Legendshaving the shortest runtime in the series.
2Dr. Fong Is Karate Kid: Legends' Replacement For Lucille LaRusso
Played By Ming Na-Wen
Like in otherThe Karate Kidmovies, the story is kicked off when the character is forced to move to an unfamiliar city thanks to his mother. InKarate Kid: Legends, Li Fong’s mother is Dr. Fong,who moves to New York for a medical job. InThe Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso’s mother is Lucille LaRusso, with her moving from New Jersey to California for a job. Both characters don’t play a huge role in the later parts of their respective films, but they undoubtedly fill the same narrative purposes.
1O’Shea Is Karate Kid: Legends' Replacement For John Kreese
Played By Tim Rozon
O’Shea is a minor antagonist who is introduced inKarate Kid: Legends, with him being the teacher at the dojo that Conor belongs to. He is clearly villainous, encouraging Conor’s more violent tactics. This clearly parallels him withJohn Kreese, the leader of Cobra Kaiin the originalThe Karate Kid. Interestingly, O’Shea is portrayed as a loan shark as well as a sensei inKarate Kid: Legends, adding another villainous layer to this character.
