| “ | When the fight comes to you, you have to be ready to fight back. | „ |
| ~ Daniel LaRusso |
Summary
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.
Powers and Stats
Tier: 10-A | 9-B
Name: Daniel LaRusso
Origin: The Karate Kid
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (Part I), 17 (Part III), 51 (Cobra Kai)
Classification: Human martial artist, two time All Valley Karate Tournament champion, car dealership owner
Powers and Abilities: Peak Human focus, precision and dexterity, Martial Arts | Same as before, Superhuman Physical Characteristics
Attack Potency: Athlete level | Wall level (Defeated Chozen, who kicked off a piece of a stone statue. As an adult, he was able to perfectly replicate one of Mr. Miyagi's attacks)
Speed: Athletic Human with Peak Human, possibly Subsonic Reactions (Caught a fly with a pair of chopsticks) | Peak Human, possibly Subsonic Reactions (Dodged a swinging hammer blade, kept up with Chozen)
Lifting Strength: Athletic Human
Striking Strength: Athlete Class | Wall Class (Smashed 6 slabs of ice with his bare hands. Could hurt Chozen with his blows)
Durability: Athlete level | Wall level (Took on numerous hits from Chozen)
Stamina: Athletic (Able to paint a whole house for entire day) | Peak human
Range: Standard melee range
Standard Equipment: None notable
- Optional Equipment: Spear
Intelligence: Above average, can devise his own karate lessons that compliments Mr. Miyagi's
Weaknesses: He is very panicking and reactionary in the face of threats, tends to stray from balance and focus without Mr. Miyagi
- Took hits from Johnny Lawrence.
- Tooks hits from Johnny and his gang.
- Can balanced himself on a stump and on a boat practicing kata.
- Defeated Johnny with one kick while being injured with another.
- Took hits from Chozen.
- Rescued a little girl in the storm.
- Took attacks from Mike Barnes.
- Broke wooden dummy boards.
- Broke a guy's nose.
- Avoided numerous hits from Mike Barnes.
- Eventually defeated Mike Barnes.
- Remained perfectly balanced standing on one arm for extended period.
- Took a kick from Johnny against a wall and smashed the TV.
Notable Attacks/Techniques:
- Miyagi-Do Kata: The foundation of Miyagi-Do Karate. This Kata, is based around the workings of the Bonsai Tree. You start with your fists pointing down to the ground, your roots. Then you move your arms up to your chest and push them outwards, while opening your hands. The palms facing upwards as you do. Representing the branches growing and the leaves blooming. Then you raise your right hand up to your forehead with your left hand pointing downwards. Your body turning and facing right as you do so. Then alternate positions, switching your hands and your stance so you're facing left. Representing the tree growing up and the limbs waving in the wind. Then repeat the pattern until it becomes a natural flow to you.
- Wax On, Wax Off: This technique refers to a drill Mr. Miyagi teaches Daniel in order to master blocking. This particular block (often referred to as the Chudan Uke in Karate) is performed in a circular motion, preventing oncoming attacks towards a fighter from hitting the person's face or body.
- Paint The House: Another nickname given to the Karate block Kakuto Uke, where by sticking one's wrist out and striking the arms in an upward motion, they block attacks in a similar motion to stroking a paintbrush up and down.
- Sand The Floor: A downward block which involves swinging the hands below one's waist, moving them like one would if they were sanding a floor. Unlike Wax On, Wax Off and Paint The House, which are meant to intercept punches aimed at the face and body, Sand The Floor is for blocking kicks towards the legs, groin and body.
- Honk: A psyche out technique Daniel used after beating Choze. He first pretends that it'll be the finishing blow that ends the opponent's life, but instead follows with a playful tap on the nose. Despite not causing any physical harm, the intimidation factor of it has caused numerous fighters to lose their will to fight and even faint.
- Drum Technique: A form of dodging where the martial artist rotates their body from side to side, much like how a Japanese pellet drum is played.
- Crane Kick: A variation of a jumping front kick where one stands on a single foot and raises their arms up spread outward (resembling a position a crane bird would make) The fighter then jumps off the foot they are standing on and kicks with the other.
Key: Part I | Post-Part I
Explanations
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.
Gallery
Others
Notable Victories:
Notable Losses:
Inconclusive Matches: