Daniel LaRusso is a fictional character and one of the central protagonists of The Karate Kid media franchise portrayed by Ralph Macchio. He was created by American screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen.

Sensei Daniel LaRusso is the main protagonist of The Karate Kid franchise. He is portrayed by Ralph Macchio. Daniel was a bullied high school student whose life changed when he was mentored by a wise karate sensei, who taught him both valuable life lessons and self-defense.

He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in four Karate Kid films (the 1984 film The Karate Kid and its sequels, The Karate Kid Part II in 1986, The Karate Kid Part III in 1989, and the upcoming Karate Kid: Legends in 2025), as well as in Cobra Kai (2018–2025), a sequel television series on YouTube Premium and Netflix.

3 days ago · But he also couldn’t have expected a trio of superfans — Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg — to revive his iconic character Daniel LaRusso and the rest of the Karate Kid ...

Feb 7, 2025 · So paying the legacy forward is kind of part of what Daniel LaRusso does now as an adult and will do in the Karate Kid Legends film when that comes out, the end of May," Macchio tells GamesRadar+ ...

Feb 7, 2025 · Ralph Macchio has played the role of Daniel LaRusso since 1984. After six seasons of reprising the character in “Cobra Kai,” he’s set to play Daniel again in the movie, “Karate Kid ...

May 10, 2024 · A popular theory regarding The Karate Kid postulates that Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is the real villain of the film, and that Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) is actually the good guy in the story.

In 1984, 17-year-old Daniel LaRusso and his mother Lucille move from Newark, New Jersey, to Reseda, Los Angeles, California. Their apartment's handyman is an eccentric, but kind and humble Okinawan immigrant named Mr. Nariyoshi Miyagi.

Daniel LaRusso is the titular main protagonist of The Karate Kid franchise. He is the founder and owner of LaRusso Auto Group, the sensei of the Miyagi-Do Karate dojo, Mr. Miyagi's former student, the husband of Amanda LaRusso, and the father of Samantha and Anthony LaRusso.

Daniel LaRusso is the protagonist of the 1984 movie The Karate Kid and its first two sequels The Karate Kid Part II and The Karate Kid Part III. Daniel LaRusso is also the deuteragonist of the television series Cobra Kai. He is played by Ralph Macchio.