History Characters / TheKarateKidDanielLaRusso

* TheHero: In the first three movies, Daniel is the central character and a decent but flawed person who always tries to do the right thing. He takes Mr. Miyagi's lessons to heart, learns the true meaning of Miyagi-Do Karate and becomes a better and more mature person thanks to his mentor's guidance.

* CurbStompBattle: In Season 2, he takes down Trey and Cruz, along with their big buddy, in less than a minute.
** Has another one in Season 3 with [[BackToBackBadasses him and Johnny teaming up]] in a car warehouse to take down a bunch of thugs when searching for Robby
** He ups it in Season 3's finale by curb-stomping KREESE using the technique he learned from Chozen. It should be known that this was pretty much the one and only time in the series up to that point that Kreese actually looked scared out of his wits for once, knowing Daniel had him dead to rights.

* DisappearedDad: ''Cobra Kai'' expands from ''Part 2'' that Daniel's [[UnnamedParent unnamed dad]] died from an illness when Daniel was only eight. Unlike the other examples of the trope in this series, he seems to have been a [[DeceasedParentsAreTheBest good parent]]. Lucille speaks very lovingly of him and never remarried (though, in season 4 Daniel mentions about her going on dates).

* ParentalObliviousness: Like his wife, Daniel selectively ignores the fact that Sam's taste in [[RichBitch friends]] and [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys boys]] is [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter not that great.]] Once he starts paying more attention to his family life after Cobra Kai comes back, they start reconnecting and Sam pays more attention to the people she's surrounded herself with as well. Then it goes to the other scale, where his biases against Cobra Kai lead him to fail to realize that his Miyagi-Do students having friends (or in Sam's case, boyfriends) in Cobra Kai doesn't mean said friends are bad people. Something he has to come around to when he happens to walk in on Sam making out with Miguel, and she has to persuade him to sit down and get to know Miguel.

* AntiMentor: Downplayed. While he succeeds in passing down Mr. Miyagi's fighting skills to his students and the lesson to prioritize inner peace and self-control over martial abilities, [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity his inability to view Cobra Kai as anything]] but a VillainByDefault ThugDojo is also passed on to them which ultimately culminates in an all-out battle royale between the two schools with disastrous results for his daughter and for Miguel. [[spoiler: As the seasons progress Daniel makes strides towards becoming a better mentor. This is ultimately subverted in Season 5 when Robby dismisses Daniel's protests to the contrary and explains how his influence and mentorship improved his life, stopping him from going down a bad path.]]

'''Daniel [=LaRusso=]''' | [[Characters/TheKarateKidJohnnyLawrence Johnny Lawrence]] | [[Characters/TheKarateKidJohnKreese John Kreese]] | [[Characters/TheKarateKidTerrySilver Terry Silver]] | [[Characters/TheKarateKidMiguelDiaz Miguel Diaz]] | [[Characters/TheKarateKidRobbyKeene Robby Keene]] | [[Characters/TheKarateKidEliMoskowitz Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz]] | [[Characters/TheKarateKidToryNichols Tory Nichols]] | [[Characters/TheKarateKidDemetriAlexopoulos Demetri Alexopoulos]]\\

* AntiMentor: Downplayed. While he succeeds in passing down Mr. Miyagi's fighting skills to his students and the lesson to prioritize inner peace and self-control over martial abilities, [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity his inability to view Cobra Kai as anything]] but a VillainByDefault ThugDojo is also passed on to them which ultimately culminates in an all-out battle royale between the two schools with disastrous results for his daughter and for Miguel.

* AssKickingPose: The Crane Technique.

* BigDamnHeroes: Daniel leaps in to save Robby from his former friends, literally, with a stance and moves which invoke Mr Miyagi. In Season 3, he jumps in to save Johnny from Kreese as he’s actually aiming to kill his former student.

** Additionally, Daniel never grasps the Miyagi-Do karate tenet of "always try to solve your problems non-violently and only resort to karate if your well-being is threatened and there is absolutely no other choice". Thus, he completely fails to teach this to his students and it results in his students contributing to the rising tensions (they won't throw the first punch, but they'll gladly goad the Cobras into doing so) and [[spoiler:several students being injured in the season two finale]].

** His psychological need to '''be''' Mr. Miyagi. His desperate desire to honor his mentor has him constantly trying to emulate him in his approach to teaching his students, but because he views Cobra Kai as the bad guys by default, [[TautologicalTemplar he thinks by default everything he teaches in opposition to Cobra Kai is right]], to the point that he forgot about one of Mr. Miyagi's lessons about adopting his own method of doing karate.

