Karate Kid Part 4

The Karate Kid Part III is a 1989 American martial arts drama film and the second sequel to The Karate Kid (1984). The film stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively,. The Karate Kid Part III is a 1989 American martial arts drama film and the second sequel to The Karate Kid (1984). The film stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, and Thomas Ian Griffith in his film debut.

1. The Karate Kid 2 2016
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3. Karate Kid Part 4

Daniel LaRusso

Relatives

Friends

Enemies

Affiliation

Series Information

'When the fight comes to you, you have to be ready to fight back.'

―Daniel LaRusso

Daniel LaRusso is one of the main protagonists of The Karate Kid series. His first debut was in the original film, The Karate Kid (1984). He also appeared in Part II and Part III. Although he didn't make an appearance in The Next Karate Kid (1994), he was briefly mentioned by Mr. Miyagi. Alongside Johnny Lawrence, Daniel is also one of the main protagonists of the 2018 web drama series Cobra Kai, where he has two children and owns the LaRusso Auto Group, a chain of auto-dealerships, with his wife Amanda.

Biography

The Karate Kid (1984)

'What point? That I can take a beating? I mean, every time I see those guys, they're gonna know they got the best of me. I'll never have balance that way. Not with them, not with Ali. Not with me.'

―Daniel LaRusso to Mr. Miyagi^[src]

Daniel and his mother, Lucille move from Newark, New Jersey to the 'South Seas' apartment complex in Reseda, California due to Lucille's job transfer. Upon arriving, Daniel befriends one of his neighbors, Freddy Fernandez, after karate kicking a gate door into Freddy's face, but Freddy doesn't take offense, and invites him to a beach party. Before the beach party, Daniel meets his future mentor, Mr. Miyagi, when Daniel goes to ask him to fix their new apartment's leaky faucet.

Daniel then goes to the beach party. It is at this beach party that Daniel first encounters Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue), and is instantly infatuated with her. He attempts to teach her how to bounce a soccer ball in the air. As he does this, Ali's ex-boyfriend, Johnny Lawrence is riding dirt bikes with his friends. They stop to talk, and it is pointed out to him that they can see Ali flirting with Daniel. This leads to Johnny going down to the beach to confront Ali. She is less than receptive, and in his frustration, he breaks her radio. Johnny, the star pupil of the Cobra Kai Dojo, and the winner of the last All-Valley Karate Tournament, beats up Daniel when he tries to aid Ali. This leads to Daniel being humiliated, and Freddy abandons Daniel on the beach.

In the following weeks, Daniel occasionally falls under the ire of Johnny and the rest of the Cobra Kai gang, who harass him. This conflict finally comes to a head at their high school Halloween party, where Daniel soaks Johnny with water in one of the bathroom stalls. Johnny and his friends chase Daniel from the high school to the fence of his apartment complex, when they are finally able to catch up with him, and begin beating Daniel. Viewing the attack, Mr. Miyagi intervenes. He jumps down from the fence, and beats all of Daniel's assailants single-handedly.

Daniel and Mr. Miyagi go to the Cobra Kai Dojo the next day to attempt to make peace, and ask the head of the dojo, John Kreese to order his students to stop. Kreese refuses, until Miyagi suggests that the matter be settled during that year's All-Valley Karate Tournament, to which they all agree. Mr. Miyagi begins to teach Daniel the ways of karate through a series of labor tasks, including paint the fence, paint the house, wax the car, and sand the floor.

When the tournament comes around, Daniel enters and despite knowing the rules when he starts, he does well, even defeating Cobra Kai students Jerry, Jimmy, Tommy, and Dutch. He makes it to the semifinals, against the Cobra Kai member Bobby Brown. Bobby is told by Kreese to put Daniel out of commission, and despite Bobby's protests about being disqualified and believing he could beat Daniel, he still breaks Daniels leg with a savage kick to the kneecap. When this happens, Daniel is given fifteen minutes to recover, and if he can't fight by then, Johnny will win by forfeit. But thanks to Mr. Miyagi's warm hands, and mysterious healing techniques, Daniel is able to limp back onto the tournament floor.

Johnny and Daniel then exchange points, with the fight coming down to the final point for both of them. This is when Johnny grabs one of Daniel's kicks from his injured leg, and elbows it, causing Daniel an insane amount of pain. Daniel is no longer able to stand on that leg, so he assumes the crane technique position as his final stance, and when the ref signals the next bout, Johnny moves forward, only for Daniel to kick Johnny in the face, winning the tournament. Daniel is then rushed by his friends and family, and Johnny grabs the trophy from the organizer of the tournament, and presents it to Daniel, saying, 'You're all right Larusso! Good match!' The movie then closes with Daniel looking towards Mr. Miyagi,who was sitting on the bleachers, and sees him smiling proudly.

