William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence finished his final fight inCobra Kaiin such a way that I now can’t help but watch 1984’sThe Karate Kidthrough a new lens.Cobra Kai's endingconfirmed thatJohnny was the main character of theKarate Kidlegacy show, despite the sheer number of new and old faces who appeared.Cobra Kai’s place in theKarate Kidfranchise timeline meansthe show was able to pick up Johnny’s story a long time after his life-changing loss in 1984, and it made sure to leave his redemption as late as possible.
Of all theCobra Kaicharacters,Johnny sticks out for his story being so prominent throughout the show, as well as his arc in the original movie being heavily recontextualized. The show began in 2018 with Zabka’s character still wallowing in the misery of his defeat to Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso, and those emotions never fully go away. By the end ofCobra Kai’s final season, it seems as though Johnny has grown his pain as much as is possible, but the show thankfully completes Johnny’s journey just in time.
Johnny Lawrence Did Against Sensei Wolf What He Should’ve Done Against Daniel
Sensei Wolf probably would have won if Johnny hadn’t been patient
One of Johnny’s biggest scenes in theKarate Kidfranchise, if not the biggest, is his loss to Daniel in the first movie. Drawing on Cobra’s “strike first” philosophy,Johnny tries to attack Daniel when Macchio’s character is waiting patientlyin the Crane Kick position. Rather than waiting to see what Daniel’s next move would be, Johnny charged in to attack and ultimately lost the fight when Daniel unleashed his special Miyagi-Do move.
WhenJohnny fought Lewis Tan’s Sensei Wolf in theCobra Kaifinale, something very similar happened.Tan’s character was clearly gearing up for a special and unpredictable movethat he was going to use to take Johnny down. Instead of repeating what he did in 1984 and trying to launch at Sensei Wolf,Johnny waited for his opponent to strike, and successfully countered the move. If Johnny had done that against Daniel in the first movie, he would have stood a much greater chance of toppling Macchio’s character.
The Old Johnny Lawrence Would’ve Never Waited For Someone To Strike First
Johnny’s Cobra Kai training often forces him to attack at the first sign of danger
Johnny’s fighting style, as a graduate of Sensei Kreese’s (Martin Kove) Cobra Kai dojo, is very offense-heavy.Defensive karate has always been secondary to Johnny, although he does gradually start to incorporate more of Daniel’s Miyagi-Do teachings asCobra Kaiprogresses. As such, Zabka’s character becomes a more balanced fighter who knows when striking first isn’t always the best option.
One of Johnny’s most painful memories, paired with his journey throughoutCobra Kai, resulted in him displaying a level of patience that was once uncharacteristic but is now a vital tool in his fighting skill set.
Johnny’s Sekai Taikai fight with Sensei Wolf shows the most balanced version of Zabka’s characterthat we’ve ever seen. It took a lot for him to get to that point, as most past versions of himself would surely have tried to beat Tan’s character to the punch (pun not intended) and rushed in to try and finish the fight. Thankfully, one of Johnny’s most painful memories, paired with his journey throughoutCobra Kai,resulted in him displaying a level of patience that was once uncharacteristic but is now a vital tool in his fighting skill set.
Daniel’s rival needed a long time to work out why he really lost in 1984
Haunted by the loss in the 1984 All Valley Tournament,Johnny has quite clearly thought of little else by the start ofCobra Kai. Losing to such an inexperienced opponent in such an unconventional way slashed his confidence to pieces, and it sat heavy on his soul for over three decades. There are several occasions inCobra Kaithat show Johnny revealing how he would have played things differently, although abandoning his “strike first” mentality never seemed to factor into his revised plan.
Still, replaying the loss in his mind over and over again did more than just torture Johnny. It allowed him to come up with as many hypothetical alternatives as he could picture in case he were ever in the same scenario again. Whilehis fight with Sensei Wolf isn’t exactly the same as his first face-off with Daniel, it’s certainly close enough to bring those memories bubbling even more to the surface than usual. If Johnny hadn’t dwelled on the fight inThe Karate Kidso much, it’s possible Sensei Wolf would have emerged victorious in theCobra Kaifinale.
The Karate Kid
Cast
Released in 1984, The Karate Kid follows the story of Daniel LaRusso on his unexpected journey to becoming a Karate expert under the tutelage of a martial arts master. Recently relocated from New Jersey to Los Angeles, Daniel and his mother are trying to adapt to their new home. Unfortunately, Daniel becomes the target of a gang of Cobra Kai dojo students. When his handyman, Mr. Miyagi, saves him with expert Karate skills, Daniel convinces him to teach him his Karate to defend himself, and put his bullies in their place.
Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai is a sequel series continuing the narrative of the Karate Kid saga, set 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. It focuses on Johnny Lawrence seeking redemption by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, who strives to maintain balance in his life.
