Watch This Video Essay That Convincingly Argues Daniel Is The Villain Of “Karate child”

Up except now, I’ve only had one qualm with The Karate child: the situations that pressure young Daniel Russo to become a child who does karate. Early on, Daniel relocates from New Jersey to the San Fernando Valley. despite the daunting task of getting to fit in with a abnormal new peer crew, he straight away wins over a bunch of bros through preserving his own in a recreation of beach-soccer. He even musters the braveness to flirt with a young woman in front of his teammates, which on the earth of high school boys within the 80s way fast side road cred. After that younger lady’s contemporary ex-boyfriend starts to annoy her, Daniel is the only one with the heart to stand as much as him, and he will get his world rocked by means of beach-karate in her honor. right here comes my downside. instead of Daniel’s teammates being impressed by using his braveness and carrying him residence on their shoulders, they make fun of him for now not realizing karate and leave him to his seaside-tears.

No manner does that happen.

i’ve been annoyed by using this fictional group of highschool boys’ specious reasoning for over twenty years. It seems, however, that I could have been having a look at this scene, and the remainder of the film, incorrect. all of us have.

YouTuber J. Matthew Turner simply launched a video essay that makes a surprisingly convincing case that Daniel is in truth the authentic villain of Karate kid. now not Johnny. no longer the rest of the Cobra Kai. no longer Miyagi. neatly, perhaps partially Miyagi. Turner does no longer have such nice words for him.

“The Karate kid: Daniel is the actual Bully” walks viewers step-by-step during the tips of the film. In some cases, Turner makes use of suave enhancing to make his factors work. In other instances, although, he is 100% proper, placing the whole lot you recognize/understand that/love in regards to the film in a wholly totally different context. as an example, when the Cobra Kai’s sansei forbids the group from enticing with Daniel sooner than the large karate event, why does Daniel use this ensured protection to brazenly taunt the group? kind of a dick move for a hero.

take a look on the video, and let us know within the comments beneath whether you suppose the rest in Turner’s case holds water.

[by way of Reddit]