** He ups it in Season 3's finale by curbstomping KREESE using the technique he learned from Chozen. It should be known that this was pretty much the one and only time in the series up to that point that Kreese actually looked scared out of his wits for once, knowing Daniel had him dead to rights.

** Daniel truly cements himself as Miyagi's successor when [[spoiler:he fights Silver in the season 5 finale. He fights Silver not to simply be the hero beating the villain, but because Silver has gone off the deep end and ia too dangerous to be left standing at this point. He recites a philosophical metaphor to quickly and clearly get his point across, and not to simply sound wise like Miyagi. He keeps his cool and stays focused on what he is fighting for. And most tellingly, he finally fights his own way, by taking ''everything'' he has learned (including from Silver himself), and doing what is necessary to win, rather than stubbornly sticking to his own style and trying to keep to the moral high ground.]] In short, he has finally learned to follow the ''spirit'' of Miyagi's teachings, and not just the ''word''.

** [[spoiler:In Season 3 he finally realizes that he misjudged Miguel and most of Johnny's students and that Johnny's actions throughout the series were never as big a problem as he thought they were.]]
** [[spoiler:During the All-Valley Tournament in Season 4 he finally realizes that some of Johnny's teachings can have a positive impact on their students, and that he never gave them an honest chance due to his need to preserve Mr. Miyagi's teachings.]]

** Daniel, while having his share of flaws, was still likable enough. Which is why it is baffling to see how the first and second act of the third movie take away every quality that made the audience want to cheer for him. Thankfully he comes to his senses during the final portion of the movie.
** As an adult he’s still a nice guy but when the Cobra Kai Dojo is involved, he goes into full {{Jerkass}} mode and does things his wife has to call him out on. [[spoiler:He gets better about this towards the end of the first season as he re-dedicates himself to the Miyagi-Do method and takes in a wayward teenager to train. Although he still remains petty, bitter and condescending towards Johnny and the Cobra Kai, his time with Robby seems to help him understand them more. [[HeWhoFightsMonsters It's just that what they're doing is less wrong than how they're going about it]].]]

** When Daniel first sees the reconstructed Cobra Kai dojo, Daniel has a HeroicBSOD, remembering every beatdown and assault he ever endured from the students of that ruthless discipline.

** Terry presses Daniel's button once again in Season 5. [[spoiler:During their confrontation at Stingray's lavish new apartment, their ensuing fight ([[CurbStompBattle which Terry handily wins]]) leaves Daniel with bloodied and bruised knuckles when he punches the wall as Terry dodges (to his credit the wall ''had dents in it from his punches''). Seeing this makes Daniel recall the TrainingFromHell he endured at Terry's hands, which throws him off to the point Terry finishes a brutal thrashing against him that leaves him too frightened and beaten down to continue his war against Silver (for a time).]]

** Finally, even Johnny is dismissive of him. He is eager for a fight and is confident he would kick Daniel’s ass in the first season when he confronts him at his house. In the second series he has no problem taking on Daniel but during the course of their brief duel, Daniel lands a kick and punch in quick succession. In contrast, Johnny gets an initial kick as Daniel tries to move past him, and a final kick once Daniel turns around to find Sam.
* UnreliableNarrator: Season 3 reveals that his account of his breakup with Ali to Mr. Miyagi in ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII'' wasn't accurate. [[spoiler:The "football player at UCLA" she supposedly dumped Daniel for was actually an old family friend she was chatting with. Daniel had assumed the worst and overreacted, just like he did when he saw Johnny forcefully kissing her at the country club. Although Ali does concede that she may have overexaggerated her relationship with her friend out of spite. Meanwhile, Ali wasn't the one who damaged Daniel's car. Daniel actually crashed it because he'd ignored her warnings that the brakes were faulty and he lied to Mr. Miyagi to save face.]]

* VitriolicBestBuds: [[PlayingWithATrope Played With,]] as it is repeatedly shown that he and Johnny would be great friends if they could just let bygones be bygones and put their rivalry to bed, but both are too stubborn to do so. [[spoiler:Then played straight in Season 3, where they finally bury the hatchet (with a little help from Ali) and team up to take down Kreese once and for all.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see him as an adolescent]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/51hflyd15l_ac_sy445.jpg[softreturn]''"I mean, every time I see those guys, they're gonna know they got the best of me. I'll never have balance that way. Not with them, not with Ali. Not with me."'']][[/labelnote]]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/RalphMacchio
->'''Appearances:''' ''Film/TheKarateKid1984'', ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII'', ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII'', ''Series/CobraKai''

* {{Hotblooded}}: Daniel's been known to be a very hotheaded individual but his hardheadedness and passionate nature can be used as a strength when it comes to achieving his goals.

