Daniel Silver

*"It's not always about honor. It's about keeping your head above water."*
—Daniel Silver, 7/29/18
**Daniel Richard Silver** is a karate sensei residing in Neo Arcadia. He briefly joined the Arcadian Rebels in late 2019 as the vigilante **Striker**.

## Biography

### Early Life

In his youth, Daniel Silver watched *The Karate Kid*, an uplifting '80s classic about a teenager, played by Ralph Macchio, who defeats the local jerk, played by William Zabka. At least, that's how most people saw it. Daniel viewed Zabka as "the karate kid," star pupil of the Cobra Kai Dojo, and Macchio as the monster who defeated him with a cheap, illegal head-kick in the most tragically haunting film ending of all time. He also viewed Heath Ledger's Joker to be the protagonist of Christopher Nolan's *The Dark Knight*.

### Sensei Silver

Silver's sensei was his unofficial adoptive father. He taught him everything he knew, and trained him eight hours a day in Japanese martial arts like Kyokushin Karate, as well as Tang Soo Do, Chinese and Filipino martial arts, and gymnastics. Silver eventually became an instructor of martial arts. Kyokushin was the first full-contact discipline of Karate, stressing hard work and dedication in an ever-growing search for self-improvement and enlightenment. It combines physical fitness and mental acumen into a challenging, but rewarding physical lifestyle.

#### Duel with Jason Kade

*"The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out."*
—Jason Kade
Silver and Jason Kade had an impromptu miniature tournament with the goal of reaching five hits. Silver succeeded with little effort due to his philosophy of striking first.

#### Allying with the Rebels

Silver eventually became a vigilante ally to the Arcadian Rebels under the codename "Striker." He helped investigate when Clark Flat went missing in late 2019.

## Personality

*"Secrets are meant to be broken and shared."*
—Daniel Silver
Silver does not train to be merciful and instead always strikes first, as he believes mercy is for the weak. Whether it be on the street or in competition, Silver believes that when one confronts him, they are the enemy and does not deserve mercy. His strategy is to win at all costs and show no sympathy, which Kade views as barbaric. The enemy is dealt with when he is out cold on the ground; the fight is only over when he says it is. He does not take no for an answer and never accepts defeat.

Despite his merciless code of ethics, Daniel is not evil as he does not harm innocent civilians and merely punishes his opponents.

Daniel has a dark sense of humor.

## Abilities

*"If you're not strong on the inside, you can't be strong on the outside."*
—Daniel Silver
* **Peak Human Condition:** Daniel has achieved the peak of human physical perfection through years of extensive and intensive karate training, with heightened levels of strength, speed, agility, balance, and stamina. He goes through days of training over an unimaginable amount of time, applying himself with focus and dedication. Daniel is at 5% bodyfat.
	+ **Peak Human Strength:** Daniel puts every ounce of his power behind everything he does. He performs pushups on his knuckles to increase his arm strength, and swims by kicking his legs and kicks wooden boards to increase their strength. He can overpower opponents in combat by striking with his overwhelming force honed through his training as a karateka. He also masters less significant amounts of weight by lifting 5-pound dumbbells as a part of his workout regimen, and he bench-presses 180 pounds (82 kilograms). He was strong enough to singlehandedly lift Clark Flat' dining table and even move his fridge, which weighs about 370 pounds (168 kilograms, which is over twice his bodyweight).
	+ **Peak Human Durability:** Daniel's fists and feet have become hardened weapons, fulfilling the simple and elegant meaning of "karate:" empty hand. He performs pushups on his knuckles to condition his hands and kicks wooden boards to condition his feet. He has developed dense flesh which allows him to sustain heavy blows in combat.
	+ **Peak Human Speed:** Daniel jogs to make him quick on his feet. He is very fast in combat, as he was able to strike Almanac before the latter could strike him, despite the latter having a striking speed of 122.7 fps (83.66 mph).
	+ **Peak Human Agility:** Daniel is incredibly agile, athletic and nimble. His acrobatic skills allow him to fluidly dodge strikes in combat, perform flips, and parkour.
	+ **Peak Human Stamina:** Daniel jogs to increase his cardiovascular system and endurance.
	+ **High Pain Tolerance:** Daniel has a high threshold for pain. He displayed no signs of pain or discomfort when Star sunk her claws into his skin.

*"Strike first, strike hard, no mercy. An enemy deserves no mercy."*
—Daniel Silver
* **Expert Martial Artist:** Daniel Silver had combat training when he was younger from Mr. Silver, who trained him for eight hours a day. He is a Karate champion, trained in old-school Kyokushin Karate (influenced by Tang Soo Do), Kung Fu, Aikido, Eskrima, Bōjutsu, Kobudō, Kenjutsu, and Gymkata (the fusion of gymnastics and Karate) and was instructed to be an aggressive, merciless fighter. His method of fighting ("the way of the fist") is to strike first and never wait for the enemy to attack, to strike hard and inflict pain, and to show no mercy. He was taught the best defense is more offense, as opposed to self-defense. Silver is also extremely kick-oriented in his fighting style, as he was taught how to "think with his legs" by learning how to use his legs as a first instinct in a fight. He defeated Jason Kade in an impromptu tournament based on two opponents racing to land the first hit. His style of fighting incorporates the crane technique, the cobra strike, the slither, the headbutt, and a plethora of kicks. Under Silver's tutelage, Clark Flat, Aranza Whitmore and Jess Connor would learn about Karate. His crane style is natural, graceful, effortless, fluid, and balanced.
* **Expert Acrobat:** Silver is a gymnastics-based martial artist.
* **Expert Marksman:** Silver is skilled in the use of firearms, particularly pistols.

*"If we look too close, we will never see the bigger picture."*
—Daniel Silver
* **Skilled Investigator:** Silver is a natural detective, with a keen eye for clues and a perception of details.

## Techniques

* **Crane Technique:** Silver assumes the "crane" stance, where he stands on one foot and jumps off the ground to deliver a front kick to his opponent's face, like a standing bicycle kick.

*"You can't strike first if you don't know how to strike. The cobra strike is composed of two parts-- the lunge... which requires the use of the whole body... and the bite, which is everything that happens after you make contact, all right? You don't stop here where knuckle hits the bone. You punch through the bone, like the guy you really want to hit is standing behind this asshole."*
—Daniel Silver
* **Cobra Strike:** Silver's cobra strike can bloody noses, break teeth, and severely damage the trachea. He plants his feet to stabilize his base, looks his enemy in the eye and punches them in the face while keeping his balance and full rotation when he strikes. When training with this technique, Silver pictures his enemy in his mind.
* **Slither:** While in a headlock, Silver "slithers" by elbowing his opponent in the ribs from behind and taking their wrist to move out of the lock and instead lock their arm.
* **Headbutt:** Daniel tucks in his chin and aim for his opponent's nose with the crown of his head.

## Equipment

### Attire

* **Gi:** Silver earned his gi in Karate.
* **Striker Suit:**

### Weaponry

* **Glock 17:** Daniel carries a Glock 17 sidearm as Striker.

## Relationships

Allies* Arcadian Rebels
	+ Jason Kade - Karate Opponent and Teammate
	+ Clark Flat - Former Student and Teammate
	+ Aranza Whitmore - Former Student and Teammate
	+ Jess Connor - Former Student and Teammate

## Trivia

* Silver is a fan of Kenny G and Nirvana.
* Silver likes ham and cheese sandwiches.
* Silver's drink of choice is beer.