Article: It is not that one is better than the other in general, but there are some that are better for certain people. More popular styles benefit from more people to learn from, more funding and the occasional visit from a master from Japan. Here are the most popular styles: Goju Ryu. Its founder, Gogen Yamaguchi, was famously taken prisoner by the Russians in World War 2. The Russians attempted to feed him to a hungry tiger, but he killed the tiger with his bare hands. Goju has many more circular and close in/grappling techniques. Shotokhan. Shotokan is the most traditional Japanese style. It takes its name from a pen name that Master Funakoshi used in his poetry. The name means the "house where you hear the wind blowing through the pine trees. It is very direct, with strong movements in a linear fashion towards the target. Shito ryu. Shito is an attempt to unify the linear Shotokan and the circular Goju into one combined discipline. Wado ryu. Wado contains various Judo like throws. Kyokushin Kai. Kyokushin has a reputation for being very intense and is good if you aspire to full contact fighting. It's founder, Mas Oyama, was known for fighting bulls in demonstrations, and repeatedly cut off bull's horns with an open hand (knife) strike. As in anything, the actual teacher may be more important that the school. Make sure the School follows your philosophy. Some schools are full of 18 year olds with lots of contact, excitement, and broken bones. Some are spiritual and have no contact. This is probably the most important thing to consider in choosing. Ensure lessons are are at a convenient time and place for you. Watch a lesson before you actually join, to see if you like the style. Decide if you want to practice with children or not. It is very hard to make a living teaching karate, and many schools make their cash by teaching a lot of children. That may be fine with you, or may not be. Don't worry about toning, strengthening and weight loss. All forms of karate are great exercise. Karate is a full body exercise, and is great for aerobic /heart rate training and endurance. Any school will help in this area, all you have to do is go to one. Most karate instructors are very honest. However, be careful not to join a school with some kind of restrictive contract.

What is a summary?
Know that all Karate styles are good. Choose a good School.