** In Season 5, [[spoiler:despite Silver and Cobra Kai effectively leaving the Alliance alone after they won the All-Valley (beyond Kenny continuing to bully Anthony because ItsPersonal), Daniel brings Chozen in to try and take them out by any means necessary. Unfortunately, Silver is far too crafty and every attempt only makes things worse for everyone, with the Magnum Opus being Daniel's attempt to cut off Mike Barnes from entering the fray ending with Mike getting his store burned down by Silver in response. These series of events are part of what pushes him to his HeroicBSOD.]]

** Though both dated Ali Mills in the past and have had several relationships since, Johnny's failure to move on from [[TheOneThatGotAway Ali]] has ruined all of his relationships until he gets together with Carmen. Daniel, on the other hand, has been HappilyMarried to Amanda for many years. Johnny has neglected his son Robby his whole life, leaving him to be raised by his mother, Shannon, as a single parent, while Daniel has been around for Samantha and Anthony their whole lives and is a very devoted father to them in a traditional, stable family.

* {{Foil}}: Despite their similarities in their love of karate and {{Determinator}} attitudes, Daniel and Johnny's personalities, upbringings and lives since they left high school make them as different as night and day.
** Both were raised by single mothers, but while Johnny never knew his father, Daniel knew his and had to deal with his death when he was 8 years old. Johnny’s mother ended up marrying again when she married Sid Weinberg, while Daniel’s mother remained single and unmarried after husband’s passing. Sid, the main father figure in Johnny's early life, was an emotionally AbusiveParent, while Daniel has [[DeceasedParentsAreTheBest nothing but positive memories of his father]].
** Johnny was a rich kid growing up due to his wealthy stepfather while Daniel had been a poor kid whose mother had to work several jobs. Ironically, [[HourglassPlot these roles are reversed]] for them as adults, as Daniel grows up to become a rich and successful owner of a successful car dealership (which is number 1 in the Valley) and lives in a big house while Johnny now lives in a run-down apartment in Reseda and [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity bounces between various menial jobs]] before becoming a sensei.
** Johnny has has gotten in trouble with the law multiple times and has ended up in jail while Daniel has never had any law trouble and never was in jail.

** Johnny is completely stuck in TheEighties and ignorant of modern culture, while Daniel has done a much better job of keeping up with the times, being a huge fan of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' and expressing shock at [[HopelessWithTech Johnny]] not knowing what Website/{{Facebook}} is.
** [[SnobsVsSlobs Daniel is a polite and cultured man, while Johnny is a rude, boorish slob]]. This is demonstrated through their [[DrinkBasedCharacterization drink orders]] when they talk at the bar in "[[Recap/CobraKaiS1E9DifferentButSame Different but Same]]". Daniel orders a fancy Ketel Martini, while Johnny orders a Coors Banquet, an inexpensive American beer.

** The Crane Kick used to defeat Johnny Lawrence in ''Part I''
** The Drum Technique used to pin down Chozen Toguchi in ''Part II''
** The Kata Technique used to distract Mike Barnes in ''Part III''
** The PressurePoint technique that he uses to defeat Kreese in Season 3 of ''Cobra Kai''.

* TheAce: There's a reason Daniel is considered THE Karate Kid, which shows up in Season 3. [[spoiler:After witnessing the disarming technique only once, which Chozen inflicted on him, and presumably a bit of practice in between. Daniel is able to perfectly execute the move on Kreese which leaves him without the use of his arms and at Daniel's complete mercy.]]

** On a personal level, just as Kreese is to Johnny, [[ManipulativeBastard Terry]] [[KnightOfCerebus Silver]] is definitely this for him. Silver paid off the AxCrazy Mike Barnes to antagonize him, intentionally caused a rift between him and Mr. Miyagi, manipulated him into joining Cobra Kai, subjected him to TrainingFromHell and a whole lot of [[MindRape psychological torture]], personally beat and humiliated him and then encouraged Barnes to keep winning and losing points during the All-Valley Tournament ''just so he could inflict even more pain on Daniel.'' Nobody can press Daniel's TraumaButton like Terry can. [[spoiler: If their reunion in Season 4 is any indication, it's clear that Daniel still carries the scars he got from his time with Silver and sees him for the unstable psychopath he is. Terry likewise seems to remember Daniel VERY well and delights in reminding him of their time together. Season 5 confirms it as Daniel spirals further and further, trying to do anything in his power to take Silver out but at the cost of his health, sanity and family. Silver, to his own credit, takes sadistic glee in turning his life into a living hell.]]

* BerserkButton: If you damage or steal anything that was handed down to him by Miyagi (such as his prized car and Medal of Honor, respectively), all bets are off. As of Season 3, also add in attacking any of his family. Season 4 adds objectifying his wife, as a team of hockey player were unfortunately enough to find out.

