List of karateka includes notable practitioners of karate, listed in alphabetical order by surname. Note that Japanese name order might not be consistent in this list, due to differing conventions. Individual entries list each person's name, years of birth and death (as appropriate), and main karate style(s).
A
Keigo Abe (born 1938), Shotokan Rafael Aghayev (born 1985), Shotokan Gary Alexander, Isshin Ryu Seishō Arakaki (1840–1918), Tode Steve Arneil (born 1934), Kyokushin Mark Arnott (born 1950), American Kenpo Tetsuhiko Asai (1935–2006), Shotokan Ankō Asato (1827–1906), Shuri-te Linden Ashby (born 1960), style unspecified Hideyuki Ashihara (1944–1995), Kyokushin and Ashihara Elisa Au (born 1981), Shitō-ryū Akshay Kumar (born 1967), Gōjū-ryū
B
Xhavit Bajrami (born 1975), Seido Shaun Baker, Shotokan Christine Bannon-Rodrigues (born 1966) Oki-ryu Vitor Belfort (born 1977), Shotokan Steven Bellamy (born 1950), Wadō-ryū and Gōjū-ryū Randy Blake (born 1986), style unspecified Billy Blanks (born 1955), style unspecified Jon Bluming (1933–2018), Kyokushin Mitchell Bobrow (born 1950), Shūdōkan, Tang Soo Do Robert Bowles, Shuri-ryū Frank Brennan (born 1960), Shotokan Steve Blackman (born 1963), Shotokan Jerry Bell (born 1953), Shotokan
C
Jose Canseco (born 1964), style unspecified Thomas Carroll (1938–1999), Shotokan Shonie Carter (born 1971), Shidōkan Antonio Carvalho (born 1979), Shotokan Graciela Casillas, American Kenpo Juan Eduardo Castro dos Santos (born 1954), Okinawa-ken Ryu Tino Ceberano (born c. 1942), Gōjū Kai Nicholas Raymond Cerio (1936–1998), American Kenpo Sonny Chiba (born 1939), Kyokushin Chōshin Chibana (1885–1969), Shōrin-ryū Teruo Chinen (born 1941), Gōjū-ryū Peter Chong (born 1941), Kyokushin William Kwai Sun Chow (1914–1987), American Kenpo Randall "Tex" Cobb (born 1950), style unspecified Howard Collins (born 1949), Kyokushin Dale Cook (born 1958), style unspecified Harry Cook (born 1949), Shotokan and Gōjū-ryū John Corcoran, Shōrin-ryū Joe Corley (born 1947), style unspecified John Critzos II, style unspecified Sean Connery (1930–2020), Kyokushin
D
Raymond Daniels (born 1980), Kenpō Karate, Shotokan Count Dante (1939–1975), style unspecified Fumio Demura (born 1938), Shitō-ryū Nick Denis (born 1983), Kyokushin George Dillman, Ryukyu Kempo Richard K. Diran (born 1949), style unspecified Ticky Donovan (born 1947), Shotokan, Wadō-ryū, and Kyokushin Troy Dorsey (born 1962), style unspecified
E
Héctor Echavarría (born 1969), American Kenpo and Shuri-ryū Shigeru Egami (1912–1981), Shōtōkai Adriano Directo Emperado (1926–2009), American Kenpo Keinosuke Enoeda (1935–2003), Shotokan
F
Glaube Feitosa (born 1973), Kyokushin Francisco Filho (born 1971), Kyokushin Sean Patrick Flanery (born 1965), style unspecified Michael G. Foster (born 1940), Yoshukai Jason David Frank (born 1973), Shotokan Zane Frazier (born 1966), American Kenpo Travis Fulton (1977–2021), American Kenpo Gichin Funakoshi (1869–1957), Shotokan Gigō Funakoshi (1906–1945), Shotokan
G
