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Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and his mother (Randee Heller) move from New Jersey to Reseda, CA , to start a new life.  It seems promising at first, but soon Daniel hates his new environs, thanks to a few run-ins at school with a group of karate-trained bullies.  He does manage to irk the leader of the bullies, Johnny (William Zabka), when he starts seeing his ex-girlfriend, Ali (Elisabeth Shue).  Johnny and gang belong to a no-holds-barred karate school in town that has a slogan of “no mercy”, run by ex-Vietnam vet John Kreese (Martin Kove).  After the landlord of Daniel’s apartment complex, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), saves him from the gang one day, he decides to teach the young man some karate, except in the ways of the honored Japanese tradition.  Miyagi and Kreese form a pact that Daniel is to be “off limits” until the day of the big karate tournament in town, where the different styles of karate come to clash, but Daniel is far from ready for the match.  With help from Miyagi, he prepares every day for the event, but he finds the teaching methods unorthodox, monotonous, and strenuous.