8 Movie Mistakes Acknowledged As Canon

The Karate Kid may be one of the most iconic underdog sports films of all time, but its warm, fuzzy foundation is also built on a lie. A cheat, even.

The film of course concludes with an injured Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) narrowly defeating his nemesis Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) with a crane kick to the face.

Daniel wins the karate tournament and gets sweet revenge, in an ending tailor-made to send the audience home happy. Except, the referee explicitly states moments earlier that strikes to the face are not allowed, so why exactly was Daniel's crane kick permitted?

Fans have complained about this lapse in logic ever since the original release, with actor Ralph Macchio even recently confirming his agreement that Daniel picked up an unearned victory at film's end.

But rather than shy away from this blatant screw-up, the surprisingly solid spin-off series Cobra Kai had the good sense to incorporate it into the story, with Johnny still bitter that Daniel allegedly cheated.

Though the show smartly doesn't settle the issue once and for all, it was satisfying to see the debate internalised into the continuity of the franchise itself.