Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is a teenager who moves from New Jersey to Los Angeles after his widowed mother, Lucille (Randee Heller), gets a new job.
The Karate Kid (1984) Widowed mother Lucille LaRusso uproots her only child, Daniel, from their home in New Jersey and moves them both to the South Seas Apartments in Reseda, California. Daniel is invited by his new neighbor, Freddy Fernandez, to a beach party, where he meets Ali Mills.
In 1984, 17-year-old Daniel LaRusso and his mother Lucille move from Newark, New Jersey, to Reseda, Los Angeles, California. Their apartment's handyman is an eccentric but kind and humble Okinawan immigrant named Mr. Miyagi.
In the film, Daniel is a New Jersey kid who has just relocated to California and is suffering at the hands of a gang of boys who are part of a local karate school called Cobra Kai.
The Karate Kid (1984): Daniel Arrives In California Scene
Where does Daniel LaRusso live in California?
Daniel LaRusso and his mother move to Los Angeles from New Jersey, and take residence in South Seas apartments, the pool was never full and Daniel met a friend after attempting to kick the gate open to which it struck him in the face.
Why does Mr Miyagi call Daniel "Daniel-san"? In the Japanese language, -san is a polite title that is used after a person's name, the equivalent of Mr., Mrs., or Miss. Daniel could just as easily refer to Mr Miyagi as "Miyagi-san".
The first time viewers learned more information about Daniel's absent father was when he tried to comfort Mr. Miyagi. He revealed his father died of an unknown terminal illness when Daniel was only eight years old. He recalled only positive memories with his dad.
They bond over their mutual amusement over how absurd it seems. Ali, Johnny, and Daniel then tell stories of high school over dinner. During this time, Ali reveals that what actually caused her breakup with Daniel was his jealousy over a college friend of hers (which Daniel mistook for a love affair).
Development. The Karate Kid is a semi-autobiographical story based on the life of its screenwriter, Robert Mark Kamen. At age 17, after the 1964 New York World's Fair, Kamen was beaten up by a gang of bullies. He thus began to study martial arts in order to defend himself.
Macchio was born in Huntington, New York. He is the son of Rosalie (née DeSantis) and Ralph George Macchio Sr., who owned a few laundromats and a wastewater disposal company. Ralph has a younger brother named Steven. His father is of half Italian and half Greek descent, and his mother is of Italian ancestry.
Summary. The Karate Kid theory suggests Daniel may be the real villain, not Johnny, due to his actions in the film. Johnny is portrayed as a flawed hero in the film, with Daniel instigating conflicts that escalate the rivalry.
Ali Mills, M.D. (formerly Ali Mills Schwarber) is the high school love interest of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence in the 1984 The Karate Kid film. She returns to the San Fernando Valley in Season 3 of Cobra Kai as a soon-to-be divorced adult, and reconnects with her old flings.
LaRusso was the father of Daniel LaRusso and the husband of Lucille LaRusso. He was also the brother of Louie LaRusso, Sr., the uncle of Louie LaRusso, Jr., the father-in-law of Amanda LaRusso and the paternal grandfather of Samantha LaRusso and Anthony LaRusso.
John Kreese: Kreese joined the army at 1965, he had probably 18 years in order to be able to join the army, so he is 71 years old at his first apparition on Cobra Kai and during season 2, and 72 at season 4. And he was 37 years old at the events of Karate Kid 1.
Miyagi was 86 years old, when he died in 2011. In 1984, the year the first Karate Kid was filmed, his character would have been around 59 years old. The actor, Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi was 52 years old in 1984.
In terms of an emmotional rivalry, then Johnny Laurence is his most significant enemy. But, in terms of stakes and threat, then Kreese, by far, is Daniel's greatest enemy.
Robby becomes Daniel's Miyagi-Do karate student and flourishes under this tutelage. However, when Daniel finds out that Johnny and Robby are father and son after Johnny shoves Daniel and breaks one of his All-Valley trophies, Daniel furiously banishes Robby from his home and business as punishment for his deception.
The original Karate Kid movies were classics, with the first film released in 1984 and the following three movies in the late 80s and 90s. Quotes like "Wax on, wax off" and "Fear does not exist in this dojo" became iconic lines from the movies, representing important lessons and conflicts.
Miyagi never told him that Miyagi-Do karate can also be used to kill because "defense takes on many forms." As Chozen explained, Miyagi ancestors once had to defend Okinawa from Japanese invaders and there was no option not to kill, so Miyagi instructors developed a system using secret pressure points to render their ...
As a way of saying "thank you," Miyagi taught him karate (and Pierce taught him ballroom dancing). While still fighting overseas, he received a telegram informing him that on November 2, 1944, his wife and newborn child (who were still interned at Manzanar) died due to "complications arising from childbirth".