The Karate Kid Part II (1986)

As Daniel and Mr. Miyagi are leaving the All-Valley Tournament, they overhear John Kreese berating Johnny for not winning first place. Kreese then starts to mercilessly strangle Johnny, despite the pleas of the rest of the Cobra Kai. Mr. Miyagi intervenes, and after tricking Kreese into punching two car windows and making both of his hands bleed, Miyagi pulls him down and appears to be preparing a killing blow. He then honks Kreese's nose, because Miyagi doesn't kill.

Six months later, Daniel angrily comes to Mr. Miyagi's house with his car, steamily stating that Ali did something to the car. He also tells him that Ali has fallen in love with a football player as well. To make matters worse, he is supposed to go away on a long trip with his mom. But Mr. Miyagi calls his mom, and convinces her to let Daniel stay with him. Miyagi then gets a letter from Okinawa saying that his father is dying, so he and Daniel travel to Okinawa.

When they get off the plane, they are told that a car is waiting for them, so they get in the car. But the driver was Chozen Toguchi, who was Sato Toguchi's nephew. He takes them to a warehouse, where Sato is waiting. Sato used to be Miyagi's best friend, until a girl came between them. Miyagi also fled before the two could fight, and this insulted Sato's honor, which he could not get over. Then, they go to Miyagi's house, and see Miyagi's father. While they are in Okinawa, Miyagi tries to teach Daniel the Miyagi family technique, but Daniel is unable to grasp it. Chozen makes life difficult for them when he goes to their house and starts screaming in the night for Miyagi to come out, and destroying the thin walls with a spear. Miyagi's father dies, and Sato gives Miyagi three days to grieve before they must fight. Miyagi goes to Sato's mansion, and talks to Sato while he is trying to break a thick beam of wood, which Miyagi and him had found on the beach when they were still best friends. This is when the famous quote happens. Miyagi says, 'Same piece of wood we found on beach that day', and Sato says, 'Same!'.

Meanwhile, Daniel is hanging out with Kumiko, and it is clear they are developing a relationship, but Chozen is making Daniel's life miserable. Daniel then catches Chozen cheating the villagers on produce with fake weights. And, when Daniel and Kumiko stumble into a building where people are placing bets on how many ice blocks people can break, Daniel is telling Kumiko how the people are doing it wrong. Chozen then challenges him to do better, and while Daniel is trying to leave, Miyagi comes in, and places 600 dollars on Daniel breaking all of the ice blocks. Chozen says he cannot cover that, and that is when Sato comes in and says that Chozen is covered. Daniel succeeds, and this further angers Chozen, who later goes up and robs Daniel to get his money back.

Things come to a head, when a huge storm comes, destroying much of Okinawa. Sato is trapped in a destroyed building, trapped beneath a large piece of wood. Miyagi hears his screams, and runs out from shelter to save his old friend. he breaks the wood, and helps Sato get to shelter. Sato then decides to forgive Miyagi, and disowns his nephew who had done nothing to help people. Chozen then runs into the storm.

There is a huge celebration that the storm has passed, and Kumiko is dancing in the island in the middle of the castle. Chozen ziplines in screaming, and holds a knife to Kumiko's neck. He then orders Daniel to come into the circle, and then drop the bridge. He wants to fight to the death. Chozen is winning, but Daniel is getting hits in. He attempts the crane technique, but Chozen knows the counter, and turns it against him. When it looks as if Daniel is going to lose, Miyagi starts twirling a hand drum. Soon, all of the onlookers are also twirling their hand drums. Miyagi is telling Daniel to use the drum technique, and Daniel finally understands the Miyagi family technique.

Daniel starts to repeatedly punch Chozen in the face, while twisting his upper body with every hit, so it resembles a swinging drum. He knocks Chozen to the ground, and tells him, 'Live or die man!' Chozen responds, 'Die.' Daniel says, 'Wrong!' and honks his nose. The camera then focuses on Miyagi, who is once again smiling proudly at his student, and the movie closes.

The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

In The Karate Kid Part III, Daniel and Miyagi return to Los Angeles from Okinawa, Japan only to discover that the South Seas apartment complex is being converted into condominiums, leaving Miyagi unemployed and Daniel homeless. They also learn that Daniel's mother, Lucille, is in New Jersey taking care of Daniel's ill uncle. Miyagi invites Daniel to stay at his house, and Daniel uses his college funds / ice-breaking winnings to realize Miyagi's dream of opening a Bonsai tree shop. As thanks, Miyagi makes him a partner at the business. When Daniel visits a pottery store across the street, he meets Jessica Andrews; though Daniel has a brief crush on her, she tells him that she has a boyfriend back home in Columbus, Ohio, but they remain friends.

Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese is now broke and destitute after losing all of his students. He visits his Vietnam War comrade, Terry Silver, a wealthy businessman who founded the Cobra Kai Dojo with profits from his billion dollar toxic-waste disposal business. Silver vows to personally help him get revenge on Daniel and Mr. Miyagi and re-establish the Cobra Kai, sending Kreese on vacation to Tahiti to rest and recuperate. Silver hires 'Dynamite' Mike Barnes, a vicious karate prospect nicknamed 'Karate's Bad Boy', to challenge Daniel at the upcoming All Valley Karate Tournament. Silver also hires two goons to help Barnes, called 'Snake' and Dennis. Silver sneaks into Miyagi's house to gather information and overhears Daniel telling Miyagi that he will not defend his title at the tournament. Barnes and some cohorts attempt to coerce Daniel to enter the tournament, but Daniel refuses, and Barnes departs in a rage. The next morning, as Daniel and Miyagi are practicing kata, Silver interrupts and lies about John Kreese suffering a fatal heart attack after losing his students, and begs forgiveness for Kreese's behavior.

Barnes and his friends return to make Daniel sign up for the tournament; when Daniel again refuses, a skirmish ensues until Miyagi arrives and fends off the three men. After driving Jessica home, Daniel and Miyagi return to find their stock of bonsai trees missing and a tournament application hanging in place. To replace the missing trees, Daniel and Jessica decide to dig up and sell a valuable bonsai tree that Miyagi brought from Okinawa, and planted halfway down a cliff. As they retrieve it, Barnes and his henchmen appear and retract their climbing ropes, leaving Daniel no choice but to sign up for the tournament. After pulling them back up, Barnes breaks the tree. Daniel returns to the shop with Miyagi's damaged bonsai, which Miyagi attempts to mend. Miyagi tells Daniel that he sold his truck to buy a new stock of trees, and cannot train him for the tournament.

Silver offers to 'train' Daniel for the tournament at the Cobra Kai dojo with a series of brutal, violent, offensive techniques. He derides Miyagi's kata forms and pressures Daniel to destroy a wooden practice dummy, causing him several injuries in the process. Throughout his training, Daniel's frustration alienates him from Miyagi. While Daniel and Jessica are at a nightclub, Silver bribes a random man into provoking a fight with Daniel, who responds by punching the man and breaking his nose. Shocked by his aggressive behavior, Daniel apologizes and makes amends with Jessica and Miyagi. Daniel visits Silver to inform him that he will not compete at the tournament, but Silver reveals his true agenda to Daniel as Barnes and Kreese enter the dojo. After Barnes viciously assaults Daniel, Miyagi intervenes and finally agrees to train him. They replant the healed bonsai and begin training.

At the tournament, Barnes reaches the final round to challenge Daniel. Silver and Kreese instruct Barnes to inflict serious damage on Daniel, keep the score a tie, and finally beat him in the sudden death round. Barnes gets the upper hand during the fight while taunting Daniel relentlessly. When the initial round concludes, Daniel wants to concede, but Miyagi urges him on. In the sudden death round, Daniel performs the kata; as a confused Barnes lunges toward him, Daniel flips him to the ground and strikes him to win the tournament a second year in a row. Silver walks away in disgrace while the crowd throws their Cobra Kai shirts back at him.

Pre-Cobra Kai

In the three decades between Karate Kid and Cobra Kai, Daniel met and married a woman named Amanda and had two children, Samantha and Anthony. When Sam was 8, Daniel trained her in karate, though she eventually stopped training with him. Also at some point, the bonsai tree store, opened in 1989 with Mr. Miyagi ultimately failed and Daniel went into the car dealership business, first for a used car dealer. In 2002, he and Amanda established the LaRusso Auto Group while she was pregnant with their daughter Samantha. Sadly, Mr. Miyagi died in 2011, which dealt a heavy blow to Daniel.

Cobra Kai (2018)

Season 1

34 years after the events of the first movie, Daniel Larusso is now a successful car dealer, owning the LaRusso Auto Group, a chain of car dealerships in the San Fernando Valley with his wife Amanda. While working at one his dealerships one day, he encounters Johnny Lawrence, who was at the dealership to reclaim his car, after (unknown to Daniel) Daniel's daughter Sam's friend damaged it in a hit-and-run. Despite Johnny's reluctance, Daniel has Johnny's car fixed for free.

Some time later, he discovers that the Cobra Kai dojo has reopened in Reseda, which revives his rivalry with Johnny Lawrence. Fearing that Johnny will create a new generation of bullies, Daniel becomes focused on trying to close Cobra Kai, which is only worsened when, in a drunken state, Johnny spray-paints a penis on one of Daniel's billboards, leading to Daniel being mocked both online and by his business rival Tom Cole (as well as, unknowingly to Daniel, causing Sam to be bullied after she dumped her boyfriend).

Soon after, Daniel manipulates Johnny's landlord into doubling the rent on his tenants, attempting to force Johnny to close. However, this fails due to Johnny's student, Miguel, defeating a group of bullies in the school cafeteria, which is then posted to the internet and causes Cobra Kai to become rapidly popular and take in many more students.

After Amanda calls Daniel out on his recent actions, Daniel goes to Mr. Miyagi's grave, admitting that ever since his mentor's death, he has lost his way, letting his anger take control of him. Just before he leaves, he remembers the lesson Mr. Miyagi taught him about balance 34 years prior. Thus, Daniel cleans out and rebuilds his old training room, once again resuming his training.