Manny Gamburyan (born 1981), Kyokushin Alexander Gerunov (born 1979), Shitō-ryū John Giordano (martial artist), Gōjū-ryū Glacier (born 1964), style unspecified Lyman Good (born 1985), style unspecified Peter Graham (born 1975), Kyokushin Thomas Ian Griffith (born 1962), American Kenpo Sam Greco (born 1967), Kyokushin Neil Grove (born 1971), Gōjū-ryū Shinpan Gusukuma (1890–1954), Shitō-ryū Bear Grylls (born 1974), Shotokan Johnny Gyro, style unspecified
H
Keith Hackney (born 1958), American Kenpo Mitsusuke Harada (born 1928), Shotokan Randall Hassell (born c. 1940), Shotokan Demetrius Havanas (1950–1981), style unspecified Dave Hazard (born 1952), Shotokan Dana Hee (born 1961), Shotokan Sekō Higa (1898–1966), Gōjū-ryū Yuchoku Higa (1910–1994), Shōrin-ryū and Gōjū-ryū Kanryō Higaonna (1853–1915), Gōjū-ryū Kanryu Higaonna (1849–1922), Okinawan martial arts Morio Higaonna (born 1938), Gōjū-ryū Kori Hisataka (1907–1988), Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Masayuki Hisataka (born 1940), Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Steven Ho (born 1973), style unspecified Sam Hoger (born 1980), style unspecified Russ Hogue (born 1974), style unspecified Loek Hollander (born c. 1940), Kyokushin Kyoji Horiguchi (born 1990), Shotokan Andy Hug (1964–2000), Kyokushin and Seido
I
Kazuyoshi Ishii (born 1953), Seido Ankō Itosu (1832–1916), Shuri-te
K
Nobuaki Kakuda (born 1961), Seido Hirokazu Kanazawa (1931–2019), Shotokan Taiji Kase (1929–2004), Shotokan Hajime Kazumi (born 1971), Kyokushin Ömer Kemaloğlu (born 1987), style unspecified Katsunori Kikuno (born 1981), Kyokushin Richard Kim (1917–2001), Shōrinji-ryū Davit Kiria (born 1988), Ashihara Kishi Nobuyuki (1948–2018), Kyokushin and Kishi Karate Taishin Kohiruimaki (born 1977), Kyokushin Yuki Kondo (born 1975), Shorinji Kempo Takayuki Kubota (1934–2024), Te and Gosoku-ryu Shōgō Kuniba (1935–1992), Shitō-ryū Yasuaki Kurata (born 1946), Shito-ryu Chōtoku Kyan (1870–1945), Shōrin-ryū
L
Maximiliano Larrosa (born 1992) Joe Lewis (born 1944), Shōrin-ryū Chuck Liddell (born 1969), American Kenpo Bobby Lowe (1929–2011), Kyokushin Dolph Lundgren (born 1957), Kyokushin
M
Kenwa Mabuni (1889–1952), Shitō-ryū Lyoto Machida (born 1978), Shotokan John Makdessi (born 1985), Shotokan Akira Masuda (born 1962), Kyokushin Shokei Matsui (born 1963), Kyokushin Sōkon Matsumura (), Shuri-te Kenji Midori (born 1962), Kyokushin Takayuki Mikami (born 1933), Shotokan Miyuki Miura (born 1949), Shotokan and Kyokushin Frank Mir (born 1979), Kenpō Chōjun Miyagi (1888–1953), Gōjū-ryū Katsuya Miyahira (born 1918), Shōrin-ryū Shidōkan Ei'ichi Miyazato (1922–1999), Gōjū-ryū Minoru Mochizuki (1907–2003), Shotokan and Yoseikan Vic Moore (born 1943), Shuri-ryū Chōki Motobu (1871–1944), Shuri-te Chōyū Motobu (1857–1938), Shuri-te Matt Mullins (born 1980), Shōrei-ryū Musashi (Akio Mori, born 1972), Seido Glen Murphy (Born 1957) Kyokushin
N
