Cobra Kai is setting the stage for an exciting showdown between Terry Silver and Daniel LaRusso in season 5. The two characters have yet to come to blows in the Karate Kid sequel series, but the season 5 trailer indicates that’s about to change. A Daniel vs. Silver fight is expected to happen during the course of the show’s ongoing dojo war.
Of all the enemies Daniel has made in the Karate Kid franchise, the worst of them all is arguably Thomas Ian Griffith’s Terry Silver. Through the villain’s convoluted scheming, he was able to emotionally and physically torment Daniel and nearly ruin his relationship with Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid Part III. Now, he’s back in the Valley and in control of the Cobra Kai dojo. In season 4, Daniel’s focus was split between Silver and Kreese, who were both regarded as his principal opponents. But now that Martin Kove’s character has been pushed aside, Silver has emerged as his biggest threat. Even though both Chozen and Johnny will be on Daniel’s side, Silver’s influence and resourcefulness are sure to make him a challenging adversary.
Daniel and Silver were shown squaring off in a shot at the end of the Cobra Kai season 5 trailer, which suggests that the playing field will be evened long enough for a one-on-one fight. By all indications, Silver is the ultimate villain in The Karate Kid franchise, and so far there’s no evidence that Daniel has what it takes to be the one who brings him down. Cobra Kai season 4 proved once and for all that Johnny and Daniel are even while also demonstrating that Silver is on a whole other level to Johnny. If he beat William Zabka’s character with ease, it’s hard to imagine Daniel walking away from that one with a victory when his rival couldn’t. There may be a way to beat Silver, but Daniel is unlikely to pull it off on his own.
Why Daniel vs. Silver Should Be Closer Than Johnny vs. Silver
The odds aren’t in Daniel’s favor, though he should fare better than Johnny did. After all, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Silver had the element of surprise going for him. And looking at the tease in the season 5 trailer, Daniel won’t be blindsided in the same way that Johnny was in season 4. And part of the problem that Johnny had was that Silver was easily able to control the flow of the fight. That’ll be more difficult to do with Daniel, though. Silver being so well-prepared for Johnny can be attributed partially to the latter’s fighting style being based on Cobra Kai’s teachings, whereas Daniel uses Miyagi-do Karate. He at least has the potential to hit Silver with something he isn’t expecting, such as the secret paralyzing technique Chozen taught him in season 3.
For now, the character with the strongest likelihood of beating Silver unaided is Chozen, especially when considering how he defeated Daniel with limited difficulty in their season 3 fight. But even with that said, it’s hard to say for sure if Chozen would win either. Silver is an incredibly formidable fighter whose skills may not be topped by anyone other than Mr. Miyagi himself. Beating him fairly could take some serious, diligent training for Daniel, Johnny, Kreese, or anyone else who goes up against him in Cobra Kai season 5.