Was Daniel The Real Bully In The Karate Kid?

Not a new perspective by any means, but J. Matthew Turner provides a more in-depth look at why some people believe Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is actually more of a villain in 1984’s The Karate Kid than Johnny Lawrence (Billy Zabka).

In a 2009 episode (“The Stinsons”) of How I Met Your Mother, Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) shocked his friends when he revealed to them that when he watches the original Karate Kid he roots for Cobrai Kai’s two-time and defending All Valley Karate champion, not the scrawny loser from New Jersey who barely even knows karate. Since then, this alternate perspective of the film has picked up a lot of steam over the years.

Check it out in the video below.

A fatherless teenager faces his moment of truth in THE KARATE KID. Daniel (Ralph Macchio) arrives in Los Angeles from the east coast and faces the difficult task of making new friends. However, he becomes the object of bullying by the Cobras, a menacing gang of karate students, when he strikes up a relationship with Ali (Elisabeth Shue), the Cobra leader’s ex-girlfriend. Eager to fight back and impress his new girlfriend but afraid to confront the dangerous gang, Daniel asks his handyman Miyagi (Noriyuki ‘Pat’ Morita), whom he learns is a master of the martial arts, to teach him karate. Miyagi teaches Daniel that karate is a mastery over the self, mind, and body and that fighting is always the last answer to a problem. Under Miyagi’s guidance, Daniel develops not only physical skills but also the faith and self-confidence to compete despite tremendous odds as he encounters the fight of his life in the exciting finale to this entertaining film.