All 6 Uses Of Daniel’s Crane Kick Move In Cobra Kai & Karate Kid Movies, Ranked

The legendary Crane Kick from Ralph Macchio’s Karate Kid character comes back several times in the franchise, going as far as crossing over into Cobra Kai. The long-running saga has been far from consistent in both its release timeline and its quality. However, certain elements have stood the test of time and continue to be part of the formula in the modern day. Daniel LaRusso’s signature move is used relatively sparingly. This way, any time the kick is brought back into the limelight, it feels much more like an important event rather than a common occurrence.

Although each Crane Kick moment holds a lot of meaning, they aren’t all as good as each other. Certain factors improve or detract from the gravitas of a Crane Kick in the franchise timeline. For instance, it largely takes place during one of the tournaments in The Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai. Alternatively, some Cobra Kai characters have experienced the kick in personal altercations. After learning the move as part of Mr. Miyagi’s training in the first Karate Kid movie, the franchise has brought back the Crane Kick over and over again – and it has created some brilliant moments.

As one of the cornerstones of Miyago-do Karate, the Crane Kick is one of the most indefensible moves for the uninitiated. It’s only ever failed to immediately end an onscreen conflict once across the entire franchise. Even in the real world, the technique has become a cultural icon and has been referenced, parodied, and paid homage to in many forms of media. Although it’s not a “real” martial arts technique, it is heavily based on genuine forms of combat. As such, it’s very believable as an authentic addition to Karate Kid lore.

6 Johnny Lawrence’s (Kind-Of) Crane Kick When Training With Daniel

Cobra Kai season 4, episode 3, “Then Learn Fly”

There are several moments when the Crane Kick is only referenced, or when the starting pose is shown. For instance, Macchio’s character is revealed in Cobra Kai season 1 to adopt the Crane Kick stance when taking pictures with customers at his car dealership. Johnny’s beginnings of the Crane Kick in Cobra Kai season 4, episode 3, “Then Learn Fly,” probably goes beyond mere showmanship. When training with Daniel during the episode, Johnny can be seen in the early stages of the Crane Kick before Daniel walks away. It’s cool, but it would’ve been better if he’d carried it out.

Given how haunted Johnny is by his All-Valley defeat, he has likely since taught himself the Crane Kick from replays.

Because Johnny was the first onscreen recipient of Daniel’s Crane Kick, it would have been fitting if he’d returned the favor so many years later. If Daniel hadn’t backed away in annoyance, it’s very possible that Johnny would have had the chance to do just that. Losing to the Crane Kick in the original movie is clearly still a huge point of contention for Johnny, as shown during the earlier stages of Cobra Kai season 1. That being said, his use of the technique outside the context of an actual fight would arguably have detracted from the moment’s potential efficacy.

5 Daniel’s Failed Crane Kick Against Chozen Toguchi

The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

More recently, Yuji Okomoto’s character has become a loyal ally to Daniel LaRusso, but the beginning of their relationship wasn’t quite so friendly. As one of the main antagonists of the second Karate Kid movie, Chozen challenges Daniel to a fight that is intended to be fatal for at least one of the two young men. Given the success of the Crane Kick at the end of the first movie, it would be reasonable to assume that Daniel could utilize the technique again to defeat Chozen. Unfortunately for Macchio’s character, Chozen is more than prepared and renders the move inert.

Daniel’s failure to replicate his success against Johnny from the franchise’s first installment meant he had to dig deeper.

This particular Crane Kick is the only one that’s fully executed in the Karate Kid franchise that fails. Granted, if Daniel had succeeded in landing the kick, it would have brought something of an abrupt end to what was shaping up to be an excellent fight. Additionally, it would have resulted in a finale that would have been far too similar to that of the movie that preceded it. Daniel’s failure to replicate his success against Johnny from the franchise’s first installment meant he had to dig deeper. It was a good sequence, but the kick itself was intentionally lame.

4 Miguel’s Crane Kick In The All-Valley

Cobra Kai season 1, episode 10, “Mercy”

Bringing back the Crane Kick after the franchise had been dormant for so long was always destined to be a tricky job. There was no way that Cobra Kai would completely omit the move, but it had to come at the right time. While the obvious choice might have been to save the kick for the final of the All-Valley in Cobra Kai‘s season 1 finale, the writers made the conscious decision to introduce it a little before that when Miguel employs the Crane Kick against a nameless character in one of the earlier rounds.