After Daniel tries unsuccessfully to persuade Samantha to go back to karate, he takes in and trains Robby Keene, who, unknown to Daniel, is actually the son of Johnny and had started working at Daniel's company as an act of revenge against his father, after seeing him with Miguel and believing Johnny had replaced him. Daniel begins training Robby with the same methods that Mr. Miyagi had taught him decades earlier, such as 'wax on, wax off.'

Later, Daniel attends the meeting of the athletic committee for the City Karate Tournament of which he is a member, where Johnny is trying to convince the committee to lift the lifetime ban on Cobra Kai for the events that had taken place in Karate Kid III. Johnny tells the committee that his teachings are different from those of John Kreese and Terry Silver, stating that Kreese himself is dead. He says that he has learned from his past mistakes and that his dojo is now a place where people who get bullied are taught self confidence and how to stand up for themselves. Despite Daniel's furious objections, the committee is convinced by what seems to be Johnny's genuine sincerity and allows Cobra Kai to compete, which infuriates Daniel.

While at a family reunion, Daniel rants about how dangerous and cruel Cobra Kai is, which affects his daughter Sam, who, unknown to Daniel, was dating a student of Johnny's.

Some time later, Johnny confronts Daniel at his home, as, unknown to Daniel, Daniel's cousin Louie and several bikers Louie had hired destroyed Johnny's car and set it on fire. However, before they come to blows, Amanda quickly defuses the looming fight with an invitation to peacefully discuss the matter over breakfast and they reach an agreement: in addition to Louie being fired, Johnny would receive a trade-in car from their business in compensation.

While on a test drive, the two bond together over beers, where they end up visiting Daniel's old apartment and reveal their stories before they met, Daniel learning that Johnny's childhood hadn't been as perfect as he previously thought. When Johnny returns Daniel to his home seemingly friends and having finally put their grudge behind them, and possibly about to do a fight for fun (like the ending or Rocky III between Rocky and Apollo), Daniel introduces Robby to Johnny. When Johnny finds out Daniel is training Robby, his own son, Johnny becomes infuriated. Daniel is shocked and infuriated when he learns that Robby is Johnny's son, once again igniting the fires of hatred between the two men. Feeling betrayed, Daniel tells Robby to get out of the house, as Daniel suspects Robby is involved in some con against him.

The morning of the annual All Valley Under-18 Karate tournament, Daniel is depressed about the events with Robby, and initially refuses to attend the tournament, until he is forced to go by Amanda. They sit in the front row, and Daniel is visibly dismayed when Cobra Kai makes their grand entrance. Then, much to Daniel's surprise, he learns that Robby is participating as a fighter unaffiliated with any dojo. Later, as a deliberate slight and insult to Daniel, Johnny has Miguel use Daniel's signature move, the Crane Kick, to defeat an opponent, which infuriates Sam.

Although initially hesitant, Daniel becomes more and more excited as he watches Robby fight, and approaches Robby after he is injured by being attacked from behind during the semifinal match, and advises him to find balance in his life by letting go of his anger toward his father, forgiving him for not telling him the truth about him and Johnny. Daniel assists Robby back into the ring and agrees to him fighting as a member of Miyagi-do Karate with Daniel as his coach.

Unfortunately, Robby ultimately loses the tournament final to Miguel, after Miguel quickly realizes that Robby's shoulder is injured and targets it to get the win, even pulling Robby's arm when Robby tried to help Miguel up. Afterwards, Johnny approaches Robby and Daniel and tries to apologize, though without success. Daniel coldly congratulates Johnny for getting the win.

After the match, Daniel reassures Robby that he's proud of him and he fought with honor, unlike Miguel. Robby comments that Cobra Kai is going to take over karate in the Valley, something that Daniel says will happen 'over his dead body.' He then takes Robby to Mr Miyagi's old home, and reveals that he plans to use it as a dojo to continue Robby's training and teach others Miyagi-Do Karate, in order to defeat Cobra Kai in the subsequent tournament and bring them down once again. Unbeknownst to Daniel, however, another old enemy from the past has returned: John Kreese, ready and eager to get his revenge against Daniel once and for all.

Season 2

Daniel starts training Robby and within no time Sam joins the training. After finding out from Sam that Robby's mom is away and Robby is all alone Daniel has Robby come stay with him. After being persuaded by Amanda, Daniel goes to the Cobra Kai Dojo to talk to Johnny about Ronny's situation. However, when he sees Johnny with Kreese he changes his mind and tells Johnny he won't allow Cobra Kai to takeover.

While teaching Sam and Robby, Daniel is concerned that he won't be the teacher Miyagi was but Amanda tells him he does not need to be like Miyagi. In order to get more students, Daniel does commercial where he promotes his Dojo and trashes Cobra Kai. However he has trouble getting more students when some potential students think Miyagi-Do is a facade to get people to do free work. He continues to struggle when Johnny, angry at Daniel commercial then gets his revenge by having Cobra Kai overshadow Miyagi-Do at a Valley Fest presentation. However, things start to look up for Daniel when Demetri, a bullied student, joins Miyagi-Do.

