Question: How could Daniel become skilled enough to beat black belts in a karate tournament after just two months of training?
BaconIsMyBFF
22nd Mar 2021
The Karate Kid (1984)
Answer: His opponents in the Valley tournament are not all black belts either. Johnny for example is not a black belt.
7th May 2019
The Karate Kid (1984)
27th Dec 2018
The Karate Kid (1984)
Question: Why are Ali's friends with Johnny, Dutch, and Tommy at Golf and stuff? Surely they'd stay away from them out of respect for Ali?
Answer: Ali and Daniel are really the only ones that seem to have a problem with Johnny and his friends. Other than that, Johnny is well liked and popular. Even Ali's parents are fond of Johnny. Also, to be fair Johnny does seem to be genuine when he invites Ali to come along with the group and even invites Daniel along as well, though he does make a rude comment about Daniel while doing so. The Cobras have stopped harassing Daniel and only Daniel and Ali know the real reason why. Johnny and his group are still friendly with Ali's friends so they see no reason not to hang out with him. Ali's friends also unfairly dislike Daniel from the beginning because he lives in Reseda, so they are not the best judges of character to begin with.
Answer: They are in the same friend group and Johnny and Ali's break up doesn't really affect any of them. In the Cobra Kai series, Johnny said that they got into a fight before his senior year and figured things would blow over. So it sounds like them fighting was a regular thing and their friends were probably used to it.
13th Dec 2018
The Karate Kid (1984)
Question: Why did it matter so much to Ali's father that Daniel's from Reseda?
Answer: Ali and her family are very well off and are from a nicer part of town. Reseda is a lower income area. It's a typical "wrong side of the tracks" situation. Ali's parents would be happier if their daughter dated someone more well off. The theme of "never judge a book by the cover" permeates throughout the film and this is one of several examples. Daniel is a kind, caring, honorable young man and where he lives has nothing at all to do with his character. Johnny, who Ali's parents are more approving of because of his social status, is controlling, manipulative, petulant, and violent.
3rd Jun 2013
The Karate Kid (1984)
Question: Why wasn't Johnny disqualified for his own "illegal contact to the knee" like Bobby was? We know the ref saw it happen because he gave Johnny a warning. Never made sense to me.
Answer: The answer makes no sense since Johnny caught the leg and purposely rams the elbow into the back of the knee. There was no accident about it. Even the ref acknowledged this.
Chosen answer: Johnny attacked an illegal area which the rules accept may happen accidentally and so they have provisions for warnings and such in light of that possibility, whereas Bobby performed an illegal technique which cannot happen accidentally, and therefore the rules call for immediate disqualification.
That wasn't an accident; Johnny deliberately elbowed the back of the knee. But having him disqualified would be a terrible ending to a great film. The warning was for plot reasons.
Answer: The movie never explains this and it always seemed like an error to me. I've always reconciled it by saying that a flying kick to an opponents knee is considered so egregious it warrants an instant disqualification, while an elbow to the knee only draws a warning. Once again, the movie never actually says this so it's only speculation but it does make some sort of sense if you think about it.
Answer: I always took it to mean that the kick Bobby did actually put Daniel in a position where he was unable to continue, and that it was a definite attempt at maliciousness (at least in the referee's eyes), whereas Johnny's attack might have simply been an accident. Look when Bobby kicked Daniel's knee-the fight just started, and it wasn't an accident. When Johnny connected (Up to this point Johnny fought fairly and within the rules) they were in the middle of a match, and Johnny simply hit him illegally without intending to. When I used to train and fight in tournaments, I once got punched across the jaw by an opponent who got a warning. When he did it a second time a few seconds later, he was disqualified. It wasn't something that appeared malicious, it was just in the heat of the moment of the fight. Bobby's act wasn't, which is why he got disqualified. Johnny could have been in the heat of the moment, which is why he only got a warning. If he hit the knee again, he would have been disqualified.
27th Jul 2018
The Karate Kid (1984)
Question: I've seen this video about how Daniel is the real bully. Can someone please explain how?
Answer: It is important to note that the video in question was obviously facetious in tone. However specifically regarding the fight on the beach, Daniel's fight with Bobby on the soccer field, and Daniel hosing Johnny down in the bathroom it could certainly be argued that Daniel either escalated the situation or directly instigated violent contact. Also of important note, the series Cobra Kai essentially lends credence to these arguments and paints Daniel as a much less honorable hero and Johnny as a much more sympathetic villain.
Answer: Like someone mentioned, that video was pretty much a joke. Daniel was never the bully and like others have mentioned in these q/as Johnny wasn't full bully either. Daniel did however have a temper and exacerbated the situations while Johnny let himself be egged on by Dutch and Kreese. In the Cobra Kai show, Johnny did also exaggerate to Miguel and the other Cobra's and even himself that Daniel was the bully, but he was just deluding himself. And you can see by his expressions that he knew he was lying. If you go back to the beach scene you will see Johnny was being an abusive d**k to Ali and Daniel was the only one that stood up for her. Johnny ripped her stereo out of her hands, broke it and got in her face. Yeah she got right back in his face, but this is when he, as the wrong party should have backed down. He did not so Daniel stepped in. If No One stepped in to help her, they would have been all disgraceful in my eyes. The show and movie are pretty nuanced and quite deep.
Answer: It appears that way at certain times throughout the film, Daniel tends to instigate fights such as getting involved between Johnny and Ali's fight on the beach, and spraying Johnny with the hose in the bathroom. Of course Johnny summed it up when he said to Daniel "You couldn't leave well enough alone."
23rd Jul 2018
The Karate Kid (1984)
Question: How did Bobby beat his second opponent in the tournament? I'm talking about the match that was right before the one between Tommy and Daniel.
Answer: The fight isn't shown in it's entirety but the final point is won when Bobby takes his opponent down and hits him with a back fist across the chest.
Answer: The Karate Kid series as a whole, which includes the TV show Cobra Kai, implies that Miyagi's teachings are highly effective. Miyagi's unorthodox teaching methods can get a novice up to a high level in a short period of time.
BaconIsMyBFF