Pat Morita’s Final Mr. Miyagi Performance Wasn’t Karate Kid 4 (It’s Not Even Close)

1994’s The Next Karate Kid was the fourth movie in the Karate Kid franchise and is widely believed by many to be Pat Morita’s final appearance as Mr. Miyagi, but he played the wise sensei again after the failed third Karate Kid sequel. Although Morita played various characters throughout his career, Mr. Miyagi was by far the actor’s most prominent and recognizable role. As such, it’s no surprise he was called upon to revisit his Karate Kid character after his last official appearance in the franchise.

Despite Pat Morita’s reputation and ties to the Karate Kid timeline, he wasn’t actually a martial artist in real life. Regardless, many of his roles and cameo appearances outside The Karate Kid and its sequels were often a nod to his time as Mr. Miyagi. Unfortunately, Morita passed away in 2005 at the age of 73, so he was unable to return as Mr. Miyagi when The Karate Kid franchise continued with Cobra Kai in 2018. However, that didn’t stop Mr. Miyagi from showing up in other properties without his fellow members of The Karate Kid cast.

Pat Morita Played Mr. Miyagi 3 Times After Karate Kid 4

Morita’s Miyagi cameos never used the character’s original name

The Next Karate Kid was Pat Morita’s final canonical appearance as Mr. Miyagi, but he played variations of the character three more times. The first came in a 2001 music video for “Movies” by Alien Ant Farm. The video is a string of references to and parodies of various movies, and 1984’s The Karate Kid makes the cut. Although Morita’s “Movies” character isn’t named, he plays the part exactly how he played Mr. Miyagi.

Morita also voices a fictionalized version of himself in Robot Chicken season 1, episode 9, “S&M Present.” As with “Movies,” Morita’s presence in Robot Chicken is a clear attempt to use the character of Mr. Miyagi, even if the character’s name isn’t used. Similarly, Morita plays a character called “Mr. Miyami” in 2013’s Blunt Movie, but parodies his most famous character in a surreal fashion.

Mr. Miyagi’s Apperances Outside Of Karate Kid Proves Pat Morita’s Cultural Legacy

Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi is a legendary cinematic character

The fact that Mr. Miyagi appears in other areas of popular culture that are unrelated to the Karate Kid franchise goes to show how much of an impact his character had. Miyagi’s presence as he reprised versions of the character through the years also shows how much he enjoyed playing the character. Morita’s appearance in the “Movies” music video is especially iconic, as it cements his character’s legendary status. The clever cameos from Morita allowed fans to see him in the role of Mr. Miyagi again, even with his last official appearance from The Next Karate Kid in the rearview mirror.