One one night a few Cobra Kai student's under Kreese's order trash Daniel's Dojo and steal Miyagi's Medal of Honor. When Daniel, Robby and Sam see the dojo trashed and Miyagi's badge of honor missing, an angry Daniel goes to Cobra Kai where he confronts Johnny who does not know what Daniel is talking about as he is unaware that Kreese instructed his students to do so.

Despite another setback things look up for Daniel once again when a few Cobra Kai students, unhappy with Kreese's ruthless teachings, leave the dojo and join Miyagi Do.

Daniel's fixation with his dojo and students prevent him for going to work, causing Amanda to pick up all of Daniel's slack and an employee Anush to quit out of frustration for Daniel's absence. Amanda then calls Daniel out for being unable to balance both jobs. Feeling guilty, Daniel makes things right by showing up to work and picking up the clack. He even spends more time with Amanda, causing her to forgive him.

On one morning Kreese shows up at Daniel's house where he threatens Daniel with war between the two dojos and mocks Miyagi's death which angers Daniel. Fortunately, both Daniel and Sam find Miyagi's Medal of Honor on the ground, though both are unaware that Miguel gave it to Robby the previous night and Robby planted it there.

On one night Daniel and Amanda go put for dinner but end up going to the same restaurant where Johnny and his date Carmen are eating, and ended up sitting with them which angers both Daniel and Johnny. However, while eating the dinner both Daniel and Johnny manage to bond and put their differences aside.

The next morning Daniel notices Sam did not return from Moon's party the previous night. Both he and Amanda go onto Sam's computer where they see Sam's former friend Aisha messaging her if she is ok after being drunk last night which shocks Daniel and Amanda. Daniel then tracks Sam through his iPhone and finds out she is at Johnny's house. He goes to Johnny's house and knocks on the door. When Johnny opens the door Daniel asks if Sam is there to which Johnny says she is and he tells Daniel to not overreact which angers Daniel. Daniel tells Johnny to open the door, but Johnny shuts the door. An angry Daniel then kicks the door open, then both he and Johnny have a brief fight which is broken up by Sam and Robby. Daniel angrily tells Robby that it's up to him if he wants to end up like Johnny and takes Sam home.

He drives Sam to school. After a school brawl which results in Sam being severely injured by Cobra Kai student Tory she is sent to the hospital. When Daniel and Amanda visit Sam in the hospital both are shocked to find out Robby kicked Miguel off a railing resulting in the latter being severely injured. Daniel leaves the hospital but when he comes back Amanda notifies him that Sam is getting x-rays and may have broken ribs, and then bluntly tells him to stop Miyagi-Do because of all the pain it has caused. Daniel agrees to do so.

Daniel goes back home where he takes down a picture of Miyagi, saying he did his best to do the right thing and apologizes. Elsewhere, unbeknownst to him, Kreese has taken the dojo away from Johnny.

Fighting Style

'Balance is my thing.'

―Daniel LaRusso to Amanda LaRusso^[src]

Through Miyagi's training Daniel’s inherited style is strong in defense and solid in offense, with a notable emphasis on effective countering his opponent‘s attacks. These skills assist him during his fights with Johnny and Chozen, the first of which emphasizes his ability to sneak in behind his opponent’s guard to strike, whereas in the latter Daniel‘s karate has become more rounded, due to his experience.

Daniel however struggles when his opponent is much stronger physically and a dirty fighter. Some instances include his fights with Chozen and Mike, where Daniel finds it difficult to overcome the former and nearly impossible to overcome the latter due to their superior physical strengths, and the latters illegal and dirty moves. Despite struggling when his opponents fight more aggressively or underhandedly, Daniel often has one last tactic in the end which allows him to emerge victorious such as the Krane kick, and the Kata which Miyagi taught him.

Even after Miyagi's death in 2011 Daniel still remembers Miyagi's lessons and practices what Miyagi taught him. He later uses his teachings to instruct Johnny's son Robby and open his own dojo which he named after him. He also uses Miyagi's techniques to defeat Robby’s attackers with astonishing ease and efficiency, which clearly demonstrates just how far Daniel has come from his teenage years when he struggled to take on multiple opponents.

Personality

Throughout the saga Daniel is consistently friendly, fairly relaxed and open-minded. When first arriving in California he easily makes friends before the confrontation with Johnny and in later life he is shown to be a friendly and easy-going boss.

Daniel is also frequently heroic. He tries to stand up for Ali at the beach, rescues several people during a fierce storm and (perhaps zealously) takes it upon himself to protect people from the negative influences of the Cobra Kai Dojo. Matching this heroism is bravery. When necessary, Daniel demonstrates an ability to overcome fear or difficult odds to do what is right or stand up for himself. Equally, he is prone to panicking in the face of threats. Before learning Karate he freaks out when forced to participate in the tournament, and he is mentally assaulted and worn down in the face of Barnes and Terry Silver. However, he eventually finds the resolve to overcome this fear and panic. In addition, he faces his duel with Chozen, knowing it is to the death, without flinching.

