Question: What's the story behind Mike Barnes? How old is he? Where does he come from?
BaconIsMyBFF
25th Jun 2009
The Karate Kid III (1989)
Answer: Mike most likely comes from north of LA (northern California, Oregon, or Washington) based on the fact that he said "if I come DOWN here and beat this Larusso kid..." Usually the term for travelling "down here" refers to coming from the north, "up here" is coming from the south, and "out here" or "over here" is from coming from the east or west.
It's not quite as simple as that. It wouldn't be unusual for someone from Kansas City, Chicago, or Detroit, etc. to describe traveling to LA as going "down" there.
18th Nov 2017
The Karate Kid III (1989)
Question: Is Kata real or just made up for this movie?
Answer: Kata is definitely real and is used in several Japanese martial arts to varying degrees.
Chosen answer: Mike Barnes is another karate champion, someone known in the karate tournament world as being brutal and excellent. It is never stated where he comes from, but it is far enough away to require a plane flight. His age is also never stated, but as it is an under-18 tournament and he can drive a car, we can assume it is either 16 or 17.