The best karate movies

Key conclusions

• Karate originated in Okinawa, Japan, inspired famous martial arts movies and influenced Hollywood.
• Top rated martial arts movies on IMDb from the 1970s to 2017 starring iconic Asian movie actors.
• Karate movie recommendations like Karate Girl, Empty Hands, and Black Belt offer authentic karate action and experience.

Karate is a recognized Japanese martial art founded the father of modern karate, Funakoshi Gichin. It originated in Okinawa, one of Japan's largest islands, and has inspired many ever since Karate moviesincluding a 2015 documentary The real Miyagi and IMDb's highest rated karate film, The Karate Kid (1984).

According to the top rated martial arts movies on IMDb, the golden era for this genre was between the 1970s and 2017. This list includes famous actors such as Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee and master Pat Morita who have left their mark over the years. The focus of this list will be Asian moviesincluding real life stories such as Karate for life starring martial artist Sonny Chiba.

This article deals with intense scenes of violence. Viewers are advised to exercise caution.

8 Karate Girl (2011)

IMDb Rating: 5.2/10

• Director: Yoshikatsu Kimura
• Release date: February 5, 2011
• Original movie title: Karateci Kiz
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video

Karate woman tells the story of a father, a black belt, who teaches his two daughters an ancient style of karate. The film opens with a dramatic and emotional scene where a criminal group kills the father and kidnaps one of the sisters. The kidnapped sister trains in karate to kill, while the other sister works at the local movie theater, living a quiet life. Both sisters eventually rekindle their relationship and take on the gang together to avenge their father's death.

This movie is filled with karate fight scenes, heartfelt moments and an easy to follow plot. Viewers highlight the sister's fight scenes, although the fights seem choreographed, resulting in a 5.2/10 rating on IMDb.

7 Empty Hands (2017)

IMDb Rating: 6.0/10

• Director: Chapman To
• Release date: November 1, 2017
• Original movie title: Hung sau dou
• Stream: Apple TV+

The plot of Empty hands brilliant Marie Hirakawa, the lead actress, gives up karate classes because her father is too strict with her training. However, after her father's death, she inherited his dojo, which she doesn't know whether to keep or not. Eventually, she reunites with one of her father's former students, who has inherited half of the dojo, and her views on karate begin to change.

It is interesting that the director A Hong Saw Dou also starred in the main cast and was nominated for the Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Director. While some viewers found this karate movie to be slow, others found it a good watch, eventually earning a 6.0 out of 10 on IMDB.

6 Champion of Death (1975)

IMDb Rating: 6.6/10

• Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
• Release date: August 9, 1975
• Original movie title: Kenko Karate Kyokushinken
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video

Champion of deathalso known as Karate bullfighterit's a 1970s gem starring Sonny Chiba. In this film, he plays Masa Oyama, a respected karate master of the period. Mas Oyama was a famous craftsman known for killing raging bulls with his bare hands, as seen in one of the scenes in the film.

This karate movie is based on the real life story of Masa Oyama, who is admired by karate fans. In addition, viewers are attracted by the realistic karate scenes and impressive plot considering the time it aired.

5 Karate for Life (1977)

IMDb Rating: 6.7/10

• Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
• Release date: May 14, 1977
• Original movie title: Baka Ichidai Karate
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video

Dear Japanese director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, Karate for life this is a true story about Master Masa Oyama. It came out two years after the karate movie Champions of deathwhich belongs to the same collection, and although both focus on the same karate master, the storylines are different.

Karate for life focuses on Masa Oyama's later life and his traditional values Champion of death focuses on the early difficulties of his life. Both are must-sees for karate fans. Spectators' reviews note Sonya Chiba's spectacular performance and exciting karate action. The film is also very violent, so viewers are advised to exercise caution.

4 Black Belt (2007)

IMDb Rating: 6.9/10

• Director: Shunichi Nagasaki
• Release date: May 2007
• Original movie title: Chicken obi
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video

What does Black belt what's interesting is the fact that director Shunichi Nagasaki uses real karate practitioners like Akihita Yagi, Tatsuya Naka, and Yuji Suzuki in the lead roles, which sets it apart from other martial arts films.

Set in the 1930s, this film has been praised by audiences for its philosophical depth, believability of fight scenes, character development, and a storyline that shows the hardships of karate, the mental strength required, and the true meaning of martial arts. This movie is great for karate fans looking for a real action movie.

3 Street Fighter (1974)

IMDb Rating: 6.9/10

• Director: Shigehiro Ozawa
• Release date: February 2, 1974
• Original movie title: Gekitotsu! Satsudin ken
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video

As the audience watches the legendary Sonny Chiba Street fighterthey are taken on an action adventure through the peak of karate filmmaking in the 70s. In the film, Chiba plays a mercenary who navigates a world of betrayal and murder with gleeful action and overt violence.

Street fighterin particular, played an important role in the development of iconic Street fighter video game franchise, establishing its legacy among martial arts fans. His dynamic karate performances are not only entertaining; it also gave a new look to action movies and martial arts practitioners.

2 The Real Miyagi (2015)

IMDb Rating: 7.1/10

• Director: Kayvon Derek Shanyan
• Release date: February 20, 2015
• Original movie title: The real Miyagi
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video

The real Miyagi is a documentary released in 2015 to teach viewers the basics of true karate and reveal who the real Miyagi is. The popularity of the documentary led to a nomination and win at the Canadian International Film Festival.

The documentary honors Fumio Demura, who earned the 9th Dan Black Belt, one of the rarest and most prestigious ranks. Demura also inspired the likes of Steven Seagal and Bruce Lee, and was close friends with Pat Morita, another sign. This documentary is a great watch for anyone looking to gain a broader knowledge of karate.

1 Karate Fighter (1984)

IMDb Rating: 7.3/10

• Director: John G. Avildsen
• Release date: October 25, 1984
• Original movie title: The Karate Kid
• Stream: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+

The Karate Kid is the cult karate movie starring Daniel Larousse. In this film, a child is terrorized by a group of bullies who are highly skilled in karate and trained by a brutal master. In the end, Raph (Daniel Larousse) approaches Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) to be his mentor. This leads to transformations in his life and values. A must watch for all karate fans.

Moreover, this Karate film, nominated for the Golden Globe teaches self-discipline and that strength comes from within. The emotional depth of this film brought tears to the eyes of the audience. Its popularity reached many viewers of all ages, leading to a large number of Karate Kid sequels and remakes.