Linked to his tendency to panic is his reaction when faced with a resurgent Cobra Kai. He manipulates the rent of innocent shop owners and conducts a crusade against Johnny’s dojo. However, he realizes his mistakes in these reactions and re-dedicates himself to his mentor‘s teaching of balance. Daniel later proves to be a fantastic influence on Robby.

After starting Miyagi-Do Karate he becomes so focused on being Mr. Miyagi and training his students to defeat Cobra Kai that he ignores his wife Amanda and job which angers her, though Daniel manages to make it up to her.

After learning that Kreese is back at Cobra Kai Daniel is shocked and angry, showing he still holds a grudge against Kreese and hasn't forgotten the latter's past actions against him.

By the end of season 2 Daniel is forced to shut down Miyagi-Do after a school brawl resulted in Sam possibly having a broken rib and Miguel being rendered unconscious by Robby. Daniel goes home where he apologies to Miyagi.

Trivia

• In 2018, Daniel was inducted into the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame.
• One strength and weakness of Daniel's is his loyalty to his family, a trait that was later revealed to have been due to Daniel's mother. However, this loyalty causes Danny to become extremely defensive anytime anyone in his family is criticized or insulted, especially by his rivals, such as Johnny Lawrence, even if the statement about said family member is true.
• In 2015, YouTube user J. Matthew Turner posted a video that proposed a serious conspiracy theory: that Daniel LaRusso is the real bully in 'The Karate Kid', and Johnny Lawrence is just an innocent peacemaker, citing examples such as Daniel being the one who started the fight on the beach, as well as dousing Johnny at the dance. This version of events was validated in the 2018 Youtube Red series Cobra Kai, when Johnny recounts his version of events to Miguel, which matches Turner's theory practically verbatim (although Johnny does gloss over some details in his version, such as knocking Daniel down the hill or the way he acted with Ali at the beach, breaking her radio, and the later ballroom dance).
• Originally, the character was named 'Daniel Webber', but the name changed when Italian-American Ralph Macchio was cast.
• Daniel's father died in 1974, when he was 8 years old. Daniel briefly discusses this with Mr. Miyagi in Part II and again in Cobra Kai. In season 2 of Cobra Kai, Daniel discusses him again with his mother, fondly recalling a day they all went to Coney Island together. Daniel then states that he got sick not long after.
• Daniel is compared to:
  • John Kreese - both of them confront their rivals about fighting incidents (Miyagi and Johnny).

Gallery

References

1. ↑ The Karate Kid Movie novelization states that Daniel LaRusso is eight months older than Johnny Lawrence. We saw in The Karate Kid that Daniel was born in December. This means that Johnny was born in 20th August 1967, the following 8 months, making Daniel 52 in Cobra Kai and Johnny 51.

The Karate Kid Part II is a 1986 American martial artsdrama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the second installment in The Karate Kid franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita. The Karate Kid Part II follows Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), who accompanies his karate teacher Mr. Miyagi (Morita) to Okinawa in aid of his dying father, only to encounter a group of bullies with long-harbored grudges against Miyagi.

Preparations for the film began immediately after the success of the first installment, and after completing the final edit of the script, casting took place between May and July 1985 after the resigning of Macchio and Morita. Principal photography began in September 1985 in Los Angeles, and filming was complete by December 1985, which included locations such as Oahu, to replicate Okinawa.

The Karate Kid Part II was theatrically released in the United States on June 20, 1986. The film received generally positive critical reception, with praise directed toward the new location and characters, and Morita's performance, although some criticized elements of the storyline, the villains, and some action scenes. The film was also a commercial success, grossing over $115 million worldwide, making it among the highest grossing films of 1986, and the highest grossing in the franchise.^[2][3]

• 3Production
• 5Reception

Plot[edit]

Shortly after the All-Valley Karate Tournament, sensei John Kreese becomes furious and attacks Johnny in the parking lot. Miyagi confronts Kreese and passively immobilizes him. Miyagi threatens to strike a deadly blow but instead comically tweaks Kreese's nose and walks away.

Six months later, Daniel returns early one morning to Mr. Miyagi's house dressed in a tuxedo and driving what is now the badly beaten up car Mr. Miyagi had given him. Surprised, Mr. Miyagi said that it 'must have been some senior prom, what happened?' In response, Daniel exclaims (with a great deal of anger): 'you mean, what didn't happen! First I let Ali borrow the car and she redesigns my fender. And I don't know what she did with the engine but that ain't running right either. And you know what else she does? She tells me that she's just fallen in love with some football player from UCLA. Why didn't she just lie?'

