History YMMV / Kickboxer

* CatharsisFactor: The final fight scene in the 1989 film is this trope for the audience and arguably Kurt too. After hearing the cheering crowd and witnessing his brother safe, Kurt gets a HeroicSecondWind and delivered a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on Tong Po.

** In Spanish-speaking countries, there is a particularly popular meme of the aforementioned scene with its soundtrack (originally "Feeling so good today" by Beau Williams) replaced by the 2011 "La vaina loca" hit by Fuego. The scene and Fuego's theme are now practically inextricable.

** The scene from the first film in which Creator/JeanClaudaVanDamme dances hilariously with the two ladies. Its popularity eventually overtook the entire film, to the point a lot of people WatchItForTheMeme nowadays.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Frank Lane]], from ''The Art of War'', is a corrupt murderer in Brazil who secretly runs a [[SexSlave sex slaving ring]] that enslaves women and [[WouldHurtAChild children]], all to [[{{Greed}} put money in his pocket]]. Lane [[EstablishingCharacterMoment opens the film]] executing a runaway in front of the other slaves as a "lesson", and when he becomes obsessed with a young woman named Isabella, he kidnaps her to make her into his own slave. When hero David Sloane is on to him, he uses Isabella's life to force Sloane into a grueling training regimen so he loses a kickboxing match so Lane can profit. Even at the end, Lane shows no remorse, bragging he gave women a chance to be "part of something" in his dirty business.
* FanonDiscontinuity: Fans of the first film tend to ignore all of the numbered sequels made after it. ''Vengeance'' and ''Retaliation'' are the exceptions as they're are a reboot of the original series.
* MemeticMutation: "[[PostRapeTaunt You bleed like Mylee. Mylee...GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD FUCK!]]"

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: The main protagonists tend to suffer SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome, and the main antagonist - Tong Po - tends to demonstrate JokerImmunity despite his brutal defeats. This can make the series feel like one big ShootTheShaggyDog story - and also makes Po come out as a KarmaHoudini since he never really faced any serious consequences for his previous actions. The remake averts this by having Kurt actually kill Po in self defense at the end.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: The main protagonists tend to suffer SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome, and the main antagonist - Tong Po - tends to demonstrate JokerImmunity despite his brutal defeats. This can make the series feel like one big ShootTheShaggyDog story - and also makes Po come out as a KarmaHoudini since he never really faced any serious consequences for his previous actions. The remake averts this by having Kurt actually kill Po in self defense at the end.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: The main protagonists tend to suffer SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome, and the main antagonist - Tong Po - tends to demonstrate JokerImmunity despite his brutal defeats. This more or less seems to make the series one big ShootTheShaggyDog story - and also makes Po come out as a KarmaHoudini since he never really faced any serious consequences for his previous actions. The remake averts this by having Kurt actually kill Po in self defense at the end.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: The main protagonists tend to suffer SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome, and the main antagonist - Tong Po - tends to demonstrate JokerImmunity despite his brutal defeats. This more or less seems to make the series one big ShootTheShaggyDog story. Also, makes Tong Po come out as a KarmaHoudini since he never really faced any serious consequences for his previous actions. The remake averts this by having Kurt actually kill Tong Po in self defense at the end.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Regarding the entire series, [[spoiler:the main protagonists tend to suffer SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome, and the main antagonist, Tong Po, tends to make Villain Sue-style comebacks despite his brutal defeats]]. This more or less seems to make the series one big ShootTheShaggyDog story. Also, makes Tong Po come out as a KarmaHoudini since he never really faced any serious consequences for his previous actions. The remake averts this by having Kurt actually kill Tong Po in self defense at the end.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Regarding the entire series, [[spoiler:the main protagonists tend to suffer SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome, and the main antagonist, Tong Po, tends to make Villain Sue-style comebacks despite his brutal defeats]]. This more or less seems to make the series one big ShootTheShaggyDog story. Also, makes Tong Po come out as a KarmaHoudini since he never really faced any serious consequences for his previous actions.

* {{Narm}}: Tong Po's PostRapeTaunt is meant to be a KickTheDog moment, but Michel Qissi's hilarious delivery of the line and Van Damme's BigNo after hearing it made it hard for many viewers to take it seriously.

* CatharsisFactor: The final fight scene in the 1989 film is this trope for the audience and arguably Kurt too. Before the cheering crowd and the rescue of his brother, Kurt gets a HeroicSecondWind and delivered a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on Tong Po.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Fans of the first film tend to ignore all of the numbered sequels made after it. ''Vengeance'' and ''Retaliation'' are the exceptions.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Fans of the first film tend to ignore all of the sequels made after it.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Regarding the entire series, [[spoiler:the main protagonists tend to suffer SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome, and the main antagonist, Tong Po, tends to make Villain Sue-style comebacks despite his brutal defeats]]. This more or less seems to make the series one big ShootTheShaggyDog story.

* WhatTheHellHero: Kurt seems way angrier at Mylee for not telling him she got raped than he is at Tong Po for, you know, raping her.

* FakeNationality: Moroccan-Belgian actor Michel Qissi as the Thai kickboxer Tong Po.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Regarding the entire series, [[spoiler:the main protagonists tend to suffer SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome, and the main antagonist, Tong Po, tends to make VillainSue-style comebacks despite his brutal defeats]]. This more or less seems to make the series one big ShootTheShaggyDog story.