Karate is a family of martial arts that developed in what is now Okinawa, Japan. Potentially as early as the 1300s, Chinese martial arts taught their skills to inhabitants of these islands. As such, Karate bears a striking resemblance to White Crane Kung-fu, from which it is thought to originate. It began as a comprehensive martial arts system, encompassing not just empty-handed techniques such as striking, but also incorporating weapons, even though modern Karate focuses mostly on forms of striking.

Around the late 1800s and early 1900s, innovative practitioners of Karate such as Giichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate, popularized Karate throughout Japan. This was bolstered by desire in Japan to counter the growing prominence of martial arts (such as boxing) in the West and elsewhere, preserving Japanese culture.

The similar system, Kenpo (or Kempo), which is sometimes referred to as Kenpo Karate, is not actually a strict Karate lineage. It's most noteworthy practitioner, Ed Parker, whom many trace a lineage from, actually studied a modern hybrid martial art he learned within the Unites States, which combined elements of Judo, boxing, and Chinese martial arts, among others. Due to its similarity in the usage of striking methods, forms or Kata, and techniques, it is sometimes referred to as Karate to aid with understanding and promotion in the USA.