My Opinion and Analysis of Cobra Kai

I can’t express what a surprise it was on how much I got hooked on this show. Every cliffhanger at the end of basically every episode left me at the edge of my seat literally wanting more and wanting to dig my nails into my head and bite them off. I kid you not, that’s how good this show is. It is easily up there with Game of Thrones, Lost, Heroes, Stranger Things etc. My initial opinion of it was that it looked cheesy and then I eventually got around to it and man oh man am I glad I did. As you can tell, my opinion of the show is already great so why don’t I just go on and elaborate why my brain thinks such and so highly of this series? Let’s dive in.

We’ll start with who is meant to be the primary main character of the series- Johnny Boy Lawrence himself. The hotshot, the hot shit, the main antagonist to Danny LaRusso way back in the original Karate Kid. When it comes to expanding lore to a previously established film series, Cobra Kai knocked it out of the damn park. A truly worthy sequel and continuation to the original trilogy and expanding the universe, we learn why Johnny was such a prick dick but that was no excuse for the way he treated Danny and maaaaaan did he really have it in for him. Seeing that Danny was making moves on his ex-girlfriend Ali, Johnny switched into full bully mode and made Danny’s life a living nightmare. He was a punk, he was tough. and he was mean. Twice he beat the crap out of Danny (the second time much more severely), and pushed him down a hill. He really viewed Danny as a twerp. Brother Johnny had the largest grudge in life for LaRusso, he DID NOT LIKE HIM and that’s probably an understatement. Johnny was ready to lay a 3rd beatdown on Danny’s ass at the All-Valley Tournament via an agreement between Danny’s sensei Mr. Miyagi and Johnny’s sensei John Kreese. Had Johnny not lost to Danny, Johnny’s character and perspective on life may never have changed and he may have continued to torment Danny or continue being the confident fighter he was. The agreement was that Johnny would leave Danny alone if Danny won and if Danny had lost, Johnny had the right to continue torturing him. It begs a What IF? What if Johnny had won? Would he still have bullied Daniel? Most likely. He most likely would have rubbed it in his face, call him the ultimate loser, and then move on from highschool. But that’s not what happened. Johnny lost. He was humbled. He recognized Danny’s win and was a good sportsman about it but he lost his self-confidence. He spiraled downward and became an alcoholic but mostly due to the other fact that he realized just how twisted Kreese’s philosophies were. Johnny’ world was shattered when Kreese rejected the notion of Johnny placing in 2nd and called him a failure and adding insult to more insult by breaking his trophy. Johnny’s only role model and father figure was now gone from his life, he didn’t have anyone anymore. The trope of the bully becoming a bum and the loser kid becoming successful is used in Cobra Kai. Both Johnny and Danny are grown up with Johnny being an alcoholic bum who’s become estranged from his son and LaRusso being a confident successful car salesman, married with two kids.

While I personally do not believe in karma, karma is what happens to Johnny. What goes around comes around and Johnny is now tasting what it feels like to be a loser. I think that Johnny’s outcome is more realistic that what happened with Danny. There is a debate on whether people really can change throughout life and from my own personal observations, they can. I used to think the opposite but I’ve been proven wrong. Kids do mature, teenagers do mature as they grow into young adults. I’ve witnessed it. Behaviour is also dependent on many circumstances, even including geographical location, and obviously the experiences one has gone through, case in point Johnny. Unique situations shape and mold people. That being said, while it is believable that Danny has grown up and become much more confident in himself due to maturing and through karate, I’m not so sure he’d be be so chummy seeing Johnny again for the first time in years. Bullying is no laughing matter, and the way Danny was beaten up by Johnny and his gang all those years would be sure to leave LaRusso with some trauma. The way he is so chill and willy nilly with Johnny when they cross paths again is not believable. You may be a car salesman LaRusso but you’re staring at your childhood bully in the face. That would have to bring back bad memories. Seeing Johnny again would give Danny a flood of bad feelings but notwithstanding, kudos to Daniel for being a big man and not holding a grudge. Johnny on the other hand understandably did not want to face someone he hated again especially after losing to him. Although he wasn’t out to torment LaRusso, he just couldn’t stomach being his presence or stomach anything that involved LaRusso hence Johnny discarding Danny’s cactus like trash. What was awkward for Johnny should have been awkward for them both but Danny seemed to have brushed it all under the rug. It should actually have been more awkward for him. Of course things were going to be awkward. Their dynamic was tense. Sometimes you just meet someone and the energy there is just negative. You just can’t explain it, you don’t talk to each other, and then things feel tense, you feel like the other person doesn’t like you, you say negative things about them, and any interaction with them feels like they’re criticizing you in some way because of their tone because of the tension between you two. It happens. That’s most likely how Johnny felt towards Danny but Danny was extending an olive branch, really trying hard to turn the other cheek. That did not work out however after Johnny brought back Cobra Kai, the infamous karate school that made Johnny the relentless bully he was back in the 80s and which brought Danny’s trauma back to the surface. Something annoying I’ve noticed is people’s comments on Youtube about Daniel supposedly purposefully showboating in front of Johnny to make him feel less-than. I believe those people are wrong. Daniel’s intent was not to make Johnny look inferior, he genuinely forgave Johnny. Daniel was trying to be friendly but Johnny was having none of it from who he still perceived as a wimp. Johnny himself was just being a sore loser and proud. There is a moment early on when Johnny apologizes to a student after his knocking the books from his hand onto the floor and saying that was the old him. Johnny never denied being a bully while under Kreese’s tutelage at Cobra Kai but he did admit that Kreese made him fight dirty. By all accounts Johnny should still be the superior fighter and would be able to still kick Daniel’s ass because of his aggressiveness, experience, and athleticism. Johnny has toned his aggressiveness way down as he’s matured. Johnny truly changed into a nicer guy as he slowly embraced the way of Miyagi-Do and accepted Daniel’s win over him at the All-Valley. He even admitted to Miguel that he was motivated by revenge at the All-Valley which clouded his judgment. While he did spiral downward emotionally and mentally, he did come to know himself more clearly in Kreese’s absence and gained more clarity on how to be a martial artist. It wasn’t until his path crossed with LaRusso’s that he truly discovered who he was by embracing the philosophy of Miyagi-Do and implementing it into Cobra Kai. Johnny came to realize that life was more peaceful with Cobra Kai as he learned to be more merciful, kind, and open-minded to his flaws. One would not be blamed to think that mid-life Johnny was almost a completely different person from teenage Johnny. While perhaps not having turned a complete 180, with some aspects of classic Johnny still within, he made a significant 135 degree turn or maybe even a 160 degree turn as he’s more or less made a 3/4 turn toward a complete 180. My only criticism to this is that it may be unbelievable. Would Johnny really change that much? It’s always possible. Some people can really mature and come to feel regret for their past actions and in general just change for the better. Johnny must have truly come to see how much better life was without Cobra Kai and how detrimental to his well-being Kreese was. While it does not excuse Johnny for his actions (because he was well old enough to know what he was doing), his shift of the way he treated people is a sign of his maturity and that he really did grow and improved as a person. Danny may have been the main character of the OG trilogy but Johnny is who really adds the spice and brings in the viewers.

