‘I was the original Karate Kid – 40 years later, my story comes full circle’ (2025)

It’s been a long journey for Ralph Macchio since he was first introduced to the world as the original Karate Kid in 1984.

More than 40 years ago, the actor made his debut and soared to global stardom as Daniel LaRusso, a teenager who’s trained in martial arts by the wise Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita) after he’s tormented by bully Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).

The sequel spin-off series Cobra Kai launched on Netflix seven years ago, which saw the grown-up Daniel and Johnny reunite and eventually become allies in a powerful tale that comes to an end with its final episodes this Thursday in season 6 part 3.

Ahead of the finale, Metro spoke to Ralph, 63, about the legacy of the Karate Kid franchise, and how it feels now that his story as Daniel – one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history – has come ‘full circle’.

Ralph explained that when The Karate Kid was first made in the early 1980s, it was actually a ‘minor motion picture’ with a small budget… but since then, it’s ‘grown and snowballed over time and generations and decades’ in a unique way.

This in turn led to the ‘smart concept’ of Cobra Kai, which was able to ‘come in from a different angle and unearth these stories that never let go of the themes of the original film, but yet create their own relevant tone’.

Fans are desperate to know what will become of Daniel by the end of the series, particularly as he’s already set to return in a new Karate Kid film premiering this year with Jackie Chan.

‘LaRusso lands in the way at the end of Cobra Kai, like I wanted him to land,’ Ralph revealed, despite previously having reservations about the direction Daniel’s story took in the show.

‘It didn’t always feel that way during every season of Cobra Kai – there were plenty of times where I’m like, “This is not the guy!”’ he continued.

‘Well, we have to do that to get to here. You have to show that to flip the redemption. You have to hit rock bottom to come back up. I understand that about story structure, and it made sense. Sometimes it was challenging when it always didn’t feel as truthful. But there’s the full arc of the series.’

The Outsiders star added that he’s ‘really proud’ of where Daniel ends up by the end of the series, ‘because he feels very much like an older version of the kid that I helped co-create’.

‘The finale of Cobra Kai feels like a really good Karate Kid movie. I think the guys did a great job with that, as well as William and the cast. I’m super proud of that,’ he summarised.

While plenty of fans of the Netflix series will undoubtedly be left feeling very emotional by the time they reach the end, the final outing for the show has an even deeper meaning for Ralph and William than many might realise.

That’s because the final scene that they ended up shooting together paid homage to the first time that their characters met – and their feud began – in the original film 41 years ago.

‘October 31, 1983, was the first day of shooting of the Karate Kid film. It was Halloween, so I remember the date,’ he recollected.

‘The scene took place on the beach in Southern California when Johnny Lawrence and his Cobra Kai came down on their motorcycles and they’re playing a radio and Elisabeth Shue is torn between these two guys, and Johnny Lawrence winds up beating the crap out of Daniel LaRusso, leaving him face down in the sand.’

While the final scene they shot together for Cobra Kai also took place on a beach in California, the circumstances for their characters couldn’t have been more different this time around.

‘The last day of filming on Cobra Kai was Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso on the beach in California, running, playing together, jumping in the surf and hugging when they yelled cut,’ Ralph told us.

‘We stood there as these two men with these 41 years of experience that only we shared, and it was quite a beautiful full-circle bookend on that. It couldn’t have been better laid out than the way it happened.’

Despite how close Daniel and Johnny have become in Cobra Kai – which mirrors the friendship between Ralph and William in real life – the actor jokingly admitted that when shooting ended on the first Karate Kid film, he said: ‘Well, thank god I never have to see that guy again.’

‘And here we are,’ he quipped. ‘So be careful what you think you know. It’s great, he’s one of my best friends, and it’s really cool.’

While the Karate Kid franchise now boasts six films (including the one due to come out this year), an animated series, and the spin-off Cobra Kai, the enormity of the impact that the original film had when it was released 41 years ago could not have been predicted.

The first time that Ralph grasped the extent of its popularity was when he attended a preview of the movie in New York a month before it came out.

‘I hadn’t seen it. That day, I sat in the back of the New York City theatre with the director, producer and writer, and watched people watch that movie,’ he shared.

‘I walked in there kind of an average Joe that was in a couple of movies, like The Outsiders. And I walked out of that movie theatre feeling like I had just won the Super Bowl and the World Series and the World Cup, as everybody was cheering and hugging and practicing their crane kick on Third Avenue in Manhattan.

‘That’s the moment I knew there was something here. That I’d be here now talking to you about it? Not even close in my mind. But that moment is where it was solidified that it won audiences over. They embraced this kid and this journey and this Miyagi magic. That’s when movies were movies.’

And the rest was history.

Ahead of our interview, we were curious what Cobra Kai fans had been writing online about the upcoming final episodes – and one comment on YouTube stood out to us in particular that we felt we had to share with Ralph.

The comment from a user with the handle @YD-uq5fi in response to the trailer for the final episodes read: ‘I am 51 and never thought I would ever be counting down the days to a TV show at my age. Back to the 10-year-old who saw Karate Kid in 1984.’

Reacting to the heartfelt comment, Ralph responded: ‘It’s great. We all hearken back to those memories when we were kids in those moments in our lives that “it was all possible”.

‘It’s like comfort food, I always attribute it to… you remember something your grandmother made that was your favourite dish, and having Cobra Kai is like you get to taste that again, and then also share it with the next generation.’

The actor hailed how ‘few entertainment entities’ can be enjoyed by multiple generations, which he reckons will continue with the Karate Kid franchise.

‘It’s a legacy that is just so unique and special and to spread joy like that by just being, it’s a privilege and it’s an honour. So it’s awesome. That’s a great comment by the fan. I hear that all the time, and it’s great that that resonates still.’

Cobra Kai season 6 part 3 premieres on Thursday, February 13, on Netflix.

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