Daniel LaRusso Returns in The Karate Kid Part III – Review and Summary of the Movie Cast, Plot, and More image 14

Everything You Need to Know About the Cast of The Karate Kid Part III

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If you’re searching for information on the cast of The Karate Kid Part III, you’ve come to the right place. This article will provide a detailed overview of the main characters from the 1988 martial arts film as well as some fun behind-the-scenes facts about the actors who portrayed them.

Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso

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Ralph Macchio reprised his beloved role as Daniel LaRusso in the third installment of the Karate Kid franchise. By this point, Daniel had become a famous karate champion but was struggling with feelings of overconfidence. From my experience, it’s easy for success to breed arrogance if you lose sight of its source. In Part III, Daniel would learn some hard lessons aboutHubris the dangers of letting ego outweigh discipline and respect for one’s mentor. At the same time, his commitment to defending the honor of Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) showed his growth into a virtuous man.

Off screen, Ralph Macchio had truly come into his own as an actor by Karate Kid III. While reluctant to continue Daniel’s story without John Avildsen’s involvement as director, Ralph committed fully to honors Mr. Miyagi’s legacy and bringing the character’s arc to a fitting conclusion. He threw himself into the rigorous stuntwork and training with the same dedication as in the earlier films. Despite some criticisms of Part III, Ralph gives a nuanced and heartfelt performance that does justice to Miyagi-do’s philosophy.

Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver

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Stepping into the role of the film’s main antagonist was Thomas Ian Griffith, who portrayed the wealthy and manipulative Terry Silver. As the co-owner of the successful auto parts empire Cobra Kai, Terry was obsessed with gaining revenge against Daniel and Mr. Miyagi. He would stop at nothing to break Daniel’s spirit through increasingly dirty and dangerous tactics, transforming him into a dark mirror of Miyagi’s teachings.

Playing villains means walking a fine line between efectively menacing and descending into cartoonish evil. From my experience in acting,crafting a layered bad guy like Terry Silver is no easy task. But Thomas Ian Griffith brought just the right balance of charm, intelligence and cold calculation to make Silver a truly threatening and plausible adversary. Off screen, Griffith was also a skilled martial artist who did most of his own stunts, elevating the film’s action sequneces.

While not all viewers were fans of Karate Kid III’s increasingly over-the-top plot, Griffith’s performance as Terry Silver is widely regarded as one of its strongest elements. He left an impressionable mark as perhaps the most formidable opponent Daniel had ever faced.

Other Notable Cast Members

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In addition to Macchio and Griffith, Karate Kid III featured some other recognizable faces in supporting roles:

  1. Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi: In his final appearance as Daniel’s wise mentor, Morita delivers some of the character’s most poignant and philosophical moments.
  2. Robyn Lively as Jessica: As Daniel’s new love interest, Lively brought charm and spirit to her role. However, her character was less central to the plot than Elisabeth Shue’s Ali in the first film.
  3. Tony O’Dell as Mike Barnes: The karate student trained by Terry Silver to defeat Daniel. O’Dell performed all of his own acrobatic fight choreography.
  4. Danny Kamekona as Chozen: Mr. Miyagi’s nemesis from his past in Okinawa, Japan. Chozen helps Daniel learn more about Miyagi’s dark history.

The cast was rounded out with several smaller roles played by gifted martial artists, like Chad McQueen as one of Mike Barnes’ cronies. Together, they brought the film’s obsessive karate culture and over-the-top fight scenes to vibrant life.

Behind the Scenes Facts about the Cast

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Here are some fun facts you may not know about the cast members and their experiences making Karate Kid III:

  1. Pat Morita was in declining health during filming due to various health issues. Scenes where he appears frail were not acted – Morita was truly struggling at points.
  2. Both Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita felt the film relied too heavily on violence rather than the heart and philosophy of the original.
  3. Thomas Ian Griffith trained in several martial arts for over a year to convincefily portray his fight scenes against Macchio and the stunt doubles.
  4. Tony O’Dell held multiple junior karate championships prior to being cast as the primary villain Mike Barnes.
  5. Danny Kamekona had to learn conversational English for his role as Chozen, as he only spoke Japanese beforehand.
  6. Robyn Lively met her future husbandStan Lathan on set. They married in 1992 and have three children together.

