Jackie Chan's movie in the Karate Kid reboot will mark the first feature-length production to feature Daniel LaRusso since the third movie in 1989.

Even more surprisingly, the project will also bring Chan's Hr. Han back into the fold. The Macchio/Chan team-up would have once been virtually impossible when the 2010 then-remake was separate from the Miyagi-verse. However, now that Daniel and Mr. Han will come face-to-face, the movie with both characters will need to for the events of Mr. Han's first outing. Specifically, how his student won the tournament at the end of 2010's The Karate Kid will need to be addressed.

Dre Parker Shouldn't Know About Mr. Miyagi's Crane Kick In The 2010 Movie

Jaden Smith's character never learns Miyagi-do Karate

Daniel LaRusso's Crane Kick shows up several times in the Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai. One of the most interesting uses of the technique comes in the Jackie Chan-led movie, where Jaden Smith's Dre Parker wins the Kung Fu tournament. It looks a little different from the other times the Crane Kick has been shown throughout the franchise, but it's still very recognizable as the same move. Back when the project was isolated from the main universe, this moment could easily be seen as an homage to Daniel's iconic All-Valley moment, but now it's incredibly meta after the merger.

The Crane Kick is an important cornerstone of Miyagi-do Karate. As such, it should only really be known by those who have learned it from Mr. Miyagi himself, or perhaps from his students.

The Crane Kick is an important cornerstone of Miyagi-do Karate. As such, it should only really be known by those who have learned it from Mr. Miyagi himself, or perhaps from his students - like Daniel LaRusso. Dre has no direct connection to Mr. Miyagi, so it's unclear how he knows how to execute the Crane Kick. Similarly, no in-universe connection has been made between Mr. Han and Daniel's sensei. Furthermore, Dre and Mr. Han don't even do Karate - it's Kung Fu instead. So, the plot thickens when it comes to how Smith's character pulled off such an expert Crane Kick.

How 2025's Karate Kid Movie Can Explain Mr. Han's Miyagi-Do Knowledge

Mr. Han may have an offscreen connection to Mr. Miyagi

Of course, 2010's The Karate Kid likely never thought it would have to justify this plot hole. At the time of the movie being made, it wasn't a plot hole at all. That being said, the sequel needs to establish how Mr. Han knew about this specific facet of Miyagi-do Karate, and why he taught it to Dre, despite specializing in Kung Fu. While there could be a simple explanation, like the two movies are just coincidentally similar, 2025's Karate Kid movie could create an interesting canonical connection between Mr. Han and his Karate counterpart.

One of the most straightforward ways to address this plot hole in the next movie would be to flesh out the backstories of both Mr. Han and Mr. Miyagi to include a meeting in their shared past. Both characters could feasibly have trained together at some point, even though they favor different fighting styles and disciplines. Although Miyagi actor Pat Morita was a few years older than Chan is now when the former ed in 2005, the franchise has long been pretty liberal with the actual ages of its characters.

Jackie Chan is just eight years older than Ralph Macchio.

For instance, Terry Silver and Daniel LaRusso are played by actors of a very similar age. Therefore, it's not out of the question for Mr. Han to roughly be Mr. Miyagi's contemporary. As Chan is currently in his early 70s, Mr. Han would need to be aged up by roughly 15-20 years for this twist to work. Alternatively, Mr. Miyagi would need to be aged down - which could create far more problems. As another option, leaving the age of both men untouched means Mr. Han could conceivably have been Mr. Miyagi's student at some point in the Karate Kid timeline.

How Else Dre Could Have Learned The Crane Kick (That Still Fits With Karate Kid Canon)

Dre Parker could be a fan of Daniel's All-Valley-winning kick

Jaden Smith hasn't been announced to return for 2020's Karate Kid movie, and his move away from acting in recent years suggests he won't reprise his role as Dre Parker. Therefore, speculation is the most effective way of working out how Mr. Han's student knew the Crane Kick. It may not be that Chan's character taught the technique to Dre in the first place. Instead, Smith's character may have discovered footage online of Daniel LaRusso winning the All-Valley in 1984 and been impressed with his technique.

Dre clearly has an aptitude for martial arts, so he could have taught himself the Crane Kick from said footage. This theory explains how Dre knows about this specific part of Miyagi-do Karate, but is otherwise ignorant of the other areas of the style of combat. The fact that Mr. Han looks genuinely surprised when his student adopts the iconic stance at the end of the movie also lends credence to this possibility. It would presumably have been a long while since Mr. Han had seen the Crane Kick, assuming he also knew Mr. Miyagi at some point.

Most Of The Karate Kid Remake Fits Into Main Franchise Weirdly Well

Jackie Chan's 2010 movie changes plenty about the original

Although the presence of Dre's Crane Kick does create a compelling narrative issue with the rest of the franchise, 2010's The Karate Kid largely slots into the timeline with almost no resistance. Despite being produced as a remake of the original, Chan's movie has transitioned strangely well into being a canonical installment into the main universe. In fact, the eventual integration of the Karate Kid remake with the other movies (and Cobra Kai) almost seems like it was the plan all along.

Although the stories of both versions of The Karate Kid are functionally identical, there are plenty of variances to suggest that Dre and Daniel are simply experiencing similar journeys on different continents and decades apart. All the character counterparts between the original and remake have different names, and all the cultural differences created by the shift from the US to China also influenced the 2010 effort. If the remake had been set in California and reused character names, there's no way it could have been convincingly added to the main Karate Kid timeline.