Japan Synopsis
空手バカ一代
The last of the Masutatsu Oyama trilogy. Oyama takes a job as a professional wrestler in Okinawa, but when he discovers that he is expected to take a dive, he quits in disgust. However, when a friend finds herself in desperate need of medical supplies, Oyama steps back in the ring to raise the money—but will he be able to follow the script this time?
The 1976–1978 Japan Window
49 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Karate for Life sits at position #21.
Titles With Overlapping Themes
Films and series that share thematic tags with Karate for Life. Number on each card indicates how many keywords overlap.
Other Titles From Toei Company
The 1970s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1970s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Karate for Life premiered. 197 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #2,684 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (41st percentile by TMDB audience score).
Among Japan Action productions specifically: #1,059 of 1,714 (top 62%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Toei Company |
| Runtime | 1h 31m |
| Release Date | May 14, 1977 |
| IMDb | tt0403524 |