The Karate Kid star Ralph Macchio shares what the most fulfilling part is of returning as his character Daniel LaRusso in Cobra Kai. Macchio played the main character in the first three Karate Kid movies, where he begins in the first film as a teenager who learns karate from Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi in order to help him stand up for himself against his bullies. In the film's sequels, Daniel's relationship with Miyagi grows as he continues to learn about how karate can be used in life beyond just fighting.

In 2018, a sequel television series to the original films titled Cobra Kai brought Macchio back into the Karate Kid universe, reuniting him with his character's former bully and rival, William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence. The two each open their own respective karate dojo and train the next generation of fighters with the lessons they both grew up on. Their old rivalry is rekindled, affecting the people around them and resurfacing other enemies from their pasts. While Cobra Kai focuses on Daniel's life as an adult who now has his own children and students, the series also puts greater focus on Johnny, revealing there is more to his character than what the first film let on.

Related: Why Cobra Kai Needs To Leave The Valley In Season 6

With Cobra Kai, Macchio has seen a resurgence in his career. In an interview with WIRED, Macchio reflects on why getting to return as his character has been fulfilling for him. Sharing what it is like to return to a franchise so many years later, he explains the following:

"It's as unique an experience playing a character 30 years later that everyone grew up with, and then finding flaws in this character as an adult that were different from the flaws maybe as he was as a teenager. That exploration for an actor is so fulfilling. To see people, a young generation, latch onto it, it's pretty awesome."

How Much Has Daniel Changed Between Karate Kid And Cobra Kai?

William Zabka and Ralph Macchio in Cobra Kai Sesason 2 YouTube

Macchio's comments on Daniel's flaws are a good indication of how the character evolved over time. In the films, the character is seen as the victim against his respective enemies, making him an easy underdog to root for, but also making him act understandably impatient and irrational at times. In Cobra Kai, he has seemingly grown more patient, but his flaw is his inability to let go of the past, evident in his relationship with Johnny and his occasional stubbornness toward understanding his former rival's point of view. Throughout five seasons, Daniel learns that in order to move on from the past, he has to remember the lessons he learned from Mr. Miyagi as a teenager, but also learn to embrace what other people could teach him and that the ways he knows do not have to be the only way.

It appears that Macchio appreciates the opportunity to return as his character and add more layers to Daniel than what was previously seen before. By having an adult Daniel, the audiences who grew up with him can relate to his changes, while also allowing younger audiences to invest in his journey as the younger characters in the show do themselves. With season five of Cobra Kai seemingly capping off a long-running character arc for Daniel that began in the films, it would be interesting to see what kind of story remains. With season 6 yet to be confirmed, fans of The Karate Kid will have to wait for some time to get the answer.

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Source: WIRED