-We swear by the light of the dragon's eye, To be loyal and honest, And never say die. WASABI!
Kickin' It is a 2011 Disney XD comedy about martial arts. It centers on the Seaford, CA Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts Academy, led by Sensei Rudy and at the outset the lowest-performing dojo in the national chain.
This series provides examples of:
Absentee Actor: Eddie was absent in a Season 1 episode and has been written out of the show as of season 3. Kim has been absent for 5 episodes (It Takes Two to Tangle, Buddyguards, Dojo Day Care, Kickin' It Old School, and Wedding Crashers) due to Olivia Holt having to film her own Disney Channel Original Movie and has missed the season 3 episode "Glove Hurts".
In the very first episode, Rudy lets Jack compete with an injury; this could count as Two Decades Behind because while that's now a major no-no in youth sports, that level of awareness is a pretty recent development.
Assumed Win: The Wasabi Warriors once entered a dance contest. When the winner of individual category was to be announced, an arrogant cheater was readying himself to accept it. Then one of the warriors was announced the winner.
Badass Santa: In "Oh, Christmas Nuts!" Santa helps the warriors defeat a group of Christmas con artists.
Bad Job, Worse Uniform: Averted(!); the Christmas elf uniform is just a polo shirt and khakis with a Santa hat. This in a series that loves putting funny costumes on people, even by Disney Kid Com standards.
Berserk Button: Apparently, implying/saying Kim is a Dumb Blonde is NOT a good idea. She was ready to hurt Milton (who was pretending to be Jerry as part of a plan) when he said "Forgot I was talking to a blonde."
Blackmail: In one episode, the bully Truman blackmails Eddie into pranking the other dojo members. Once the gang finds out, they go all out to turn the tables on Truman.
Dressed To Heal: in Breaking Board, Kim wears an old-fashioned "candy striper" uniform as a hospital volunteer.
Economy Cast: I dare you to name an episode featuring (or even mentioning for that matter) any of the Wasabi Warriors's Parents. You'd think that at least one of them would show up to a Karate Tournament every now and then. While it is true that some parents are reluctant to watch the kids compete in some of the violent sports, such as football, boxing or wrestling as opposed to baseball or basketball, that is still a small percentage of all parents.
Milton’s Dad was in the first episode and one in the third season. Jerry’s Mom was in Boo Gi Nights and mentioned his Dad would be watching him fight in The Great Escape, although it’s unknown if he ever did show up. Eddie’s Mom was in one episode where he won his orange belt and she’s been mentioned in a couple of other episodes.
The dojo couldn't possibly stay in business with only five (later four) students, there have to be other groups that train at different times/on different days. Apart from the pilot and that one episode in Season 3 where Jack recruited a couple new students, we almost never see them.
Farts on Fire: Jerry did this in "The Chosen One" to the eternal flame, a fire that can never be extinguished, its really from the natural gas underneath the temple and flew into the air and crashed into some acrobatic monks.
So this is where Snake Eyes got his start at. I'm surprised he's talking.
Disney Channel Australia is promoting the show with a bunch of short clips, followed by a black background with the words "Jason Earles Returns to Disney Channel."
Jerkass / Ungrateful Bastard: Jack's cousin Kai. He disguised his teammates as ninjas to ambush and injure Jack's wrist so he can't compete in the China tournament. Jack figures this out when he notices one of Kai's teammates has the same tatoo as one of the people who ambushed him and calls Kai out on it. Kai then attacks Jack for no apparent reason other than being provoked. The two fight, but Jack saves Kai from nearly falling off the Great Wall. Rather than thank Jack for saving his life, Kai states that Jack is weak for saving him and continues the fight.
He Is Not My Boyfriend: Kim to Jack. Mentioned in the pilot and a couple episodes since, but not many.
Laser-Guided Karma: Every antagonist in the show receives some sort of comeuppance for their actions. The dangerous ones even get arrested.
Laser Hallway: Jack and Milton find one on the way to a security office. Jack does some acrobatics to traverse it and disables it for Milton. For some reason, the door to the security office itself was unlocked.
New Rules as the Plot Demands: Rudy seems to be under the pressures of both a franchise owner (he's said to own the dojo and the money he has invested in it is an issue) and a corporate employee (Bobby Wasabi can close the location and lay him off at will), with the rights and privileges of neither.
Not What It Looks Like: In order to help Milton get over his fear of kissing, Kim grabs Milton and kisses him on the lips as soon as Julie walks into the dojo.
Only Sane Man: Both Jack and Kim seem to be the least goofy characters on the show.
Pet Heir: When Bobby Wasabi was told something he didn't believe, he said it was rich like his dog will be once he dies.
Priceless Ming Vase: Rudy continually stumbles into the antiques around the edges of the room in which the China tournament is held. Yes, that's right, priceless artifacts in a room where a martial arts tournament is being held.
Sadist Teacher: Ty towards the Wasabi Warriors when Rudy retired and became a business man by taking away Jack and Kim's black belts, turning Jerry into a punching dummy, and made Milton and Eddie drink excessive amounts of water, forces them to fight each other and only allow the winner to use the rest room.
In Kickin' It Old School, Coach Funderburk basically made Rudy's life a living hell when he had to return to high school for a few days in order to receive an award simply because his love interest and the health teacher, Ms. Applebaum liked Rudy instead of him.
Even Ms. Applebaum wasn't immune to this trope. She made her class write an essay depicting the similarities between a man and a lying snake just because Rudy forgot her birthday and lied to her and when Rudy lied about climbing a mountain and carving a heart with their initials in it, she wants to see it, in order to stall her, Rudy points out she's still teaching class at which point she yells at them to get out.
The Mall: Nearly all scenes take place there or at the school. Note that in Real Life a karate dojo doesn't rely on impulse traffic and thus has little need for a prime retail location, so the presence of one is a sign the mall is going downhill.
Took a Level in Dumbass: In Season 1, Jack was not only the most skilled student in the dojo, but he was usually the one who would come up with a plan to the gang's current situation. In Season 2's "The Chosen One", Jack was more concerned about his hair being shaved than saving the Grandmaster Monk. In "Wedding Crashers", Jack picks up one of Bobby's movie props and accidentally shoots Jerry in the mouth paralyzing him.
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