A little while later, Miyagi receives a letter, notifying him that his father is sick. He plans to return to his home village on Okinawa Island. Miyagi tells Daniel about why he left Okinawa many years ago. He fell in love with a woman named Yukie, who was arranged to marry his best friend Sato, son of the richest man in the village and fellow karate student of his father. Upon announcing his intentions to marry Yukie, Sato challenged him to a fight to the death. Rather than fight, however, Miyagi left the country. Miyagi tells Daniel he must go back to Okinawa. Daniel begs Miyagi to let him go to Okinawa with him. Although he initially refuses, Miyagi finally consents.

In Okinawa, Miyagi and Daniel are greeted by Chozen Toguchi, who drives them to one of Sato's warehouses and reveals that he is Sato's nephew. Sato appears and demands to fight Miyagi, who adamantly refuses. Arriving at the village, Miyagi and Daniel are welcomed by Yukie and her niece Kumiko. They discover that Sato has become a rich industrialist whose supertrawlers have destroyed the local fish population impoverishing the other villagers. They are forced to rent property from Sato, who owns the village's land title. Yukie reveals that she never married Sato, because of her love for Miyagi. After Miyagi's father dies, Sato gives him three days to mourn out of respect before their fight. Miyagi shows Daniel the secret to his family's karate – a handheld drum that twists back and forth illustrating the 'drum technique', a block-and-defense karate move that Daniel begins to practice.

Some time later, Daniel accidentally exposes corruption in Chozen's grocery business during an encounter in the village. Chozen later accuses Daniel of insulting his honor, and they have a series of confrontations. Their feud comes to a head when Chozen and his cronies attack Daniel and vandalize Miyagi's family property. The group is quickly defeated and runs off after Miyagi arrives. Miyagi and Daniel plan to return home before the situation gets worse, however Sato shows up with bulldozers and threatens to destroy the village if Miyagi refuses to fight. Forced to comply, Miyagi gives in on the condition that Sato signs the village's land title over to the villagers regardless of the fight's outcome. Sato initially balks, but agrees after Miyagi describes the condition as a 'small price' to pay for honor.

On the day of the fight, a typhoon arrives. Villagers take cover at a nearby shelter, but Sato gets trapped when his family's dojo is leveled by the storm. Miyagi and Daniel rush to rescue him. Arriving at the shelter, Daniel attempts to rescue a child trapped in a nearby bell tower. Sato orders Chozen to help, but when he refuses, Sato rushes to assist Daniel himself. He then disowns his nephew for refusing to cooperate, and an enraged Chozen runs off into the storm in disgrace. The next morning, as the villagers are rebuilding, Sato returns with his bulldozers – only this time to help rebuild the village. Sato hands over the land title to the village and asks for Miyagi's forgiveness, which he accepts. Daniel and Kumiko approach Sato about hosting the upcoming O-bon festival in a nearby ceremonial castle, to which he agrees and invites Daniel to join in the celebration.

While Kumiko is performing a dance at the festival, a now-vengeful Chozen ziplines into the presentation, taking her hostage and demanding to fight Daniel alone. Daniel fights well but is eventually overwhelmed by Chozen. Miyagi, Sato and the crowd respond by twisting handheld drums they brought to the celebration, inspiring Daniel. Seemingly confused, Chozen closes in for the kill, but Daniel is able to deflect Chozen's attacks and land counter-attacks using the drum technique. Daniel grabs the vanquished Chozen, raising his hand and threatening to end Chozen's life saying, 'Live or die, man?'. Chozen chooses death, but, reminiscent of the way Miyagi handled Kreese earlier, Daniel tweaks Chozen's nose and playfully drops him to the ground. Daniel embraces Kumiko, while Miyagi looks on proudly.

Cast[edit]

• Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
• Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita as Mr. Miyagi
• Nobu McCarthy as Yukie
• Tamlyn Tomita as Kumiko
• Yuji Okumoto as Chozen
• Joey Miyashima as Toshio
• Marc Hayashi as Taro
• Danny Kamekona as Sato
• Martin Kove as John Kreese
• William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence
• Tony O'Dell as Jimmy

Other notable cast appearances include B. D. Wong (credited as 'Bradd Wong') as an Okinawan boy who invites Daniel and Kumiko to a dance club and Clarence Gilyard as one of the participants in the ice-breaking scene.