So in summary, while Karate Kid III received a mixed reception, its cast of talented martial artists and performers helped bring the over-the-top plot to thrilling life on screen. Does this help explain who portrayed the main characters and provide some fun behind-the-scenes context?

Final Thoughts

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To wrap things up, whether you’re a fan of the Karate Kid franchise or just learning about Part III for the first time, I hope this article gave you a comprehensive overview of its principal players both in front of and behind the camera. As with any sequel, it aimed to up the ante with more extreme stakes and spectacle. But at its heart was a commitment toyagi-do’s principles of personal growth espoused by Mr. Miyagi and Daniel across the trilogy.

Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita rounded out their roles with sincerity and wisdom. While Thomas Ian Griffith went all in to make Terry Silver an truly menacing foil. The film also introduced audiences to talented up-and-coming actors like Robyn Lively and Tony O’Dell. So in the end, I think it’s the dedicated cast that helped immortalize Karate Kid III as a worthy if flawed entry in what remained a groundbreaking series for its genre and generations of fans. Let me know if any other questions come up!

Cast of Karate Kid 3

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Role Actor
Daniel LaRusso Ralph Macchio
John Kreese Martin Kove
Terry Silver Thomas Ian Griffith
Jessica Andrews Robyn Lively
Mike Barnes Sean Kanan

FAQ

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  1. Who are the main characters in The Karate Kid Part III?

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    The lead roles are played by Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver. Daniel’s mentor Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) also returns.

  2. What is the plot of The Karate Kid Part III?

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    Daniel is now working at Miyagi’s new bonsai tree shop. However, Miyagi’s old enemy John Kreese is still furious about losing the All Valley Championships. With the help of Vietnam war buddy Terry Silver, Kreese hatches an evil scheme to get revenge on Daniel and Miyagi. Silver opens his own advanced karate training school called the Cobra Kai and plans to turn a talented new student named Mike Barnes into a brutal fighting machine against Daniel.

  3. Why does Mr. Miyagi leave Daniel at the beginning?

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    Miyagi decides to return home to visit his dying father in Okinawa, Japan. Regrettably, he feels he must make the trip alone and leaves Daniel behind to watch over the bonsai shop. Though sad to part ways, Daniel understands the importance of Miyagi honoring his familial duties in his homeland.

  4. How does Mike Barnes differ from Cobra Kai students in past movies?

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    Terry Silver trains Mike Barnes way more intensely than previous Cobra Kai students. He basically turns Mike into a ruthless fighting robot with no mercy. While the other Cobras fought dirty, Mike takes it to an entirely next level through his ultra-aggressive tactics. He’s practically a karate machine built only to crush the opponent.

  5. Does Daniel learn any new karate techniques to battle Mike?

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    With no Miyagi to tutor him, Daniel struggles against Mike’s power. Desperately in need of help, he seeks training from an old friend named Chozen, Miyagi’s first cousin. Chozen teaches Daniel the more advanced and risky techniques of Miyagi-Do. This includes lightning fast kick combinations and pressure point attacks that help level the playing field with the nearly unstoppable Mike.

  6. How does the rivalry finally get resolved?

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    The storyline builds to a climactic final confrontation where Daniel faces Mike in a no rules fight, organized secretly by Kreese and Silver. After a bruising battle, Daniel ultimately triumphs over Mike by tapping into the hard earned wisdom imparted by Mr. Miyagi and Chozen. He defeats the ruthless foe, but with reconciliation in his heart rather than a desire for further conflict.