<p>Karate Champ, known in Japan as Karate Dō (“The Way of the Empty Hand”), is a 1984 arcade fighting game developed by Technōs Japan for Data East. Karate Champ established and popularized the one-on-one fighting genre. A variety of moves can be performed using the dual-joystick controls using a best-of-three matches format like later fighting games.</p> <p>A separate arcade game that allows two players the option to compete against each other was released in 1984 under the title Karate Champ — Player vs Player (“The Competitive Way of the Empty Hand: Pretty Maiden Edition”), a distinct video game featuring a multiplayer mode and more varied gameplay. It was released for the arcades shortly after the original during the same year, also published by Data East. This version would serve as the basis for the home ports of Karate Champ.</p>