Production[edit]

The opening scene takes place immediately following the finale of the first film to seamlessly tie the two together. It was originally planned as the ending for the first film, although it was not shot until after the second film's production began.^[4]

Filming[edit]

The Karate Kid 2 2016

Principal photography took place in Oahu, Hawaii, in the northeastern area of the island known as the 'windward side'. The local countryside in modern-day Okinawa had been drastically changed due to the presence of military bases, so other locations in both Japan and Hawaii were scouted as alternative filming locations. Filmmakers selected a property in Oahu that was privately owned by a retired local physician who agreed to allow a portion of the land to be used in the film. To form the Okinawan village portrayed in the film, seven authentic replicas of Okinawan houses were constructed along with more than three acres of planted crops. 50 Okinawa-born Hawaii residents were also recruited as film extras. Filming began on September 23, 1985, and ended on December 20, 1985.^[5][6]

Music[edit]

The musical score for The Karate Kid Part II was composed by Bill Conti, who wrote the score for the previous installment. The film's signature tune was Peter Cetera's song 'Glory of Love', which was a No. 1 hit in the United States and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. When Daniel and Miyagi are being driven by Chozen and his crony Toshio after they arrive in Okinawa, Chozen tunes in the radio of the car until he reaches a station playing 'Fascination', the same song to which Ali and Johnny were slow dancing at the high-end country club in the original film. The soundtrack is notable as being the final album released by United Artists Records.

1. 'Glory of Love' (Peter Cetera)
2. 'Rock 'n' Roll Over You' (The Moody Blues)
3. 'Fish for Life' (Mancrab)
4. 'Rock Around the Clock' (Paul Rodgers)
5. 'Let Me at 'Em' (Southside Johnny)
6. 'This is the Time' (Dennis DeYoung)
7. 'Earth Angel' (New Edition)
8. 'Love Theme from The Karate Kid Part II' (Bill Conti)
9. 'Two Looking at One' (Carly Simon)
10. 'The Storm' (Bill Conti)

The score, which features 20 tracks, was released separately on compact disc by Varèse Sarabande in a box set in 2007 and 2012.

Reception[edit]

The Karate Kid Part II opened in 1,323 theaters across North America on June 20, 1986. In its opening weekend, the film ranked first in its domestic box office grossing $12,652,336 with an average of $9,563 per theater. The film earned $20,014,510 in its opening week and ended its run earning a total of $115,103,979 domestically.^[7]

Critical response[edit]

The film has a 42% rating out of 24 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.^[8] Movie-gazette.com gave the film a positive review, stating the film was a 'worthy follow-up to the first Karate Kid film, with added interest provided by its exotic locations and characters.'^[9] The Los Angeles Times also gave the film a positive review, particularly praising Pat Morita's performance as Miyagi and calling the actor 'the heart of the movie'.^[10] However, while picture historian Leonard Maltin agreed with the strength of the performances, he called the film 'Purposeless... corny in the extreme — all that's missing from the climax is hounds and ice floes — but made palatable by winning performances. Best for kids.' At the Movies gave the film a mixed review, with both critics praising the character Miyagi but criticizing the villains and action scenes. Roger Ebert recommended the movie overall but Gene Siskel did not. ^[11]

Awards and nominations[edit]

The Next Karate Kid Dvd

At the 1987 ASCAP Awards, Bill Conti won Top Box Office Films for the original music, which was released on United Artists Records. It also received a different Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for 'Glory of Love'.

Video games[edit]

A video game adaptation titled The Karate Kid Part II: The Computer Game was released in 1986 by publisher Microdeal on Atari ST and Amiga. It is a fighting game similar to The Way of the Exploding Fist in which the user plays the role of Daniel in five fights based on movie scenes. There are also two mini games with digitized images from the movie: Miyagi catching flies with chopsticks and Daniel breaking an ice block. ^[12]

The 1987 Nintendo Entertainment System video game The Karate Kid included several elements based on The Karate Kid Part II. Stages 2-4 of the game are based on The Karate Kid Part II, as are two bonus games in which the gamer must break up to six ice blocks. The drum technique exercise shown in the movie is also featured as a challenge in which the gamer must dodge the swinging ax as many times as possible.

References[edit]

1. ^'THE KARATE KID PART II (PG)'. British Board of Film Classification. May 23, 1986. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
2. ^Canby, Vincent (June 20, 1986). 'Screen: 'Karate Kid Part II'. The New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
3. ^'The Karate Kid Part II'. Variety. January 1, 1986. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
4. ^Berry, Robert. ''Sweep the Leg!' The Billy Zabka Interview'. retrocrush.com. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
5. ^Thomas, Bob (November 14, 1985). ''Karate Kid II' Under Way in Hawaii'. The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
6. ^''The Karate Kid Part II' Production Notes'. Sony Movie Channel. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
7. ^'The Karate Kid Part II'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
8. ^'The Karate Kid Part II (1986)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
9. ^'The Karate Kid Part II (1986)'. movie-gazette.com. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
10. ^Wilmington, Michael (June 20, 1986). 'Movie Review : Let's Hear It For A Winning 'Karate Ii''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
11. ^'The Karate Kid Part II / Running Scared / Legal Eagles / American Anthem (1986)'. siskelandebert.org. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
12. ^The Karate Kid: Part II - The Computer Game at mobygames.com

External links[edit]

Karate Kid Part 4

• The Karate Kid Part II on IMDb
• The Karate Kid Part II at the TCM Movie Database
• The Karate Kid Part II at the American Film Institute Catalog
• The Karate Kid Part II at Box Office Mojo
• The Karate Kid Part II at Rotten Tomatoes