VIDEO: Daniel LaRusso Meets Terry Silver for the First Time

YouTube Terry Silver and Daniel LaRusso train together in "The Karate Kid Part III."

In the “Karate Kid” film franchise, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) has a fair share of adversaries. In the 1989 film, “The Karate Kid Part III,” he gets acquainted with possibly his most dangerous nemesis, Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith). As fans of the movie are aware, the billionaire is friends with ruthless sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove). To get back at Daniel for winning the 1984 All Valley Tournament, Silver comes up with a complicated plan, which involves manipulating the New Jersey native. The Vietnam veteran introduces himself to Daniel and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) toward the beginning of “The Karate Kid Part III.” The scene can be watched below. 

In the “Karate Kid III” scene, Silver visits Mr. Miyagi’s home. He finds Daniel and the World War II veteran practicing kata in the backyard. Silver interrupts the practice and claims that he traveled from South Korea to make amends for Kreese’s violent behavior. 

“My master is Kim Sun Young of South Korea… John Kreese of the Cobra Kai dojo was our school’s number one student. Word reached us in Korea only two months ago about what happened last year at the tournament. My teacher sends his apologies for John Kreese’s dishonorable actions,” says Silver. 

Mr. Miyagi states that he “accepts the apology.” Silver then says he traveled to Encino “to help John regain balance,” but states that he “arrived too late.” He lies to Miyagi and Daniel by claiming that Kreese passed away. 

Thomas Ian Griffith Will Play Terry Silver in ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 4

Thomas Ian Griffith will reprise the role of Terry Silver in the upcoming fourth season of “Cobra Kai,” which will be available to stream on Netflix on December 31, 2021. During a July 2021 appearance on the “Cobra Kai Kompanion” podcast, Griffith revealed that he had watched “Cobra Kai” before becoming a cast member. He also shared that he enjoyed the flashbacks in season 3 when it is revealed Silver exhibited some cowardly behavior. He referenced that fans were led to believe Silver was a different character named Ponytail, who ends up dying while serving in Vietnam. 

“I love it. I thought it was a great choice. I loved the mislead in [season] 3, you know, when you think that Terry Silver is the guy with the ponytail, but then he gets killed,” shared the actor. 

He then complimented the show’s creators Jon Hurwitz, John Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg for including unexpected storylines on “Cobra Kai.” 

“I think what Jon, Josh, and Hayden do so well is that they are always twisting it up. If you expect something, something else is going to happen. And that’s just good writing,” asserted the 59-year-old.  

The Show’s Creators Discussed Terry Silver During an August 2021 Interview

During an August 2021 interview with AwardsWatch, Hurwitz, Heald, and Schlossberg briefly discussed Silver’s role in “Cobra Kai” season 4. 

“What we can say about Terry is that 35 years have passed, you know, since we’ve seen him. And we’re going to get to see kind of where he’s landed right now. We pick up with him today. We get to see where he’s at today. We get to see in what ways he’s the same, in what ways he’s different and what his motivations are, you’ll — I think if you love Terry Silver in the past, he still can kick a**. He still knows karate. I mean he’s a tough guy,” said Hurwitz. 

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