List of Major & Minor Karate Styles

This section looks at the multitude of Karate styles. Over the years, Karate has divided into many different sub-styles as students split from their masters, families developed their own unique styles, sensei added techniques and/or concepts from other martial arts or geographical regions, etc. For information on other Japanese martial arts such as Aikido, Judo, Kendo and Jujutsu, please visit our section on Japanese Martial Arts Styles.

Click on the individual styles below in order to learn more about their kata, kicks, strikes, training techniques, history, etc. If you are looking for information on other martial arts (i.e. BJJ, Muay Thai and Krav Maga), please visit Black Belt Wiki’s main Martial Arts Styles section.

Most Popular – Best known and/or styles with the largest number of schools.

Major & Minor Styles – Click on individual styles below in order to learn more about that Karate system.

What are the different styles of Karate?

There are many different styles of Karate. Some of the most popular or best known include Goju-Ryu, Kyokushin, Shito-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Shotokan and Wado-Ryu. Nevertheless, there are many other styles of Karate that provide useful martial arts training. Other examples of Karate include Ashihara, Chito-Ryu, Isshin-Ryu, Uechi-Ryu and many more.

Karate Styles – Shotokan (Founder – Gichin Funakoshi)

Karate Styles