Cobra Kai does a great job of not establishing a new main character to take over from Daniel, and giving Miguel or Robbie the Crane Kick in the final would have undone the careful balancing act. Instead, the writers allow the iconic move to have its moment by allowing Johnny’s student to use it in full view of his old rival. The moment is over in a flash, but it has a tonne of meaning without dominating events. It’s a creative solution to bring back the kick, even if it is quite basic from a visual perspective.

3 Dre Parker’s Spin On The Crane Kick In The Kung Fu Tournament

The Karate Kid (2010)

When Jackie Chan’s movie was released in 2010, it was initially intended to be a remake of the original Karate Kid. It remained that way for many years, but with another movie set to premiere in 2025, Chan’s project has been integrated into the main timeline. The result is that the events of the 2010 production now occur in the same world as the other Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai. Therefore, the Crane Kick from Jaden Smith’s Dre Parker at the end of the once-remake also counts toward the franchise’s main tally – and it’s executed brilliantly.

Although it’s carried out with much more flair, it’s clear that Dre is using a very similar kick to the one that originated in the very first
Karate Kid
movie.

With Jackie Chan on board, the fight choreography was always destined to improve. Each conflict is slick and well-shot, including Dre’s final fight in the Kung Fu tournament. Although it’s carried out with much more flair, it’s clear that Dre is using a very similar kick to the one that originated in the very first Karate Kid movie. However, just how Dre knows the kick is unclear, as it’s a part of Miyagi-do karate. Not only does Chan’s Mr. Han teach Dre Kung Fu instead of karate, but he also has no known in-universe connection to Mr. Miyagi.

2 Daniel’s Defeat Of Terry Silver

Cobra Kai season 5, episode 10, “Head of the Snake”

After coming back to the franchise in Cobra Kai season 4 for the first time since 1989’s The Karate Kid Part III, Thomas Ian Griffith returned effortlessly to the role of Terry Silver. After arguably becoming an even more nefarious leader of the titular dojo than Kreese, Silver’s villain arc was continued brilliantly despite his lengthy absence. So, when Daniel finally took him down at the end of Cobra Kai season 4, it was catharsis for Macchio’s character as well as long-standing fans of the Karate Kid saga. Doing it with the Crane Kick was the icing on the cake.

Silver’s faceoff with Daniel begins with the former promising to end Miyagi-do, so it makes Griffiths’ character falling to the Crane Kick even more satisfying.

Silver’s faceoff with Daniel begins with the former promising to end Miyagi-do, so it makes Griffiths’ character falling to the Crane Kick even more satisfying. Paired with the fact that Daniel uses his former sensei’s “Quicksilver Method“ from the third movie, the fight itself is a brilliant way of bringing an end to the toxic feud between the two men. Daniel could have refrained from using the Crane Kick in this moment. Thankfully, he didn’t, and the scene gives birth to the second-best use of the technique in the entire franchise.

Terry Silver is probably the biggest of the Karate Kid franchise villains taken down by the Crane Kick. While an argument could be made for Johnny Lawrence taking that honor at the end of the first movie, the convincing and popular theory that Johnny Lawrence was never the bad guy makes it difficult to see William Zabka’s character as a true antagonist – especially given his shifting allegiances in Cobra Kai.

1 Daniel’s Victory Over Johnny In The All-Valley Final

The Karate Kid (1984)

It would be disingenuous to award the title of Best Crane Kick to any other moment than the one at the end of the first Karate Kid movie. It’s the first time the kick is fully executed and the excitement of the scene helped spawn a saga that is still active today. The fact that Daniel is injured while carrying out the maneuver makes it even better, as it shows his immense fortitude – a trait that is just as strong by the time of Cobra Kai.

Without this Crane Kick, it would arguably have felt incredibly inorganic for Cobra Kai to happen at all, as Johnny’s frustration at losing the All-Valley stems, in large part, from falling to the move. It’s clear that Johnny still hasn’t forgotten about the defeat. Although the two men have since formed an uneasy alliance that borders on friendship, the resentment still bubbles below the surface. Due to the scene itself being so brilliant, paired with the complex emotions it instills, this use of the Crane Kick is the best in all the Karate Kid franchise – including Cobra Kai.