* BigDamnHeroes: Daniel leaps in to save Robby from his former friends, literally, with a stance and moves which invoke Mr Miyagi. In Season 3 he jumps in to save Johnny from Kreese as he’s actually aiming to kill his former student.
* BigGood: Daniel hovers around this trope throughout Seasons 1-4, often not reaching it. But [[spoiler: when everyone finally accepts that he is right about Cobra Kai in Season 5, they realise that only Daniel can lead them to victory. Daniel finally steps into this role and reinforces the fact that he was the original hero of the saga.]]

** His most cathartic comes in Season 5. [[spoiler:After the entire cast has been endlessly punked, humiliated and broken to within an inch of their lives the whole season, Daniel finally beats the holy hell out of [[BigBad Terry Silver]] once and for all in the Season Finale. There is a bit of a CurbStompCushion as Silver had just gone through a DuelToTheDeath with Chozen so he wasn't in top condition, but seeing Daniel mop the floor with him and end him with the CRANE KICK is an out of body experience.]]

** Gets his worst one in Season 5. [[spoiler:After getting goaded into ruining an opportunity for Amanda, she leaves and takes the kids with her after finally having enough of the Karate War. He decides to [[DrowningMySorrows drink himself to hell]] and is quite clearly not in his right mind for a while. He re-rights himself a bit after visiting with Johnny who sets him straight...before Silver beats him to a bloody pulp, which mentally breaks him further. While Amanda does come back and is wholly supportive of him, alongside Chozen, Sam and Johnny it takes him quite a while to break out of his depression and submission.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In Season 3, [[spoiler:he alerts the police to Robby's location so the kid will get a lighter sentence for what he did to Miguel. However, he does this before he can successfully convince Robby to turn himself in and the police show up right in the middle of their conversation. Thus, Robby feels like his teacher betrayed him and it eventually leads to him joining Kreese and Cobra Kai by the season finale.]]
** In Season 4 [[spoiler:he insists not once but TWICE that Johnny fall in line under him at Miyagi-Do, rather than give much of any respect to Johnny or Eagle Fang. Johnny...[[HotBlooded takes it about as well as you could expect.]] He's so bullheaded about Miyagi-Do being the only true way to perform karate that the dojos split and his relationship with Sam becomes even worse, ultimately leading to Cobra Kai winning the All-Valley and the bet in the process due to the weakened dojos.]]
** In Season 5 [[spoiler:despite Silver and Cobra Kai effectively leaving the Alliance alone after they won the All-Valley (beyond Kenny continuing to bully Anthony because ItsPersonal), Daniel brings Chozen in to try and take them out by any means necessary. Unfortunately, Silver is far too crafty and every attempt only makes things worse for everyone, with the Magnum Opus being his attempt to cut off Mike Barnes from entering the fray only ends up with Mike getting his store burned down by Silver in response. These series of events are part of what pushes him to his HeroicBSOD.]]

* ParentalObliviousness: Like his wife, Daniel selectively ignores the fact that Sam's taste in [[RichBitch friends]] and [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys boys]] is [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter not that great.]] Once he starts paying more attention to his family life after Cobra Kai comes back, they start reconnecting and Sam starts paying more attention to the people she's surrounded herself with as well. Then it goes to the other scale, where his biases against Cobra Kai lead him to fail to realize that his Miyagi-Do students having friends (or in Sam's case, boyfriends) in Cobra Kai doesn't mean said friends are bad people. Something he has to come around to when he happens to walk in on Sam making out with Miguel, and she has to persuade him to sit down and get to know Miguel.

** On a personal level, just as Kreese is to Johnny, [[ManipulativeBastard Terry]] [[KnightOfCerebus Silver]] is definitely this for him. Silver paid off the AxCrazy Mike Barnes to antagonize him, intentionally caused a rift between him and Mr. Miyagi, manipulated him into joining Cobra Kai, subjected him to TrainingFromHell and a whole lot of [[MindRape psychological torture]], personally beat and humiliated him and then encouraged Barnes to keep winning and losing points during the All-Valley Tournament ''just so he could inflict even more pain on Daniel.'' Nobody can press Daniel's TraumaButton like Terry can. [[spoiler: If their reunion in Season 4 is any indication, it's clear that Daniel still carries the scars he got from his time with Silver and sees him for the unstable psychopath he is. Terry likewise seems to remember Daniel VERY well and delights in reminding him of their time together.]]

* BigGood: Daniel hovers around this trope throughout Seasons 1-4, often not reaching it. But [[spoilers: when everyone finally accepts that he is right about Cobra Kai in Season 5, they realise that only Daniel can lead them to victory. Daniel finally steps into this role and reinforces the fact that he was the original hero of the saga.]]