Cobra Kai is a well-written show. No argument there. It’s relatable, it’s grounded, has great dialogue, and great characterization (except perhaps Sam LaRusso, she’s a hoe). The twists that occur in the show and the way specific characters are tied together is brilliant. A great example is the drama between Miguel, Sam, Tory, and Robbie. Sam seems to kiss any cute boy in her vicinity and caused drama between Miguel and Robbie with Miguel even falling off a landing and becoming paralyzed during a duel between the two. Hawk is easily a fan favourite. What’s cool is how Danny’s Miyagi-Do and Johnny’s Cobra Kai start off as rivals and enemies and then eventually come together and unite to face off against Kreese’s Cobra Kai and then Terry Silver’s Cobra Kai. The adult actors definitely overshadow the child actors in this show. Both Martin Cove and Thomas Ian Griffith steal the show as Kreese and Silver. Remember how we spoke about how Johnny’s change may or may not be believable? Well there is one character who definitely does not have the benefit of the doubt, and that character my friends, is Mike Barnes. That boy was unhinged in KK 3, tormenting Daniel for a reward from Silver and you could tell he enjoyed it. He was more dangerous than Johnny and much less restrained, hell there were times he could have killed Danny. I don’t believe his change for a second and we saw him revert to “Karate’s Bad Boy” when he was sensei temporarily for Miyagi-Do. How a sadisitic, psychopathic kid like that came to feel remorseful for his actions and apologized to Daniel is beyond me. Kwon is just the modernized version of Barnes. He may not put other’s lives in danger and may not be as chaotic as Barnes but he’s much more of an ass than Johnny and feeds off negative energy like Barnes. I honestly don’t know if I can sympathize with his death after he tried to kill Axel of the Iron Dragons all because he was getting his ass beat. I understand that he was angry and humiliated but he had no place being on Kreese’s Cobra Kai if he could not control his emotions. Speaking about Kreese, the fact that he had a redemption arc is actually nice to see. He and Johnny reconcile and stands up to Silver after Silver threatens to go after Johnny’s family. The fact that Silver would even entertain that notion shows just how dangerous and maniacal Silver is. People even tried to kill each other over the course of the rivalry between CK and MD be it the students or the senseis. It goes to show that people can psychologically become extremely passionate and serious about something to the point where it’s basically a religion- it is so damn important to them, a way of life, that people would kill for it if they encountered anything that opposed their philosophy despite teaching the same things or being similar in nature.

I’ll conclude with one final deep thought. How successful would Johnny have been had he won the All-Valley? He definitely would have mocked Danny, maybe not beat him up again but definitely taunt him. He most likely would have participated in more tournaments and possibly become famous throughout the San Fernando Valley. With the talent that he possessed and Kreese feeding his ego and most likely acting as an agent, Johnny would most likely have gone on to fame and fortune with an attractive trophy wife or stayed with Shannon Keene and raised Robby Keene to be a talented fighter like him. Daniel would still have met Amanda and would still have Sam and Anthony but it’s only speculation whether the next generation would have crossed paths. It’s highly likely that Johnny would have taken over Cobra Kai as Kreese’s protege, Daniel would still be a car salesman but have no interest in karate after losing to Johnny, and bygones would be bygones as both lived their own lives. What do you think?

Overall, if you haven’t watched Cobra Kai I recommend it. It’s truly a hidden treasure that had no business being as great as it is. The character growth, interactions, real-life relatable drama, and acting are all there. Go watch it. Strike first, strike hard, no mercy.