Karateka is a 1984 martial arts action game by Jordan Mechner, and was his first published game, created while attending Yale University. It was originally programmed for the Apple II, then widely ported. Along with Karate Champ (1984) and Yie-Ar Kung Fu (1985), Karateka established the basis of the modern fighting game.

The player controls an unnamed protagonist who is attempting to rescue his love interest, the Princess Mariko, from Akuma's castle fortress. The game exhibits a combination of a side-scrolling platform and fighting game elements similar to a beat 'em up. The player uses punches and kicks to defeat Akuma and his guards and make his way deeper into the fortress.