Karate Man Returns!

"とんでくるモノを Aボタンでパンチ！ よくあるゲーム？ …かもね. " "(Punch the incoming objects with the A button! Is this a common game? Perhaps.)"

- Karate Man Description (Rhythm Tengoku)

"とんでくるモノを Aボタンでパンチ！ 気合とノリで ぶつ飛ばそう！" "(Punch the incoming objects with the A button! Go crazy and blow them away!)"

- Karate Man Description (Rhythm Tengoku Arcade)

"More karate training! We've got an all-new song and all new stuff to throw at you! (No practice)"

- Karate Man Returns! Description (Rhythm Heaven Megamix)

Karate Man Returns! (かえってきた カラテ家), simply called Karate Man (カラテ家) in Rhythm Tengoku, is the first minigame in Rhythm Tengoku and the first game to appear in the Rhythm Heaven series. It returns as the 33rd minigame in Rhythm Heaven Megamix, as a sequel to Karate Man.

The topic of this rhythm game is Karate Joe, a martial artist who trains by punching flying objects from off-screen. in Rhythm Tengoku, this game has a sequel, Karate Man 2, which is unlocked later in the game. This game features the song "Karate Man".

Gameplay
This minigame 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 Flow gauge is located on the left and acts as an ability meter, responding to the player's success. Unless the gauge is at three bars or more, Karate Joe cannot punch rocks or bombs; attempting to do so will result in a miss. The Rhythm Heaven Megamix version is slightly altered from the original for consistency with later versions, most notably the removal of the Flow gauge entierly.

Button Mode

 * A: Punch

Simple Tap Mode

 * Tap: Punch

Timing Notes

 * Hit: Karate Joe will punch the object off-screen. In Rhythm Tengoku, the Flow gauge will increase by one.
 * Barely: Karate Joe will wince as the object lands on the ground just in front of him. The Flow gauge will decrease by one. A barely counts as a miss.
 * Miss: Karate Joe will gasp as the object flies past him. The Flow gauge will deplete completely. If punching a rock or a bomb in Rhythm Tengoku when the Flow gauge is not high enough, Karate Joe will gasp as the object falls to the ground and his fist will turn red in pain.

Lyrics


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!

Header

 * "師匠のおことば" (Master's words)

Try Again

 * "きほんが できてない. " (The basics are not set.)
 * "つづけざまは ニガテみたいだね. " (It seems you're not good at the successive parts.)

OK

 * "う~ん．．．" (Yeah...)
 * "まぁまぁ、 かな. " (OK, I guess?)
 * "とりあえず．．．" (Anyway...)
 * "よしと します. " (You did your best.)

Superb

 * "れんぞくパンチに キレがある！" (There is a sharpness to your successive punches!)
 * "さいご キマってた！" (You nailed the last part!)

Header

 * "Mutterings from the Master"

Try Again

 * "Your punches lack pizzazz."
 * "You can't spell "triple punch" without "trip."

OK

 * "Eh. Passable."

Superb

 * "Your punches have some punch."
 * "Three cheers for your triple punches!"

Skill Star
In Rhythm Heaven Megamix, the Skill Star can be obtained by perfectly hitting the rock that appears at the end of the minigame.

Karate Man Tempo Up!
"とんでくるモノを Aボタンでパンチ！ でもスピードが速くなってるヨ. " "(Punch the incoming objects with the A button! But the speed is faster.)"

- Karate Man Tempo Up! Description

Karate Man Tempo Up! (カラテ家 TEMPO UP!) is a variation of this game and the first in the Extra stage in the arcade version of Rhythm Tengoku. In this variant, Karate Joe wears boxing gloves and black pants. The gameplay is the same, but the tempo is sped up, with a new arrangement of the song.

Karate Man 2P
"とんでくるモノを Aボタンでパンチ！ 気合とノリで ぶっ飛ばそう!" "(Punch the incoming objects with the A button! Let's go with the flow!)"

- Karate Man 2P Description

Karate Man also appears in the two-player mode mode in the arcade version of Rhythm Tengoku where it is referred to as Karate Man 2P (カラテ家 2P). It plays the same as the normal version, but has a split screen display to accommodate the second player. However, the flow gauge remains off screen, unable to be seen by both players.

Karate Man 2P Tempo Up!
"とんでくるモノを Aボタンでパンチ！ でもスピードが速くなってるヨ. " "(Punch the incoming objects with the A button! But the speed is faster.)"

- Karate Man 2P Tempo Up! Description

Karate Man Tempo Up! also appears in the 2P mode of Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade) where it is referred to as Karate Man 2P Tempo Up! (カラテ家 2P TEMPO UP!). The same changes as Karate Man 2P apply here.

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.