Very few things make a movie more memorable than a memorable villain. And Hollywood has a long history of featuring on-screen Asian baddies—both the memorable and forgettable, the stereotypical and the sublime, the “authentic” and the offensive. Every day this week (Monday-Friday), I’ll count down my choices for the 25 most “infamous” of Hollywood’s Asian villains—the good, the bad and the ugly.
Today #15-11…
15) KARATE KID II (1986)
Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi
The original 1984 Karate Kid was a sleeper hit so a sequel was a no-brainer. This time, Daniel-san (Ralph Macchio) follows mentor Miyagi (the late Pat Morita) to his ancestral home of Okinawa in order to take care of some unresolved family matters. Daniel meets the lovely Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita) but also confronts bad apple Chozen (Okumoto) who doesn’t like Daniel at all. The blond bullies and karate tournament of the first film are just a walk in the park compared to the vicious Chozen who wants no less than to fight Daniel “to the death.” Will Daniel-san triumph over insurmountable odds and that completely-useless-in-real-life crane kick to defeat Chozen? And will he win the hand of the beautiful Kumiko? If you have to ask those questions, you obviously don’t watch enough Hollywood movies. “Live or die, man? Live or die?!”