Shōshin Nagamine (1907–1997), Shōrin-ryū and Matsubayashi-ryū Don Nagle (1938–1999), Isshin-ryu Tatsuya Naka (born 1964), Shotokan Masatoshi Nakayama (1913–1987), Shotokan Shūgorō Nakazato (born 1921), Shōrin-ryū Shōrinkan Jadamba Narantungalag (born (1975), Kyokushin Gunnar Nelson (born 1988), Gōjū-ryū Alain Ngalani (born 1975), Kyokushin Jōkō Ninomiya (born 1954), Enshin Hidetaka Nishiyama (1928–2008), Shotokan Masaaki Noiri (born 1993), Shin Chuck Norris (1940–2026), Tang Soo Do
O
Hideo Ochi (born 1940), Shotokan Tsutomu Ohshima (born 1930), Shotokan Teruyuki Okazaki (born 1931), Shotokan Terry O'Neill (born 1948), Shotokan Hironori Ōtsuka (1892–1982), Wadō-ryū Masutatsu Ōyama (1923–1994), Kyokushin
P
Ed Parker (1931–1990), American Kenpo Cecil Patterson (1930–2002), Wadō-ryū Seth Petruzelli (born 1979), Shitō-ryū Nicholas Pettas (born 1973), Kyokushin Malcolm Phipps (born 1942), Shotokan Henry Plée (born 1923) Karin Prinsloo (born 1972), JKA Shotokan
R
Samuel Roberts (born 1956), Shotokan Hatsuo Royama (born 1948), Kyokushin Bas Rutten (born 1965), Kyokushin
S
Tarec Saffiedine (born 1986), Shihaishinkai Georges St-Pierre (born 1981), Kyokushin Kanga Sakukawa (1733–1815), Te Masaaki Satake (born 1965), Seido Katsuaki Satō (born 1946), Satojuku Semmy Schilt (born 1973), Ashihara Andy Sherry (born 1943), Shotokan Tatsuo Shimabuku (1908–1975), Gōjū-ryū and Isshin-ryū Zenryō Shimabukuro (1908–1969), Shōrin-ryū Seibukan Hiroshi Shirai (born 1937), Shotokan Assuério Silva (born 1974), Shotokan Wesley Snipes (born 1962), Shotokan Tiffany van Soest (born 1989), Shōrin-ryū Paul Starling (born 1948), Gōjū-ryū Shojiro Sugiyama (born 1929), Shotokan
T
Kazumi Tabata (born 1943), Shotokan Seigo Tada (1922–1997), Gōjū-ryū and Seigokan Masaji Taira (born 1952), Gōjū-ryū Peichin Takahara (1683–c. 1765), Te Rina Takeda (born 1991), Ryukyu Shorin-ryu Chōjirō Tani (1921–1998), Shūkōkai Ewerton Teixeira (born 1982), Kyokushin George Spiro Thanos (born 1952), Taekwondo Geoff Thompson (born 1960), Shotokan Stephen Thompson (born 1983), American Kenpo Seikichi Toguchi (1917–1998), Gōjū-ryū Kenji Tokitsu (born 1947), Shotokan Kanken Tōyama (1888–1966), Shūdōkan Robert Trias (1923–1989), Shuri-ryū Masami Tsuruoka (born 1929), Chitō-ryū Ashraf Tai, (career 1974–1985) Shotokan
U
Kanbun Uechi (1877–1948), Uechi-ryū Sadamu Uriu (born 1929), Shotokan
V
Luca Valdesi (born 1976), Shotokan Dominique Valera (born 1947), Shotokan Jean-Claude Van Damme (born 1960), Shotokan Will Vanders (born 1963), Kyokushin and Shotokan
W
Atsuko Wakai (born 1971), Seigokan and Gōjū-ryū Bill Wallace (born 1945), Shōrin-ryū Shunji Watanabe (born 1938), Shorinjiryu Kenkokan John van Weenen (born 1941), Shotokan Michael Jai White (born 1967), Kyokushin, Shotokan, and Gōjū-ryū Arturo Worrell (born 1950), Shotokan Ronnie Watt (born 1947), Shotokan
Y
James Yabe (born 1941), Shotokan Kentsū Yabu (1866–1937), Shōrin-ryū Meitoku Yagi (1912–2003), Gōjū-ryū Yutaka Yaguchi (born 1932), Shotokan Gōgen Yamaguchi (1909–1989), Gōjū Kai Masahiro Yamamoto (born 1983), Kyokushin Tadashi Yamashita (born 1942), Shorin-Ryu Terutomo Yamazaki (born 1947), Kyokushin Tony Young (born 1962), Gōjū-ryū