Daniel’s Cobra Kai Story Explains Why He’s The Perfect Sensei For The New Karate Kid
The upcoming Karate Kid: Legends is set to bring back both Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han, from the 2010 Karate Kid remake, and Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso, fresh off the series finale of Cobra Kai in February. While this crossover is sure to bring fun, nostalgia, and plenty of action, it’s also poised to fix a nearly 15-year-old problem with the Karate Kid franchise.
One of the new additions to Karate Kid: Legends is Li Fong (Ben Wang), a former kung fu student who moves to New York City and enters a prestigious karate competition after getting beaten up by a local champion. Though Mr. Han takes Li under his wing, he seeks help from Daniel LaRusso, knowing that the young prodigy will need more than just kung fu to succeed in the karate tournament. With a foundation under karate master Mr. Miyagi (who’s rumored to be getting a Cobra Kai prequel series), and years of blending styles on Cobra Kai, Daniel is the perfect teacher for Li and an ideal partner for Mr. Han.
Li Fong Will Need To Learn Two Different Styles In Karate Kid: Legends
Li Needs To Combine Kung Fu and Karate
Though Li Fong is already a well-versed fighter when he arrives in New York City, his skills are no match for local bully and undisputed karate champion Connor Day (Aramis Knight). In order to stand a chance in the city’s upcoming competition, which is known as “The Five Boroughs,” Mr. Han knows that Li can’t rely on his kung fu background alone: he must also learn Miyagi-Do from the original Karate Kid himself, Daniel LaRusso.
What’s missing from Li’s skillset are the defensive techniques that Miyagi-Do is built upon.
Though Daniel and Mr. Han (who’s rumored to be connected to Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid: Legends) are both accomplished martial artists, only the combination of their unique styles can offer Li a chance at winning a karate tournament as elite as “The Five Boroughs.” What’s missing from Li’s skillset are the defensive techniques that Miyagi-Do is built upon. When combined with the ancient techniques of Mr. Han’s kung fu, they will make the difference in Li’s battle against Connor for the title of karate champion.
Daniel LaRusso Knows All About Combining Styles After Cobra Kai
Daniel Frequently Teamed Up With Johnny In The Series
Lucky for Li, Daniel LaRusso is not new to teaming up with other martial artists and blending styles. Throughout the six seasons of Cobra Kai, Daniel often joined forces with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), and at one point even became a co-Sensei at Johnny’s second dojo, “Eagle Fang Karate.” As partners, the two worked to blend Miyagi-Do’s defensive foundation with the aggressive fighting techniques of Cobra Kai, creating a hybrid style that uses the best of both philosophies to win tournaments.
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Cobra Kai picked up Daniel LaRusso’s Karate Kid character arc in season 1 and brought it full circle in season 6 – but what about the upcoming movie?
The story of Karate Kid: Legends is set to take place three years after the finale of Cobra Kai. Now that he’s made peace with Johnny, Daniel has likely devoted more of his time and energy to diving deeper into Miyagi-Do. Though he’s initially hesitant to take on Li as a student in the film’s trailer, Daniel eventually comes around, likely seeing himself in the young prodigy.
Karate Kid: Legends Is Finally Making Up For The Remake’s Weird Kung Fu Decision
The 2010 Remake Focused On Kung Fu, Not Karate
After 15 years, the Karate Kid series is finally resolving the confusing choice from the Karate Kid remake in 2010. Although the film was mostly well-received, a recurring point of criticism centered around the movie’s title, namely because Mr. Han taught Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) kung fu, not karate. Karate Kid: Legends fixes this problem by having Mr. Han recruit Daniel LaRusso to build upon Li Fong’s foundation in kung fu with the defensive karate techniques of Miyagi-Do.
Not only does this decision fix this issue from a branding perspective—it also fixes it narratively. Through this choice, the 2010 Karate Kid is no longer a stand-alone film largely remembered for its inaccurate title: it’s an origin story in a larger universe. While we’re not sure yet what happened to Dre Parker after the events of The Karate Kid, it’s possible that he shows up in a future spinoff series or even makes a surprise cameo in Karate Kid: Legends. Either way, it’s nice that the series has finally rectified this point of contention and tied together the universes of the original films, Cobra Kai, and the 2010 remake.
