11 Classic 80s Movies With Awesome Animated TV Shows You Forgot Existed

Three months after The Karate Kid III hit cinemas, fans were treated to a series of animated outings featuring both Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi. While Ralph Macchio failed to return as LaRusso, Pat Morita reprised his role as Miyagi, appearing at the beginning of each episode to helpfully introduce and explain the plot.

Little else survived from the films though with the action no longer based around karate tournaments. Instead, the plot saw Miyagi and LaRusso tasked with recovering a miniature shrine with magic powers which had been stolen from its home in Okinawa.

The format of each episode saw Miyagi receive information on the shrine’s whereabouts, prompting LaRusso and local Okinawan girl Tak Tamurai to head off in search of it. Their travels took them to places like New York, Paris, London, Tijuana and the Himalayas, where they often faced off against a generic villain-of-the-week intent on using the shrine’s magic for evil purposes.

Though the bad guys were always defeated, LaRusso and Tamurai never managed to get their hands on the shrine, leaving them back where they started each episode.

Originally set for a run of 65 episodes, The Karate Kid ultimately aired for 13 on NBC. Despite a fun, 'Where Is Carmen Sandiego?' globetrotting vibe and some enjoyable kid-friendly action, it did not return for a second season and is not viewed as canon within the Cobra Kai universe.