The Next Karate Kiddid not feature Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, leading many to wonder where the actor and character were. Often considered theworst of theKarate Kidmovies,The Next Karate Kidfocused on a different main star than Macchio. Hilary Swank took over the role, marking the first absence in the series for Daniel LaRusso, who later returned as part ofCobra Kai’s ensemble cast.
For the actor, Macchio did not return as he simply was not asked to. Despite Pat Morita’swise and inspiring Mr. Miyagibeing part of the spin-off, Macchio revealed toUproxxthat he did not get a call to return for the 1994 film, likely as a result of the original creators, Robert Mark Kamen and John G. Avildsen, not being involved. While Macchio will return in theupcoming story ofKarate Kid: Legends, many are wondering if there is a narrative reason for his character, Daniel LaRusso, being absent fromThe Next Karate Kid.
Daniel LaRusso Was No Longer Living With Mr. Miyagi In The Next Karate Kid
At the beginning ofThe Next Karate Kid, some hints about Daniel LaRusso’s whereabouts are provided. InThe Karate Kid Part III, Daniel is shown living with Mr. Miyagi for a while during his conflict with Terry Silver, Cobra Kai, and Mike Barnes. The film ends with Daniel winning the All-Valley Tournament once more, yetThe Next Karate Kidchanges his living situation. At the beginning of the movie, Daniel is no longer living with Mr. Miyagi. This leads Miyagi to Boston, where he trains Swank’s Julie Pierce as the titular successor to Daniel.
Miyagi also references his time living with Daniel in the past tense during the film, confirming the two have moved on from their prior living arrangements.
Although the reason for Daniel’s absence from Miyagi’s house is not outlined, it can be inferred based on other stories in the series. Initially, there were many assumptions and theories about where Daniel was inThe Next Karate Kid, which have also been proven to be false. Naturally, this caused more confusion about where exactly Daniel was, leaving other stories likeCobra Kaito provide retroactive reasons for Miyagi training someone besides Macchio’s character inThe Next Karate Kid.
Daniel LaRusso Was Not In College During The Next Karate Kid
A Big Assumption Was Proved Wrong By Cobra Kai
As alluded to, many audience members created their own headcanon as to why Daniel LaRusso was not part of Mr. Miyagi’s life duringThe Next Karate Kid. Given the age of Daniel throughout the original trilogy, one of the most popular theories was that Daniel went off to college. This would explain why he was not inThe Next Karate Kidand why he was not living with Miyagi at the onset of the movie. However, this theory was proven wrong thanks to Daniel’s involvement inCobra Kai.
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InCobra Kai,it was revealed that Daniel LaRusso never went to college. This actually makes sense given the events ofThe Karate Kid Part III. In that film, Daniel uses his college fund to open a bonsai store for Mr. Miyagi. InCobra Kai, Daniel reveals to Miguel that he did not ever return to college, even though his financial situation improved after the third movie. With college confirmed not to be a part of Daniel’s life, more mystery was thrown over his absence fromThe Next Karate Kid.
Despite the secretive nature of Daniel LaRusso’s life during the events ofThe Next Karate Kid,Cobra Kaifills in the blanks. The show takes place over 30 years after the original trilogy and features many references to Daniel’s life in the interim betweenThe Karate Kid Part IIIandCobra Kai.It is revealed that Daniel tried to restart the bonsai shop but that this failed, potentially even explaining why Miyagi briefly moved to BostonduringThe Next Karate Kid.Eventually, Daniel met the cousin of Jessica fromThe Karate Kid Part III, Amanda, and began to date her.
As revealed inCobra Kai, Daniel and Amanda got married at some point after they began dating. The two opened up a car dealership after Daniel found success working on cars due to his love of mechanics. The car dealership became one of the most successful in the valley, resulting in a comfortable financial life for the LaRussos.
The birth and training of Samantha and Anthony led directly into the events of the show’s first season, in which Daniel reignites his rivalry with Johnny Lawrence…
Cobra Kaialso confirms Daniel and Amanda had two children, Samantha and Anthony. These two characters are prominent figures inCobra Kai’s story as the next generation of karate champions. The birth and training of Samantha and Anthony led directly into the events of the show’s first season, in which Daniel reignites his rivalry with Johnny Lawrence after the latter opens another Cobra Kai dojo. All of this explains the mystery of what happened in Daniel’s life during and afterThe Next Karate Kid, explaining his absence from the movie.
