Mr. Miyagi’s Tragic Military Backstory In The Karate Kid Explained

Mr. Miyagi is an essential character within The Karate Kid universe, and his heartbreaking military backstory helped inform his mentor-like relationship with his protégé, Daniel LaRusso. First introduced in the original The Karate Kid in 1984, Mr. Miyagi was expertly portrayed by Pat Morita in the original series and has continued to appear in archival footage in the sequel television show Cobra Kai. While Mr. Miyagi’s calm demeanor and defense-based martial arts wisdom have always guided Miyagi-Do students toward noble victory, his character’s stoic nature and deep philosophical wisdom were born from a traumatic backstory of loss, pain, and war.

While Mr. Miyagi was introduced in The Karate Kid as a simple, unassuming maintenance man, as the series progressed, his background fighting World War II and the heartbreaking fate of his family were further explored. Mr. Miyagi’s unorthodox “wax on, wax off” teaching practices turned the first movie into one of the best martial arts films of the 1980s, yet behind all of this lay a story of deep sadness. As The Karate Kid series outlined Mr. Miyagi’s life from being born in Okinawa to relocating to Reseda, California, he became one of the franchise’s most tragic figures.

Mr. Miyagi Fought In WWII Against The Japanese Empire

He Was A Member Of The 442nd Infantry Regiment

Mr. Miyagi’s defense-based martial arts style comes from a deep well of knowledge about the true nature of violence and conflict. Mr. Miyagi was born in Tomi Village, Okinawa, and he practiced karate with his best friend Sato, who were both trained by Mr. Miyagi’s father. However, it was revealed in The Karate Kid Part II that Mr. Miyagi and Sato were both in love with a young girl named Yukie, which tore their friendship apart, and rather than fighting it out, Mr. Miyagi secretly fled Okinawa and started a new life as a farm laborer in Hawaii.

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In Hawaii, Mr. Miyagi met his wife, and due to the onset of World War II, the couple were interned in the Manzanar Japanese-American camp, which held Japanese-Americans during the war. Mr. Miyagi soon joined the U.S. Army and served with the 442nd Infantry Regiment, where he participated in the European theater of World War II against the Axis powers, which included Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Empire of Japan, the place he once called home. While Mr. Miyagi’s involvement in WWII was already traumatic, another kind of pain was about to enter the future sensei’s life.

Miyagi’s Wife & Son Died In An Internment Camp While He Was Away

He Learned The Tragic News Via Telegraph While Still At War

Mr. Miyagi and his wife had planned to start a family, and she even fell pregnant before he left to fight in the war, but this sadly never came true. While Mr. Miyagi was away in battle, his wife went into labor and gave birth to their son. However, both Mr. Miyagi’s wife and child died due to complications from childbirth. After receiving a telegraph on November 2, 1944, Mr. Miyagi learned of their deaths, and he never got to meet his only son or say goodbye to the woman that he loved.

Although Mr. Miyagi had a wonderful marriage and life as a father ahead of him, after their deaths, he remained a widowed bachelor for the rest of his days. It was 40 years later, in The Karate Kid, when opening up to his surrogate son Daniel, that Mr. Miyagi lamented the reason they died was because there were no doctors at the internment camp to help. This tragic and avoidable end to a young woman and baby’s life was a powerful representation of the real miscarriages of justice at internment camps in the United States during the war (via National WWII).

Miyagi Won The Medal Of Honor But His Loss Still Haunted Him

Although He Received The Highest Military Honor, Mr. Miyagi Never Forgot Those He Loved

While Mr. Miyagi was left heartbroken and his personal life was in tatters, he still fought bravely in battle and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his military services. This was the highest military decoration a soldier could be granted, but the memory of his loss was a sorrow that loomed large over the rest of his life. After World War II had ended, Mr. Miyagi relocated to Reseda, California, to work as a maintenance man, restore old cars, and build a traditional Japanese garden in the back of his home.

In The Next Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate Japanese-Americans who fought in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, showcasing that he never forgot about the legacies of those he fought alongside. While it’s tragic that Mr. Miyagi never enjoyed the fruits of family life after his military service, it was fitting that his symbolic son, Daniel LaRusso, carried his fighting philosophy and defense-based principles forward with Miyagi-Do in the sequel series Cobra Kai.

How Cobra Kai Further Built On Mr. Miyagi’s Tragic Backstory

Mr. Miyagi Had One Secret From The Past He Never Revealed

It seemed that Mr. Miyagi’s past trauma couldn’t get any more heartbreaking. However, Cobra Kai added another layer to his backstory. While dead, he remained an essential part of Daniel LaRusso’s life, if for no other reason than the lessons he taught him and the memories he left behind. Daniel even names his dojo Miyago-Do and passes on what Mr. Miyagi taught him to others. With that in mind, more of Mr. Miyagi’s tragic backstory played out in Cobra Kai season 6.

In this season, Daniel finds an old box that belonged to Mr. Miyagi and opens it, seeing various items inside. These include boxing gloves, a piece of fabric, a passport, and a newspaper clipping. The passport had a different first name, reading Keisuke Miyagi; Daniel knew him as Nariyoshi Miyagi. The clipping had the title “Police search for assailant” with the date 1947. The clipping also claimed that Keisuke Miyagi was accused of violent robbery and assault.

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Soon, Daniel investigates the items and heads to a gym, thanks to the boxing gloves, and learns that Mr. Miyagi used to be a silent partner of the gym. He also discovers that Mr. Miyagi once fled the United States. He then realized that the fabric belonged to a headband that connected with the dojo Sekai Taikai. He learns the specific headband was from the 1940s or 1950s, but likely after he served in World War II. Finally, Terry Silver returns and reveals to Daniel that Mr. Miyagi killed a man in a fight for Sekai Taikai.

It could have ruined Mr. Miyagi’s story, but Cobra Kai ensured that it all made sense, with Johnny Lawrence, of all people, admitting that it was likely an accident, trying to help ease Daniel’s inner turmoil. He finally learned the last truth. Mr. Miyagi was accused of assault and robbery because he was retrieving a necklace an internment guard stole from his wife when she died. When Daniel had his dream of Mr. Miyagi, the Karate Kid legend told him he wasn’t ready for the truth when he was younger, but now it was time for him to carry on his lessons.

Source: National WWII

The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid is an action/martial arts drama franchise created by Robert Mark Kamen and began with the first self-titled film released in 1984. The series focuses on teenagers who are unable to fit in with their new surroundings as they deal with persistent bullies until a retired martial arts master finds them and trains them to defend themselves.

Created by

Robert Mark Kamen

Cast

Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, Martin Kove, William Zabka, Randee Heller, Ron Thomas, Elisabeth Shue, Xolo Mariduena, Mary Mouser, Jaden Smith, Wenwen Han, Taraji P. Henson, Jackie Chan