Karate Man Returns!

Karate Man Returns! (かえってきた カラテ家), also known as Karateka (カラテ家) in Rhythm Tengoku, is the 1st Rhythm Game of Stage 1 (1st overall) in Rhythm Tengoku and the 1st of Honeybee Tower (33rd overall) in Rhythm Heaven Megamix.

The short version, Karate Man, appears in Honeybee Land in Rhythm Heaven Megamix.

The arrange version, Karateka 2, appears in Technician in Rhythm Tengoku.

Gameplay
This game features Karate Joe, who practices karate by punching objects that fly from off-screen. To do so, the player must hit the A button to the rhythm. The following objects appear and needed to be punched off-screen:
 * Pot
 * Rock
 * Soccer Ball
 * Light Bulb (only in Rhythm Tengoku)
 * Bomb (only in Rhythm Tengoku)
 * Cooking Pot (only in Rhythm Heaven Megamix)

A gauge, reading Nori (ノリ), is located on the left in Rhythm Tengoku and it responds to the player's success. Unless the gauge is at three hearts or more, Karate Joe cannot punch rocks or bombs; attempting to do so results in Karate Joe hurting his hand, as he does not have enough power to punch them.

The background is a featureless yellow plain, which adds darker stripes when the gauge is high enough. In Rhythm Heaven Megamix, the game is slightly altered for consistency with later versions, most notably the removal of the gauge entirely. The background as a result simply changes to the stripes at a pre-determined point in the song.

Lyrics
The song used in the game has it's lyrics provided in the Rhythm Poem Collection, where it is named "Karate Rhythm".

Hey! Baby! How's it going? This beat is non stop. Hey! Baby! Listen to my phrase. I can give you the sense of rhythm. Oh, Yeah.

Hey! Baby! How's it going? This beat is non stop. Hey! Baby! Listen to my phrase. I can give you the sense of rhythm. Awake, baby! Trust me!

This beat is non stop! New groove in your soul. Oh, Yeah! This beat! You are growing up well. Hey, Baby! Hold on to your ambition. Hey! Oh, Yeah!

Skill Star
The Skill Star appears on the rock at the very end.

Challenge Land
appears in the following Challenge Train courses:
 * Game Gamble: Intermediate
 * Karate Joe vs. the Monster

Karateka TempoUpExtra1.png
Karateka TempoUpExtra1.png (カラテ家 TempoUpExtra1.png) is the 1st Rhythm Game of Extra (49th overall) of Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade).

The gameplay is the same, but the tempo is sped up, with a new arrangement of the song. Here, Karate Joe wears boxing gloves and black pants.

Karateka 2P
Karateka 2P (カラテ家 2P) is the 1st Rhythm Game of Stage 1 (1st overall) in the 2P mode of Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade).

The arrange version, Karateka 2 2P, appears in Stage 4 in the 2P mode of Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade).

The game has a split screen display to accommodate the second player. However, the gauge remains off screen, unable to be seen by either player.

Karateka 2P TempoUpExtra1.png
Karateka 2P TempoUpExtra1.png (カラテ家 2P TempoUpExtra1.png) is the 1st Rhythm Game of Extra (21st overall) in the 2P mode of Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade).

It has a split screen display to accommodate the second player. However, the gauge remains off screen, unable to be seen by either player.

Trivia

 * Karate Man has become rather well-known for being the first ever Rhythm Game in the Rhythm Heaven Series. This has allowed it to make it into the next three games in the series, with new mechanics.
 * This game also has the most variations across the entire series.
 * The name Karate Joe may be a reference to Knuckle Joe from the Kirby series. Both use their fists and feet (see Karate Man Kicks!), their first names are fighting-related and they end with "Joe".
 * This is the first game in the Rhythm Heaven Series to include vocals. Interestingly, the game's lyrics are given as part of the Rhythm Poem Collection rather than its own lyrics card. Its name is given as "Karate Rhythm".
 * Additionally, this and Big Rock Finish are the only games in the entire series to use its practice music as part of the actual game.
 * The audio gasp for missing the object in Rhythm Tengoku may override the thrown object cue. This may cause problems if trying to play the stage without looking at the screen.