Now suppose Daredevil didn't gain the superhuman abilities that we all secretly believe nuclear waste will grant us, and instead was just an exceptional martial artist -- you know, the core of any awesome kung fu movie. Now he's a sightless hero who's so in tune with his own damn awesomeness that he doesn't need to see jack shit, because his enemies' clumsy punches sound like freight trains coming through the darkness. It's pure skill that allows him to bend like a reed in the wind and uppercut their testicles into their chest cavities.
The addition of superpowers just cheapens that, which is probably why the Netflix series downplays the "radioactive waste made his ears work better" element so much that it might as well not be there. The only possible argument you could make for why he can't merely be a blind badass is that it's not realistic ... and, just, come the fuck on.
Without that arbitrary need to hit all of the standard superhero beats, Daredevil doesn't even need the silly costume. He can do what Murdock does early on in the show, just covering his face with a rag if he needs to protect his identity. The bad guy can still be a ruthless criminal businessman. You can even throw in some ninjas. Not zombie ninjas, regular ones (yes, let's try one of these stories in a universe in which death is actually permanent). Make Murdock a guy who trained hard his whole life to overcome the loss of his sight, something he felt was a limitation that he turns into a strength -- a tribute to his father, whom he always viewed as a tough but limited man. He's a hero only because his discipline and drive are off the charts, not because he also got spritzed with radioactive pixie dust during a random traffic accident.