Here’s Proof That Daniel Was The Real Bully Of ‘The Karate Kid’

Think you remember everything about The Karate Kid? You know, that classic tale of an awkward teen who learns to stick up for himself, fight off his bullies, and win the girl of his dreams all through the practice of martial arts (and with the help of his helpful neighborhood guru, Mr. Miyagi)? Well, what I’m about to say might surprise you: it’s quite possible that we’ve been wrong about The Karate Kid all these years — that is if YouTube user J. Matthew Turner‘s theories are legit.

Turner’s thesis (spotted via Uproxx) is simple: Daniel (played by Ralph Macchio) is hardly the hero of The Karate Kid. In fact, he’s the true villain, the one who bullies the cool and calm Johnny (William Zabka). In the very convincing edit of the film below, Turner suggests that Daniel is a sociopathic new kid who tricks everyone into buying into his underdog complex. And with the help of “child batterer” Mr. Miyagi, Daniel successfully torments the students at his new school and manages to pick up a rudimentary understanding of karate to act out his violence personality.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Gz_iTuRMM]

Convinced? Let us know how you feel about Danny’s violent tendencies in the comments.

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