Proof that Daniel was the real bully of ‘The Karate Kid’ documentary.
Think you remember everything about The Karate Kid? You know, that classic tale of an awkward teen who learns to stick up for himself, fight off his bullies, and win the girl of his dreams all through the practice of martial arts (and with the help of his helpful neighborhood guru, Mr. Miyagi)?
Well, this might surprise you, but it’s now apparent that you’ve been wrong about The Karate Kid all these years.
The thesis (spotted via Uproxx) is simple: Daniel (played by Ralph Macchio) is hardly the hero of The Karate Kid. In fact, he’s the true villain, the one who bullies the cool and calm Johnny (William Zabka).
In the very compelling edit of the film below, Turner suggests that Daniel is a sociopathic new kid who tricks everyone into buying into his underdog complex. And with the help of child batterer Mr. Miyagi, Daniel successfully torments the students at his new school and manages to pick up a rudimentary understanding of karate to act out his violent personality.
Watch the clip below for confirmation:
Now the lies of Daniel are exposed. The video blows open the fable we’ve all been forced to believe for years, that Daniel was some sort of a hero.
Daniel, not Johnny, was the bully. Johnny was just trying to live his life when Daniel San came roaring into California, causing fights and car accidents, bullying up the town, picking up demon sorcery power from Mr. Miyagi, and unjustly winning blood-soaked trophies.
The new Netflix documentary series Cobra Kai confirms the facts above. In it, Johnny pulls himself up by his bootstraps, while Daniel, now the owner of a wildly successful car dealership, is so prone to violence that his wife has to threaten separation. It is only the intrusion of an even greater evil in Terry Silver that finally brings Daniel to a state of normalcy.
